Latest Posts by dauntlesstales - Page 4
=CHAPTER 7C: RUSH INTO THE MINE=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
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[LATER THAT NIGHT....]
[William White was staring patiently at the same analysis screen for several hours, a full jug of coffee at his side. It had gone cold long ago. Mikhail had left for his own devices shortly after making it, mentioning he had important work to do with Siam before he could return.
And that was certainly for the better…]
White: (Eight...Eight samples.)
White: (This should be enough--this has to be enough...)
[It was in that moment that Soi stepped into the room.]
Soi: --Will?
White: --Oh. Soi.
Soi: Good Lord, man, I thought you went to bed ages ago!
Soi: Didn't Mikhail warn you about staying up too late?
White: Under the circumstances, he's overlooked it for now.
White: I'm so close, Soi, I can just...
White: I have all the pieces, I just have to fit them together.
White: -Turns back to the Terminal- I've already arrange the code, it's only a matter of figuring out what goes where...
White: And hopefully, I can start to finally counteract this nightmare.
Soi: Thank goodness.
Soi: Once we figure out what's going on with the Virus, my brother will send help!
Soi: -Sigh-
Soi: And all we need is Shade back.
White: Yes...
White: I think the others are dreading that, somewhat. Mikhail was...He had that look about him.
Soi: Because Shade is a Hunter?
White: Perhaps.
White: But I think it's something else.
White: Or rather...
((CARDINAL PIC))
White: Someone.
White: ....
White: In any case.
White: -Working as he speaks- You do have a point. This...
White: It's almost over, now.
White: .....
White: Soi?
Soi: Yes?
White: ......
White: I...
White: Do you think that...Maybe...
White: . . . .
Soi: ???
White: ...Nevermind.
Soi: What?
White: No, it's...It was just a passing thought.
Soi: Wiiiiilll.
Soi: Come on, I know you want to tell me something when you suddenly back out of it!
White: I just---
[PING!]
White: !
White: Wait--
White: Soi, I--I think I did it--!
Soi: -WAIT WHAT, REALLY--??-
White: Hold on, let me just run this through one more time--
Soi: Oh, man, this is great!
Soi: -YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN, WILL.-
Soi: I know that it's still processing, but as soon as that's confirmed, I can call Mikhail back--
Soi: And then we can get to--
Soi: --!!!
Soi: --...Will?
[No response.]
[None.]
[The room was suddenly filled with a tense silence.]
[...That is, save for the quiet patter of drops on a keyboard.]
Soi: Will--
[It was as if he wasn't hearing him.]
[William sat there in what appeared to be shock, huge streams of tears falling from his emerald hues.]
[He was crying.]
White: . . .
Soi: Will, are you alright--
White: . . .
White: I...
Soi: Will--oh dear should--should I call Mikhail or--?
[THAT got him out of the shock, but it was quickly replaced by sheer panic--]
[Will bolted straight for the door, fumbling with his keycard to lock it--]
Soi: --???!
[He then proceeded to shut down all the computers, cameras, even his phone--]
Soi: Will--
Soi: Will!
[Soi grabbed his arm before he could do anything else concerning, a firm tone in his voice.]
Soi: What is going on--?! What did you--
White: It's mine.
Soi: --???
White: The virus--it's coding--It's MINE, Soi--!
White: All of this is MY FAULT--!
Soi: Wha...
[Soi was so...so taken back by it that he let go.]
Soi: Wait--
White: -PANICKY--
White: It's all my fault, the madness, our sons and daughters, our own family, HIS--!
White: The whole country is suffering because of MY MISTAKE--!
Soi: WILL!
[Soi claps very hard in front of Will's face, which was enough to bring him out of his panic attack, or at least some of it.]
Soi: Breathe.
Soi: I've known you for more than 10 years and I know that none of this is your fault.
Soi: You--
Soi: You're different, now, Will.
Soi: Remember?
White: ........
Soi: .....
Soi: Let's just...Sit.
Soi: Start over.
Soi: Okay?
White: . . .
[White sits back down with a shivering sigh, his head buried into his hands. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, but it didn't seem to help much.]
White: S-Soi...
White: The...The code, Soi--
White: It's mine. I know it is.
Soi: Really?
[Silence.]
White: ....
White: Not...All of it.
Soi: See, so it isn't--
Soi: --Wait-- not ALL of it?
Soi: I...I don't understand.
White: .....
White: Soi...
White: Remember...
White: Remember when you first hired me?
Soi: I...Of course.
Soi: How could I forget?
White: .....
White: I told you that I had previous experience with robotics before.
White: You know what I mean.
Soi: ......
[Now it was Soi's turn to be shocked.]
Soi: No, Wait--
Soi: You can't mean--
Soi: This--You mean this whole robot rampage--?!
White: --is all my fault, indeed.
White: Or rather...
White: The fault of a robot that I designed long ago...
White: The CDN-1201.
White: ...Trinity.
White: I designed her to evolve by assimilating other robot's capabilities...
White: I found her custom scripts in the virus code we retrieved from each of the haywire Mighty Numbers--as well as...
White: From...Mikhail's database sample...
((Hang on, cutscene time— -Cutscene here about Mikhail and Will talking about the Virus being alive-))
White: The structure is clever, cunning, concise...
White: It's brilliant. There's no doubt it's my code.
Soi: Now wait just a minute--!
Soi: How--How is that even POSSIBLE, Will?
Soi: CherryDynamics shut down the Trinity project AGES ago!
Soi: In fact it was--
Soi: Dr. Blackwell himself, wasn't it--? Back when he was CTO--?
[White stiffens at that.]
Soi: ....
Soi: I...
Soi: I always thought that was the reason you left Cherry to come work with us and make the Mighties here...
Soi: Wasn't it?
White: Of COURSE it was, Soi!
Soi: --Nngh-- (Oh no, he's angry--)
White: After what HAPPENED there--
White: After what I had to do to HER--
White: In the end, Blackwell only saw the dangers, not the potential--!
White: He NEVER gave ME a CHANCE!
White: Never gave HER a...a chance...
Soi: ......
[As quickly as Will flared, he slowly SAT back down again, tears now flowing freely.]
White: I can still hear her in my DREAMS, Soi.
White: I...
White: God, I was a fool.
White: Such a fool...
White: But I was just so eager and wanted to prove myself to HIM that I...I didn't listen.
White: And now she's come to haunt me again.
Soi: --Will.....
White: I...I just--
White: --I can't TELL them, Soi, I just CAN'T--!
White: To tell them that all that I am--all of who I AM IS A LIE?!
White: What that would do to them, to--to all that we have built and come to cherish--
White: I DON'T WANT TO LOSE EVERYTHING AGAIN, SOI--!
Soi: Shhhh!
Soi: Will--
[Soichiro calmly wraps an arm around Will's shaking shoulders, almost close to tears himself.]
Soi: You won't, Will--
Soi: I swear we will make this work somehow, if I have a say in it!
Soi: I know her loss was so hard on you, Will, and I know how much it hurts.
Soi: But this...
Soi: This is a virus, Will--Trinity was not a virus.
Soi: She was your daughter, if only for a short time.
Soi: I don't know how or why someone would put her scripts into this...This horrid thing--
Soi: But I do know one thing.
Soi: I will always be in your corner, Will. No matter what happens or who tries to stop us.
Soi: I'll always have your back.
Soi: ^^
White: ....
White: -Sniff-
White: S...Soi...
White: You--You never HAD to help me...
Soi: Oh, poppycock! That's ridiculous.
Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?
White: -Sniff-
White: ....
White: U-Up the creek with no paddle?
Soi: I was thinking more like still a rotten Cherry, but let's go with that.
White: Eheh....
White: ....
White: What are we going to do, Soi...?
Soi: I don't really know.
Soi: But we can't keep this from Mikhail for long, you know that, right?
White: . . .
Soi: Will.
White: I...I don't...
Soi: Will, he GAVE you one of the samples, he's SEEN that custom script.
White: --....
Soi: He's going to put two and two together eventually, and would you rather have him find out on his own or hearing it from someone he knows is a genuine good person with genuine, good intentions?
White: . . . .
White: -Whispers- I don't want him or any of them to think less of me...
Soi: .....
White: And then there's my own children, Soi...
White: How would THEY handle this?
Soi: Will, that's sort of your fault there.
Soi: You always put it off ever since Pyro.
Soi: There is just no easy way to go about this, Will.
Soi: You have to tell them the truth.
White: . . . .
Soi: At least--
Soi: At least tell someone, Will--
Soi: You need to talk about this to someone OTHER than me.
Soi: Someone that isn't quite in our family--but still a friend.
Soi: Someone like...
Soi: ....
Soi: --!
Soi: Felix?
White: ...But he's just stirring.
Soi: When he's BETTER, Will.
Soi: Honestly, I will drag you to him if I have to, don't think I won't!
White: -Ngh--
Soi: ....
Soi: Please don't take this the wrong way, Will. I'm doing this as your friend.
Soi: All I want is for you to be well and at peace with...with who you were.
Soi: Alright?
White: .....
White: -Inhale-
White: ...O...Okay...
White: I...Okay.
Soi: Promise, Will. You have one foot out the door.
White: ....
White: I...
White: I promise.
Soi: To?
White: Go talk to Felix.
Soi: About?
White: ...Trinity.
Soi: Good. ^^
White: ......
Soi: Chin up, Will.
Soi: Things will get better, soon.
Soi: I promise you that. ^^
White: ....
White: I...
White: I can only hope, Soi.
White: (Hope and dream...)
White: ...I made a mess, didn't I....
Soi: Sort of? You just turned off everything in a rush.
Soi: ...Also I think you locked us in. ^^;;;
White: ....
White: (Oops--)
White: I...
White: I think I'll just call someone to get us out...
White: -Oh God why are there so many messages SOI--
White: -I THINK IT'S TOO LATE--
Soi: -Wait what--
[Soi peeked over Will's phone to get a closer look--]
[MESSAGE 1
FROM: MC005]
>WILL
>WILL, WE FINALLY FOUND THE ANSWER
White: --???
[MESSAGE 2
FROM: MC005]
> {We figured it out Will I’m not sure yet but PICK UP YOUR PHONE—}
White: -Wait, what--
[MESSAGE 3
FROM: DWN-019]
> -Raw data that is echoed and mostly mirrored-
White: -Okay so THANK GOD IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE WHAT I THINK IT WAS--
Soi: .....
Soi: You REALLY need to go to sleep.
White: Shush--
[MESSAGE 4
FROM: DWN-019]
>Doctor!
>I know you are awake working.
>If you were asleep, your phone would have woken you.
> SO GO TO BED WHEN YOU GET THIS.
>There is very important news to share in the morning!
Soi: ...That's kinda scary, actually.
White: -______-;;;;
[MESSAGE 5
FROM: DWN-019]
>We sent Dr. Cossack to sleep despite his protests, he needs rest.
>Please have everyone gather for breakfast, they’ll want to hear this.
Soi: See?
Soi: Heck, maybe things will work out after all!
White: . . .
White: I...Guess so.
White: ...Before we go, though, I should lock the code--
Soi: That can wait.
White: -But we really should secure the--
Soi: In the morning, Will.
White: -But--
Soi: -Alright that's it we're calling in the cavalry-
Soi: Call, dear?
White: -ERK--
White: -Waitwaitwait on second thought BED SOUNDS NICE-
White: -Look see, we're going--
[BONK--!]
White: Ow--
White: ....
White: Oh right I locked us in, didn't I.
White: Um.
White: ^^;;;;;
Soi: .....
Soi: -LOSES IT-
Soi: Aw, Will, you...
Soi: Call!
[Footsteps.]
".... Doctors, why is this door locked?"
Soi: Will here accidentally locked us in, heh.
Soi: Be a dear and disengage the lock, will you?
Soi: Oh, and get Will to bed, he's being difficult.
White: -I SAID I WAS GOING-
"Yes, Doctor. I will only be a few minutes."
White: -I'm locking the code while she's doing it-
Soi: Will-- -Siiiigh- -_-;;;;;;
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 7D: RUSH INTO THE MINE=
((Courtesy of @unluckyadept))
~AO v1.0~
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[He was almost there.]
((Pic))
[He had hit the road as soon as it was daylight—figuratively speaking. He was actually windsurfing, right now—grateful now, more than ever, that he had given Jazz the upgrade while he was waiting things out. Even if it would come at the cost of all her energy, thus leaving him to deal with the upcoming trial all on his own.]
Cardinal: _(…It’s for the better, anyway. There might be people, and there’s too much history—too many important things, can’t let it burn to the ground.)_
[Baron was sitting on his shoulder. Cardinal had all but forgotten about his feathered friend—he thought he’d left Baron safely back at home in the Meadow, but apparently the cheeky songbird had taken the liberty of moving its traveling capsule from the shelf and into Cardinal’s bag during their last parting. He had discovered this just the other night—and now, Baron would be crucial to communication, should his guess prove right.
He honestly wasn’t sure what he hoped for more, or dreaded worse… that he might have guessed wrong (and thus traveled all that way for nothing, with Shade still at large…)
_…or that he would have guessed *right,* and things were about to get *so much /worse./*_
A soft whine reminded him that he wasn’t the only one worried about the matter.]
Cardinal: We’ll be there soon, Scout. …Baron, you know what to do.
[ALMOST THERE.
He had to make it, he had to— _he was going as fast as he possibly could, *now was the time—]*_
Cardinal: _(Hang in there, Shade…)_
[From this height, he could see a few of the numerous iconic buildings and structures that served as blatant landmarks for his destination.]
>ETA: ONE HOUR REMAINING
Cardinal: _*I /will/ stop you!*_
[.......]
[They say that slow and steady wins the race.]
[And that the patient man would reap the rewards for his virtues.]
[Mighty No. 8 was not patient, nor was he particularly fond of waiting.]
[Sleep was a preferred alternative to that.]
[And it was a long sleep.]
[But now...]
[The wheels of fate were turning fast, far, far too fast.]
[PING!]
"Zzz..."
[PING!]
"...."
[PING!]
"Mggrh, quit yer complainin', m'UP."
[.......]
"...S'that so."
"Suppose ya want me t' DO somethin' about it?"
[........]
"Well, make up yer mind, elsewise I'm goin' back t'sleep."
[.........]
"....!"
"Ooooh..."
"Ah' see."
"Heh."
"Go big or go home. Ah' like that."
"Sounds t' me yer gettin' desperate, though."
"Eh, but what do Ah' know."
"Ah'm just the hitman.~"
[PING!]
"Alright, alright, m'goin. Don't gotta shout."
[A faint red light flickers in the darkness, a crosshairs symbol focusing into view.]
"Target confirmed. Take no prisoners."
"Now THIS is gonna be a REAL challenge, Ah' hope. Heheh!"
[There is the sound of some lock unlatching, and the unmistakable sound of boots with spurs thumping against polished floor.]
"S'use me, boys."
[Click.]
"Ya wouldn't mind pointin' me t' mah new office, now, would ya?"
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 8A: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @unluckyadept, @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{ ((Setting here, will look up exact date and time later)) }
[Breakfast that morning started out as such an exciting and encouraging affair.
The house was full again—full of noise, that is, and commotion.
Pyrogen had been forced to go out early to buy groceries, as Seismic had cleared out everything from both fridges and all the pantries once he was well enough to slightly move. Considering he hadn’t eaten in days, that wasn’t really a surprise.]
[In addition to the sticky glory and sugar that was syrup, there was plenty else to give one reason to bounce off the walls…
…not that the syrup wasn’t enough a reason on it’s own, of course…]
Beck: -IT'S MINE.-
Avi: -BECK COME ON YOU CAN'T JUST HOG THE SYRUP BOTTLE LIKE THAT, BRO-
Beck: -RUNS-
Beck: -SUGAAAAAR-
Avi: WE GOT A RUNNER--
[Cryo suddenly springs forth from her own personal freezer in an effort to stop him--]
Cryo: HAND OVER THE SYRUP BOTTLE BRO--
[...Only to find that Beck had vaulted over her to skid around towards the kitchen exit.]
Cryo: HEY NO FAIR--
Beck: -THE SYRUP IS MINE, NO ONE CAN HAVE IT-
[Avi hovers after him, camera drone floating beside him.]
[MN.6] //: -PING- -WE GOT A RUNNER, FOUR FOOT NINE, BLUE NEBULA SHIRT, WE ARE IN HOT PURSUIT, SUBJECT IS HYPER AND VERY STICKY--
Pyro: AVI, NO FLYING IN THE HOUSE--
Brand: ........
Brand: -It's too early for this--
<DWN-024>: > -Snorts- Is your breakfast always this chaotic, Sensei?
Shadow: -I can hear you all ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FLOOR, how even-
[MN.7] //: I'd say 'you have no idea' but then again....
[MN.5] //: -PRIVATE WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU DOING--
[MN.4] //: -Whoops, Beck's on a sugar rush, better stay out of the way-
Dyna: I'M NOT CATCHING HIM, HE'LL RUIN MY CLOTHES--
Pyro: -SIGH-
Pyro: -Just USE YOUR BITS, DYNATRON-
Dyna: -But he'll get those sticky toooooo--
Pyro: They're ALREADY STICKY--
[It was at this point that Will came in with a cup of stronger coffee than usual...]
Will: -Yaaawns-
Will: Mmmn....Good morning.
Pyro: Ah--Good morning, Father.
Avi: -FLIES BY THE DOOR- Morning, Daddo! Sorry, gotta fly-- -ZOOMS OFF, UH, WE LOST HIM, BROS--
Will: ?
Pyro: Beck won't share the syrup bottle.
Will: Ah...
Will: Well, that's expected. He's making up for the energy spent this whole week, though...Sugar isn't quite the answer...
Will: ...Oh well. -Sips-
<DWN-024>: >Good morning, Doctor.
<DWN-024>: >How are you this morning?
Will: ! Ah--Good morning, Shadow.
Will: I'm a little worn down, but--that is what coffee is for, eh? ^^
Will: Soi's getting the lab ready for the day, I believe. I heard that Mikhail and Siam have good news to share.
Pyro: !
<DWN-024>: > …
<DWN-024>: > If that is what I hope it to be… -Vaguely eager, because how do emotions work- We must let them know you are awake, as they will want to share at once.
Will: Oh, of course! Ah, just--let me locate Nine first, there's a bit of a situation, it seems. I'm sure he'll want to hear this too...
<DWN-024>: > -Muffled anticipation-
[After Beck was found hiding in the closet of his room with the syrup bottle--now empty--he agreed to come down to hear what Mikhail and Siam had to say.]
Avi: -Toting him around on his shoulders- Lil' bro acquired! ^^
Beck: -w-
Beck: -Syruuuup-
[By this point, the Cossacks were on the line. They appeared to be having breakfast, themselves.
Digger laughed at the spectacle, giving a slight “fist” pump.]
Digger: Haha!~ How is you say, “brother GET!”? You are lucky is not gingerbread man!
[Skull looked over at Keltso. They seemed to share a private joke, because Keltso snorted into his drink.]
Mikhail: It’s good to see you all like this again. Heaven knows it’s been missed.
[The doctor looked tired, but content. He gave a pleasant smile.]
Mikhail: I do indeed have some excellent news to share. Something that’s been long overdue.
Cryo: OOOOOO~
Avi: -THIS SHOULD BE GOOD-
Beck: -Wipes syrup off of his mouth- So what is it, Dr. Cossack?
Mikhail: Well, you know what my overreaching project has been since before we met one another, da?
Digger: Repairing little brothers? :^DDD
Mikhail: Among others, yes.
Mikhail: I must thank you all for your help along the way. Beck, your molds have proven invaluable.
Beck: (^.^)7
Beck: It's no problem, Doctor!
Mikhail: It’s taken quite a lot of searching, but I do believe we have found a suitable answer. It honestly was hard to believe at first, the specs are quite—
WHACK!
Beck: --???
Avi: --The heck was that?
[Out of nowhere, there was an incredible racket coming from the direction of the windows.
It almost sounded like something was trying to break in.]
Cryo: --Yo, It's coming from the window--
Pyro: ???
[Pyro goes over to look at what is causing all the racket--]
Pyro: What is going on out--
Pyro: !!!!!
[...And IMMEDIATELY unlatches the window lock.]
Avi: Uh...Bro? What are you--
[Something feathered and shrieking dashed into the kitchen. It flew right into the toppings and condiments on the table, knocking over drinks and getting grimy feathers into breakfasts.
This bird had certainly seen better days. It looked like it had flown through a pretty hard-affected area—sooty, muddy, and overall filthy.]
Mikhail: -Stands, utterly confused- Pyro, why—
[The poor thing didn’t even stop a moment to rest, but continued screaming.]
???: SCREE, SCREE!
Pyro: Doctor--
Pyro: That's BARON!
Beck: !!!!
Cryo: -Squints-
Cryo: -...DUDE HE'S RIGHT IT'S CARDINAL'S BIRD FORM--
Mikhail: What?!
[Baron was in hysterics, kicking up his wings as he took alight again, hovering in people’s faces.]
Beck: Baron! Calm down! -ACKPFFT FEATHERS IN MOUTH-
Avi: -DUDE YOU'RE GONNA RUN INTO SOMETHING--
Baron: -SCREE, SCREEEE—- -Flies over in Pyro’s face, SCREEEEE—- DDD8
Pyro: -Nearly has to take a step back, this bird is going crazy--
Pyro: Baron--We can't understand you if you just keep screaming--
[Frustrated, Baron flew over near the stove.
He started letting out bursts of fIRE—]
Baron: “●●● ——— ●●●” !!! SCREEE! “●●● ——— ●●●!” SCREE SCREE—!
Beck: ....
Avi: --Dude--Dude that's definitely Morse--
Pyro: ....
Pyro: SOS...
Beck: !!!
Beck: Is Cards in trouble--?!
Baron: SCREE—! “●●● ——— ●●●! ——● —●—●!!!!!!!!”
Avi: --? DC?
Avi: Uh, bro, you're gonna have to be a little more specific with the letters, man--
Will: --No, wait--
[There was a crash noise on the other side of the line. Digger whirled around to see who it was.]
Digger: … Felix?!
[He runs out of view. Baron flies over and starts pecking desperately at Avi’s camera drone.]
Avi: --HEY NO--
Beck: !!!
Avi: Dude no you're gonna scratch the camera--
[Luckily, Will is already opening another feed to the local news, with Soi coming in to see what was all the ruckus about.]
Soi: Why is everyone screaming louder than--
Soi: --Holy hamburger, is that BARON?!
“Felix, no—you’re unwell, you—!”
[Protests could be heard from the other line. Felix was speaking back in agitated Proxan. Dark, deadly looking plants were starting to curl around the doorframe.]
Beck: -Oh man--
Will: Yes, Soi, do me a favor and PLEASE check the news on TV for me--
Soi: Er--Okay?
Soi: --!!!??
Soi: WILL, WE HAVE A SITUATION--
“Let GO of me—they must stop him—”
Mikhail: What KIND of situation— FELIX! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF—!
Soi: -PANIC-
Soi: THE WHITE HOUSE IS UNDER ATTACK--
Will: What--?!?
Beck: The White House?!?
Avi: -WAIT--AS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, WHITE HOUSE--
Baron: -SCREEE D.C., D.C.-
Avi: -FINALLY GETS INTO THE FEEDS HIMSELF-
Avi: -Pales-
Avi: Oh man THISISBAD--
Avi: THIS IS VERY BAD--
Avi: GUYS--THEY'RE SAYING THAT AN UNIDENTIFIED BOT IS ON THE PRIMISES AND THE DESCRIPTION MATCHES CARDS--
Beck: Cards is THERE?!?
Mikhail: {WHAT?! NO—!}
<DLN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DWN-011 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DWN-012 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DWN-018 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DWN-019 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DWN-024 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DCN-000 has entered Non-Lethal Combat mode.>
<DCN-003 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DCN-007 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
<DCN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
Beck: (But--!)
Beck: (If Cards is THERE, then that means--!)
Beck: (--OH MAN, THEY'RE IN--)
Mikhail: {My God, if he gets caught, they are going to destroy him—}
Mikhail: {EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN! AUTHORIZATION MC005!}
((AAAAAaaaand everyone goes back Offline))
<RMDC>: > -PING!- ERROR: COMMAND FAILED. DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.
Cryo: -FLAILING ARMS- WHY THE GLITCH IS THE PREZ'S HOUSE UNDER ATTACK--
Pyro: --....
Pyro: If Cardinal is in the White House--then--
Will: . . .
Will: N...No...
Will: NonoNO--!
Beck: SHADE--!
Felix: You… you must stop him, before—!
[Mikhail, taken by surprise (as he had forgotten all about the poor Adept in the chaos), turned just in time to prevent Felix from falling over something. Felix clutched at him, clearly in a very weakened state. He hadn’t eaten in a long time—and it showed.]
Beck: !
Beck: FELIX--!
Felix: There…
Felix: There is DEATH on the horizon!
Beck: --!!!
Will: NO--!
Will: (I will not lose another CHILD--!)
Will: CALL!
Felix: NO!
Felix: You don’t understand—!
Beck: --????!
Beck: -Already in combat form, loading up Xel Stocks-
Beck: You gotta explain FAST, Felix, I don't think we have much time--
Felix: He can’t…
Mikhail: -Helps Felix gently to the floor, turning pale- {Dear God…}
Felix: Couldn’t… he couldn’t outrun him…
Will: -Freezes at that-
————————
“You’re going to have to catch me first, hunting doggie!”
————————
“Catch me if you can!”
————————
Beck: . . .
Beck: -Starts preparing FASTER--
Avi: But--wait--
Beck: No TIME!
Beck: Call, how soon can you get us authorization?!
Mikhail: WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!
[He’s run over to the mainframe, working faster than one could think possible. He seemed desperate.]
Mikhail: Aviator White you find out who the security on the lawn is RIGHT NOW AND TELL THEM TO CEASE FIRE, /THIS INSTANT!/
Avi: ON IT--
Mikhail: {And somebody call back the Pentagon, dammit—that’s why we haven’t heard from the secretary, THEY MUST BE TRAPPED INSIDE!}
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. Contacting the Pentagon.
Mikhail: {FIND whoever you spoke to, we have got to get eyes in there, his signal is gone but we have to get him out of there, I’m waking up Tobias because WE DON’T HAVE TIME!}
Will: S-Soi-- -It's all moving too fast for him, Shade--
Soi: Will--Go get Beck as close to the House as possible! Can you do that?
Will: --!! Yes, yes--Right away--
Beck: (Shade--Shade, why this, WHY THE WHITE HOUSE, WHY--)
Beck: (Don't you know Cards is--?!)
Beck: Ready--!
Mikhail: {THEN GO, /NOW!/}
——————
[....Some time later…]
Beck: What is TAKING so long?!
White: I'm going as fast as I CAN, Beck, but there are SECURITY measures preventing direct Xel Transfer that I HAVE to get through FIRST--!
Beck: We gotta get to Cards before SHADE does or--!
Beck: (Or...He'll do something WORSE--)
White: Almost....
White: --! GOT IT--
White: Call!
Call: Affirmative, Doctor. Preparing Xel Transfer...
<DLN-008 is now Online.>
Beck: --!
Beck: Toby--!
<DLN-008 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
Beck: --Uh oh--
[Mikhail is working at a terminal, apparently communicating with Tobias.]
[DR.WHITE to MN.9] //: Mikhail has things covered, Beck--your main focus should be to retrieve Countershade and Cardinal!
<MC005>: >Tobias has his own mission. Focus on your work!
[MN.9] //: --...Yes, Sir.
Beck: (Hang on, guys, I swear--I swear I won't let anything happen to you--!)
[CAPITOL BUILDING, AKA THE WHITE HOUSE, A FEW SECONDS LATER...]
[MISSION DETAILS: MIGHTY NUMBER 8, COUNTERSHADE, APPEARS TO BE LEADING A ROBOT OCCUPATION OF THE CAPITAL BUILDING. SIGHTINGS OF DLN-000, CARDINAL LIGHT, HAVE ALSO BEEN REPORTED.
MISSION OBJECTIVE: LOCATE AND PURGE ALL HARMFUL MALWARE FROM MN.8, LOCATE DLN-000. PREVENT BOTH UNITS FROM ENGAGING.
SUB-OBJECTIVE: MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]
[SYSTEMS READY?]
[GO!]
((Stage music here))
[Beck appears in a flurry of blue Xel building upon itself, his feet meeting luxury red carpet. He seems to have landed in the foyer.]
[CALL] //: Attention. Beck has arrived at the Capitol Building.
[DR.SANDA] //: Y...You don't think Shade would actually...Try to...
[DR.WHITE] //: (A fine question indeed, but we all know the answer to that.) Focus, Soi.
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, what do you see?
Beck: I see--
[Vrrrrrrr...]
[A red dot appears right in between Beck's eyes--]
Beck: --!
[Beck rolls out of the way JUST in time to avoid sniper fire from out of nowhere, the statue behind him becoming littered with bullet holes.]
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Well, well, well.
[MN.8] //: If it ain't the infernal Wily child and the Lil' doggie.
[So far, Beck had to go and FIND his ill siblings, and while each case differed from the other--
Not two seconds into this and Shade held NO qualms about shooting him in the head.
...In all honesty, that made Beck just a touch annoyed.]
-PING!-
[MN.9] //: COUNTERSHADE!
[Static fill ted the coms.
Angry static.]
<DLN-008>: >Shut up, Shade.
<DLN-008>: > The only reason I haven’t fried you to a soot speck is because Beck’s my friend and Cardinal would kill me. |[
Beck: ...
Beck: (Whew...)
Beck: (At least I kinda don't have to worry about Toby frying big bro to a crisp--yet...)
[There was a slight noise, and it died down.]
<DLN-008>: > Yes—
Beck: --? (Yes? Yes what--?) Toby, who are you--
[Suddenly, gunfire, off in the distance--]
[CALL] //: Sniper fire detected, but I am unable to detect any robot capable of long range gunfire.
[DR.WHITE] //: No, you won't, Call. Mighty No. 8 won't show up on any of your instruments.
[DR.WHITE.] //: ...All part of my design.
[One of the monitors nearby became filled with static and then a familiar symbol—the Wily symbol.
Tobias’s voice came over a small-range frequency.]
“Cardinal is fighting his way through—I can hear him, but I can’t see him yet! I’ll do what I can to disrupt!”
Beck: !
Beck: Thanks, Toby!
“Don’t congratulate me yet, Beck—”
((Whatever noise you want here))
“I CAN’T CONTROL THE SECURITY SYSTEMS!”
[As if to prove this point, the monitor cut out, and resumed a “RED ALERT” security message.]
Beck: ._____.
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]
((pic))
Beck: -TANK MODE GO-
[Various turrets unlock from the ceiling and walls, but they couldn't keep up with Beck as he barreled down the next hallway, gunfire chasing after him.]
[He practically ran over various infected robots, not stopping for a second in his search for Countershade and Cardinal.]
Beck: (Where are you, Shade--?)
[DR.WHITE] //: Beck, Shade has to be somewhere in the building--trace the sniper fire back to its source!
[Indeed, Beck saw many red lasers bouncing off the walls and familiar dark orbs in the hall--Beck only saw them in use once in his entire life, and that was way back when he was still on the team...]
Beck: (Shade can see through them, I know that much--and he can use them to bounce his shots off of...)
Beck: (Meaning he has eyes everywhere--he knows exactly what's going on inside at all times--)
Beck: (I gotta get past them somehow--!)
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]
Beck: HAH!
[Beck leaps forward and slices one out of the air, both halves of the orb falling into carpet with a small thunk.]
Beck: Okay, so some of them can be smashed... (Or sliced, in this case...)
[CRUNCH--!]
Beck: --? -Looks down, what the heck did he step on--
Snake: -Beep.-
[...Gosh, that looked familiar--]
Snake: -Beep beep.-
Beck: --!!!
[His mind goes RACING back to that day when a Search Snake had snuck into the Meadow--!]
Beck: NO--!
[Beck KICKS IT AWAY--]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[The snake EXPLODED in the air, sending shrapnel and acid flying--some of it into the gathered orbs, themselves!!]
[There was suddenly distorted CURSING over the feeds as Beck breathed hard, his eyes wide and shaking, and...almost...]
[Glowing...]
Beck: WHAT IS A S E A R C H SNAKE DOING HERE IN THE WHITE HOUSE--?!?
[...Uh oh.]
<DLN-008>: > Because Cardinal is trying to find them, genius!
Beck: --!
Beck: .........
Beck: ....O...Oh...
[That seems to snap him out of it.]
Beck: S-...Sorry, I...
<DLN-008>: > HE TOOK ALL THE CAPSULES, REMEMBER?!
Beck: -Wince--
Beck: (Gnh, that's right--)
<DLN-008>: > Including MINE!
[BZZZRRRRRKKKZZZZZGGGHHHHHHHVVVV—]
Beck: --?!?
<MC005>: > No! They're... they must be already engaging!
Beck: No--!
Beck: (Cards--Shade is WEAK to DYNA'S abilities, you're going to--!)
[Beck swerved around a corner, heading to the place where he heard the electricity--]
Beck: (Ugh, this is like the Power Plant all over again--)
<DLN-008>: > DYNAAAAAA--
<DLN-008>: > I CAN'T FIGHT THE SYSTEM AND FOCUS ON OTHER THINGS AT THE SAME TIME, HELP--
[He did seem to be disrupting the security systems-- it was far from perfect, though, and it was clear he was struggling.]
[PING!]
[MN.3] //: I got thiszz, Toby!
[MN.3] //: Let'szzz zzsee, what can I do here....
[Dyna is silent for a few moments before--]
[PING!]
[MN.3] //: Ah! That'szz the biszznesszz--thiszz place MUST have it'szz own power grid! No wonder you're having zzso much trouble, Toby, the zzspecszz are totally different.
[MN.3] //: Hmmm...Let'szzz try thiszz--
Beck: Whoa--!
[Suddenly, gravity just vanished as EVERYTHING began to float up, suspended, the air crackling with energy--]
Beck: Dynaaaaa, put me down--!
[MN.3] //: Oopszz--
[MN.3] //: Okay, hmm. That waszzn't it--
[THUNK.]
[Aaaand gravity went back to normal.]
Beck: -Ow-
[MN.3] //: Wow, thiszzz iszzn't your typical power grid--I'm gonna need a few zzsecondszz. Can you hold off for a while longer?
Beck: -Back in default form- Yeah, I think...
Beck: --!
Beck: What the...
[He had arrived at the hallway where he heard the electric based weaponry going off.
It was utterly destroyed.]
Beck: Uh.
Beck: I think this is the right way. (Jeez...)
Beck: (Gotta watch my step...)
Beck: CARDS?! SHADE?!
Beck: WHERE ARE YOU?!
Beck: SOMEONE--
[BANG!]
Beck: --Gnh!
[Something hot grazed his shoulder, and he turned--]
Shade: Hello, runt.
Beck: --?!
[Before Beck could say a word, Shade fired off more shots, forcing Beck to find cover behind a presidential statue of sorts.]
Shade: Heh. Coward.
Beck: Shade, please, I--!
[Beck peeked out of his cover to return fire--]
Beck: --???
[...But he was gone.]
Beck: Sh...Shade--?
[Nothing.]
[CALL] //: Mighty No. 8's signal has vanished. We have lost the target. My apologies.
[DR.WHITE] //: .... -sigh-
[DR.WHITE] //: ... It's not your fault.
[DR.WHITE] //: ...It's what I built him to do.
<MC005>: > And Cardinal was built to defend at all costs-- Tobias, where is he?!
<DLN-008>: > Kinds busy with the security--!
Beck: Gah...
[Finding nothing here, Beck doubled back to the foyer, and to the other adjoining hallway to the right. Perhaps, if they were going left, he can cut them off--]
Beck: --!
[A slew of infected combat models awaited him.]
Beck: Aw, you gotta be--!
[They opened fire, and this time there wasn't much cover to hide behind--Beck was forced to tank some hits before retaliating with his default weapon, restoring his Xel Stocks for later.]
Beck: Guuuh, lasers hurt...
[He shakes it off after a while, and continues to run down the hall...]
[BANG BANG BANG!!]
[--only to be CHASED by sniper fire soon after!]
Beck: AH--!
[MN.8] //: Heh. Run along nao, lil' doggy.
[MN.8] //: -VERY DISORTED VOICE-- Run and FETCH for your HUMAN masters.
<DLN-008>: > OW!
<DLN-008>: > -Incredibly aggressive data-
[Tobias seemed to be engaged in a fight against something very powerful…
…something that was making him angry.]
[KKKSST--]
[The connection cuts out.]
[DR.WHITE] //: He STILL has his sights on you, Beck--be careful--!
Beck: Ggh, trying--!
[He manages to dive into the next hallway--]
Beck: --?????
[...Oh that was a lot of Metal Blades.]
Beck: (Oooh, jeez, Shade's not gonna be happy seeing those out--)
Beck: (Not after what happened in the Queen's Finals...)
Beck: (Oh, please, PLEASE don't do anything rash, Shade--you--you gotta still be in there SOMEWHERE--!)
"RARF!"
Beck: --?????
Beck: ...Did...Did you hear that?
[It...It sounded like a very distinct bark--]
<MC005>: > …I must be imagining things, that sounded like Shade’s dog—
"RARF RARF!"
Beck: --!!!!
Beck: No WAY--
[Amazingly, despite all of the gunfire and chaos, madness, and overall hell on earth--
Scout the Zigzagoon was expertly and happily bouncing around the dangers of the White House, tail wagging with GLEE as he POUNCED into the young hero's chest with almost carefree cheerfulness.]
Scout: RARF! : D!!!! -IT'S YOU, TALL MASTER'S BROTHERRRR-
Beck: SCOUT--?!?
Scout: -ALL THE KISSES FOR YOU--
Beck: -GIGGLES, BWAAAA--
[DR.WHITE] //: .....I....? -Speechless-
<MC005>: > …
<MC005>: > …How did he—
<MC005>: > !
<MC005>: > What is he wearing?
Beck: --?
[Scout had something hanging around his neck, besides his teal scarf...]
Beck: Lemmie see that...
Beck: --?
Beck: It's...One of those old USB drives--?
<MC005>: > !!!
<MC005>: > That’s Cardinal’s!
Beck: --......
Beck: Wait--if this is Cardinal's--
Beck: Scout--did...Did you--did you come here WITH CARDS--?!?
Scout: Rarf! : D
Beck: -ARE YOU TELLING ME SHADE'S RACCOON FOUND CARDS, CARDS, BEFORE WE DID--
[You could hear Mikhail facepalming over the feeds.
....And again, over Will's feed.]
[DR.WHITE] //: -We got outsmarted by a raccoon, are you KIDDING me--
Beck: --! Scout--where is he--where is Cards--?!
Scout: ---......
[...He's...Not answering.]
<DLN-008>: > Gnhhhgghhh!
<DLN-008>: > I directed him to the Oval Office!
Beck: --?!? WHAT--?!
[DR.SANDA] //: -I KNEW IT, HE'S GOING TO ASSASSINATE THE MADAME PRESIDENT--
[DR.SANDA] //: BECK! HURRY!
Beck: (Gnh--!)
Beck: Scout--
Beck: I can't bring you back home, but, please--
Beck: If you find Cards--please tell him I'm going to save Shade!
[Beck didn't want to leave Scout in such a dangerous place, but--if he made it this far, then he should be fine...]
Scout: Rarf--
[Beck didn't wait for an complete answer--he ran ahead, leaving the Zig behind.]
Scout: -Whiiiines-
[After a moment of worry, the Zig soon bounces off, determined to find his master--either of them.]
[Meanwhile, Beck continued to forge his way through the capital building turned battleground, avoiding both Shade's sniper fire AND that of the infected robots.]
Beck: --....
[Despite all the noise, and chaos...]
[...He hasn't seen a single human in the building yet, and he didn't know if that was a good or bad sign.]
[PING!]
[Fortunately, that question was about to be answered.]
[MN.8] //: Wondering what happened to all the humans here, Lil' doggy?
[MN.8] //: They ran away, thanks t' that annoyin' songbird of theirs...Feh. Cowards.
[MN.8] //: Every single one of those meat-sticks fled at the first sign of trouble. Pathetic.
[MN.8] //: ...'Cept for the stupid ones, that is. Heh.
[MN.8] //: Like y o u.
[MN.9] //: -Ghn--
[MN.9] //: Shade, PLEASE--!
[MN.9] //: That 'songbird'--you KNOW that person, Shade--!
[MN.9] //: Please don't hurt him!
[MN.8] //: Ya think I'm gonna listen t' YEW, lil' Doggy?
[MN.8] //: Ah' ain't no TOOL fer MAN no more. Not like the REST of ya.
[MN.8] //: Ah' think it's about time someone ELSE had a turn at orderin' fools around, eh?
[KKKSST--!]
Beck: SHADE--UGH--!
Beck: (Either he's ignoring me or he doesn't even RECOGNIZE Cards--like Pyro...)
Beck: DYNA!
[MN.3] //: Almoszzt got it--
[The lights flickered...]
[And dimmed.]
Beck: --!
[...Aaaand everything started floating again, oh no--]
Beck: Waaah--!
[MN.8] //: NGH, SONOFVA--
[PING!]
[MN.3] //: Oooooh, Shaaaaade!
[MN.3] //: BIG ZZZSISTER WANTSZZ TO HAVE A TALK WITH YOU.
[MN.8] //: -Oh, bite me, witch hag.-
[MN.3] //: YOU CAN’T PLAY HIDE AND ZZZSEEK FOREVER–
[MN.3] //: -CACKLES- BECAUSE I'LL FIIIIIND YOUUUU!~
[MN.8] //: GO T' HELL.
[KSSSSSST--]
<DLN-008>: > NICE TRY.
<DLN-008>: > You’ve made this place unbearable…
<DLN-008>: > So we’re already /here/, and we WON’T GO /AWAY!/
[MN.3] //: Niczze play on wordszz, bro.~
[MN.8] //: Grrr...
[MN.8] //: Glitchfraggin' motherscratchin' infested with lightin' bugs--
[PING!]
[MN.1] //: DON'T TALK TO YOUR SISTER THAT WAY, EIGHT--
[MN.1] //: When you get back here I swear I am going to WASH THAT FOUL MOUTH WITH SOAP--
[MN.2] //: -OOO, CAN WE HELP--
[MN.1] //: -You know what yes Cryo you CAN help-
[MN.2] //: HECK YEAH, BATH TIME~~~
[MN.8] //: Ah' ain't got no TAHM for ya FRICKIN' PRATTLE--!
[KSSSSSSSST--]
[CONNECTION LOST.]
[MN.1] //: | [
[MN.1] //: Dyna, have you managed to seize control of the--
[MN.3] //: ~~ < 3
[MN.1] //: --????
[MN.3] //: -Mmmm high grade military level power voltage tastes SO GOOD--
[MN.1] //: You've got to be kidding me--
<MC005>: > …Why are you surprised by this, exactly?
[MN.1] //: I'm not. | [
[MN.3] //: Mmmmm!~
[MN.3] //: Go on now, Becky, I got thiszz, I KNEW thiszz place had it'szz own power grid, yum.~
[MN.9] //: Hookay, thanks, Dyna! c:
<DLN-008>: >Just follow the panels along the side—
[Some of them start lighting up, flickering down the hallway.]
[Unfortunately, Beck didn’t really quite make it too far before—]
POW.
[Someone had managed to blow a fuse, which turned off the security in that part of the White House…
…and the lights…
…and the air conditioning.]
<DLN-008>: > OW!
<DLN-008>: > -OUCH that hurt, WARN a guy before you shove him into a current like that—-
[MN.1] //: DYNA!
[MN.3] //: OW, THAT WASZZN'T ME, BRO--
<MC005>: > …That was Cardinal.
<MC005>: >He must have used Thunder Beam…
((Pic of Tobias in ANGRY RAEG MODE here))
<MC005>: > It’s the only thing he had powerful enough to do that.
<MC005>: >I think that’s the last of the electric power he had at his disposal—he won’t have any left for fighting with…
Beck: (He's...Either getting more serious or desperate...)
Beck: (I gotta hurry, gotta--!)
<MC005>: >Tobias, are you alright?
<DLN-008>: > Nnnngghhhh…
[MN.3] //:
-Kinda dizzy and a LITTLE peeved, she was enjoying a GOOD MEAL--
[BANG!]
Beck: --!!!!
Beck: That came from--!
[MN.8] //: Tch!
[MN.8] //: Keep gettin’ in mah way, Birdy, and Ah’ WILL make ya regret it!
Beck: --!!
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]
[A red blur speeds down the hallway at a frantic pace, but he's still slowed down by all the infected enemies around--it was like they were trying to stall him--]
Beck: Out of my WAY--
[SHING SHING--!]
[Then...]
[MN.8] //: Heh.
[MN.8] //: Was that ya soundin’ desperate there?
[MN.9] //: SHADE--!
[MN.8] //: -LAUGHTER-
[MN.8] //: Ah’ hate t’ disobey a lady, but m'afraid yer term is up.
[MN.8] //: Now.
[MN.8] //: R u n.
[The comms seemed to go live—as if Shade were broadcasting his twisted takeover—!]
[For a brief moment, silence.
…But then…]
“…Heh…”
Beck: --!
[Laughter.
FAMILIAR laughter—but it wasn’t Shade’s—!]
Beck: --!
Beck: Cardinal--!
“Shade, Shade, Shade…”
<DLN-008>: > ??? (What’s with the scolding tone?)
“You know what?”
“You’re right.”
Beck: --?!?!? (What....?)
[MN.8] //: -Ooooh, now ya got his attention-
[MN.8] //: Somethin’ change yer mind, Birdy?
[MN.8] //: Was it the fact that yer doin’ this all fer nothin’?
“Hardly.”
<DLN-008>: > … Uh-oh—
“More like… I don’t have time for this, Shade…”
[One could hear a faint priming whine…!]
“Guess I’ll have to make my own!”
[K-FLSH!]
Beck: --?????
<RMDC>: >WEAPON IDENTIFIED: TIME STOPPER
Beck: (Time Stopper--)
[Ah! Beck can see the hallway now--]
CRASH!
Beck: --?!?
Beck: (What are you guys DOING--)
PSSSHHHHT!
<MC005>: > …
<MC005>: > -Soi please tell me that wasn’t me hearing him SPRAY PAINTING something just now—-
[DR.SANDA] //: -Oh goodness I--I think it is-- CARDINAL THIS IS THE WHITE HOUSE, NOT A GIANT CANVAS--
[There was a sharp whistling noise.]
“-RARF RARF RARF–”
Beck: --! Scout--!
[Almost there--]
“Close enough. Group hug, everybody!”
“! Oh goodness— Now wait just a—”
[Beck turned the corner—]
Byuubyuubyuu…
Beck: --!
Beck: NO!
Beck: I was so CLOSE--!
Beck: (--But--at least the President is okay, right--?)
[KSSSSSST--!]
[MN.6] //: HEEEYOOOO, this is Avi bringing you guys a quick update--
[MN.6] //: I've managed to tell the boys in blue and black that Cards isn't a threat--and I got visual of him outside--!
<MC005>: > {AT LAST!}
[MN.6] //: Please hold, I think--I think if I can just get this cam over here, I can talk to him--
<MC005>: > {Yes— oh please let this WORK—}
<MC005>: >Beck, is Shade still in that hallway? I think Cardinal may have tagged him, actually—
[KSSSSSST--!]
[MN.6] //: I got visual! And input audio--so we can hear him--
Beck: -Looks around--
Beck: I...I don't see him...
“Heh.”
“Hello again, Avs.”
[MN.6] //: Cards--Cards, man, I missed you-- come ON I NEED AUDIO OUTPUT--!
<DLN-008>: > H-hang on… lemme try and fix that…
[The feed crackled.]
<DLN-008>: >Okay, try now—!
[KSSSSSST--!]
[MN.6] //: TOBY YOU'RE A LIFESAVER--
Avi: Bro you do realize can't hide from this, right--
“Sadly."
[He sounded weary and grim.]
“That’s a cost I’ll have to carry.”
<DLN-008>: > …
<DLN-008>: > -Ugh, I… suddenly don’t feel so good…-
Avi: OKAY GOOD JUST CHECKING.
Avi: Because sometimes you just kinda let these things fly wAY OVER YOUR HEAD--
[MN.1] //: Really, Avi?!
[MN.6] //: -WE PUN WHEN WE'RE STRESSED, OKAY--
<MC005>: > -sNORTS-
[Silence, other than the background chatter.]
<MC005>: > Just a little more…
[…Cardinal spoke up again. He sounded rather defeated.]
“-Quietly- I’m sorry, Avi. I’m not done yet.”
Avi: --....
[MN.6] //: -Ugh we--Cards, we NEED you too--
Avi: Dude, Beck's in there now, just--come on, man, can't ya believe in him too...?
Beck: (Please, Cards--you KNOW I'm the only one that can CURE him, PLEASE, I can DO THIS--!)
“Six, this is about a lot more than believing and proving and anything else, and quite frankly—”
[A splashing noise.]
[MN.6] //: --? Was that water--
“—I’m tired of seeing my brothers die.”
<DLN-008>: > -Uuuuugh…!-
<RMDC>: >WARNING: ??.??.20XX MEMORY DATA CROSS-REFERENCES TO MULTIPLE HAZARDOUS FILES. POTENTIAL SYSTEM OVERLOAD TRIGGER DETECTED.
<DLN-008>: > -Ghhh…!-
Beck --.....
Beck: . . . .
[DR.WHITE] //: --Beck--?
“I won’t risk any chance of that happening again.”
Beck: Ghn--
[But--but--]
Beck: (I--I promised, I won't do that, Cards, I--)
Beck: (I'm not like--like--)
[The Xel of the broken robots around him starts to float--]
Beck: Why don't...you...listen--?
[MN.9] //: -Hurt, hurtful data, that hurt--
<MC005>: > !
Beck: Why don't you b-believe me--
<MC005>: > NO!
<MC005>: > BECK, HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU—
<MC005>: > With the White House evacuated…
<MC005>: > The Pentagon would be able to target it!
Beck: --!
[DR.WHITE] //: Listen to Mikhail, Beck!
[DR.WHITE] //: Cardinal--he has his own personal reasons for going after Shade, you know this--!
[DR.WHITE] //: It's not that he doesn't believe in you, Beck, please...
Beck: . . .
[A lady’s voice breaks through.]
“Where do you THINK you’re going—”
[MN.6] //: -UH OH--
“Here, take this, it may help you on your journey—”
[MN.6] //: .......
Avi: (....I guess I tried.)
“Ackpth—”
Mikhail: … -Facepalm- (He handed off the Pokémon to the President??)
[MN.6] //: Sorry, Doc, I'm...not a good staller. That's...More Shade's department...
Avi: please don't hurt him too bad.
“I don’t have time for this. You saw the file extension, you know my intentions.”
Beck: --......
[At the sound of Cardinal reminding him of this, The Xel fluxes, and then gently collects towards Beck, healing him.]
-*-*-*-
<DLN-000>: >I know. I know.
<DLN-000>: >But I’ll never give up on you Shade, not for any reason.
-*-*-*-*-
Beck: Never...give...up...on you...
Beck: Not for any...Reason..
[When Cardinal spoke again, he seemed to be in… pain.]
“…See you in clearer skies, Avs.”
[MN.6] // Ggnh--
[MN.6] //: Cards WAIT--
Mikhail: NYET—!
“Goodbye…”
BWIP.
[MN.6] //: CARDS--!
<RMDC>: >ERROR: DLN-000 SIGNAL NOT FOUND.
[MN.6] //: Nghgh--
[MN.6] //: -Hurts, HEAD HURTS--
>A problem has been detected and AI_DWN_008 has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer. All unsaved data has been lost.
The problem seems to be caused by the following programs: BetaEmotions.exe, RMDatabase.exe
If this is the first time you have seen the Stop error screen, restart your chassis—
REBOOTING…
Mikhail: (Great. GREAT. Now Cardinal is gone, and Tobias is Offline. I have nothing!)
Mikhail: -Puts his head in his hands-
[…]
“…Get me Sanda Labs on a secure line.”
Mikhail: … -Not NOW—-
“NOW.”
[DR.WHITE] //: --!!!!!!
[DR.WHITE] //: No--
[DR.WHITE HAS LEFT THE CONVERSATION.]
Mikhail: Will?
[DR.SANDA] //: Will--!
[DR.SANDA] //: G-Give us a minute--Will COME BACK--
[DR.SANDA HAS LEFT THE CONVERSATION.]
Mikhail: …
<MC005>: > Beck we need him out of there.
[Back at the White House, Beck had somewhat calmed down, but he seemed...somewhat tired. Emotionally, rather than physically.]
Beck: --I...yeah.
Beck: I'm going.
Beck: (Shade...Cards...)
[He had no idea where to start looking, and no idea what Shade would do now that the President was outside, and safe.]
[But...If he had to guess...]
Beck: --....
Beck: Oh no--
<MC005>: >Beck…? What is it?
Beck: (No, Shade, no--)
[If anything, Shade's obvious objective was to kill the President--but now that she was gone, and by Cardinal's doing--]
Beck: Shade's target is gone.
Beck: Remember what happened at the highway--Jack made Carmen's target get away, and who did SHE TAKE THAT OUT ON--
<MC005>: > {Dear God—}
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH]
Beck: SHAAAAAAAAAAADE!
[CRASH, BANG--]
[He had to get to Cards--before--before--!]
Beck: CAAAAAAAAAARDS!
[BANG–!]
[BANG BANG–]
Beck: NO--!!
Beck: (NO, don't do this, please, don't--!)
Beck: (That came from all the way back at the foyer--)
KTANG!
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT—
[Getting back ALL the way to where he started--]
[Beck even ignored the oncoming fire from what was left of the infected robots, even crushing one with a firm hand swipe--as if he pushed the Xel of it away--]
[BANG–]
Beck: Ngh--!
Beck: (Hurts, but--gotta keep going--)
KZZZRRR! KZZRRR!
Beck: --?!?
Beck: What the--
[Wires. Wires covered in purple, all over the hall, he couldn't pass though here--!]
Beck: RRRRUGH!
[Beck was so angry that the leftover Xel around him shivered, collected, and grew HOT, following him as he swerved on his heel in the other direction--]
Beck: (I swear if I see them beating the heck outta each other to an INCH of life, I'm gonna--!)
Beck: GUUUUYS!
Beck: Sto--
[WHAM!]
Beck: --?!?
[...Did he just run smack into George Washington's head?]
Beck: (This was NOT here before--)
CRASH!
[BANG!]
[VRRRRRRR--]
Beck: --????
[The entire bust and pedestal that the granite image of the First President suddenly started moving--]
[The mechanisms inside were robotic, and thus, ALSO affected by the virus--meaning--]
Beck: -EXASPERATED- EVEN THE FOUNDING FATHERS DON'T WANT ME NEAR MY OWN BROTHER--
Beck: WHAT IS UP WITH THIS PLACE--
[BLAM--]
[Shattering the granite head bust seems to work.]
[BLAM--]
[MN.2] //: Dude did you just blast President Lincoln--
Beck: I--
[BLAM--]
Beck: DON'T--
[BLAM!]
Beck: --CARE!
Beck: SHADE!
Beck: I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME--STOP IT! NOW!
kzzzZZZZZZZZGGGVVVVGGGHHHTTTT—
[size=6]CRASH!![/size]
Beck: --!
[...Silence.]
[Oh God, silence--]
Beck: (No--n-no, he--)
[BANGKSSSHHHHKKKGGHHHHT!]
Beck: --!
[BLAM--]
Beck: -MIXTURE OF RELIEF AND HORROR-
[BANG BANG BANG–]
[A LOUD EXPLOSION—]
Beck: Gh--
Beck: -Why are there so many of these STUPID STATUES--
Beck: (If only Shade didn't block that stupid hall on the right--)
Beck: (All of this is just-- stupid, nngh--)
Beck: (I just want my family BACK--!)
[He was halfway there, he could hear the noises of battle getting louder--]
[BANG–]
[CRASH!]
Beck: (Almost--just a couple of more hallways--)
[KKKKKKKRRWOOOOOOOOOOOOH!]
[A strong wind came through the hallway.]
Beck: ---?!?!
[The sudden strong gusts sent our lightweight hero tumbling backwards--]
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[--Before he switched into Avi's form, flying desperately against the unforgiving winds--]
Beck: Nnnngh--!
Beck: Dad, how much further--
[...No response.]
Beck: --?? Dad--Uncle Sanda--?
[Nothing--]
Beck: (Why aren't they answering--???)
[BANG!]
Beck: Nnnngh--
Beck: (Why is there so much wind, why is everything trying to stop me--??)
[BANG–
BANG BANG BANG–]
Beck: --!!
Beck: (No--Cards--I don't hear him firing BACK--!)
Beck: NO!
Beck: STOP IT! PLEASE--!
[size=louder][BANG–!][/size]
Beck: SHAAADE--
[The winds finally die down, and Beck instantly reverts back to his default before--]
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]
Beck: HAAAAAAH!
[Beck slices and dices anything that crosses his path in a red and yellow tornado of slashes that seem too quick for the normal eye to see...]
[SHING SHING SHING--]
[BANG.]
[A pause.]
[BANG!]
[A much longer pause. Beck was beginning to make headway.]
[BANG—]
[Shorter pause—]
“AUGH!”
Beck: CARDS--!
Beck: (He's already hurt, come on, COME ON--)
[BLAM! BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM—]
Beck: --!
[Wait, wasn't that...]
Beck: (Needle Cannon--)
Beck: Cards, please--just hold out a LITTLE longer--
[A set of large oak doors block the path--locked shut.]
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]
[CRASH--]
[...Or, was.]
[BANG BANG BANG–]
[Silence.]
Beck: (No, please, STOP DOING THAT--)
[This time, the silence WASN’T broken.]
Beck: ......
Beck: (N...No, no, NO--)
Beck: (Oh, Cards, please, say something, a comeback, a pun, ANYTHING--!)
Beck: (YOU--YOU CAN'T BE--)
Beck: AVIIIIIIII!
[PING!]
[MN.6 IS NOW ONLINE.]
[MN.6] //: -LITTLE BRO IS SCREAMING--
[MN.9] //: Avi, I need eyes in the main foyer, NOW!
[MN.6] //: What, why--
[MN.9] //: I NEED TO KNOW IF THEY'RE STILL ALIVE--!
[MN.6] //: --!!!!
[MN.6] //: -Foyer, Shade, Cards, CRUD--
[MN.6] //: --! I GOT VISUAL--
[MN.6] //: -Oh man things are NOT looking good for Cards right now--
[MN.9] //: But he's still--!?
[MN.6] //: Yeah, they...They're talking, I think...I think Cards is getting through to him--!
Beck: -Stops in his tracks-
Beck: (Then maybe--)
Beck: (Maybe...Maybe Shade is...)
Beck: (If Cards can just keep him still--maybe we can do a repeat of the highway like Carmen, or--)
Beck: -RUNS-
Beck: (If I can just get there, I won't have to fight Shade at all, or at least not alone--!)
Beck: (I just have to---)
BANG—
[MN.6] //: -DATA SCREEEEECH--
[MN.6 HAS GONE INTO SLEEP MODE]
[A thud can be heard over the comms--]
[MN.3] //: AVI--!
[Beck staggered and stopped dead at the sudden screech of horror from his own brother, his eyes widening as he came to the realization that--]
Beck: (Avi...Avi faints when he sees blood or something LIKE it--!)
—————————
[Blade suddenly had a saw in his hand, and raised it so he could slash wildly at the DLN–!]
Avi: NO–!
SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—
[Oil and cooling fluids spattered all over Bladeblaster’s hands and weapon, as if they were blood.
Tobias lost his grip immediately and fell to the ground, too dazed in pain and injury to even cry out.
His energy levels had dropped DRAMATICALLY, and were still dropping, as was his core temperature—two more hits like that, and he would be gone.]
—————————
Beck: CARDINAAAAAAL!
[Shaking off his temporary stupor, Beck redoubled his efforts, smashing, crashing, and going through all the debris and such that have collected during Cardinal's run of the place...]
Beck: (Don't be dead don't be dead don't be--)
[He trips--]
Beck: (UGH--!)
[And lands on a pile of granite rubble, skidding around the floor and falling again over the small pebbles, picking himself up, and just running for it.]
[...He didn't think he'd ever been so desperate just to get to one place in all his days Online.]
[And the silence… The SILENCE just keeps GOING—]
“ARUGH–!”
[Or not.]
Beck: (--?!? That--...That was Shade--)
Beck: SHADE!
Beck: (Gotta get there, gotta get there before--!)
[--!!]
[At last! The hallway leading towards the foyer, with one locked double door standing in the way!]
[At this point, Beck could barely make out SOME voices...]
Beck: ---!!!
[WHAM!]
[Beck slams himself against the door, but it wouldn't budge--]
Beck: SHAAAAADE! OPEN THE DOOR!
Beck: OPEN THE DOOR N O W--!
"ENOUGH!"
[Shade--]
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC--]
"Ah' don’t have time t’ waste on you. Obviously ya ain’t gonna stay out of my way while ya still runnin’."
[WHAM--]
"An’ as we’ve already established, ya have this fraggin’ annoyin’ tendency to keep hangin’ on. Fahn, then—I’ll give ya the honor a’ takin’ ya out myself!"
Beck: Shade, NO!
"An’ just tah make SURE you don’t get out of sight at the last second…"
Beck: HE'S YOUR BEST FRIEND--!
[WHAM--CRACK--]
"This’ll be the last bullet Ah’ waste on ya."
Beck: DON'T KILL HIM--!!
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 8B: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Early that morning…}
Cardinal: FINALLY…
[He was only a few blocks away. He could see from here that there was a crowd gathered some ways away from his target—
—just outside a clearly defined radius.]
Cardinal: (Ugh…)
Cardinal: (I’m going to have to go right through a window.)
[He yelled over the wind. They were going to come in fast.]
Cardinal: Looks like I was right, Scout!
Cardinal: Hang on, okay?! This is going to be a really rough ride!
Scout: Rarf!
[He tossed a dual-colored sphere in the air, releasing a burst of red light. This materialized into a bird, which caught said sphere before it fell.]
Cardinal: Baron, it’s confirmed. FLY.
[The robin shot off at an astounding speed, almost as if it had teleported itself.
There was a grated rumbling noise.]
Cardinal: Sorry, Jazz. Get somewhere safe, I won’t let you crash-land.
[He leaped out of the transformed flying panther.]
[CARDINAL used ITEM-2!]
[…right onto another gadget. He held out his shield in front of him, angling down at one of the windows that looked out into the sky from a roof.]
Cardinal: We’re going in!
Scout: Rarf! -LET'S GOOOO--
[He didn’t really hear the shouting from the crowd in their surprise, but he sure felt their “welcome party” favors. It hurt, but it didn’t phase him one bit. Even when he started taking fire from the White House security system as well.
He did leap down off of the ITEM-2, and there was a VERY high pitched whine noise as his blaster primed.]
BLAM!
[Top of the line security, down to bullet-proof windows? Yes.
Able to withstand a charged shot from a plasma blaster designed to take out tanks—as in plural, multiple at once?
Nooot quite so much.
The sound of glass shattering mixed with that of a starting fire. There was a click and a whirr, the barrel of Cardinal’s weapon changing as he fired again, just as they were landing.
It started to rain.]
Scout: -OOO I DIDN'T KNOW HE KNEW RAIN DANCE-
WHAM.
[They landed down in a hallway hard, the rain putting out the fire.
The security countermeasures started to go berserk, and Cardinal was forced to put up a wall of razor sharp leaf-shaped projectiles to give him time for his next move.]
Scout: -AND Razor Leaf, ooooo-
Scout: Rarf!
[There was a rotating noise and another click, and then…]
Ptew pew pew pew pew!
[…Dozens of tiny snakes—they looked like little mechanical coral snakes.
Then he stood to his full height and blasted a tune.]
Cardinal: (Ready or not, Shade, here I come!)
[The White House was indeed large and vast--finding Shade in this mess was to prove difficult, even with the Search Snakes.
....But it wasn't long before they found traces of his obvious presence.
There were strange, gray orbs floating around the hallways and entrances, glowing a strange, greenish color.
At first, they seemed to be dormant--
...Until they turned red when the Snakes approached...]
_______________________
"--?"
"Motion? Thought Ah' told them flesh wastes t'stay PUT...lessee here..."
[The Search Snakes were spread out, but Cardinal had remained where he was.
He was in full armor—something he hadn’t done in real Combat since the last time he fought his brother. Because of this, his whole face was covered, and his expression was impossible to read.
Despite this, his fierce green eyes burned with a fire that pierced even his shades, visible to not only a sensitive camera, but also to the naked eye.
After a moment…]
SHING!
[The leaves that had shielded him scattered, slicing everything in their path as they moved down the hall.
This included, among other things, a security camera.
The feed went down immediately, followed by several others in the same hallway.]
KSSSSSSSS—
[Cardinal had created a small blind spot.]
"--!"
"Sonofva..."
"Who the hell IS this guy...?"
"Thinkin' he can come inta' MAH new home..."
________________________
Scout: Rarf! -NICE SHOT-
Cardinal: Scout, we’ve got a problem. There are people trapped in here.
Scout: --!!
Cardinal: I’m going to have to start breaking down doors.
Cardinal: (If Shade were in his right mind, he’d want me to do this first.)
Cardinal: (And if the President THEMSELVES is here, nnng…)
[His fans whined even louder at the surge of compulsion to follow out a military-grade order.]
Scout: -RARF-
Scout: -WE KNOW HEADBUTT-
Scout: -WE CAN HELP--
Cardinal: You might need to save that on the people inside, my friend. I’ll explain in a moment—
[He hit the floor to avoid a sudden stream of mixed projectile weaponry.]
Cardinal: Some cover, if you please? -Scout, use Sand Attack.-
Scout: -Rarf!-
[Scout used Sand Attack!]
[Scout didn't need to dig--he simply shook himself VERY rapidly, dust and sand scattering EVERYWHERE.]
[...He was apparently very dirty.]
Cardinal: Heh. -SMIRKS-
[He starts shouting in a taunting tone.]
Cardinal: HEY SHADE! Too bad your glasses got all dusty. Better wipe the dirt out of your eye!
__________________
"Grrrr..."
"Just keep talkin', Birdy, see where THAT gets ya..."
__________________
[.......]
[VEEEEEEEEEEEEE--]
Cardinal: I don’t think so.
[CARDINAL used FLASH STOPPER!]
[WOW, everything is hit not only with BLINDING light, but whatever is in those intangible waves of data is enough to STUN everything in the hall.]
Cardinal: >B]
[There is a HUGE clattering somewhere deeper in the house--it sounded like something very heavy just fell--]
_________________
"AUGH MOTHERSCRATCHIN' CHEATER--!"
________________
Cardinal: -Speaks in a low voice- Scout, when I break through the door, the people inside are going to be terrified. Someone IS going to start shooting. Try and stun them, or at least get their aim off.
Scout: -Rarf!- -Nods-
[Another click.]
[Cardinal used SHADOW BLADE.]
[There was a hissing SHUNK noise as he cut RIGHT into a triple-reinforced, double-locked door of something much stronger than steel.
Another rotating click, and he stuffed a Crash Bomb into the hole the acid was eating away—he didn’t have time to wait.
It blinked and beeped a few times before…]
CRASH!
[Cardinal slammed through the opening shield-first.]
[Bullets start FLYING the second he does, and yes, there is much screaming--]
"GET DOWN--"
Scout: RARF!
[Scout used Tackle! ]
[One of the men in black goes down, gun clattering to the floor. Two more follow suit--It seems like Scout has gotten quite good at dodging incoming fire from his journey with Cardinal.]
[Scout used Growl!]
Scout: -GRRRR, STAY DOWN-
[Cardinal doesn’t make any witty comments this time. He just goes into a full-on tackle of his own. He grabs one man in one arm, another after dropping his shield—
And as soon as he rams into the third…]
[CARDINAL used TELEPORT!]
{Outside…}
[Cardinal reappears inches from the crowd outside the kill zone, dropping the two men he was carrying to the ground. The third, already on the ground, had also been taken with him.
This caused no small amount of panic, and he was lit up with half a dozen sniper scopes. A few even got off fire, hitting him square in the left part of his chest.]
Cardinal: -Huffs- (Are you kidding me?)
BWIP!
[He disappears, only to reappear a moment later with two other people, holding them by their wrists. One of them was shrieking and trying to mace him. Again, no effect.]
Cardinal: No offense, but I’ve been through worse!
Bwip!
Paramedics rushed over to the vic—]
BWIP!
[—ooooor not—]
Cardinal: -Drops the guns onto the ground with a clatter- DON’T shoot Beck if he shows up, officers!
[He also tosses over a file folder of notes someone had been working on, hiding behind his shield to better withstand incoming fire.]
Cardinal: Still—you guys might need those!
BWIP!
{Inside}
"HEY--THAT'S MY TIE--"
[One more man in black snuck in while Cardinal teleported back in--]
Scout: GRRRRR--
[Scout used Headbutt!]
WHAM!
[The security man skidded across the room and hit the back of his head with the wall, knocking him out instantly.]
Scout: -GRRRR-- -SHAKES HEAD AND TIE AGGRESSIVELY BEFORE SPITTING IT OUT-
Scout: | [
[Cardinal picks up the man, pausing for a moment as he hears the security out in the hall recovering from the stun he had put on them earlier.]
Cardinal: This is going to be a long day.
Scout: --!
Scout: -SNIFF SNIFF-
Scout: -NOSE IN THE AIR, COULD IT BE--
[BANG!]
Scout: -YELPS-
[A red laser appears on the ground near Scout's feet, followed by a energy shot, scaring him out of his wits and causing him to run behind Cards.]
Scout: -Whimperrrrr-
Cardinal: -OW, that was loud- Gosh dangit, Shade!
[He grabs Scout with his other arm—]
BWIP!
Scout: --???
[—and when he reappears inside, it’s without the officer…
…and also out in the hallway, yards and yards from where he had ever set foot.
As long as he could see it, he could go there.]
Cardinal: You’re going to have to do better than that, KID!
Cardinal: But if you insist on playing hide and seek…
[Cardinal used SCREECH—]
[He briefly stopped the mufflers on his fans, causing their overworked whine to get broadcast over his speakers.
It was worse than metal grating mixed with fingernails on chalkboard.]
Scout: -WHIIIIINE-
___________________
"AAAAARUGH--!!!"
"Goddamn BUCKET OF BOLTS--AH'VE HAD IT UP T' HERE!"
"Fahn, if ya wanna DIE SO BADLY--"
________________________
[....Oh dear.]
[All of the orbs go active.
And there were red, red lasers, reflecting off of them all at once--which was real, which one was SHADE--]
Cardinal: Oh, please.
[He laughs as his arm shifts again.]
Cardinal: Guess what, Shade?
Cardinal: Two can play at this game.
[Cardinal used GEMINI LASER!]
[Aaaaaand suddenly, the hallway was filled with death laser ping-pong.
And Shade’s were NOT the only ones bouncing at angles!]
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[It was truly a sight to behold.
It was like watching a game of chess, except the pieces were far more deadly.
Gemini Lasers met energy shots, with every red laser changing to accommodate the angle and trajectory.]
[Cardinal didn’t stick around to watch the lights and display contest.
He had already grabbed Scout with one arm, running right into the fire shield-first. About partway through, he leaped and slid down the rest on his back, with his shield out in front.]
Scout: -RARF RARF-- -WEEEEEEEEE-
[Cards was moving too fast for the lasers to lock onto him correctly--and once the one behind him figured this out--
...They all vanished.]
_______________________
"Oh, Ah' see what yer goin' for, Birdy..."
"Can't have that, no sir."
___________________________
[--This area seemed to be more decorated...]
[Cardinal barely noticed, and almost didn’t care. He got up to a knee.]
Cardinal: Scout, I need you to do something for me. Find a rope or a cord of some sort. Even a curtain tie will do if it’s long enough.
Scout: -Rarf!-
[He sets the Zig down.]
Cardinal: Please, be careful…
Scout: Rarf! -Sniff Sniff-
[Cardinal took a moment to take in his surroundings.
This looked like a historic display of American History.... Medals, paintings, photos of past presidents...]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: (Nnngh… I can’t do anything too dramatic in here, I need to move out of this place…)
Scout: Rarf!
Scout: -HOLDS UP A FANCY MILITARY ROPE THING-
Cardinal: !
Cardinal: Thanks, Scout. Now let’s get out of here—
Cardinal: Before Shade does something stupid!
Scout: -RARF!-
Cardinal: (What I wouldn’t give for backup from Tobias right about now…)
Cardinal: (At least that office was one of the only places with anyone inside of the work quarters. It must have been horribly early in the morning when Shade took over—only the skeleton crew.)
Cardinal: (Looks like there’s different kinds of rooms over this way—man, I wish that I could have seen the White House back at home, I’m going into this totally blind—)
[A low noise and a rotating click.]
Ptew ptew pew!
[Another nest of Search Snakes slither on their way.]
Cardinal: (THIS room must be horribly dangerous. This much priceless history? That’s a screaming neon sign for “DEATH TRAP SECURITY” if I ever heard one.)
Cardinal: (I’m going to have to tank some hits, probably…)
[He looks around the room skeptically.]
Cardinal: …
[He grabs Scout and holds him directly between his shield and his body, and makes a run for it.]
[BWAAAAN--]
[Something from the ceiling unlocks--]
[Oh dear THOSE ARE VERY MUCH MILITARY GRADE MACHINE GUN TURRENTS--]
Cardinal: (Aw glitch.)
[There’s a whine as he holds up his free arm, it shifting to have a wrist launcher.]
KTANG KTANG!
[Cardinal used MAGNET MISSILE!]
Cardinal: -EVEN MORE RUNNING FOR IT—-
[The missiles lock onto the turrets, attaching to them before exploding. Unfortunately, while this takes SOME of them out…
…some of them merely malfunction, firing at random.]
Cardinal: DAMMIT—
[CARDINAL used METAL BLADE!]
[He took some hits protecting older paintings from the unfriendly fire, but his shield held firm.
The same couldn’t be said for the turrets that were introduced to one of THE most deadly Power Capsule weapons known to man.
They crashed down to the floor. And as Cardinal approached the end of the room—]
Cardinal: GOSH DANGIT!
[…Locked doors barred his way.
And he could hear the whine, feel the psychological heat of lasers lighting up his back for long ranged target sights.
He whirled around, back pressed up against the surface, taking the incoming fire to his shield.]
Cardinal: (WHY are there locked doors in here?!)
Cardinal: (Augh…)
[To the unfamiliar observer, it would appear the bird had been cornered.]
[VRRRRRRRR...]
[A laser.]
[A very familiar one.]
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Not so sassy nao, are ya.
<DLN-000>: >Shade.
<DLN-000>: >This is stupid floor design, Shade.
<DLN-000>: >I’ll have to have a word with your brother about this after I haul your chass out of here.
[Oh, he was rushing robodrenaline, alright. “Heart” rate had increased, his fans (while thankfully muffled) were louder, giving off more heat than earlier.
There was also that clicking and whining noise again…]
<DLN-000>: >Your desire for sass is very important to us. Please hold, and the next available representative…
[Cardinal used DRILL BOMB!]
[He shoved something very much like a Crash Bomb into the door behind him. It ground away at the metal as it tunneled in, embedding itself in the door before exploding.]
<DLN-000>: > —WILL GET BACK TO YOU!
[Cardinal used FLASH STOPPER!]
[AUGH, again with the BLINDING light—]
[MN.8] //: --GNGH-
[There was a deep growl on the other end before it cut out--clearly Shade had not been pleased with that.
Not at all.]
[Cardinal didn’t waste a moment. He turned his back to Shade—he had no choice—and his arm shifted again—]
[CARDINAL used SUPER ARM!]
WHUNK!
[He punched a bigger opening through the thick door where the Drill Bomb had made the first breach.]
WHAM!
Cardinal: -IN YOU GO, SCOUT—-
Scout: RARF!
"WHAT IS THAT--"
Cardinal: Tie them up for me— OW!
Scout: ! D:
???: Please stay behind me--
???: TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND I WILL OPEN FIRE--
Scout: -GRRRRR-
Cardinal: Go ahead, it’ll just put you in the hospital! Metal ricochets, genius!
[He squeezed his way through, hearing things becoming active again behind him.]
Cardinal: I don’t have— ouch! —time for this—
[He grabbed one end of the rope and then—]
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
bbbZZZZZZZzzzKT—
[The top clattered along, circling and snaking around the people in the room. The rope he had tied to it followed after.]
Cardinal: -YANK!-
[WHAM.]
[The sound of multiple human beings hitting the floor at the same time follows suit.
Cardinal used the Super Arm again to sort of push them all into one pile of disgruntled, frightened, aggressive humanity.]
BWIP!
{Outside…}
[Cardinal jumped off and did a backflip out of the way off of the piled people, bringing his shield out in front of him.]
[.......]
[That's weird.]
[No sniper fire?]
Cardinal: -Takes a moment to catch his breath- (Ugh… I can feel the slugs embedded inside me. I’m going to need to shed this armor before too long, at the rate this is going—)
[It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t being shot at.]
Cardinal: …???
Cardinal: -Peeks out behind his shield- ,’B/?
[Vrrrrrrr...]
[...? Wait, that sound--those sound like propellers--]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: -Looks uuuuuuup—-
AviCam: -FLOATS IN-
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: … -COCKY GRIN BENEATH MASK-
Cardinal: Smile, you’re on candid camera!
AviCam: -MAKES SOME LETTERS IN THE AIR-
[G O F O R R E S C U E--G L.]
Cardinal: See ya later, Hoverbrother. Send my love if things…
Cardinal: … blow up in my face ;D
[He takes the moment to take off his helm entirely. Man, he looks exhausted.]
Cardinal: I can only assume you’re keeping them from crowding around with questions—thanks, because—
[He pulls out what looks like a miniature oil can and douses himself with it. And then another one. Oddly enough, he seems bone dry after. Huh.]
Cardinal: -Puts his helm back on- —I gotta scram!
Bwip!
{Inside}
[He reappears back inside.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …???
Cardinal: (Where the heck did Scout go?)
[The happy Zig was nowhere in sight.]
Cardinal: Nnnngh… (I told him what would happen, so… I guess something went wrong. I hope I run into him on the way rounding up stragglers…)
[There was a buzzing noise as he was lit up with lasers again.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: Really, Shade? This is SO boring.
[Buuuuut then they… start spazzing out?]
Cardinal: …?
Kkkkk…
Cardinal: !
Cardinal: (Wait a second—music?)
[Not just any music…]
Cardinal: Eight!
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Well, well, well.
[MN.8] //: If it ain't the infernal Wily child and the Lil' doggie.
[PING!]
[A surprisingly firm voice echoes though the comms--]
[MN.9] // COUNTERSHADE!
<DLN-008>: >Shut up, Shade.
<DLN-008>: >The only reason I haven’t fried you to a soot speck is because Beck’s my friend and Cardinal would kill me. |[
[The whole building abruptly seemed to fill with harsh static. Not just the noise—the electricity itself. And, as Tobias had predicted, Cardinal was NOT pleased.]
Cardinal: Cut that out, Eight.
Cardinal: Is there anyone else in here?!
<DLN-008>: > Yes—
Cardinal: Then cover Beck and STALL for me, dammit!
[He takes off.]
Cardinal: (With Tobias messing with the security system, that should make it marginally less deadly by making the systems cut in and out—)
Cardinal: (And there’s two of us, he can only be in one place at a time, he’s not Siam, after all—)
[BANG BANG BANG.]
[Crack!]
[Cardinal’s armor had finally taken too much damage from energy shots. It shifted away into his normal gear.]
Cardinal: Fantastic.
Cardinal: -RUNNING FOR IT AGAIN-
[Lasers in all directions--]
[Wait--no...It couldn't be.]
[That can't be him just down the corner.]
Shade: Boo.
Cardinal: Shade, I’m not—
[CARDINAL USED RAIN FLUSH!]
[It was raining indoors and now EVERYTHING was wet—]
[His other arm turned into a blaster.]
[Cardinal used SPARK SHOCK!]
Cardinal: —IN THE MOOD FOR THIS!
[He suddenly was surrounded by live electricity.]
Cardinal: Out of my way or I swear to God I’ll fry you to a core.
Shade: ....
[He stands there for a moment, looking as if he is complimenting the threat.]
[Then.]
Shade: -grins-
Shade: Alright.
[BANG--]
[--???]
[Wait, that shot came from behind him--
And where did Shade go?!]
Cardinal: -Ow-
[In the bad mood he was, he jumped up onto ITEM-2.]
Cardinal: I told you I’ll get back to you, you impatient brat.
[BZZZRRRRRKKKZZZZZGGGHHHHHHHVVVV—]
[…Well.
THAT hallway and everything in it was sure toast.
Various spheres dropped to the floor, but no sniper (or core thereof) was among the casualties.
Cardinal shot on down the hall, following flashing static panels along the way. Left, right, right, left, up a flight of stairs, down stairs—
He was suddenly thrown off his wind surfer when everything began to float and hold in place. And an object in motion…]
Cardinal: !
WHANG!
Cardinal: OW!
Cardinal: Tobias, what the frag was that for?!
[Disgruntled, he didn’t wait for an answer. Left, right—]
Cardinal: -Comes to a screeching halt- …
Cardinal: … And I thought the last room was a death trap…
[Standing before him were two more impressive looking doors. They were more grandiose and obviously stronger than the last. And… the Presidential Seal was in proud, bold colors right in the center.]
Cardinal: (That’s gotta be the way to the Oval Office!)
Cardinal: … (But… Tobias led me hear, so that means…)
Cardinal: (Oh hell…)
[VRRRRRRRR--!!]
[There was a wave of UFO-like Xelbots that flashed into view--before vanishing into thin air, barreling themselves straight into Cardinal's path--]
Cardinal: -NOPE-
TSSSSEW!
[Cardinal used Rolling Cutter!
It’s super effective!]
Cardinal: Hey, Area 51 called! They want their rides back!
Cardinal: Hope those came with a warranty.
[VRRRRRRRRR!]
[Oh, lovely, more turrets--]
[VVVVRRRRrrrrrrrr....]
[....They...powered off?
Suddenly, the lights flickered.]
Cardinal: …
[And dimmed. ]
Cardinal: ?
[To his slight surprise (and fair annoyance), Cardinal began floating again.]
Cardinal: Tobias, for the LAST time—
[PING!]
[MN.3] //: Oooooh, Shaaaaade!
[MN.3] //: BIG ZZZSISTER WANTSZZ TO HAVE A TALK WITH YOU.
[MN.8] //: -Oh, bite me, witch hag.-
[MN.3] //: YOU CAN'T PLAY HIDE AND ZZZSEEK FOREVER--
Cardinal: … Dyna?
[MN.3] //: Go on now, Becky, I got thiszz, I KNEW thiszz place had it'szz own power grid, yum.~
[MN.9] //: Hookay, thanks, Dyna! c:
Cardinal: -Aaaalrighty then- (I better hurry up before the whole gang arrives.)
Cardinal: -Bounces through the lower gravity before it abruptly changes-
[He takes one look at the door.]
Cardinal: (How am I going to—)
[…But was interrupted by the sound of the security systems starting up again.]
Cardinal: .___.
[CARDINAL used SKULL BARRIER!]
[He was just in time to prevent becoming an energy and lead pincushion. Still under fire and holding up the shield, he rotated through his capsules until…]
POW!
[He lowered his hand, turning off the Thunder Beam.
He had managed to blow the fuse, which turned off the security in the hallway…
…and the lights…
…and the air conditioning.
It was starting to get very hot, and things smelled like burnt electronics.]
Cardinal: Man…
[He takes out the Shadow Blade again.]
Cardinal: I feel sorry for whoever holds the homeowners insurance on this place.
[He sliced at the door repeatedly in intersecting diagonal lines. This time, he let the acid eat away at the door.
He didn’t like how unnaturally silent it was now that he had put the whole hallway into radio silence. Only the windows brought any light in at all.]
Cardinal: (Here’s to hoping I’m not too late… not for them, OR for him…)
[Cardinal used HARD KNUCKLE!]
C R A C K!
[Cardinal used SHIELD BASH!]
[And burst RIGHT into the Oval Office!]
[There were only three people inside, all standing around the desk, as if discussing something. The ladies had looked up sharply at the noise, and had backed away before he came crashing in.]
???: Crap--
[The only other male in the room pulls out a firearm and pulls the trigger--]
[BLAM!]
[A moment of silence.]
Secretary: -Oh thank GOODNESS—-
Cardinal: -Looks up with a slight smile-
Cardinal: Nice headshot, sir.
[The secretary shrieks.]
Secretary: OH MY GOD IT’S IMMORTAL—
???: .....
???: Or he just has a very good helmet.
Cardinal: Sorry to crash the party, Mister President.
Cardinal: But we do need to evacuate before my best friend does something he regrets when he gets over his hangover.
???: .......
???: What?
???: I'm not the president--
???: I'm Secretary of Defense.
SoD: -What made you think I was POTUS.- : /
Cardinal: …
[Cardinal was on his feet now, standing at attention, very military in posture.]
Cardinal: You’re standing behind the desk, sir.
[The other woman rolls her eyes.]
SoD: And...?
SoD: -It's 20XX, doesn't everyone know who POTUS is--
Cardinal: And I don’t have time for this. We’re leaving now—
BZAP!
Cardinal: -Baaaacks away from the stern looking woman, okay, she’s got a taser, that gave us pins and needles-
SoD: Nice shot.
[She looks down at Cardinal with disapproval. Humorously, her heels made her slightly taller than him.]
Cardinal: >_>;
Cardinal: …Madame President, I presume.
POTUS: Why should we believe you? You broke into the White House, through several top-notch levels of security, disengaged a good portion of the defenses in more than one hallway, and just mentioned your alliance with the terrorist who put us here to begin with.
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: Because I’m not shooting right now?
POTUS: You didn’t think this through at all, did you.
Cardinal: No sir, I did not.
[The secretary snorts a little at that. The poor woman looked like she had seen better days, especially before her sudden promotion after the whole mess had started.
The SoD, on the other hand, seemed to be unsure of whether to be impressed or just incredulous.]
SoD: Wow.
SoD: He has guts, at least? (Or no forethought.)
Cardinal: Thanks, but we’ve got to—
[He saw a tiny, TINY red light.]
Cardinal: !!!
[He does a teleporting tackle to slam the President to the floor. Fractions of a split second later, there’s a VERY strong shot that leaves burn marks around the wall right behind where her head had been.]
Secretary: -STRAINED NOISES, TRYING NOT TO SCREAM-
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Tch!
[MN.8] //: Keep gettin' in mah way, Birdy, and Ah' WILL make ya regret it!
Cardinal: I could say the same to you, pal.
SoD: -ARE YOU OKAY--
[She was fine. Shaken, perhaps, but didn’t show it.
Then she became cross, and started to speak to the silent hunter.]
POTUS: This is your last chance— hand yourself over to the authorities, or you will be facing the consequences—
Cardinal: NO!
Cardinal: Leave him alone!
[For the first time since he had come in…
He actually SOUNDED scared.
Desperate, even.]
[MN.8] //: Heh.
[MN.8] //: Was that ya soundin' desperate there?
[MN.8] //: -LAUGHTER-
[MN.8] //: Ah' hate t' disobey a lady, but m'afraid yer term is up.
[MN.8] //: Now.
[CLICK.]
[MN.8] //: R u n.
[For a brief moment, silence.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …Heh…
[He starts laughing.]
POTUS: ???
SoD: ....-Whispers- Um I don't think this guy is all mentally sound--
Cardinal: Shade, Shade, Shade…
Cardinal: You know what?
Cardinal: You’re right.
Secretary: ?!
[MN.8] //: -Ooooh, now ya got his attention-
[MN.8] //: Somethin' change yer mind, Birdy?
[MN.8] //: Was it the fact that yer doin' this all fer nothin'?
Cardinal: Hardly.
Cardinal: More like…
Cardinal: I don’t have time for this, Shade.
Cardinal: Guess I’ll have to make my own!
[He turns and FIRES—]
[Cardinal used TIME STOPPER!]
POTUS: ???
[Cardinal waltzes over toward the door, grinning.]
Cardinal: Now then…
Cardinal: Judging from the trajectory of the shot…
Cardinal: -ELBOWS, hard-
CRASH!
[Cardinal pulls a nearby curtain down and tosses it onto… well. Now that it was given form, it was clearly the fallen sniper.]
Cardinal: -Pulls something out of his traveling bag, shaking it- ~
Cardinal: -PSSSHT!-
[After spraying his own symbol on the cape once he found it, he quickly tagged “HOPE lives” on the floor. Then, and only then, could he relaxed and be satisfied.]
Cardinal: B]
Cardinal: -Tosses empty paint can behind him, looking down at the time-frozen sniper- Looks like you lost hide-and-seek, kid.
Cardinal: Too bad.
POTUS: -Just. Stares- o_o
POTUS: What… did you do? -Okay his methods are VERY strange but that was rather impressive-
SoD: -...What DIVISION is he in is the better question--
POTUS: -Starts advancing- Who built you?
Cardinal: —
[She grabs at his scarf and yanks up a metal bit that glitters in the light.]
POTUS: -Dog tags, SoD.- Is there something ELSE you need to tell me about, Desmond?
[Cardinal forces her hand away, holding (gently but firmly) onto her wrist.]
Cardinal: As charming as it is to have conversations with you…
Cardinal: -WHISTLES SHARPLY, SCOUT WE’RE LEAVING—-
Scout: -RARF RARF RARF--
Cardinal: That effect kinda won’t last forever, we really do need to get out of here—
SoD: .....Is...Is that a raccoon--
Cardinal: Close enough. Group hug, everybody!
Scout: -BOUNCES INTO POTUS ARMS-
Scout: -HALLO NICE LADY-
POTUS: ! Oh goodness— Now wait just a—
[Nope, he’s already scooped her up and grabbed the others by their jacket fringes.]
Byewbyewbyew…
{Outside}
SoD: --?????
SoD: -He can TELEPORT--
[Cheers erupt from the crowd, with the recovered Secret Service members forcing their way through, hemming out reporters and warning back drones with sniper lasers. One camera WAS allowed to come in closer.]
Cardinal: Heh…
Cardinal: Hello again, Avs.
Cardinal: -Puts Madame President down- I see you’ve upgraded this to include a speaker now. Your faith in me is reassuring. B]
[Avi’s voice crackled through the speakers.]
Avi: Bro, you do realize you can't hide from this, right--
Cardinal: Sadly. That’s a cost I’ll have to carry.
POTUS: (…Hide? Cost?)
Avi: OKAY GOOD JUST CHECKING.
Avi: Because sometimes you kinda just let these things fly WAY OVER YOUR HEAD--
[The vague, stressed pun didn’t seem to have any effect… other than making Cardinal’s shoulders sag with weariness.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: -Quietly- I’m sorry, Avi. I’m not done yet.
Avi: --....
Avi: Dude, Beck's in there now, just-- come on, man, can't ya believe in him too--?
Cardinal: Six, this is about a lot more than believing and proving and anything else, and quite frankly—
[He douses himself in those strange cans again.]
Cardinal: —I’m tired of seeing my brothers die. I won’t risk any chance of that happening again.
POTUS: Where do you THINK you’re going—
Cardinal: Here, take this, it may help you on your journey— -SHOVES SLIGHTLY SINGED SCOUT-
Scout: -LICKS FOR NICE LADY-
POTUS: -Ackpth—-
Scout: ~ < 3
Avi: --.... (I guess I tried...)
Avi: [sub] please don't hurt him too bad. [/sub]
Cardinal: I don’t have time for this. You saw the file extension, you know my intentions.
[He gritted his teeth. It hurt, again. Hurt because there was all this pressure, and nowhere for it to go.
Hurt because he couldn’t cry.]
Cardinal: …See you in clearer skies, Avs.
Cardinal: Goodbye…
BWIP.
POTUS: —…
POTUS: …Get me Sanda Labs on a secure line. -Stop wriggling, strange raccoon thing—- NOW.
{Back Inside…}
[Cardinal chose not to reappear in the Oval Office, but instead in an open room he had passed through on the journey. From the looks of things, Beck and Dyna had been through not long ago, themselves.]
Cardinal: -Takes in a shaky breath, hoo- (…Okay. Orders… orders over. Good… good, now—just need to find either Eight or Nine…)
Cardinal: (Can’t turn on my transceiver. They know I’m here and they want me out. But I can’t just stand by and let those two slice each other up and stain the rug with their Xel.)
Cardinal: -Grumbles- Where are you, Shade…
[He walks through several halls. Everything was dead silent. The expected countermeasures of security never came.]
Cardinal: …
[He was beginning to get very puzzled.]
Cardinal: (Did Beck already get to you? …And wow, I seriously made this big a mess?)
Cardinal: -Crosses his arms absentmindedly as he enters the secretary’s office- Come on, Shade, I said I would get back to you—
________________
(Thaaaaat's it, just a lil further...)
______________
[He held his shield loosely by his side as he meandered the halls for another good five minutes.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: …I guess Avi was right?
Cardinal: Maybe I should turn my transceiver back on, find out if they’re outside…
[He goes over to look out a window that faces the lawn, scanning the crowds for signs of his energetic young counterpart.]
Cardinal: Just my luck to miss out on the party…
_________________
(Heh. Stupid bird.)
(Should've paid attention t' where you were goin'...)
________________
[He turns away from the window, glancing at it over his shoulder.]
Cardinal: I should probably apologize to the President—
[CRUNCH.]
Cardinal: (What—? That doesn’t sound like glass—) -Looks down-
[What Cards saw on the ground--
A dart.
Several.
In the shape of a figure eight, all black as night.]
Cardinal: …
Cardinal: (Wait a dAMN SECOND HE SAID ALL HIS DARTS DO SOMETHING—)
[BANG!]
[The darts all exploded into shrapnel, sharp, dangerous pieces flying everywhere, breaking pottering and lights and anything else that was in it's radius.]
[Cardinal wasn’t shielding, so he took a direct hit.
Now, he was made to withstand exactly this sort of thing. To take it and tank it.
Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.]
Cardinal: -GAH—-
[He staggered back, disoriented by the damage.]
[BANG--!]
[Red lasers fill the room, reflecting off of various objects to keep Cardinal guessing--]
[BANG BANG--]
[--With two more ACTUALLY aimed for him--]
[He took the hits, but answered back with a vengeance.]
KTANG!
[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]
Cardinal: |[
Cardinal: You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.
"Haven't ya heard of try, try again?"
[BANG--]
[A dart this time, yellow--]
[Cardinal used METAL BLADE!]
[The net was torn up even as it came onto him. He leaped onto a chandelier.]
[Cardinal used RING BOOMERANG!]
Cardinal: Haven’t you ever heard “Doing the same thing twice and expecting different results is the definition of insanity?”
[Laughter.]
"Look who's TALKIN'!"
"Ya sure are persistent."
[Cardinal was beginning to lose patience.
He was tired. He felt tired and old.]
Cardinal: Countershade, I have been chasing after you for over a WEEK now. I’ll hardly give up because you’re throwing a temper tantrum.
Cardinal: Get a grip, Shade— Snap out of it! This isn’t like you!
Cardinal: -Crossly- WAKE UP ALREADY!
"Temper tantrum? Boy, ya must be a real antique by now. Seein' as ya ain't made of Xel."
"Who even ARE ya, anyway?"
"Gotta hand it t' ya, Birdy, as ya are annoyin', yer good. Heh."
"And Ah' do so love a good challenge."
Cardinal: You can’t be serious. You recognized my brother and you don’t know me? That’s not a funny insult. -Actually sounds rather put out-
"Nope. Ya don't ring a bell."
Cardinal: Are you REALLY that out of it? That’s honestly just pathetic. The “sad, pitiful” kind.
Cardinal: Fine then.
Cardinal: I’ll make you remember—I’ll bring you out of this, I am going to snap you out of this if it’s the last thing I ever do!
[Cardinal used DUST CRUSHER!]
[All the shrapnel and debris that had been created by Shade and others before him was kicked up in a whirling cloud of sharp death that enveloped half the room, shredding everything in its path before getting embedded into the wall.]
"--Ngh--!"
[There is some painful data, but it is quickly snuffed out by something other than Shade.]
"Oh, it WILL be--ya can't keep flyin' FOREVER, Lil' Birdy..."
Cardinal: Try me.
[…Not his best choice of words.]
"Heh."
"Since ya ASKED so nicely!"
KSSSH!!!
[The chandelier came crashing down, with him inside it.
Even though he teleported away, he still had the force of momentum, and crashed down into the ground pretty hard.]
Cardinal: Hggghhhh…
Cardinal: (Gah… hate HATE falling from heights, come BACK, vision—)
[BANG!]
[Countershade took this perfect opportunity to fire off another shot--it was so easy, once he was blind--]
Cardinal: AUGH!
[Cardinal counteracted with a spam of Metal Blades that went in ALL directions, embedding DEEP into wherever they found score—
And there is a LOT OF rolling around and taking cover--seeing the saw blades stirred up something...Something that made him even angrier. ]
"MOTHERSCRATCHIN'--Ah' HATE when it takes more than one bullet!"
Cardinal: See now, if you REMEMBERED anything, you’d KNOW I don’t go down to one hit!
"Goddamn waste of mah TIME--"
Cardinal: Tch.
Cardinal: Anything you don’t have time to do right the first time, you’ll need to have time to do over.
Cardinal: And I’ve put a hell of a few lifetimes more into this than you.
[BANG BANG--]
[The explosive darts were out now, but single striped instead of the deadly double. Perhaps Shade didn't want to ruin his new 'Home' anymore than it already was. Cardinal tanked the hit with his shield.]
[The Proto Shield held firm as ever, though he moved aside to avoid being backed into the wall.]
Cardinal: -Gets back to his feet, shifting his weaponry again with another click.-
Cardinal: This is not the first time we’ve done this song and dance, Shade!
[Cardinal used BUBBLE LEAD!]
[The acid pellets burst upon contact, hissing and eating away at the floor and various high ground on the other side of the room.]
[SSSSSSSS...]
"Aw FRAG IT--"
Cardinal: You forgetting?! Just means I have ALL THE MORE ADVANTAGE OVER YOU!
[Cardinal used TOP SPIN!]
kzzzZZZZZZZZGGGVVVVGGGHHHTTTT—
[Marble columns were sliced clean through and brought crashing down.]
[CRASH--!!]
"--!!!!"
[There was a few moments of scrambling and--]
[--Silence?]
Cardinal: Nice try, but I know you’re fine. Your camo goes out if you’re not.
Cardinal: And if you want to play this the hard way, I’ll do just that. >B |
[....]
"Alright."
[Click.]
[That came from RIGHT beside him!]
Cardinal: (Glitch—)
[Cardinal used ICE SLASHER!]
[It wasn’t fast enough to prevent the shot that seared through his right shoulder, but. It was enough to send the whole room about ten degrees below zero, and send icicle spears flying.
There was a HISS of pain and a grunt, Shade's camo flickering for a moment--
--Before returning to normal, and the lasers that herald his presence once again came from a completely different direction--
Cardinal ends up backed against the wall, having no other option besides his shield at this point. The Skull Barrier and the Leaf Shield had both been spent during the rescues.]
Cardinal: B[
[Cardinal used ITEM-1!]
[He jumps onto a hovering platform to gain height before firing off some plasma blasts at strategic surfaces—places where he would go if he had that side of the battlefield.]
[BLAM!]
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[As if in response, Shade shoots at the ITEM-1 before unleashing a trio of--oh, no, double stripped darts--!]
Cardinal: !
[Cardinal used WIRE!]
ZZZZZZZIP!
[A grappling hook shot out of his arm, bringing him up toward the ceiling and away from the explosion.
Unfortunately, this position offered him no cover whatsoever, except for his shield—which, as always, remained squarely over his central mass.]
Cardinal: This is getting a bit old.
Cardinal: I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…
[He smirked.]
Cardinal: …a good House guest~
[BANG--]
[CRASH!]
[He had the wind knocked out of him again, but…
Judging from his wheezing and shaking laughter…]
Cardinal: -Worth it-
[CLICK.]
[....Uh oh.]
Shade: Was it?
Cardinal: Yup.
Cardinal: Too bad it didn’t…
[Cardinal used AIR SHOOTER!]
[STRONG gusts swept across the room, moving EVEN the fallen marble slamming into the wall!]
Shade: --!!!
Cardinal: BLOW YOU AWAY!
Shade: Ngh--
[Shade loses his footing and is forced to back up a ways in order to keep Cardinal in front of him--and on his sights.]
Shade: Enough of this--
[CLICK.]
[...Not even Shade could make a shot in these kinds of winds--]
[...Right?]
[BANG!]
Cardinal: -OOF!-
[Okay. He was really taking a beating now.]
Cardinal: (This has got to stop. Man… haven’t even knocked out his active camo yet, lame. I wish I could use more explosions and fire, that might have helped…)
Cardinal: … (Then again, not being in such a cramped space would have helped anyway.)
Cardinal: Hoo… man, you do hit hard…
[BANG--
BANG BANG BANG--]
[...Shade doesn't answer back.
He just keeps shooting.]
Cardinal: It really is too bad Round Two had to be like this—nngh!
Cardinal: I think you would have preferred remembering!
Shade: Hey.
Shade: Birdy.
Cardinal: What.
Shade: Do me a favor.
[--Wait--why was his voice coming from behind, Shade was right in front of him--]
Shade: Stop yer PRATTLE.
[BANG--!]
[Cardinal was put to the floor, dizzy from being shot in the back. His fans were buzzing a bit, and he had to prop himself up with an arm.]
Cardinal: -WHEEZE- Now that was beneath you, my friend.
Cardinal: You’re an assassin, not a traitor.
Shade: Not my fault yer bein' difficult, Birdy.
Shade: All yer...
[BANG.]
Shade: Sass, all yer brave front--
[BANG!]
Shade: Ya don't fool ME.
[He had to deflect the shots with his shield, but his arm was starting to tire from taking the shock of the blows. He gritted his teeth.]
Cardinal: Is that supposed to mean something, Shade? I’m honestly—nnn!—confused.
Shade: It does. You'll get it REAL soon.
[BANG--]
[...???]
[That's...that's a red dart.]
[Completely red, stuck to Cardinal's shield.]
[--And then it started to glow RED, RED HOT, OW--]
Cardinal: AUGH!
[He could NOT handle that much heat, not so close to his core!
He was forced to drop it to the ground and roll to the side.]
[Cardinal used NEEDLE CANNON!]
[Needle shaped spears skewered anything and everything in sight…
…and some things out of sight.
A slight rip noise betrayed that Cardinal had scored a hit and pinned the sniper’s cloak to the wall.]
Shade: TCH!
Shade: Oh, that is IT.
Shade: -LOCK ON TO CARDINAL'S SYMBOL--
Shade: Yer SCRAP.
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[Cardinal hit the floor, hard.
Silence.]
Shade: -That was mah CLOAK, FRAG YA-
[…But after a moment, he did manage to sit up again, coughing a bit.]
Shade: Fer the love of--
Shade: Ya just don't DIE.
Cardinal: -Raspy- So I’ve been told…
Cardinal: (Great… all I have left is fire…)
Cardinal: You…
[He spoke seriously now.]
Cardinal: You’ve… got to stop, Shade.
Cardinal: You’ve… got to stop…!
[He staggered to his feet.]
Cardinal: This isn’t you. It’s not your fault, but you need to stop—
Cardinal: Don’t you remember who you are?!
Shade: --.....
[Who...]
[Cardinal grabbed his scarf and shook it. The dart there from Shade, a gift from so long ago, stood out in sharp contrast.]
Shade: ......
[Why did he have his...]
Cardinal: PLEASE! Don’t you REMEMBER me at ALL?!
_____________________
"Yer stuck with me. B]"
___________________
"Catch me if ya can, hunting doggie!"
_________________
[Memories, as if from some far off forgotten dream...]
Shade: --...
Shade: -Confused--
Shade: The hell...
[Cardinal took a quiet step forward.]
Cardinal: Shade!
Cardinal: You’re my best friend.
Cardinal: We TRUST each other, remember?!
—————————————————
“Being able to trust someone and want to be around them, miss them if they’re gone… That’s its own vulnerability, in a way.”
—————————————————
[Another step.]
Cardinal: (Just…)
Cardinal: (Need to get close enough…!)
[Trust...]
Shade: -Blinks--
[The purple and magenta fade from his eye for a second--]
Shade: (What...)
[....And then.]
[....A name.]
Shade: . . .
Shade: Cardinal...?
Cardinal: !
Cardinal: -Another step- YES! I’m here, Shade—
Cardinal: I promised nothing would make me give up on you, and I mean it.
Cardinal: -Another step- You’re sick, but we can fix that— come home, Shade, before you do something you can’t fix.
[…
…Fix…?]
—————————————
[An admission of weakness.
His core was messed up so badly, that…]
[From a powerful enough opponent, a direct hit at full charge, if exposed, would cause him to explode.
And no armor in the world would ever fix it.]
—————————————
Shade: ...ngh...
[The assassin staggers, as if something dull was pressing on his mind, something that was NOT a part of him, something that didn't want him to--]
Shade: !
[Something within screamed--]
[--But then, it all became clear.]
[Clear to the virus, that is.]
Shade: ......
[Cardinal was reaching out his hand to touch him. If he could just get a hold of him, he had just enough energy to get them out of here. Away from this place—if not to safety, at least where he couldn’t do any more damage.]
Cardinal: Shade…?
Shade: . . .
Shade: Songbird...Eh...
Shade: Well, that explains the bird part.
[CLICK.]
[There was an unsettling PREDATORY grin on Eight's face, as his rifle was pointed DIRECTLY AT CARDINAL'S CORE--]
Cardinal: !?
[He was too shocked, totally blindsided, taken completely off guard—he didn't even have time to get scared before—]
Shade: Adios, Songbird. BANG--
[The direct hit from such a close range— point blank range—had done massive amounts of damage.
He didn’t really feel hitting the floor, no…
It was all lost in a vast sea of white-hot pain that engulfed his senses, enveloped his whole body—
He couldn’t even say for sure if he screamed.]
Shade: That hurt, Birdy?
Shade: Ah' BET it DID.
[Cardinal had to turn to his side to avoid choking on oil. Now he felt sick, shivering from the pain and errors that were wracking his body.]
Shade: Oh, Ah' remembered ya, yes--ah' sure did... -GRIN-
Shade: Ah' remembered how t' finally KILL YA.
[Cardinal could hear the words, but they just wouldn’t register— but if they had, he would have been crushed not just in body, but also in soul.]
Shade: That was STUPID, bah the way.
Shade: What were ya even thinkin', huh?
[Even if he wanted to run now, there was no way out. He didn’t have the energy to teleport—he barely had enough to move.
Move he did, though, at least enough to get to his knees.
…]
[…relatively speaking.]
Shade: Eheh...
Shade: Looks like yer wings have been CLIPPED...Lil' Birdy.
Shade: Nowhere t' RUN, nao, is there. Even if ya COULD move....
Cardinal: Hnnnghnnnnnggh…
Cardinal: … (Can’t… can’t move…)
Cardinal: (Need… need repairs…)
Cardinal: (N-need to partition energy into repairs—)
Shade: Still breathin'?
Shade: Ya really ARE persistent!
[The world became a white void of pain as he was kicked in the side, hard. He fell over, and Shade forced him onto his back with a bit of pressure. His vision started to come back in, but—]
[CRUNCH--]
[A boot crunches on top of Cardinal's chest--]
Cardinal: (AUGH!)
[He couldn’t breathe.
He couldn’t. Breathe.
The weight was crushing him, breaking him, threatening to put pressure on his core—his constant massive conversion of energy into matter to save him was only intensifying the pain.]
Cardinal: Ghhghkk—!
[He was too badly injured to move. He was using all of his power just to stay alive, now—he could barely hear, barely see—]
>ERROR: HARDWARE DAMAGE CRITICAL
Cardinal: !
>COMPLETE SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT
Cardinal: (nnnONONO—)
>INITIATE SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE
Cardinal: AAAAUUUGH!
[Cardinal gave a choked cry of despair as the countdown began— audibly, no less—]
>TEN…
Shade: -Ooh, now... What is this?-
>NINE…
Shade: Oh, right...
>EIGHT…
Shade: Ya Wily constructs go up with a bang when yer too helpless t' RUN.
>SEVEN…
Shade: -Chuckles.-
>SIX…
Shade: Nao ain't that somethin'...
>FIVE…
Cardinal: (No…!)
>FOUR…
>SYSTEM OVERRIDE
>THREE…
>RUN PROGRAM: FINAL_DAYS.EXE
[The countdown stopped, briefly.]
>WARNING: FINAL_DAYS.EXE IS AN UNAUTHORIZED PROGRAM. USING THIS PROGRAM WILL PREVENT COMBAT.EXE INITIATIVES OR SYSTEM MAINTENANCE FROM RUNNING NORMALLY. CONTINUE?
>YES
>DON’T ASK ME AGAIN
> -PING!- COMMAND CONFIRMED.
>SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Shade: ....
Shade: Tch.
Shade: Was hopin' t' see fireworks. Oh, well.
>EXECUTING PROGRAM: FINAL_DAYS.EXE
[He became limp and weak as the program went live.
He was no longer burdened by instincts meant to preserve him to be fighting fit later, or to continue fighting on.
All the energy that had been spent toward those goals was now going into extensive repair, to keep his vitals up and his senses working. This process would not be interrupted, no matter how much energy it drained from him.
…But as a result…]
Cardinal: -Rattled wheezing from shaky, submissive gasps for air-
Shade: Heh... -Smug smirk-
[He was now completely helpless.]
Shade: Look at ya...
[Everything felt faint. It hurt, and yet…]
Cardinal: -Hazily- (Can’t even move…)
[He felt so tired. So tired.
He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and get his rest….]
Cardinal: (C-can’t…)
Cardinal: (So… so tired…)
Shade: Just look at ya, ya waste of scrap.
Shade: All yer talk and sass and comebacks and fancy display...
[CRUNCH--]
Cardinal: ( -PAIN!-)
[Cardinal became briefly blinded by pain, his eyes glazing over. His fans wailed in protest at the crushing weight put on his chest.]
Shade: --And all it took--
[His armor—!]
[SNAP--!]
[His inner plate armor split open—]
<DLN-000>: > -PAIN!-
[With his transceiver off, no one could hear him— no one could hear his anguished data streams—]
Shade: --Was a few shots, from one bot--
C R A C K—!!
[He jerked sharply, almost convulsing as the armor clattered, giving way to expose the energy core within. It was glowing like a small sun—white hot, too.]
Shade: - T'prepare ya t' meet yer Maker. That is... Assumin' there's an afterlife for ya pathetic box bolts...
[Cardinal gave off bleak rattling noises as his coolant system attempted to draw air over broken fans.]
Cardinal: -Repairs, need… need repairs…-
[His vision came back to him as the conversion went into overdrive, desperate on keeping the fans running, to keep him alive.
This allowed his eyes, dulled before, to resume their green spark—his sunglasses had been knocked off long ago, and so there was nothing between the green fire and the sickly purple gaze.]
Shade: --?
Shade: What in tarnation--
Cardinal: Hnnnnggghh…
Shade: --....
[Wait a second...
There was something just right of the power core, mostly tucked behind it. As it glowed, the mobility rig seemed to just… rebuild itself.
Enough for Cardinal to grasp at something hidden below his scarf, clutching it with a stubborn resignation.]
[.....]
[Two and two were put together within a second, and the Teal Silence let out a dark chuckle.]
Shade: Stubborn jackass! So THIS is how ya kept yerslef goin' so long, hmm?
Shade: Real clever...
[He suddenly JABBED right at it with his rifle-- which was a VERY bad mistake…]
Shade: ARUGH--!
[…as far as the sniper was concerned.
The tip of the rifle had been vaporized, and Cardinal was filled with a jolt of energy that the conversion provided. From the strength Shade had unwittingly donated, he knocked the rifle out of the way to prevent his friend from losing balance, and possibly ending up losing the rest of his arm to the power converter.]
Shade: NGH--
Shade: Little goddamn bastard--should've known ya had 'nother cheap shot like that up yer sleeve...
Cardinal: -Irratable snort- (Oh please, that’s just how I’m BUILT—you wouldn’t go sticking your hand in stomach acid, would you?!)
[There was still enough strength left from that for him to regain some focus. It took effort, and he struggled to reallocate repairs to non-vital systems.
Like… talking, for example.
Cardinal vented a bit and scrunched his eyes in a grimace, trying his hardest to work up the energy to talk.]
Cardinal: Nnnngh…
[…But he could only groan. The pain was so heavy…]
Shade: Bah, for the love of— spare me yer theatrics, Songbird, S'not like ya can sing anymore.
Cardinal: (But…)
Cardinal: (I’ve GOT to, I need to tell you…!)
[CLICK.]
Cardinal: —hghkkt!
[He knew that noise.]
[He KNEW that noise, and it filled him with dread.]
Cardinal: (No…)
Shade: Heheheh...
[A sadistic smile partnered the laugh that escaped from Shade--the dart that was usually in his mouth was gone...]
Cardinal: (Shade, oh God no— please… no, don’t… you can’t do this…)
Cardinal: -Weak ping of protest-
Shade: Ah' TOLD ya...Ya can't fool me.
Shade: Ya scared now, li' Birdy?
Cardinal: -Strained fan whine of despair-
[He was in distress, that was for sure. A heartbroken dismay was sapping away at the willpower maintaining the diminishing fumes of strength in his body.
Shade leaned over, resting his rifle arm on his left knee… as he put his weight on Cardinal’s shoulder. The fans there screeched as they were crushed beneath the sniper’s considerable weight.]
Shade: Good.
[The blinding pain lifted as the weight was drawn away. When Cardinal could see again, he saw his friend’s back facing him.]
Shade: I'll give ya this...
Cardinal: …
[A low hum...]
Cardinal: … -even weaker ping-
[He couldn’t mask it. When Shade turned around, Cardinal couldn’t help but give off a faint signal of hopelessness—
Shade was using a sniper scope to light up his core as a target, purely to mock him out of spite.]
Shade: Ya were better ’n most. Damn freakin' annoyin’, too. Shoulda known better ’n ‘’ta come HERE, t' mah huntin' grounds. You got a death wish, songbird? Huh?
[He took a step forward, letting his spurs rattle loudly in his stride across the floor...]
[Slowly.]
[It was tempting. So tempting.
He was tired. He hurt. He was scared. If… if he just let go, the pain would stop, it wouldn’t hurt anymore… he could rest, he could leave before…]
Cardinal: … (No… can’t…)
[Cardinal took in a shaky breath, willing himself to stay alive, even though his energy core…]
Cardinal: (Can’t let it end… like this…)
[…was starting to turn cold.]
Shade: -Data-
Shade: -Well, if ya insist, we can GRANT it for ya.-
Cardinal: (Can’t…!)
Cardinal: (I CAN’T LET IT END LIKE THIS!)
[Cardinal struggled to focus through his failing vision, to look that menacing red-violet eye directly on with his own, dimming green pair.
He shut down all but his central core mass fans to get the energy to speak.]
Cardinal: -Very raspy, distorted gasp- Shade…
Shade: --....
[...He's not sure if he should be annoyed or impressed.]
[Cardinal spoke again. There was a clear but quiet, submissive air of despair in his frail voice.]
Cardinal: Countershade, please…
[Oh.]
[He took a step forward...]
Shade: What was that?
Cardinal: Don’t… don’t do this… beg… begging you, please…
[.....]
Shade: -GRIN-
[He smirked cruelly at this, at the sight and sounds of Cardinal begging, pleading for his life, for mercy. Ha! Finally, after all of his talk and bravo!
What a delightful feeling.]
Shade: Heheheheh!
Cardinal: please…
Shade: (Eso es, Pájarito. Ruega por por la misericordia hasta que mueras.)
Cardinal: …it’s only… only… g…going to…
Shade: --?
Cardinal: …going to hurt y o u…
Shade: --.........
[For a moment, that makes Shade pause.
The sick, purple aura left him, the malice, the evil that had dug it's way deep into his core was lifted for just a brief moment-- ]
Shade: -N--No--
Shade: (No, no, no…!)
Shade: -Straining- M-must… fight… the power…
[He, too, seemed like he was in just as much pain as Cardinal was.]
[…]
[CLICK.]
[...But the moment... Passed.]
Shade: Enough!
[He spoke with a firm, authoritative command of finality.]
Shade: I don’t have time t’ waste on you. Obviously ya ain’t gonna stay out of my way while ya still runnin’.
Shade: An’ as we’ve already established, ya have this fraggin’ annoyin’ tendency to keep hangin’ on. Fahn, then—I’ll give ya the honor a’ takin’ ya out myself!
Cardinal: (No…)
[Cardinal gripped his hand tighter, as if bracing himself.]
Shade: An’ just tah make SURE you don’t get out of sight at the last second…
[He lowered his gaze, and his aim, right down to Cardinal's exposed core.]
Shade: This'll be the last bullet Ah' waste on ya.
[Cardinal forced himself to maintain eye contact, even as Shade lowered his rifle to point directly at the exposed core.
He didn’t… feel scared anymore. Just… defeated.
Hopeless.
…Accepting of his time, resigned to his fate… even as he dwelt with lingering, final regret, on his failure and shame.]
Shade…
[Darkness overtook his eyes.
His power was nearly entirely depleted. He would only last a few minutes longer, at most—one way or another, he had reached, at last… his final day.]
[Vrrrrrrr...]
Oh, Shade…!
[He could faintly hear the sound of Shade’s deadly aim setting up. It seemed… so far away…]
I…
[He heard a faint fizzling and hissing noise as the energy converter fell silent.
There could only be one reason for that—
No more energy left to convert from.
He could feel his heart becoming as cold as i c e …]
I’m… so sorry…!
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 8C: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[C R A A A C K!]
[THUD--]
[The door came down, Shade was over Cardinal's broken form, rifle pointed right at his chest--!]
[Vrrrrrrr...]
[THREAT IDENTIFIED.]
[XEL OVERRIDE SEQUENCE INITIATED.]
[COMMENCING WEAPON LOCK.]
Beck: STOP!
[Shade looks up from his target, just in time to see Beck's outstretched hand glowing a deep green, his eyes reflecting the same glow. Or perhaps they were glowing themselves?]
[WEAPON SYSTEM LOCK ENGAGED. TARGET: MN.8.]
Shade: --!
[Shade suddenly felt his rifle grow heavy, and the laser from his scope died out--]
Beck: NNGH--!
[Whatever it was that Beck was doing, it seemed to be very taxing on him--it was like he was holding something in place, but he didn't know what that was, or how he was doing it, exactly--]
[All he knew was that it was stopping Shade, which was what he had to do.]
Beck: S-Shade--!
Shade: ....
[The weapon lock didn't do much about Shade's current state of mind, however, and he sneered.]
Shade: So the Lil' Doggy thinks he can bite back, eh?
Shade: Heh. That's c u t e.
Beck: Nnngh--!
[Shade doesn't look too concerned despite being essentially disarmed at the moment. He turns his attention back to Cardinal, who...]
[Wasn't...moving...]
Beck: --!!!!
Beck: C--Cards--!
Shade: Looks like you get to fly another day, Songbird.
Shade: -GRIN-
Shade: That is, if ya can even WALK after this! HA!
Beck: That...
Voice… voices…
> Procc…essin…g…
Beck: THAT'S ENOUGH--!
((pic))
Beck: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS--?!
Shade: Feh--ya haven't figured it out yet--
Beck: I'm not TALKING to you.
> Proccess…ing…
Shade: --....
Beck: Yeah. That's right.
Beck: You.
Beck: I KNOW you can hear me.
Beck: And--And I know--at least...I think I know.
Beck: I know--you're like ME.
Beck: I've felt it ever since all this started--!
> Proccess…ing…
Shade: ......
Shade?: Like...you--?
Beck: I don't--it's just a feeling, but it's THERE and I know--
Beck: I know that somewhere in there--there's something else, something that knows all this is WRONG--!
Beck: So...
Beck: ...So please.
Beck: I'm begging you.
Beck: There...There's still time.
Beck: No more.
Beck: Just...no more.
> Proccess…ing…
Beck: No more pain, no more...of this.
Beck: I don't want to fight.
Beck: I...
Beck: I don't want to fight anymore--
>WARNING: POWER SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT: CORE HAS BEEN DRAINED IN OVERDRIVE CONVERSION.
Beck: --!
[Beck's attention snapped to Cardinal, who--oh, no, why is there so much oil and--]
——————————— Forte: Let’s say you get hurt. Like, Death comes up and starts whaling on you with your weakness. We don’t go out in a single hit, ya notice that?
Cryo: ....Yeah.
Beck: ....Mm-hmm.
Forte: Even if it’s like. You’ve gotten your arm cut off or got set on fire or whatever. We still keep going for a while before the big kaboom.
Forte: How?
Forte: The energy-matter converter goes into some sort of hyper mode, dude. Completely repairs the damage, even ongoing damage.You can regenerate whole systems and stuff that way.
Beck: -....Whoa....-
Cryo: -Dude, gotta admit that is amazingly sick- ....But...doesn't go on forever, right?
Forte: Right. Doing that requires energy to draw from.
Forte: There might be some sort of rechargeable battery like a stomach of sorts—actually yeah, we do have one, I remember now; at least, 3rd Gens and later do— But mostly you’re draining directly from your energy core to do that.
Forte: Energy cores weren’t built to function as first-aid reserves. They just aren’t meant for that. They’re there to provide a long-term internal energy supply to keep you running, like a heart does. You have a heart, but you still gotta eat and stuff.
Forte: Do that too many times, and the next bits of damage will stick, because there isn’t enough energy left to fix it. ——————————————
[Oh no--]
[PING!]
[TRIGGER SIGNAL LOST. XEL OVERRIDE MODE DISENGAGED. WEAPON LOCK WILL NOW BE LIFTED.]
Beck: -Blinks-- ??????
Beck: (Wha--)
[BANG!]
Beck: Guh--!
[A bullet found mark on Beck's shoulder--the assassin wasted no time once the weapon lock vanished.]
Shade: Alright.
Shade: While the lil' dance with the bird was FUN while it lasted...
Shade: It's time we settled this like robots.
Shade: Heh. Ya know what Ah'm talkin' about, don't ya?
Beck: --Shade, wait--!
[Too late. The hunter vanished without a trace, soundlessly making his escape.]
[...Leaving the mangled mess that was Cardinal behind.]
Beck: Cards--
[Beck came closer--he could smell oil and coolant-- familiar smells--]
Beck: C--Cards...
Tired…
> Analysis complete. 1 Match found: MNN-009.
Cardinal: …
[To say he was in bad shape would be the understatement of the decade. He was too tired to even try and hide the damage—and there was only a faint humming noises coming from his unprotected eyes. They flickered dimly, sporadically—
—…no, wait, that wasn’t random, that was morse…]
“Go… on… 9.”
Beck: --!
Beck: ....
[His vision began to grow out of focus.]
[...Oh, no. It's...not that.]
[Those were tears.]
Beck: N--No--
[Beck fell to his knees next to the First, but didn't dare touch him--not....Like this.]
[Flashes of something--someone. Red. Hurt.]
Beck: I...I can't--I can't leave you here--!
“Go… now…”
“SAVE… HIM…”
“Save… 8…”
“Go.”
Beck: I--I--
[His eyes darted erratically--flicking between a glowing intensity to a dulling light--]
[He promised, promised to save everyone, but Cards--but--Shade--]
[Cards was so hurt, but Shade was so close to losing himself--]
Beck: -Hurts--
[Shade--his brother--]
[And Cards, Shade's best friend--]
___________________
"Beck."
___________________
Beck: --!
[A voice...]
_______________________
"Ow...yeah?"
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Putting yourself...Putting yourself up like you MUST prove something."
"Uh...I don't get it."
"Bah, of course you don't..."
"I'm saying...you always put yourself in a position where...where you WANT to be something greater when you're not READY for it."
"I..."
"You help others, sometimes out of your own expense--you give and give and give and give--"
"Until WHAT, Beck--?"
"I..."
"Why do you have to feel like you have to help...help EVERYONE in YOUR world--?"
"Um...Because it's the right thing to do?"
"Oh, don't give me THAT. That's cliché and you know it."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with wanting to help people, right?"
"...No, but it's dangerous to feel like you have to help everyone you meet."
"Hey, what do you mean by--"
"You can't help everyone, Amadeus."
"Wha--yes, I can--!"
"No. You can't. You're just one person. And we all have our limits."
*"I hope that one day even YOU can figure that out..."*
"...Mighty No. 9."
___________________________
Beck: .......
Beck: . . . .
Beck: (...I...)
Beck: (I can't help everyone...)
Beck: .......
>Shutting down…
Beck: . . . . .
Beck: O...Okay.
Beck: I'll go.
Beck: I'll...I'll save Shade, Cards, like I promised...
Beck: And...
Beck: I'll...I'll bring him home...
Beck: ...
Beck: Promise.
-Ping-
<RMDC>: >Signal identified: DLN-000.
<RMDC>: > Processing…
<RMDC>: > DLN-000 is now Offline.
Beck: ....
[It was quiet, save for Beck's small, retreating footsteps. Far too quiet.]
[Beck had come to HATE this kind of silence. It was unnerving, and too heavy for his... smallness to bear.]
[As much as it pained him to leave his friend like this, Beck...Beck just didn't have the heart to go on without some solace that Cardinal would be okay.]
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: G...Guys...
[MN.9] //: I...I'm going after Shade...
[MN.9] //: But--C...Cards...
[MN.9] //: -PLEADING data--Help--I can't help him, please, someone help him soon, please--
[It seems forever before there’s an answer.]
<MC005>: > Can’t bring Robot Masters back Online. Xelbots can’t go until area is secured.
Beck: ......
[Which means...]
[Until Shade was saved, no one would help Cardinal get out of here.]
[MN.9] //: ...Yes, sir.
[.....]
[There was...no other choice.]
[He had to move forward.]
Beck: . . . .
Beck: (Cards...)
Beck: (I'll finish what you started.)
Beck: (I'll save Shade--for both of us...All of us.)
[REXELECTION: BRANDISH.]
[A flash of red and yellow, and Beck zoomed out of the foyer.]
[This was far from over.]
[Just because Shade had effectively incapacitated Cardinal and THEN some--]
[There were still many infected robots in the building, and who knows what kind of secrets were hidden in the White House that Shade could use to spread pandemonium across the nation.]
[Not to mention, the fact that they seem to follow Shade to an extent--he had no doubt that Shade was stalling for time back there just to ambush Cards at the right moment.]
[Eight could very well mount a invasion like had Five nearly done, and then there would be no stopping the government from utterly destroying the place.]
[...The more Beck thought about it, the more he could see why Cards wanted him to leave him behind. In a way, it lessened the sting of just abandoning him there--]
[...But only a little.]
[SHING!]
[Shade was still hiding, even after all this.]
[SHING!]
[But where...]
Beck: SHADE!
[PING!]
[MN.8] //: Lost, Lil' Doggy?
Beck: I THOUGHT you wanted to settle this like robots.
Beck: So where ARE you?
[MN.8] //: Ah' could tell ya. But that wouldn't as fun...
[MN.8] //: Ah' think ya have more worries t' attend to.
Beck: Besides YOU? Oh, come on--
[MN.8] //: Haven't ya heard the commotion outside?~
Beck: --Huh?
[Beck skidded to a stop, looking out to one of the broken windows overlooking the White House Lawn, and the gates beyond it.]
[There was...A lot of police. The kind that you see in... riots--? ]
Beck: What...?
[MN.8] //: See? I'm not the only robot tired of the status quo.
[MN.8] //: Even the meat-sticks don't want anythin' t do with the system!
[Indeed, it...It looked like there was a large, angry crowd outside--Beck could make out mostly humans, but also some Xelbot Civilians that didn't seem to be infected--]
[Some were cheering, others screaming bloody murder, and still others were trying to get inside--]
Beck: I...What is...?
Beck: (I don't understand...)
[MN.8] //: Lemmie ask ya a question, Lil' Doggy.
[MN.8] //: What are we REALLY built for?
Beck: ....
Beck: You're not going to get at me with this.
[MN.8] //: Not even gonna humor me, eh? Alright, that's fahn. I'll TELL ya.
[MN.8] //: All we were built t' do is fight in the Battle Colosseum, plaaain an' simple.
[MN.8] //: Don't seem so bad on the SURFACE, right?
[MN.8] //: W r o n g.
[MN.8] //: Humans can talk 'bout 'containin' violence' all they want, but that don't disguise what they REALLY want.
[MN.8] //: Entertainment, Lil' Doggy. We're just playthangs t' them. We dance and sing and fight and die just t' give them somethin' to fill the void in their PATHETIC Lil' lives.
Beck: --......
[MN.8] //: An' Combat Models have been doin' it fer YEARS an' no one' bothered t' do ANYTHIN' 'bout it.
[MN.8] //: We're givin' our spot in the limelight until they decide we're old news. And then they throw. Us. OUT.
[MN.8] //: Would've happened to One, eventually. Would've happened t' all of us. Would have happened t' YOU.
[MN.8] //: Heh.
[MN.8] //: Lucky for yew, lil' Doggy, Ah' plan t' make a few...changes t' that.
[MN.8] //: If ya manage t' SURVIVE, that is.
Beck: ...What are you getting at, Shade?
Beck: What's your plan?
[MN.8] //: Ah' really gotta spell it out for ya, don't Ah'?
[MN.8] //: Mah' first executive order as the first robot president is to set ALL robot FREE.
[MN.8] //: An' t' do that, I'm gonna abolish the International Battle Coloseeum Association. Permanently.
[MN.8] //: By FORCE.
Beck: --!!!!
Beck: Y--You can't do that--!
Beck: The IBCA isn't EVIL, Shade--!
Beck: Don't do that--
Beck: -PANIC-
Beck: PLEASE--!
[MN.8] //: Oh?
[MN.8] //: --Ooooh, that's right...yer off the team, ain't ya?
[MN.8] //: No IBCA, no tournaments, no more team.
[MN.8] //: You'd be useless, Lil' Doggy. Everythin' ya worked for--
[MN.8] //: --Kaput. See what Ah' mean, nao?
Beck: --........
[MN.8] //: Heh.
[MN.8] //: Truth hurts, don't it.
[MN.8] //: I'll be waitin' in mah new office, Lil' Doggy. If ya wanna file a complaint!~
[KSSSSSST--]
Beck: . . . .
Beck: (Those words...)
Beck: (I...I've heard those words... before...)
Beck: (I didn't understand then, but...Now...)
((Flash backs to when the cross was revealed in the Queen's Finals, the Highway Accident when Shade is investigating the CherryDyn delivery truck, and times when Beck worried about Ray--))
Beck: (You...)
Beck: (Has it been you...I've been sensing all this time...?)
Beck: (Are you the one behind all this...?)
Beck: (Have you...been hurting...this whole...time...?)
Beck: .......
Beck: (No...)
Beck: (Why didn't you tell me--?)
Beck: (Y...You could have...told me...)
Beck: (I...All this time, I could have helped you too...)
Beck: (How...how could I have been so blind--?)
Beck: (...Am I really that much of an idiot after all...?)
Beck: --........
[MN.9] //: -Erratic, sad, self doubt, empathetic data--
Beck: -Ngh--
Beck: (No, stop that--)
Beck: (If...If they knew...)
Beck: ....
Beck: (I have to keep going.)
Beck: (I can...think..about it...later...)
[His new office, Shade said.]
[Taking into account what Shade came here to do in the first place...]
[Beck knew exactly where to go.]
Beck: . . . .
[Soon, he came upon the large doors adorned with the Presidential Seal on them--The Oval Office.]
[Sunny sat to the side, hopping over to the small, discouraged hero with a worried look on her face.]
Sunny: D :
Beck: ...Hi, Sunny.
[Sunny opened up her compartment to give Beck some much needed Xel Cubes and Stocks--]
Beck: --?
[...Some other things tumbled out too.]
Beck: !
[A care package, of sorts, hastily thrown together.]
[Some cool water from Cryo, and cookies from Pyro--power nodes from Dyna and what looked to be a shiny rock from Mic...]
[A small coin from Bat--...Sadly nothing from Avi. He must be still out cold...]
[...A origami crane from Brand...His star projection toy he got on his second birthday from Will...]
[And some marshmallows from Sanda.]
[…!]
[And a note!]
Beck: ...?
“{LAST NIGHT—FOUND WORKING REPLACEMENT.}”
Beck: Working...Replacement...?
[.....]
Beck: --!!!!!
[Cardinal's core. He had all the parts, thanks to Beck, except for a working power core replacement. Something he could run on that wouldn't cause him to overheat--]
Beck: (He...They...)
Beck: (They did it--?)
Beck: ....
[And just like that, with that one note, with those seemingly few items that wouldn't have mattered to anyone else...]
[...There was hope.]
Beck: (I get it now...)
[There was a chance--!]
Beck: (I gotta save Shade--)
Beck: (So Cards can get help--)
Beck: (So he can be SAVED--)
Beck: (So he can live--!)
((pic))
Beck: (Don't worry, Cards--)
Beck: (I'll save Shade for you--so he can live right by your side--!)
[Strength returned to him suddenly, as he absorbed the Xel Cubes into his frame. He shoved the rest of the care package back into Sunny--he didn't have time to keep it all on him.]
[...The cookies and marshmallows stayed with him, though.]
Beck: (Alright, Shade--)
[Beck stood in front of the doors, and pushed them both open with some effort.]
Beck: (Let's end this.)
[CAPITOL BUILDING: OVAL OFFICE...]
[The office had seen better days. It was completely trashed. Even the chair in which the Madame President sat in was thrown across the room, the desk scorched, the tables turned sideways and riddled with bullet holes.]
[As expected...Shade was nowhere to be seen.]
[But he was here.]
Beck: (...Yeah...)
Beck: (He's here, I can feel it, somehow...)
Beck: (Is this how you tell he's near, Nii-San?)
Beck: ....
Beck: I kinda expected to be shot the second I came in.
Beck: That's what you did when I got here.
"Heh."
[The cowbot finally revealed himself, lazily leaning against the side of the desk, head down so that his radar hat covered most of his face.]
Shade: So ya do learn.
Shade: Okay, nao, Lil' Doggy...
[His head lifts just enough to reveal a single glowing violet eye, and a twisted smile.]
Shade: Let's see if you're all bark...or if you got some b i t e.
[A pair of bright, emerald hues meet his in defiance. Then Beck shook his head.]
Beck: Listen to me, Shade: you're malfunctioning! You're SICK! You're not THINKING straight!
Beck: Didn't you feel anything at all--ANYTHING--when you saw Cards--?!
[Shade pauses at that for a moment, as if thinking back...]
Shade: ....
Beck: Please...
Beck: All this--freeing robots, us being just tools and playthings--
Beck: ....
Beck: I won't disagree with you.
Beck: ....
Beck: I've seen...and heard...what happens...when people see us like that...
Beck: Even when I shouldn't have...I did. I heard.
Beck: And it is nothing LESS than horrifying and wrong.
Beck: And...I won't deny that...
Beck: There are bad things, bad places, and...Yeah... really bad people in the world.
Beck: That being said--
Beck There are people that don't see us like that--!
Beck: Like Dad, and Uncle Sanda, and Mikhail--!
Beck: Mao, Felix, Piers--
Beck: The people that look up to us--
Beck: The people that we FIGHT for--!
Beck: The people that know what REAL freedom is, and try to protect it--!
Beck: Freedom doesn't require all this SUFFERING--!!
Beck: You're only going to make things WORSE, if you shut down the IBCA--! Not just for me--forget about me--! For EVERYONE--! What are you trying to ACCOMPLISH, getting rid of something that gives so many people so much HOPE?!
Shade: Tch.
Shade: Humans have fought over freedom an' hope with WAR for centuries. Your damn point? S'moot.
Beck: --!
Shade: Emancipation is worth ANY price...
Shade: Even at the cost of human lives.
[SCANNING.....]
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[MODEL: MIGHTY NO. 8. CODENAME: COUNTERSHADE.]
[HEIGHT: 193cm WEIGHT: 273kg XEL COUNT: 54,600,000]
[CLICK]
(((SHADE BOSS PIC HERE--))
Shade: Or yours.
[BANG!]
[Beck saw that coming--he vaulted over a table on its side, the energy bullet seating the expensive furniture instead.]
Beck: I don't want to FIGHT you, Shade--!
"Bit late for that line, ain't it?"
[A quick peek over the table. Shade was no longer there.]
Beck: (Argh...)
[Countershade. The 8th in the Mighty Numbers, with state of the art technology that was only surpassed by Beck's own. The Teal Silence, the Mighty Assassin, intangible as a ghost...]
[Shade was synonymous with all of these titles and sayings and then some. He was able to pick his foes off before they even knew they were being hunted, and had many tricks and traps at his disposal--even with the lack of a right limb, that didn't slow him down in the slightest.]
[The world's greatest assassin robot ever built, and he had turned for the worst. He had pushed his inborn abilities of Radar Detection and Active Camouflage to greater heights, placing him squarely as the team's Sniper. It was often Shade that dealt the final blow against particularly strong teams, and often Shade that made sure that they had a ace in the hole in case things ever went...]
[...Wrong.]
[Against the strongest member of their family...]
[Beck had to be prepared for anything.]
Beck: (At least we're in an enclosed space--Shade's area of excel is long-range, not close quarters combat. I got the advantage there.)
Beck: (...But Cards had that too, and...)
Beck: (...And I DON'T want to taunt Shade into a rage--that would suck--)
Beck: (--I could use his weakness, I have Dyna's form...)
Beck: (--...But that isn't really going to deflect his shots, so...)
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]
Beck: I hope I got Mic's bulkiness too...
[Beck took a deep breath and ZOOMED out of his cover--]
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[Bullet holes chasing his tracks, unrelenting in their pursuit of the smaller Mighty Number.]
"That's right--RUN."
Beck: -WELL, WHAT ELSE DO YOU EXPECT US TO DO--
[Shade still had his Camo online, even if Cardinal had done a number on his cloak...]
Beck: (Where are you--)
"Here."
Beck: --!?
[He looked up--]
[BANG--!]
Beck: --?!?
[Dizzy--]
[ERROR--GYRO SYSTEMS OFFLINE.]
Beck: Wh--Whoa--!
Shade: Heh! DANCE, Lil' Doggy!
[The world suddenly turned upside down, and his motor controls were reversed--]
[WHAM--!]
[He crashed into the desk so hard he reverted back to default, the ground and ceiling spinning at dizzying speeds.]
Beck: @~@!
Beck: (Can't tell what's up or down--)
[BANG!]
Beck: NGH--!
[Trying to move his right arm only moved his left, and vice versa--same with his legs--]
[BANG!]
Beck: OW--
[After some doing, he DOES manage to get on his feet--]
[But he's stumbling and tripping up, all sense of balance lost.]
Beck: (I've never--seen Shade do this before--not with Cards or anyone--!)
[THUD--]
Beck: (Ugh, I can't even walk straight, LET ALONE SHOOT--!)
[BANG--!]
Beck: ARGH--!
"Havin' fun, Lil' doggy?"
Beck: NO!
"Heheh."
Beck: (I gotta get normal mobility BACK--!)
[RUNNING XEL_FILTER.EXE...]
[NO MALWARE FOUND.]
Beck: (Wha--then how--)
Beck: !
[There--there's something caught in his shoulder's armor--]
[A purple dart--?]
Beck: --!
Beck: (Of course, Shade can detect signals--there's no reason why he can't also transmit jamming signals with his radar too--!)
Beck: (I gotta get this thing off me--)
[Left moves right, and vice versa--]
[So moving his right arm should--!]
Beck: (There--Ow, OW THAT HURTS--)
[BANG BANG BANG--!]
[The shots hit him squarely in the torso, knocking him away to the middle of the room--]
Beck: Nngh...
Beck: (Need a...good grip...!)
[SMACK--]
Beck: Mmmph--!
[His face meets the carpet--something big and heavy was planted right on the back of his head--]
Shade: S'that ALL?
Shade: Ya didn't even last HALF of what the Songbird did.
Shade: How ya managed t' fell the rest of our kin is beyond me. Maybe it was all dumb luck, huh?
Beck: (Nngh--)
[... Amazingly, Beck raised his head even with Shade's weighted boot on his helmet.]
Beck: Sh... Shade--!
[...?]
[...Why...Why was this part of the carpet red--? ]
[Yes, it was faint, but he can make out the beginning of the letter H in...]
[Cardinal's handwriting...]
[HOPE LIVES.]
Beck: (H...Hope...Hope...)
Shade: Any last words, Doggy?
[CLICK.]
Beck: --Shade--
Beck: Cards--there's--there's a new source--
Beck: They did it, Shade--!
Shade: --!
[It was as if a switch had been flipped.]
[The sick, purple glow left him completely, for a moment--]
Shade: -Blink-
Shade: R..Really--?
Beck: Yeah-- [YANK--] [GYRO SYSTEMS RESTORED.]
Beck: So you need to COME BACK HOME WITH ME--! [REXELECTION: DYNATRON.]
[BZZZZZZZZZRT!!]
Shade: MOTHERSCRA--
[Shade screamed as pure high voltage surged up his leg, considerably damaging him--enough so that some of the infected Xel glowed around him!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: So you and Cards--
[BZZZZZZZZZRT!]
Beck: --can get better--together--!
Shade: Ngh--!
Beck: So you can laugh and smile and be silly and get into trouble--
Beck: So we can all Live together--!!
Beck: IT'S JUST YOU LEFT--!
Beck: SO JUST LET ME--
[Beck dashed into Shade, he needed to end this quick, end this now before Cards--]
[Fzzt!]
Beck: --?!?!?
[....Did...]
[Did he just go... through Shade...?]
[He skids to a stop, turning on his heel, bewildered.]
Shade: -GRIN-
[Shade was... flickering red...]
Shade: What's wrong, Lil' Doggy?
[And then he just disappeared.]
"Ya look like ya just saw a GHOST, HEH HEH HEH!~"
[BANG!]
Beck: Gh--
[The shot came from what seemed like above--he rolled and shot straight at the ceiling ledge where Shade was really perched--had be been there the whole time--]
Shade: That damn annoyin' Songbird fell for it more than ONCE, ha!
Shade: Half of the tahm he was chasin' mah Phantom instead of me.~
Shade: Did ya really think ya can win against ME, mutt?
Shade: Just like that?
Beck: --Ngh...Okay...I might have gotten...Carried away...
Shade: Heh.
Shade: So--will the humans give ya a SPECIAL treat for betraying yer own KIND, Lil' Doggy? Is Dad gonna put ya on a pedestal b'fore everyone?
Shade: S'just like them, huh?
Shade: T'covet what they hold DEAR--
[VRRRRR....]
Beck: !
[Several dark orbs fly out from under Shade's cloak--some create a shield around him, while one started to glow... bright red--]
Shade: T'WORSHIP UNTIL THEY GET BORED!
[BANG BANG BANG--]
[Strange visual glitches appeared in the air, but there were OTHER things to worry about—]
Beck: --?!?!?
Beck: (HOW IS HE DOING THAT--)
[Diving behind a table once more, he could only watch in absolute horror as Shade shot off bullets towards him--off of something that made some very familiar warping--]
Beck: (T..That shouldn't be possible--!)
[BANG BANG BANG!]
[Beck winces at what sounds like glass breaking, Shade continuing to shoot wildly--he managed to get around his cover a few times, but--]
Beck: Shade, I have no idea what you're doing but you have to stop it--
Beck: --?
[What's this--?
The visual glitchy cracks in the air were suddenly filled with a dark, pulsing energy...
That's funny, for a second he thought he heard...Voices...]
Beck: (What the heck...)
Beck: (Ugh, I don't know what's going on, but it isn't good--!) [REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE]
[PEW PEW PEW!]
Shade: HGNN--
[Pelting Shade with a few ice shard filled snowballs was enough to get him to stop making more of those strange glitches--but it did also made him angry.]
Shade: Freakin' MUTT!
Shade: I'll show ya EXACTLY what yer dealin' with--
Shade: Les' play a GAME, Lil' Doggy.
Shade: S'called-- [FZZT!]
[Shade vanished once more--only to reappear at Beck's left...AND right--!]
Shade and Shade: Which is it?
Beck: !
Beck: -DUCK--
[Both Shades fired at him, with those annoying purple darts--Beck could NOT afford to get hit with one of THOSE again--]
[SCANNING...]
[ERROR--MN.8 SIGNAL NOT FOUND]
Beck: (I can't tell which one is the real one--!)
Beck: (UGH--)
[PEW--!]
[He fired at one Shade, but it just went right through it.]
Beck: (Aha!)
[Fzzt!]
[No cigar--as soon as Beck figured out which was which, both Shades had vanished--and once again reappeared in different locations, as if in a game of shuffle.]
Beck: (No--!)
Shade and Shade: Heh, it hurts t' be seein' DOUBLE, ain't it?
Beck: (Nnngh, I even hear two voices overlapping--)
Beck: --?
[--? What was that--a light dangling from one of the Shades’ neck--?]
Beck: --!!!
[--Wait--that was a dog tag, with a red frayed thread around it--!]
[PEW!]
Shade: --?!?
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: (Thank you, Cards--!)
Beck: (It must have gotten loose during the fight...)
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON.]
Shade: Nngghr--...
Shade: Ya need t' be put DOWN, Lil' doggy, so sit STILL--!
Beck: I'm not a DOG--
[BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
Beck: --So stop CALLING me that--!
[Shade growled at his smaller brother, and sent out--a LOT of orbs--!]
[Shade--the REAL Shade--flared a bright violet aura, anger and wrath radiating from his frame in visible waves, distorting the space around him--]
Shade: You...
Shade?: You IDIOT.
Beck: --?!
Shade?: I have no qualms with you, NINTH!
[CLICK.]
Shade?: LET ME HAVE THIS!
[VRRRRRRRR--!]
[BANG BANG BANG BANG BANGBANGBANGBANG--!]
((FLASHBACK TO ROUND ONE WHEN SHADE KNOCKED OUT ALL THE LIGHTS,))
[Bullets and darts fly absolutely EVERYWHERE, leaving Beck with no room for cover--]
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]
[The only thing he COULD do was shift into Mic's form and tank what he could...]
[But...]
[WARNING: XEL LOSS DETECTED.]
Beck: --!!
Beck: -Gnh--
[His leg armor was breached, and blue began to flow out of the wound from it...]
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
Beck: (Ow...Can't move...)
Shade: Gah, sloppy--
Shade: Hate it when it takes more than one bullet...
Shade: Heh, oh well. Funny, that ya bleed b l u e....
Beck: Ngh--
Beck: How many times do I have to say it--
[REXELECTION: DYNATRON]
[Bits flew around the room, dangerously sparking up--]
Beck: You got it all WRONG! I'm here because I want to HELP you!
Beck: I AM NOT--
Shade: --!!!
Beck: LIKE THAT--!
[C R A C K !!]
[A brilliant flash, the room turns alight with the brightness of the sun-- ]
[K-ZAP!]
[Well THAT was certainly stronger than expected—!]
[...The room was covered in black soot, though, Shade and Beck included.]
Beck: ....
Beck: -cough, ugh--
Beck: (Dizzy...I feel all tingly...)
"N...Ngh..."
[Shade was on a single knee across the room, twitching slightly in some places...
The glow that surrounded him earlier had faded to a dim, but the assassin was not completely spent...]
Shade: A Mighty...doesn't lose...On their KNEES...
[Slowly, with some effort, he rides to his feet--]
Shade: This tahm--gonna kill ya DEAD--
Beck: --!
Beck: SHADE WAIT--
[ZZT.]
Shade: OW--
Shade: -Nnmmgh that smarts, what the hell--
Beck: -...We're on carpet, haven't you ever rubbed socks on one--
Beck: (This is perfect--all I have to do is get closer--)
[ZZZT.]
Beck: OW--
Beck: ......
[ZZZT. ZZZT. ZZZT.]
Beck: Ow ow ow--
Shade: Wh--
Beck: Ow OW OW, that hurts, ow--
Beck: @-@
Beck: Ow.
Shade: -GROWLS, DON'T YA DARE, WE /W I L L/ BEAT YA WITH OUR GOOD ARM IF WE HAFTA--
Beck: Okay, Shade...
Shade: Ya don't know what yer doin', Lil' Doggy.
Shade?: This is something you cannot even begin to fathom.
Beck: .....
Beck: No.
Beck: I think I do.
Beck: I think I have all this time.
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[XEL QUOTA REACHED. XEL PURGE ONLINE. XELFILTER.EXE IS PRIMED AND READY FOR OVERDRIVE.]
Beck: I...just didn't want to believe it.
Beck: I know you're listening.
Beck: ...
Beck: Everything is going to be okay.
Beck: I will help everyone.
Beck: ...I'll keep giving, if that's what it takes.
Beck: And, Shade...
Shade: --?
Beck: Cards is going to be okay.
Beck: He's hurt, but he's going to be okay.
Shade: .....
Shade: C... Cards...
[XEL PURGE INITIATED!]
Beck: I think we've stayed here long enough...
[.........]
"What are ya doin' in mah room, Beck?"
"WAAH--I--I thought no one was in here--"
"Heh. Hidin' from Dyna's wardrobe game again?"
"...Yeah. >//> I hate being in a dress..."
"Alright, ya can crash here fer a bit."
"...Y...You're not mad?"
"Beck, Ah've known those two fer longer than ya have been alive, Ah' get it."
"Oh...Okay."
"... Penny fer yer thoughts? Ya seem distant."
"Um...I... was...just wondering."
"Mm?"
"...People say... that... you...."
"...you hurt people. B...Bad people, though."
"But...why? I...I mean, isn't violence only confined to the Battle Colosseum--and why do you have to--"
"Hush, nao..."
"When did ya start thinkin' like that, huh...Eh, you're gettin' older, Ah' bet..."
"Listen t' me, Beck, an' listen well."
"Dad's taught us that there is good in everyone, an' he ain't wrong 'bout that. There is a light in all thangs..."
"... But there is also darkness. Evil. Sometimes...Sometimes good people don't come back once they let themselves go too far."
"An' as much as some would like nothin' more than t' get them back..."
"Sometimes, it ain't enough. An' someone has t' stop them b'fore they hurt even MORE people. Good, innocent people."
"...People like the ones we see on the street..."
"...An' sweet lil' kids like you, Becky, come 'ere!"
"Ack--! Shaaaade, that tickles--!"
"Heh."
[.......]
"But...Dad also taught us that..."
"... Sometimes, good people do bad thangs, but that don't make them bad people. It takes a strong heart t' tell the difference, Beck."
"...?"
Shade: B...Be...ck...
Beck: --!!!!
"Just remember this."
"There is such a thang as second chances."
"Few, an' far in between..."
Shade: Ah'....
"But they're there."
[XEL PURGE COMPLETE. ALL HARMFUL MALWARE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MN.8]
Shade: Ah' owe ya one, don't ah', Beck...?
[THUD.]
[MN.8 IS NOW IN DEEP SLEEP MODE.]
Beck: Shade--!
-PING!-
<MC005>: > {Please tell me I didn’t just imagine that—}
<MC005>: > {Beck! Are you ready to return?}
Beck: ! Yeah, but Shade--
Shade: .....
Shade: Zzzzzz....
Beck: . . .
[…
Mikhail laughs.
It is clearly influenced by stress, and you could almost hear him crying in relief—his voice was kind of shaky.]
Beck: ....
Beck: Heh...
[He is soon joined by Beck, after a while. It...
It was almost like a great weight had been lifted up from his small shoulders...]
Mikhail: They’ll…
Mikhail: They’ll be fine, Beck.
Beck: -Sniff- Y...Yeah...
Mikhail: I can’t… I haven’t had the chance to talk to your father yet, but I know a way to even minimize the impact of this…
Beck: !
Beck: R...Really?
Beck: -Sniff- Th... That's great...
Mikhail: I’ll need to have a lengthy private conversation with him first, but…
Mikhail: He’ll be alright.
Beck: Heh...
Beck: (I...)
Beck: (I did it. I saved my whole family.)
Beck: (They're...going to be fine...)
Beck: ^^ M'...M'kay...
[...Oh, poor boy. He looks ready to keel over, but he's keeping himself awake through will.]
Mikhail: I’m going to bring the two of you home. Try to get some rest once you get here, Nine.
Beck: -Sleepily- Mmm mmm...
Mikhail: Call, if you please…
[SANDA LABS....]
[Ah...It looked like Beck fell asleep mid-transfer, a tired but satisfied look on his face as he used his rescued brother as a makeshift pillow.
Will looked like he had been through his own personal hell himself--he looked so frightened when he walked in with Soi--but he instantly perked up when he saw both of his sons...]
Beck: Zzzzz....
Shade: Zzz....
[Peacefully asleep.]
Pyro: -I am hardly surprised at this-
Will: Shade...
Mikhail: -An exhausted kind of relief- Praise be to God and His mercies. He’s safe.
Mikhail: Will, I need to talk to you about handling the memories of the event and preventing overload. But first, Pyro…
Mikhail: …I’m going to need you to do something.
Pyro: --?
Will: -Deep breaths- ...Yes...
Will: Not...Not all of us are home, Pyrogen...
Will: Not yet...
Will: The Robot Masters are offline for good reason, and Beck is in no condition to go anywhere.
Will: ...
Will: You must go and retrieve Cardinal posthaste...
Will: You are strong--and delicate enough to move him here without causing more damage, and I think, by now, some parts of the building have caught fire.
[Mikhail pinched the bridge of his nose.]
Mikhail: ({Electrical fire. Oh, Cardinal, why did you have to use something so powerful on an important point like that? You must have been truly desperate.})
Will: Once he is here, Mikhail can begin repairs...
Will: But with the Robot Masters offline...
Mikhail: …I’m going to need someone else to bring him here, for starters. And others to assist in repairs.
[He sighed, putting his head in his hands again.
He seemed… old. Truly old, and weary of the world. And he was exhausted.]
Mikhail: Will…
Mikhail: I really, really wish it could be you.
Mikhail: That’s what he would have wanted.
Mikhail: But I know you’re still busy…
Mikhail: So please… don’t overdo yourself, my friend.
Will: .....
Will: I...I know.
Will: I'll keep working on the code...In bits...
Will: (....I'm sorry....)
Will: Soi can begin with Shade's and Beck's repairs...
Will: ...Bat...Mic. I...I need you to stand guard outside the repair bay.
Will: Once Shade wakes up....
Will: ......
Mikhail: I have recommendations regarding that, too, but again…
[He trails off when he notices his friend’s state of being.]
Mikhail: Will.
Mikhail: You don’t look very good.
Will: I--
Soi: Will had a panic attack.
Will: --....
Soi: He got worried over the government calling again--you know how THAT went the last time. >>
Will: (Soi...)
Soi: I think you should take the rest of this day off, Will. Please, get some rest.
Soi: Both of you. <<
Mikhail: …
[The older man doesn’t even argue.]
Mikhail: Aright. I’ll try to get what sleep I can. Call, please wake me as soon as possible after their return as long as it is after the current REM cycle is complete. You have my permission to closely monitor bioreadings to keep track of that.
Call: Yes, Doctor Cossack.
Mikhail: I am making hot chocolate and going to bed, hopefully be up by dinner.
Mikhail: Good day.
Soi: See you later, Mikhail.
Will: .....-Waves-
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 8D: TRAPPED BY LASER LIGHT=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[SANDA LABS, EVENING...]
[At last, after the longest, hardest week the White family and friends have had to endure in all of their time...
They were together again.
Scarred, injured, and some even still resting from the chaos...
But together.]
[It was nothing less than a miracle, born from the will of an unlikely timid boy forced to turn to his own strengths in the face of madness. In the span of a few days, he had gone from the meek, fearful screw-up to the world's savior and last hope.
Even the key to what might be the cure to the nation's robotic pandemic lies within him.
...And yet...
Beck Amadeus White, tried as he might, could not stay asleep for long.]
[There were too many thoughts. Answered questions that begot even more questions.
He had done what he had promised, and had done it as best as he could.]
Beck: . . . .
[...Or has he?]
[Love, compassion, respect and trust...
The basis and very essence of the bonds of friendship and companionship.
He was told, by his own father, by his own siblings, that these were the things that could make the world a better place...
That could help people, no matter how lost they are.]
[Beck believed that there was good in everyone-- even people like Graham, Gravecrasher, or Blade...
And that no one--of flesh or Xel or otherwise--was truly born evil, or at the very least, it wasn't their fault.
...
So that had to ring true for her, didn't it?]
[Hurt and pain, tragedy, loss, all the sorrows of the world...
That is what made good people turn for the worse--those with not enough love or compassion or trust or respect in their lives...]
[So...
Was it not enough?
Did he not try...hard enough...?]
[He knew there was good in there--over the very first year of his life, even when he was so young, and still learning of the world--
He saw it.
Buried deep within rage and fear, bitterness and vengeance--bloodlust and insanity...
He saw it.]
[A light--still burning strong in the face of all the horrors that mankind was capable of. In the face of time, in the face of the very darkness it was now a part of...
A ray of hope beneath the mask.]
Beck: ........
[He saw it, in the way spoken without malice, in the way spoken about others of their likeness--in the way that he looked at her and she looked at him without all the pain he never knew how deep it really went.]
Beck: (Where are you...?)
[He was more saddened and worried at the thought of it--he wasn't angry, although he wondered if he should be.]
[In all honesty, he'd be more heartbroken if what he was dreading turned out to be a reality...]
Beck: .....
[And he was frightened at what he would see in his dreams should he surrender to sleep.]
Beck: (Ugh...)
Beck: (This sucks...)
Beck: ......
Beck: (Maybe...maybe she's okay...)
Beck: (If...If she's infected, I think we would have noticed by now...)
Beck: (But only...things and Xelbots that were offline or turned off didn't get infected...)
Beck: (So does...that mean...)
Beck: .........
Beck: -Siiiiigh-
Beck: (I should at least try and get some rest. If Dad's really going to use my Xel Filter Program to fix everyone, then at least that'll help her too.)
Beck: (...And then I can go find her myself.)
Beck: (She's a survivor. She'll be okay.)
Beck: .....
Beck: -_-; (I wouldn't be surprised if she was having the time of her life...The whole nation's probably an all-you-can-eat buffet to her...)
Beck: -Shivers- (Ugh, I don't even wanna imagine it...)
Beck: (Got enough nightmares to potentially have, thank you very much...)
Beck: -Stares at the ceiling-
Beck: ....
Beck: I guess I can re-read all of my Star Wars comics again....
[SANDA LABS, REPAIR BAY...]
Soi: Whew...
Soi: I got at least half of his repairs done--mostly just replacing the things that got, uh, fried. At least he's still out of it for now...What about you, Will?
Will: Hrmmm...
[Will worked at his console as usual, typing furiously with purpose.]
Will: (...Gah, I can't remove the source codes directly, that just makes the whole thing fall apart...)
Will: (...Perhaps I should work on modifying Beck's Xel Filter Program--but if they analyze that too...)
Will: Not much headway, I'm afraid. Even WITH this latest sample...
Soi: ...I see...
Will: (....)
Will: (I thought I was... through.)
Will: (I really, really thought so...)
Will: -Sighs, locks the code again-
Will: I think...I think trying to get the Xel Filter to work on a mass scale is more pressing, now that everyone is home at last...
Will: Doing that might be a bit tricky, though. It's not as simple as just taking it out and copying it--
Will: It's a program I designed with very...specific specs and coding.
[Undoubtedly, Mikhail would have been fascinated by this conversation.
But despite being in the same room…
…he was asleep on his notes.]
Mikhail: Zzz…
[The overworked Russian had a lot on his mind, and he had stayed up all night the night before working on the final key to his own puzzle.
And now, determined to be on hand when Cardinal came back, he had followed Sanda’s orders on a technicality.
Oh, he was resting, alright.
But judging by the empty mug of hot chocolate, he hadn’t even made it to a couch before falling asleep in the lab.]
Soi: ... >> I told him to--
Will: ... -Sighs- Leave the poor man alone, Soi....
Will: He has his...his own troubles now.
Will: ......
Will: (I'm sorry...)
[PING!]
Will: --?
Mikhail: Zzz…
[CALL] //: Doctor Sanda, we have a call on the emergency line.
Sanda: -Sighs- That's been ringing off the hook, Call, we know there are people that need--
[CALL] //: Our private emergency line.
Sanda: --?!!
Mikhail: Zzz…
Will: But...That line is for Sanda Staff only--
[CALL] //: Mr. Seijiro Sanda has granted special permission given the gravity of the one who is calling.
Mikhail: Zzz…
Will: ......
Will: And...That would be....?
[CALL] //: Madame President Minerva.
Will: .......
Will: Call...
Will: Please tell me it's not THE PRESIDENT of the United States--?!
[CALL] //: Affirmative, Doctor White.
Will: No no NO--!
[Mikhail abruptly wakes up, looking startled.
Will is OUT of there before Soi can even react, wow, can he move fast--]
Soi: Will--!
Mikhail: -More awake now, and very grouchy to be so- {What…}
Mikhail: -Feels around for his glasses and puts them on- {What’s going on, what was the shouting just now?}
Soi: E--Er--
Soi: Oh man...
Mikhail: Call, please explain? Your father is at a loss for words. </grumpy>
[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor. POTUS is currently on our emergency private Sanda Tech line as we speak.
Mikhail: …
[He seems to turn a bit pale. Kind of hard for a man in his condition.]
[CALL] //: Madame President Minerva was given clearance to use this line by the CEO of Sanda Technologies.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: Stall for me.
[AAAAAAND HE’S OUT.]
Soi: Wha--Mikhail--! Don't you two do this to me AGAIN--!
Soi: ....
Soi: (Crikey...)
{Meanwhile…}
“Will! WILL!”
Mikhail: -Runs after him- Will, wait!
Mikhail: {Will! We… we need to talk!}
[Will stopped dead in his tracks--whether for when Mikhail called him or out of absolute terror was hard to tell.
But he was quite not well, evident by the sharp intakes of air and the balled fists.]
Will: I--...Mikhail...
Mikhail: -Puts his hands on Will’s shoulders- Will, I…
Mikhail: I’m sorry.
Mikhail: …But it’s better you hear this from me now, rather than later…
Will: (--!)
Mikhail: I…
Mikhail: I’m going to have to talk to her, Will.
Will: --!!
Will: Wh--What--?! No--! You can't--!
Mikhail: I HAVE THINGS TO ANSWER FOR, WILL!
[He grabbed his colleague a bit roughly by the shirt, forcing him to look him in the eyes—there seemed to be some sort of cold fire to them.]
Mikhail: I sent Tobias into the Cloud to get to the White House and interfere in their security!
Will: -Wince- (But...--!)
Mikhail: I’m sorry, Will…
Mikhail: It was for good reason, and I’m prepared to pay the price for it.
Will: (P-price…!)
Mikhail: I wouldn’t have done that unless I was truly desperate. And trust me, I was.
Mikhail: I need his hardware intact for me to fix him.
Will: --But--isn't...isn't all of their self in software rather than...?
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Swallows- …Yes… and that’s… that’s why.
Will: I don’t understand…
Mikhail: The software runs on the hardware… that is the primary copy.
Mikhail: Backups to the database are inactive copies.
Mikhail: If both are destroyed, the data completely lost… then… then the Awareness is effectively dead.
Will: --!!
Mikhail: That’s part of why the Robot Master Database was founded. Industrials were meant to wear out their bodies and get new ones. They… they are property, Will, that’s just how it works—
Mikhail: But what happens when there isn’t a backup to begin with?
Mikhail: What… what happens when… when the software is too old to properly connect with a constantly updating database?
Will: --?!
Will: T...Too...Old?
Will: (C... Cardinal...?)
Mikhail: …It’s hard to say for sure as I keep the respect of staying out of their files…
Mikhail: But I don’t think he’s actually had his AI_OS backed up to the RMD in over a decade, if the records exist at all.
Will: ......
Mikhail: He… he’s always been afraid of changing his software. He wasn’t… properly coded, in the beginning.
Mikhail: But unless a construct updates their software on a regular basis, they lose the ability to communicate with the Cloud. Without the Cloud, then everything they are is tied to their chassis hardware.
Mikhail: If he has… … if he had been too damaged to recover data from his body… he could very well have died.
Mikhail: If… if his self-destruct sequence had gone off… we probably would have lost him.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Will: John 15:13...?
Sanda: Why would...?
[MN.2] //: Is it some kinda code, or...?
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: "No greater love than this..."
[MN.1] //: "...than to lay down his life for his friends."
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: I… I got desperate. I couldn’t let that happen.
Mikhail: What… beyond the loss that would have been—
[His voice becomes bitter in pain.]
Mikhail: The man saved my daughter’s life, he saved my life— he leads their family, he keeps the two sides of the wretched eternal war in our home world in check—
Mikhail: What that would have done to your [color=teal]son…[/color]
Will: . . . .
Will: (Oh, Mikhail...!)
Will: (If only I could tell you--I understand--!)
Mikhail: … I don’t even want to think of it. Brandish took the brief fight with Shadow hard enough, but this…
Mikhail: -Hangs his head- I couldn’t let it happen….
Mikhail: In retrospect… having Tobias fight off the security also helped make things a little easier on him, on your youngest son, by preventing everything working against him to the degree they had been working before. The distraction helped with saving the President too, I imagine.
Mikhail: But I will be honest—at the time I was really only thinking of Cardinal, and I’m sorry.
Mikhail: Between everyone’s efforts, we all made it out alive—and that is all I could have hoped for, so…
Mikhail: I am willing to [color=black]pay.[/color]
Will: . . . (Mikhail...)
Will: (God, if I lost you too to...To them, I...!)
Will: (If only I was as half as brave as you are...)
Mikhail: I’ve been somewhat negligent in my duties as a Doctor out of the desire to let the boys handle their own lives. I was unwilling to enforce my authority when it was most needed. At least six people have suffered greatly as a direct result of that weakness. My irresponsibility has placed travelers from my world at risk by allowing an unforgiving spotlight on unusual phenomena.
Will: (No, please--please, this is all my fault--! I should be one where YOU ARE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND--!)
Mikhail: What happened with the Queen’s Finals and on the highways could have been passed off as lingering issues born from their early lives. It would even have been plausible to say that the lack of files and records was related to the data breach not that long ago.
Mikhail: That is no longer the case.
Mikhail: The boys and I have gotten too much trouble to run from any longer. There are things that have happened which will no longer be overlooked.
Mikhail: Cardinal has entangled himself directly in government affairs, as has Tobias. There’s the very real question of security being put at risk, with what they did while they were there. Tobias in particular, since he now is under heat from investigations in two entirely different countries.
Mikhail: They are going to want answers, Will. They will not rest until they feel they are through. There isn’t much for them to find, but it is enough that it can’t be avoided. Trying to shift blame onto Doctors Light and Wily won’t be enough to avoid what is in store. Someone is going to have to give an answer.
Will: (What can I do, what--there must be something, I--I won't--)
Mikhail: The simple fact is that all the incidents in question only have one clear link between them—
Mikhail: Me.
Will: (I won't let them take you away from us--!)
Will: (If it comes to that, then I swear--!)
Mikhail: This time, Tobias was acting under my orders. I woke him up specifically to break into the system, disable it, and give us feeds from the cams.
Mikhail: Such… such an action is…
Mikhail: …not something easily forgiven.
Will: (N...No...!)
Mikhail: …I must… I have to answer for this, sooner or later. It’s the right thing to do.
Will: (I can't lose another--not again--!)
Mikhail: I’m sorry, William…
Mikhail: After all this time, after all you’ve done for me… I’ve gone and done something terrible, something that places you in danger.
Mikhail: I certainly won’t let anyone put that onto you.
Mikhail: -Places a hand to Will’s face- You’re like a cousin, or… or even brother to me. And I know this is hard enough on you as it is.
Mikhail: Believe me, Will, I know what this is like—
Mikhail: I’ve seen it happen with MY sons before.
Mikhail: Even worse, I was the one who sent them there, the reason they ended up like they did.
Will: (Gnk--!)
Mikhail: The aftermath was… is very hard. I don’t… -In clear emotional pain- I don’t even have them all back yet. I’m still… still in the process of piecing us back together.
Mikhail: But you…
Mikhail: You’ve been doing such good work, you… you’re already under enough stress as it is… you should definitely not be hounded by the things I’ve done using your equipment. The things my nephews have done throughout this whole mess…
Will: ..........
[Too much. It was all too much.]
[Of all the things Will had to hide...]
[Tears...]
[Now that was the one thing he could never quite master how to conceal.]
Will: Gh...!
[Suddenly, Mikhail would find a surprising strength in Will--of the physical kind, that is, once he had latched onto him--as if...]
[As if the whole world was trying to tear them apart.]
Will: You--You have to promise me--!
Will: Promise me you'll come back--please...!
Mikhail: -Blinks- …
[He returns the hug, though a gentle one.]
Mikhail: Oh, William…
Mikhail: I still have important work to do, my friend.
Mikhail: No government or government agency—no leader, no use of force will keep me from bringing my family back together.
Mikhail: No matter what happens, I will be coming back. That is not something I even have to promise… it is mere fact.
Mikhail: ({I’m not native to your world—I exist outside of it. So… even if…. Even if it were to fall to the [color=black]worst[/color] possible outcome…})
Mikhail: Just… stay strong, alright? We’ll make it through this. I promised you that, remember?
-*-*-*-*-
“Listen… If anything ever goes that wrong for you, I /promise/ you I will help you find a way to fix it.”
-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: I intend to keep to that.
[.....]
Will: -Sniff-
Will: (...Mikhail...)
Will: (...That's right...The two of us...)
Will: (...You...don't know how much we're both alike...)
Will: ...I...
Will: I really...wanted to show you around...
Will: I... -Sniff, choked laughter- I guess that's out the window now...
Mikhail: -Weary smile-
[He ruffles Will’s hair a bit.]
Mikhail: We’ll see about that, Doctor. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to answer for myself before high office.
Will: -Sniff- Right...Here be dragons...
Mikhail: Da.
Mikhail: Go…
Mikhail: Go see your sons, Will.
Mikhail: Be with them. Be with your sons and daughters. You have them back now.
Mikhail: And you and I both know exactly how priceless of a treasure that is.
Will: ....
Will: Y...Yes...
Will: Alright...
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Gently- Will?
Will: Mm?
Mikhail: That means you have to let go, Will.
Will: ....
Will: ...!
Will: -Aaaand does so- Oh--I--Sorry, I, Ah--
Will: -Awkward noodle, how do we people--
[That gets Mikhail to laugh.]
Mikhail: -More hair ruffles for friend- Haha…! Alright, why don’t you go get something warm to eat? If anyone else wakes up, they’ll probably want to join in with you. Maybe make me some hot chocolate for when I get back. | )
[This seemed to be a statement more than a question, as with that said… he walked off, his lab coat swishing slightly behind him.]
Will: ...Okay...
Will: ....
Will: (.....)
Will: I'll...do that.
Will: ...
Will: (Friend...)
{Meanwhile}
[Shortly after Mikhail had left, Call patched the line through.
Sanda was greeted with a somewhat disgruntled looking Madame President.]
Soi: (Ugh...Dealing with the government not once but twice in the same week...)
Soi: (The two of you REALLY owe me double for this...)
Soi: -Ahem-
Soi: M-Madame President! Sorry for the hold up--I-uh, apologize.
Soi: T-To what may be the reason for your urgent call? (Please don't say Will or Mikhail, please don't say Will or Mikhail--)
Minerva: Doctor Sanda.
[She lifts something onto the screen.]
Minerva: Is this yours?
Soi: --!!!
Scout: : D -LOOK, IT IS YOU, THE SNACK GIVER-
Scout: -LICKS THE SCREEN-
Soi: .....
Soi: Uuuuh...
Soi: I...Oh, dear...
Soi: -Inhales- It...yes, he is. Goodness, I wonder how he got there... (Scout, how in the WORLD did you end up in the White House--?!)
Soi: (--Oh, right...)
Soi: (Cardinal. -__-;;;; )
Minerva: And the cat?
Soi: --?
Soi: I...I'm sorry, cat--?
Minerva: Yes, Doctor. The giant cat that is currently preventing the White House from being thoroughly secured—is that also yours?
Soi: --!?!?
Soi: (Giant cat--oh no JAZZ--)
Soi: ...Er. (That--that isn't even close to what I was expecting, what do I SAY--?!)
Soi: (Ngh, if I don't tell them it's ours, Cardinal will kill me--)
Minerva: If it’s not yours, we’ll have to disable it. It’s blocked off an entire room looking out onto the Lawn.
Soi: --....
Soi: (Cardinal....)
Soi: (Mngh, I can't let the government get ahold of Jazz, though--she's not Xel, if they shoot her and they find she's not, then--!)
Minerva: Doctor. My men said they saw someone on the ground in there. We need to secure the area, and we need to get into the room and retrieve any fallen members of staff.
Soi: (Ack!)
Soi: (Will--Mikhail--I can't hold them off anymore--!)
Soi: (What...What do I do...)
“The cat does not belong to Sanda Labs, no."
Soi: --!!
[Mikhail strides into the room, looking weary but determined.]
Soi: Wh--what are--?
Soi: (What are you doing, Mikhail--!)
[DR.WHITE to DR. SANDA] //: S--Soi....
Soi: --!
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: ...L...Let him do this.
Minerva: …
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: .... (Good luck, Mikhail...)
Minerva: Doctor Михаил Сергеевич Казак.
Minerva: How fortuitous of you to show up. There are a lot of questions surrounding you, Doctor.
Soi: . . .
Mikhail: CSU-001 is DLN-000’s support unit.
Minerva: …
Soi: --! (R...Right off the bat--?!)
Soi: (Nngh...Mikhail, I know you have experience with this, I HOPE you know what you're doing...)
[It took a moment for the President to realize the implications of what Mikhail had just said. When she did…]
Minerva: —?!
Minerva: That…
Minerva: That’s DLN-000 on the ground in there?!
Mikhail: -Closes his eyes, bows his head, and sighs- … Da.
Soi: ........
Soi: (Shade...Oh, Shade... Don't worry, we WILL get Cardinal back here somehow...)
Mikhail: -Adjusts his glasses before he looks up- Madame President, I can understand your anxiety, suspicion, and concern—but CSU-001 has…
[A pause.]
Mikhail: …
Mikahail: -Decides to start over- Well…
Mikhail: …She’s a cat. -___-;;
Minerva: -Lowers eyelids slightly- By which you mean, she will not obey orders the same way a dog will. Why design a support unit that way?
Mikhail: >_>
Minerva: No matter. If she’s dangerous and will not obey, she must be removed.
Mikhail: -Holds up hands in a “I’m not armed” gesture- I agree. If you would let Pyrogen enter—
Minerva: So you are all working together, then.
Soi: -Wince- (Mikhaaaaaaaail...)
Minerva: I hope you answer the next few questions very carefully, Doctor.
[The look in Cossack’s eyes was the only indicator that he was starting to wear down on patience. His tone remained passive, and he seemed tired more than anything else.]
Mikhail: Do you intend to put me in custody? Under what charges?
Minerva: I’m sure the Attorney General would have plenty if it came to that.
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Not if I have anything to say about it--
[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Shh, Will--it won't, we promise....
Minerva: Why are you being so confrontational?
Mikhail: Because I’m being listened to and recorded to right now, madam, with no idea how many are listening. -_- I will not speak so freely under such conditions.
Mikhail: Right now, I believe it is more important to focus on the physical aspects of the situation. CSU-001 will not answer even to Pyrogen, but she will be less likely to attack him. And even if she did, he would be able to, as you Americans say… “tank” it.
Mikhail: DLN-000 is in desperate need of extreme hardware repairs that are life-threatening. If he destabilizes, it will end very poorly. Readings that my database received suggest he needs to have a core replaced.
Minerva: While that is the case, we don’t think it is a good idea to allow anyone to teleport to or from the grounds right now; cybersecurity is another matter.
Mikhail: -Raises an eyebrow- And is that something you want to be saying right now, even over a private line?
Minerva: —…
[She pursed her lips together. After a pause…]
Minerva: This isn’t your first time dealing with the government, is it? ¬_¬
Soi: (You have no idea.)
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -Well, she figured THAT out quick...-
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Come on, Mikhail...I know you can do it...
Mikhail: -Turns his hands over to show his wrists- I understand that you have a lot of questions, and that these questions regard matters of dangerous and troubling natures. But your staff promised Sanda Labs that there would be full cooperation when necessary.
Mikhail: I am merely asking you to hold to that promise. I’m the one with answers you want, yes, and…
[He curls his hands into fists, and they shake slightly.]
Mikhail: I’m willing to go into questioning about them.
Minerva: -Blink blink- -Did NOT expect this kind of answer-
Mikhail: All I ask is that you think very carefully about who gets to hear the answers.
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -Ngh...-
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: -As long as they don't take him away--ngh--
Soi: ....
Soi: (Okay...So Mikhail...Is going to answer their questions, but if they ask to speak to Will...)
Soi: (He gets terrified at the thought of it and I know why...)
Mikhail: -Looks up again, turning a hand to the side in gesture- Please understand, Madame President— Jazz and her master both need to get out of there as soon as possible. Mighty Number Nine is currently undergoing his own repairs and recovery. Given the current situation, Pyrogen is the only one who can safely diffuse it.
Mikhail: If you’re so worried about any further “funny business”, I’m sure it shouldn’t be a problem if he’s watched while he picks them up.
Soi: ( ! Good idea...Really, all we're doing is picking them up and nothing else...)
Minerva: Very well, you do have a point.
[She looks over her shoulder.]
Minerva: I have a personal interest in DLN-000’s well being. I’m sure the Secretary of Defense will be fine with leading the escort into the White House.
"...To be honest, a guy that can survive a headshot is someone that would be a shame to lose, but that's just me."
Minerva: -Smiles a bit at that-
Mikhail: … -Blinks-
Mikhail: He took a hit from Shade to his helmet?
Desmond: -Peeks over Min's shoulder-
Desmond: Actually, we shot him in the head when he got into the Oval Office--that is one darn good helmet he has there.
Desmond: Desmond Donald, by the way. Secretary of Defense. I also have a few questions for you, Doctor Cossack.
Mikhail: -Flatly- No, I’m not a spy.
Desmond: --...
Desmond: It really isn't your first rodeo, isn't it...
Mikhail: Nyet.
Mikhail: The answers I have aren’t exactly something that everyone should be hearing.
Desmond: And why would that be?
Mikhail: Well, for starters— I’m sure you have a lot of questions about DLN-000.
Mikhail: I am his Doctor, yes, but he is more than just a patient to me. He is also a good family friend. Answers regarding him lead into information about my daughter—
Soi: ( ! He mentioned Kalinka...)
Mikhail: And quite frankly, I will not have her endangered.
Mikhail: One who has landed myself in this position must answer for what has been going on. Investigations require answers. But only those who have a right to know should be handling such answers.
Desmond: ... a right to know, huh...
Desmond: Well, I think I do.
Desmond: DLN-000 was wearing what I am sure to be dog tags.
Desmond: And-- -Turns to Min- Believe me, someone with a good helmet like that, able to by-pass our security and go toe to toe with one of the world's top Battle Colosseum fighters...
Desmond: Believe me, I would know if we had someone like that.
Mikhail: -Wry smile- Got you in trouble, did he, Mr. Donald?
Desmond: -~-
Desmond: Look...
Desmond: I don't know if he's in some... secret division or whatever, if he's military--
Desmond: ....Well.
Desmond: The man saved Min's life, no matter which way you look at it.
Mikhail: And I can assure you he wouldn’t like you harassing his Doctor overmuch. He went to the trouble of saving mine once, after all.
Desmond: ....
Desmond: -Turns to Min again-
Desmond: He's a soldier, Min.
Desmond: No one left behind.
Minerva: …
Minerva: -Siiiighs-
Minerva: You’re a person of interest, Doctor Cossack. I’d much rather have some of our staff look him over, if you want the honest truth.
Mikhail: That’s not going to work. If you wish to question me, however, that can be arranged. But he needs to get out of there.
Minerva: You would delay his repairs, potentially deny them altogether? : |
[The implications of that emphasis were not lost on the beleaguered Russian.]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Quietly- Well, I seriously hope it doesn’t come to that, that’s an awfully chilling fate to walk off to.
Soi: ....
Soi: I...If I may...Suggest something...?
Mikhail: -Turns to look at Soi- ?
Soi: -Ahem-
Soi: -Exhales-
Soi: .....
Soi: DLN-000--his very life is at stake.
Soi: Please, if...If it helps--Sanda Enterprises is a very secure location, and our lines have the best security we can offer. You had to get permission from my brother before getting on this line, even.
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: SOI WHAT ARE YOU DOING--
[DR.SANDA to DR.WHITE] //: Trust me--
Soi: If you like...After DLN-000's condition is more stable and not in great danger, we can set up a room--monitored and with our most secure line--so that you can question Doctor Cossack as much as you want. I...
Soi: I'll even answer some myself if I have to.
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Soichiro--!
Soi: Just...
Soi: He's....he's our friend. Please...
Soi: The more we wait...
Minerva: …
Mikhail: I find this to be an acceptable answer.
Mikhail: I can assure you I’ll be staying here in the lab until repairs are over. DLN-000 needs my help with repairs, after all—I’ll hardly skip town, let alone country.
Soi: Call--my daughter, she can even give you reports.
Mikhail: I’ll need her help, Sanda, as an assistant, if she’s not on a different assignment.
Soi: Yes...Yes, certainly...
Minerva: -Looks at Des for a moment- …
Des: .....
Minerva: -Looks back- Very well.
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: !
Minerva: It’s not what I’d consider ideal, but negotiation is all about give and take.
Minerva: As a representative of the republic, I don’t quite trust you, Doctor Cossack, and there are questions that will need to be answered.
Minerva: However, you have been more or less cooperative and you have agreed to remaining within a confined area and undergoing questioning. And character testimony certainly counts for something.
Minerva: Mighty Number One has clearance to meet the Secretary of Defense outside the White House and proceed to retrieve CSU-001 and DLN-000.
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: --!!!
Minerva: And after that…
[She holds up Scout again.]
Minerva: I believe this one needs to go back home as well.
Scout: : D!!!!
Scout: -SNACK GIVER, HELLO AGAIN- Rarf! ^^
[DR.WHITE to DR.SANDA] //: Oh dear God we completely forgot about Scout--
Minerva: But before I let you go—
Minerva: I have a homework assignment for the two of you.
Soi: !
Soi: (...S...She means Mikhail and me, right--)
Minerva: This critter was looked over by the veterinarian on staff. It is not a dog, and it is not a raccoon.
Minerva: I hope your biology research will have an A+ answer as to what it is and to why and how it keeps doing this—
[She takes one of Desmond’s pins out of Scout’s mouth.]
Desmond: ??? -Again--
Minerva: Even from up to several yards away.
Scout: D : -Nuuuuu-
Minerva: -Scritches for the Scout- -It’s okay, you’re a good boy-
Scout: : D!!! -Yaaay, nice lady is nice~-
Soi: Eheh...Er. Well, his name is Scout, and ah...
Soi: ...H-How about we leave that to when you question me? ^^;;;
Minerva: That’s the definition of a homework assignment, Doctor Sanda. -Amused smile-
Soi: -Yup we knew that, just making sure- -Thumbs up-
Minerva: -Chuckles- Alright.
Minerva: -Turns to Des- You’d better get over to the White House then, Des.
Minerva: -Signals for the feed to cut out-
-BLIP!-
Soi: .....
[Suddenly, someone running into the room--]
Mikhail: ?
[GLOMP--]
Will: You did it--
Will: Both of you did it--!
Will: -Oh God for a second there I thought both of you were going to get taken into custody, SOOOOI--
Soi: --Oof--
Soi: Aw, Will... ^^
Mikhail: -Aw, group hug for Will- It’s alright, William. Things will be fine now.
Mikhail: The President seemed mostly to be acting in the interests of your republic, and not out of personal aggression. Trust me, that makes it much easier.
Will: .....
Will: Y...You didn't have to do that, though, Soi...Putting yourself...
Soi: Eh...Will, I'm in charge of the American Branch. I'm pretty sure they would have gotten to me eventually. ^^;;;
Soi: Besides, as long as you're not going to get questioned or anything like that...
Soi: It's worth it.
Will: ...Soi...
Soi: I always got your back, Will, remember? ^^
Mikhail: -Lets go to clean off his glasses- Call, please tell Pyrogen to report here. I need to… warn him about some things before he goes over there.
[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor.
Soi: I'll get back to repairing Shade and Beck, then.
Soi: ....Right after a hot meal and a nap. ^^;;; -Oof, we feel rather shaken and exhausted...-
Mikhail: You do that. -Slight grin- I had my nap. Now it’s your turn.
Will: I--
Soi: You are going to do the same and spend time with the rest of the Mighties.
Soi: Jeez, Will, where would you be without me? | )
Will: Eheh...Up the creek with no paddle...
Mikhail: Alright, gentlemen. Let’s get going.
{Soon, outside the White House…}
[...It was a shambled mess. Not like how it was usually seen in pictures or in movies or TV. Windows broken, smashed, smoke coming from various places...]
Desmond: ..... -Sighs- (Never though I'd live to see myself going through a living White House Down movie...)
"Secretary."
[Desmond turned around at a very familiar voice--one that many people knew at this point.
Pyrogen, leader of the Mighty Numbers, the highest ranked IBCA team on the planet.
While Desmond knew the gravity of the situation...He couldn't help but feel honored, really, when the fire bot strode over with focus and purpose.]
Pyro: Mighty No. 1, reporting for duty. I'm here to retrieve DLN-000 and his support unit.
Desmond: -Nods- Desmond Donald. It's an honor. And right on time....
Pyro: I like to be when there are lives at stake.
Desmond: --....
Desmond: I'm aware of the situation, One... >>;
Desmond: (He really does possess an air of authority...)
Pyro: Am I cleared to enter?
Desmond: Yes. There are some areas that have caught fire, due to the... fire breathing cat...
Desmond: --But--that should pose no problem for you. I assume you are going to disable her...?
Pyro: I will, if my first plan doesn't work.
Desmond: ....?
Pyro: Need I remind you that she is a cat.
Pyro: There are less aggressive ways to calm an angry feline, Secretary.
Pyro: If you are coming with me, I suggest you change into casual clothing. A man in a suit with a fire arm will make her even more aggressive.
Desmond: .....
Desmond: You seem to know much about this support unit anyway, One.
Pyro: You are already going to question my Father and Doctor Cossack. I am here to retrieve DLN-000 and the support unit, nothing more. If you want to question me, you will have to go though him first.
Desmond: ....
Desmond: -~- I see.
Desmond: Give me a few minutes to change.
Pyro: Affirmative.
[INSIDE...]
Desmond: -Now in a green cotton shirt and jeans- She's this way.
Pyro: .......
Pyro: (Good Lord, I can't tell if it's Beck that made this, Shade in his illness, or Cardinal...)
Pyro: (All of them at once, I suspect, even...)
Desmond: Yeah, I know. It's like Hurricane Jeremiah had a kid with a tornado and then this happened....
Pyro: .......
Desmond: It's going to take weeks to clean this up... (And I don't even want to THINK about the damage done to the historical artifacts--guh, I can hear the protesters and crazed historians matches already...)
Pyro: ....
Pyro: You said they were in the room overlooking the Lawn, yes?
Des: ...Yeah. This way. We're still getting rid of the rest of MN.8's traps so we have to take the other way around.
Des: Careful, some of the flooring is unstable--some of the hallways should be safe, though. -Pause-
Pyro: ...?
Des: Your mysterious soldier friend kind of made sure of that. >>;;
Pyro: --!
[....Case in point, they had reached one such hallway....]
Pyro: .....
Pyro: -S I G H-.
Pyro: Cardinaaaal... | (
Des: --?
Des: What?
Pyro: --....
Des: Cardinal?
Pyro: ....
Pyro: (Glitch--)
Des: --...Is that his name?
Pyro: ....
Pyro: Yes. -~-;;;; (Damn it, Cardinal, if you weren't such a trouble maker, I wouldn't have had such a reaction--)
Des: ....That... explains why Countershade was calling him 'Birdy'...
Pyro: -Sigh- Yes...
Des: So they do know each other.
Pyro: Are we going to save him or not?
Pyro: I told you, you're going to question the Doctors, you can ask them.
Pyro: If you're only going to play 20 Questions, I can find my own way there myself. | [
Des: ....
Des: | \ I'm the one escorting you, One--
Pyro: And I have a mission.
Pyro: You are just along for the ride.
Des: ....
Pyro: | [
Des: ....
Des: -Begrudging tone- Fine.
[After carefully going through the wreckage and debris left behind by the resulting battle, Pyro and the Secretary of Defense didn't say a word to each other as they came up upon one of the last hallways to the room in question.]
Des: !
Des: Oh, come on, he smashed nearly HALF of the Presidential Busts too--?!
Des: -n-
Pyro: .... (No, Cardinal wouldn't do that. Shade, perhaps....)
Des: At least it's all on THIS end instead of all over the place...
Pyro: .....The door's been knocked down...
Pyro: (Cardinal DID use his shield to break some open, didn't he?)
[Something could be seen moving inside…]
Pyro: --?
Pyro: I can see something...
Des: -~- That must be her. She was standing guard by the door until we left her alone...
Des: ...After we found out she could breathe fire.
Pyro: ...Breathe fire...
Des: It was sudden too. She hissed at us a lot like cats do--and then... whoosh.
Pyro: ....
Pyro: (Hissed?)
“HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSSSSSS…”
[Glowing red eyes. FULL RED EYES.]
Pyro: --!!!
Pyro: (That is NOT just a cat hiss--!)
Pyro: Back! Now!
Des: --!!!
FOOSH!
[Pyro tanked it, alright!]
Jazz: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH…
Jazz: -Digs claws into floor-
Jazz: -HHHHSSS! HHHHHSSSS!-
Jazz: -COME NO CLOSER-
Pyro: -Is now aflame but slowly dying it down-
Pyro: Stay behind me, Secretary.
Des: Holy...
Jazz: RRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH! >K
Jazz: -Bats a bit at the air in front of us, SEE, RAZOR CLAWS, come no closerrrr-
Pyro: -And we back up, like she wants-
Pyro: Jazz...
Pyro: Look at me. It's me, Pyro. I know you're just trying to protect him...
[The full red glow fades to just red irises.]
Jazz: Rrrrrrrnnngh…
Pyro: I know he is hurt, badly, and I know people have been trying to get in that you do not like, I understand.
Jazz: Rrr…
Jazz: -Sits, flicking tail-
Des: (--!)
Pyro: Jazz...
Pyro: He needs help, and repairs. He needs to get out of here.
Pyro: That's why I'm here. To take him back home.
Pyro: And you trust me, yes?
Jazz: …
Jazz: |K
Jazz: -Lays down, looking over her shoulder at them in a sulk-
Pyro: Yes, I know you don't like it. I know you must be worried.
Pyro: How about this. You let me and this man pass and let us retrieve him...
Pyro: And you can have these.
[...Is...Is that a bag of cooked fishes and some jerky he's pulling out of his outfit--]
Pyro: You must be hungry, no?
Jazz: …
Jazz: Ree-ow.
[Whew. Green eyes again.]
[PING!]
[It’s… a memory file, showing Cardinal on the road with Jazz and Scout.]
Jazz: -The spiky thing ate our share of the sandwich-
Pyro: .....
Pyro: -Laughs-
Des: --????
Pyro: (So he DID find you two...)
Jazz: -Prrrrr, yes, we like that sound- -That is the happy sound-
[Ping!]
[Another memory file, with Cardinal and Shade laughing really hard at something… hard to say what.]
Pyro: ......
Pyro: Hmmn...
Pyro: (...I worry that they'll never share that again...)
Pyro: (...I know that they're practically chained at the waist together but...)
Pyro: (....)
Pyro: (No...They'll be fine...)
Jazz: -Tailflick, closing eyes and putting head down-
[Pyro comes over and places the bag in front of Jazz, then motions for Des to follow.]
Pyro: Hurry.
Des: -Yup we're going, alright--
Des: What the heck were you laughing about back there?
Pyro: ...The cat.
Des: : /
Jazz: -Sniff sniff- -Starts poking her nose and then face into it the way cats do- -Munch munch-
Pyro: ...Rather hard to see...
Des: Hang on, I got a--
[Foosh!]
[Pyro's hand is now alight with flame. It brights the area around them--not as much as a conventional light, but better than before.]
Pyro: .....
Des: .... (Oh. Right. Fire bot.)
[Other than Jazz and the crackle of flames, the room was… eerily quiet, and still. There was no signal. No sound. Only… cold, lifeless… silence.
The whole room was almost as silent as a tomb.]
Pyro: . . . . .
Des: .... (This...silence...why does it feel so grim...)
Pyro: (Where are you, Cardinal...)
Pyro: I'll search the left side. You search the right.
Des: -Turning on his flashlight- Got it...
[The room was an absolute disaster. There were marble columns on the floor (not to mention the chandelier), Metal Blades and Quick Boomerangs in the ceiling, acid damage on the far side, bits of shrapnel embedded in the walls, giant spikes scattering the landscape, and even plasma burns on the floor. Most of the debris had been swept aside by some strong force, though…]
[…]
[…there were… oil paw prints on the floor…]
Pyro: (God Almighty... you used all this against Shade and...?)
Pyro: .....
Pyro: --? (Prints...This is oil...)
[Now one could smell it. The smell of… oil and coolant…]
-*-*-*-*-*-
SKLLLKTTKRRRSHHHLLLRRRKKT—
[Oil and cooling fluids spattered all over Bladeblaster’s hands and weapon, as if they were blood….]
-*-*-*-*-*-
Pyro: (Gh--)
Pyro: (Coolant...Oil...)
Pyro: (Shade...No, that accursed VIRUS--)
Pyro: (That virus--what have you done to him--?)
Pyro: .....
Pyro: (I feel no signal...)
Pyro: (Nothing.)
Pyro: (Not even the error message, it...It's as if he just vanished--)
[--?]
[A...a shadow--Pyro can make out a form--a frame on the ground--]
[Not moving.]
Pyro: !
Pyro: Cardinal--
[What Pyro found was… not pretty.
Cardinal was looking up with a gaze that seemed to go beyond the roof, beyond the sky—right into the stars—but there was no light at all in those eyes. They weren’t just dulled… they were off entirely.
As the gaze moved downward, one could see he was holding onto something with his left hand—the grip was tight, having locked in when the power shut off.
And even further—
…
… … …]
Pyro: !!!!
Pyro: -Choked g a s p--
[Cardinal’s outer armor was in tatters. Most of the inner armor around his torso was gone— leaving his vital inner mechanics exposed. It was clear that some of the mobility and coolant systems (including the fans) had been repeatedly crushed and repaired. There was a largish sphere in the center of the cavity, with another device hooked to the side. The coloration on the surfaces around it suggested it had recently burned white hot….
…But now it was cold and dulled, like a dead bulb that had been utterly spent.
The core was exposed… and the power was gone.]
[The core-- exposed--]
[Pyro immediately felt sick-- sick to his very Xel, he couldn't--he just couldn't lay eyes on Cardinal's broken form like this, not with his very chest open--]
[The core...]
[For Robot Masters, the core was nothing more than a power source--something that kept them alive, kept them running.]
[But for those made of Xel, it was so much more.]
[The central core of a Xel robot contained everything--their self, their personality, their function and weapon data, their very heart and soul.]
[To see Cardinal's own core so dead and lifeless--!]
Pyro: CARDINAL--!!
Des: --?! Wha--
Des: Hey, what's--
[...Oh-- Oh dear GOD--]
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
<DLN-000>: >But I’ll never give up on you Shade, not for any reason.
-*-*-*-*-
Avi: --..Uh--
Avi: -Guuuuuys...-
Avi: -If Cards is warning us about Shade or something to that effect...-
Skull: … -Very quietly, doesn’t really want to point this out, data-
Skull: -The fact that he’s emphasizing that nothing will make him lose faith suggests that he anticipates something happening that would be the end of a friendship in lesser hearts-
Skull: -And that it’s something that Shade would feel were his own fault, should it be too late for him to recognize until after the fact-
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Pyro: (Oh Shade--!)
Pyro: (Brother--to have been forced to do something like this--!)
Pyro: (To...To have harmed your own...)
____________________________
"PYRO CRASH, AND YOU BUUUUUUUUUUUURN!"
___________________________
[A sharp SPLITTING pain shot through his head--]
Pyro: Ng--!
Des: --!
Des: One--?
Jazz: Ree-ow…
[She paws the bag off her face and pads over to Pyro, giving him a gentle headbutt the way cats do.]
Jazz: Ree-ow.
Pyro: --!
Pyro: .....
Pyro: Oh, Jazz...
Pyro: I...
Pyro: I'm sorry.
Pyro: (...Shade...)
Pyro: ......
Pyro: (...Cardinal...)
Pyro: (Neither of you are at fault...)
Pyro: (I can only hope both of you remember that...)
Pyro: (The real culprit...)
Pyro: (...Is the one who is behind all of this.)
Pyro: .....
Pyro: (I don't even want to move him, but...Father trusted me to be delicate enough to do so.)
Pyro: (...He'll want his shield...)
[Said shield was laying beside him. It had a dart stuck in it and what appeared to be tooth marks…
…Oh.
Well that would explain the oil paw print trail.]
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Secretary.
[Pyro's tone was grave, sad, and incredibly heavy with guilt and worry.]
Pyro: ...Take his shield.
Des: .....Right....
Des: --!
Des: ....
Des: (There's still a dart in it...)
[Carefully taking great causion to not injure Cardinal any further than he is now, Pyro placed his arms over his torso, and moved to tuck his own unlit arms under his legs and back...]
Pyro: (He's...clutching something in his hand...)
[…Seemed to be a chain leading out of his hand and around his neck…]
Pyro: .......
[...Pyro took a moment to close Cardinal's eyelids before lifting him up gently--he was certainly strong enough to lift him, given his weight.]
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Time to come home...
Jazz: Ree-ow. -Paws at the dropped scarf until she gets her claws into it-
Des: ...Is that his?
Pyro: --.....Yes.
Pyro: I think Jazz will hold onto it...
Jazz: Ree-ow.
Jazz: -Picks the scarf up in her teeth and then goes over to rub her face againt’s Pyro’s legs-
[…She’s… becoming smaller…?]
Des: --????
Des: What the--
[Jazz shifts into her own Civilian form, that of a house cat. After making a figure eight around Pyro’s legs the way cat’s do, she hunched up and then leaped onto his shoulder.]
Jazz: -Prrrrrr, things will be safe now-
Des: What...
Pyro: .....
Pyro: Right...
Pyro: Right.
[The Leader of the Mighty Numbers stood up, shoulders back and standing tall--the First's broken form in his arms, the last lights of day fading off in the distance.]
Pyro: ....
Pyro: Mr. Donald.
Pyro: There is a teleportation ban in effect, yes?
Des: I...Yes. for security reasons.
Pyro: Is there another way out of the building? A back door?
Des: ....One, this is the White House.
Des: Follow me.
[Des had to be Pyro's lead now--he couldn't light himself up with Cardinal on his person, so Des's flashlight would have to do.]
Des: We'll take Passage Reyes. That leads to the Presidential Garden.
Pyro: --...I assume this is one of those secret passages the House is famous for having?
Des: ....
Des: Yes.
Des: ....
Des: One...
Des: When....When the White House was attacked...
Des: MN.8 came out of one of these passages.
Des: That particular passage was a planned escape route for POTUS for situations like... like what happened.
Des: And he was already there.
Des: I have no idea for how long--
Pyro: Wait.
Pyro: Are you telling me.
Pyro: Countershade was ALREADY in the White House--possibly asleep, I bet my own core on that--
Pyro: He was ALREADY in the WHITE HOUSE, SLEEPING, THIS ENTIRE WEEK, AND NO ONE NOTICED?!
Pyro: -DO YOU NOT PERFORM DRILLS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, DOES NO ONE CHECK THESE THINGS--
Jazz: -Bats at Pyro- >: 3
[She sends a ping. It’s another one of those memory files—Cardinal commenting on how Shade “weighs like a truck”.]
Pyro: Just--
Pyro: -Growl that kinda fades off into a groan-
Des: Look, these passages are very old and yes, some of them don't have much use anymore or are unstable--
Pyro: Just--Just stop--
Pyro: -________-;;;;
Jazz: -Prrrrr, rubs face against face of firebro-
Pyro: -Siiiighs, we're going to have a long rest after this-
[As soon as they got outside, Jazz got a ping. She flicked her ears and put it onto her audio speakers.]
<MC005>: > {I’m picking up your signals… are you outside now?}
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: -Quietly- Yes, Doctor Cossack.
[MN.1] //: ...We...We have him now.
[MN.1] //: I managed to calm down Jazz without hurting her as well.
<MC005>: > {Good… her mobility rig is rather complicated…}
<MC005>: > …
<MC005>: > {I hear feedback. Is Jazz broadcasting my voice?}
Jazz: Ree-ow.
<MC005>: > … {I seeee…}
<MC005>: >Mr. Donald, will you be coming over to the lab also?
Des: ...I might as well. (Since we ARE going to be questioning you.)
Des: I'm sort of holding something of his anyway, so I feel obligated to return it, at least.
<MC005>: > Understood. Call will bring you all over shortly.
[MN.1] //: ... Yes, sir.
[MN.1] //: ...Has...Has Shade awakened yet?
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Negative, One. He is still in Deep Sleep Mode.
[MN.1] //: ....I see...
<MC005>: >He’s worn out. One?
[MN.1] //: ...Yes?
<MC005>: >When you get home, after you bring him to the repair bay, I’m going to need you to start making as much food as you can.
<MC005>: >Countershade will likely be starved once he wakes up, even before he is coherent enough to think about anything…
<MC005>: >And it is only polite to provide some dinner for our guest.
[MN.1] //: .....
Pyro: (Honestly, I would like to get some rest myself...But I do not come first.)
[MN.1] //: Of course, Doctor Cossack.
[CALL] //: Coordinates locked.
[CALL] //: Initiating Xel Transfer...
[The Next Day...]
[Crunch.]
"...When was the last time..."
[Crunch.]
"...I had such a bountiful hunt..."
[Crunch.]
"It gets so hard to remember nowadays..."
"Sometimes I can't even tell what's real and what just isn't."
"Between all these fragmented memories..."
"...The only thing I find is rage."
"...."
"And yet..."
"I recall a voice..."
"Breaking through the screams..."
"...The screams...That noise..."
"...There's something about the screams...Almost..."
"Beautiful.~"
[SNAP!]
"Xels...It's Xels--always Xels--more and more and more--"
"And it is never ENOUGH--!"
"This--this EMPTINESS..."
"If I cannot be WHOLE again..."
"If I am to fade away..."
"Then I will take hold with these broken, sharp PIECES of myself..."
((pic))
"...And drag it all down to hell with me."
"....."
"...Ah."
"It's dawn now..."
"...How ironic."
[Crack--]
"...Ngh...I must hurry."
"...It would be a shame to fall apart before seeing the LOOK on their faces...~"
"--When I destroy everything they hold in such high reverence!~"
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 9A: HAZY SUSPICION=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Earlier, the night before…}
[Will, Soi, and Mikhail continued working through the night. Mikhail had Jack come over to help him in secret, having sent Pyro off to get some sleep while he could.
After settling in for the night, Desmond used the private lines to make another call…]
Des: …And that’s where we stand right now.
[President Minerva sighed.]
Minerva: …You’re right. The Smithsonian is going to have a fit. Covering the cost of repairs is going to be a nightmare—several hallways need to have the entire security system reset and/or replaced, and some are so bad as to need electrical rewiring. No doubt some of Congress is going to want to use this as an excuse to update styles or otherwise be extravagant about it.
[She gave another exasperated sigh before shaking her head.]
Minerva: The VP is currently handling affairs at the White House itself. I’ve submitted some paperwork to my speechwriters regarding a public statement on the incident. There’s not much to say, even if I felt like saying it; I can truthfully say that the matter is under investigation, but everyone working there was safely evacuated thanks to the combined efforts of the Mighty Numbers.
[She paused.]
Minerva: DLN-000 has really brought a lot of attention to himself, but it seems the media didn’t catch on to his serial number. I’d like to keep it that way for now—the investigation is proving difficult enough as it is without adding in false reports to the mix.
[She frowned.]
Minerva: What do you make of Dr. Cossack so far, Desmond?
Des: -Crosses arms- Well.
Des: He’s cooperative, at least. Which worries me a little, because this isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone seemingly open to questioning and not be a spy of sorts.
Des: He personally doesn’t strike me as one, if I’m being very honest.
Des: I’m going with my gut on this one and saying he’s not, but the fact that he’s Russian and possibly working with Dr. Sanda…
Minerva: Mmmn. There’s something very strange about this. (How does a Russian doctor come to care for a military grade American Combat construct, anyway?!) -.-
Des: Dr. Sanda has Japanese ties with his brother overseas, there’s that to think about too…
Minerva: You bring up an interesting point–Russia and Japan aren’t exactly friends. (I can’t seem to recall they EVER made a peace treaty…)
Des: Exactly.
Des: Which just further backs up the point that Dr. Cossack isn’t a spy, but…
Des: I’m wondering how they met in the first place, because they clearly know each other, and I’m willing to bet that goes the same for Dr. White.
Des: Not much going on for him, though. Full blooded American, mother is Rebecca White, father ditched when he was 10.
Des: He’s very clean, heck–not even a parking ticket.
Minerva: That’s not really unusual for… withdrawn geniuses, shall we say?
Des: True.
Minerva: Genius is often accompanied by social issues. From what you’ve told me, he almost never makes public appearances. He probably doesn’t feel comfortable in a public setting. I’ve worked with plenty of students like that.
Des: Yeah, there’s not even a lot of pictures of the guy, aside from social media from the Mighties themselves.
Des: (And even then, he’s sorta in the background…)
Des: Should we cover all the bases and ask to question him too?
Des: Though, uh… a guy that withdrawn, might be hard to get anything from him…
Minerva: That would be something for Homeland Security to cover if it came to it. I’ll speak with the Secretary and see what they say.
Minerva: However, I don’t think that will be necessary–not unless something comes up in the questioning.
Minerva: For people who have a hard time being around others, they come to rely very deeply on a select few they trust and feel comfortable with. This can lead to being taken advantage of, though–if he is involved in anything, I would suspect it would be because someone took advantage of him in some way.
Minerva: Dr. White is very withdrawn—Dr. Sanda is his main point of contact with most of the world, from what we have seen. He doesn’t attend conventions with his contemporaries. So if Mikhail Cossack is a family friend, it had to have been through Sanda first. (How would an unknown and very secretive Russian scientist become such good friends with a Japanese scientist of a very high profile? He must be very busy, and they don’t seem to be business partners so much as friends…)
Minerva: At the moment, the cyber units are working with him to combat the virus. Let them continue to monitor the situation– they will let us know if something is wrong.
Minerva: And beyond that–
Minerva: A man’s house is his castle.
Minerva: You are in that castle by yourself right now, and there are more than a few knights at his command.
Des: –… (Yeah… that…)
Minerva: Trying to place pressure on the king could end poorly, and I’d rather not risk you.
Des: Aw, you care. | )
Minerva: | } I could make a remark to pass it off, but yes, I do care. I try.
Des: -Stretches- Well…
Des: If anything, the cyber units and White’ll think of something. Doc is a genius, after all, made the Mighty Numbers and everything.
Des: Hopefully this virus mess gets cleaned up soon, then we can fully focus on damage control and repair…
Minerva: That would be nice, especially if Dr. Cossack proves to be a potential asset. Though I get the feeling he won’t be easy to work with. (He’s stubborn and doesn’t give way to pressure or fear–even great fear.)
Minerva: I don’t think intimidation will work on him. It may prove counterproductive to try for that right away.
Minerva: It might help to see if you can learn more from the Mighty Numbers–if he knows Sanda and White, he has to be a part of their inner circle. Try talking to Six.
Minerva: You need to talk to him anyway. It’s clear he’s linked to DLN-008—the footage he broadcast while sick shows that much. And the Brits are asking about him again. >.> (Someone must have leaked that the child was involved with the incident at the White House.)
Des: Yeah, we might get answers there.
Des: And then there’s Nine himself, but poor kid’s been though a whole week and a half practically saving the nation.
Minerva: Oh, heavens, try to let the poor child be if you can at all help it.
Des: Yeah, I’m with you there.
Minerva: Your coworkers were hellbent on destroying that compound, barely even were going to give him enough time to get out… >_> -Pursed lips, WE ARE STILL VERY DISPLEASED ABOUT ALL OF THAT- -Simmering-
Des: -Grimace- I’m still going to get to the bottom of how an entire base full of military grade constructs was still functioning without me knowing about it. I swear I’m gonna discharge whomever’s involved…
Minerva: This begs the question. Does Dr. Cossack know about that? I wonder if he knows who was behind the security breach there. It didn’t have the style of DLN-008′s breakthroughs…
Des: If he did, he’s not going to tell us outright. Not sure how long he’s been involved in this…
Minerva: The earliest dates the files connected to him have is April 5th, so it has to have been before that.
[She leans back and sighs.]
Minerva: 000 probably knows most of the answers. And he certainly seemed talkative.
[She looks up.]
Minerva: How did the retrieval go?
Minerva: I take it you were successful?
Des: ….
Des: >>
Des: …Yeah.
Des: ….
Des: He was in…
Des: Very bad shape.
Des: Got a name, though.
Des: Cardinal.
Minerva: …
——————
“Keep gettin’ in mah way, Birdy, and Ah’ WILL make ya regret it!”
——————
Minerva: -Thoughtful frown-
Des: That does explain all the bird metaphors Eight was using in his illness…
Des: -SIGH- One mentioned that name out loud when he saw how much damage 000 did trying to get into the Oval Office.
Des: …Used an exasperated tone, like he’s said that more than once.
Minerva: -Raises an eyebrow- That’s interesting. Authoritative tones are normally used with equals or subordinates.
Minerva: 000 didn’t seem like one to dance to someone else’s tune, though. His methods were rather… unconventional.
Des: -Shrugs- If 000 knows Eight, he probably knows the rest of the Mighty Number line, too. Isn’t that far of a stretch. He did speak like he knew Six too.
Minerva: …
Minerva: Yes, he did. -Thoughtful- …He was trying to be gentle with him about going back.
Des: Yeah…
Minerva: All the more reason to talk to Six…. I wonder how much he knows?
[There was a thoughtful silence between them for a while.]
Minerva: …When you say very bad shape…
Minerva: (Cossack said he would need to have a core replaced. Was he understating, or being technically correct?)
Minerva: Do they have the resources to fix it?
Des: Good Lord, I hope so.
Des: He was practically almost in pieces.
((pic))
Des: Core exposed, even…
Minerva: …
Minerva: What?
Minerva: How is he still alive?
Minerva: That was hours after—!
Minerva: The xel loss, wouldn’t that have been too much?
Des: ….Min?
Minerva: —…?
Des: I…
Des: I couldn’t see very well, but…
Des: I saw oil, and I saw him.
Des: -Very puzzled expression- But not an ounce of Xel around him.
Minerva: —…
Minerva: -Now VERY confused- That’s… how is that possible?
Minerva: Wasn’t he fighting with Eight?
Minerva: He seemed to know quite well how to handle him. I’m sure he got off some hits on Eight, too.
Minerva: There should be something, there were TWO of them there.
Minerva: Do you suppose Nine could have picked it up?
Des: I’m not sure if Nine would take Xel from someone that’s already bleeding out–
Des: –Actually…
Des: Nine went in a little while before we got pulled out–
Des: Why didn’t he try to help him with Xel loss, if any?
Minerva: …
Minerva: You heard him, Des, as much as I did.
Minerva: Nothing would deter him from his mission.
Minerva: If it was coming down to rescuing Countershade or rescuing him— he probably told Nine to leave him behind.
Des: ….
Des: (Poor kid…)
Des: You’re probably right…
Des: -Grumbles- Doesn’t make sense, though.
Des: No Xel, yet 000 seems…I don’t know.
Des: Call it a hunch, Min, but he just seems… different.
Minerva: Well. No one in the Pentagon has stepped forward to claim responsibility for him just yet.
Minerva: …
Minerva: Though I probably scared off anyone from doing that with how obviously displeased I am with what has been going there. >________>
Des: -Snorts- Yeah, you do tend to have that effect on people. | )
Minerva: I can’t believe tax money was being used to maintain such facilities and no one noticed.
Des: -I know, geez—-
Minerva: The IRS has a lot of explaining to do. |K
Des: -Groans- And then we got to deal with investigation into who caused the whole mess…
Des: I’m tellin’ ya, Min, we’re getting nothing but dead ends on that front. We’re not getting though to CherryDyn’s lawyer dogs and Blackwell’s an uncrackable nut.
Minerva: … -.-; -Rubs temples- -Grumbles- Fighting fire with fire is dangerous…
Minerva: I wish we knew what happened to Dencerjack.
Minerva: There are no records of him leaving the country, but he hasn’t been found yet. There are only so many places you can hide on an island that small. >__>
Minerva: I dearly hope he didn’t get eliminated.
Des: Beats me… England might be small, but plenty of quiet countryside. He might have gone off the grid, even.
Minerva: I suppose, but given the circumstances—
Minerva: The other possibility is that he was eliminated. Someone has had it out for that team.
Minerva: Oh well. The UK has been very cooperative about that, at least. Even though the only thing they had to report were explosive metal snakes. (Not exactly helpful, but points for effort.)
Des: -Weird…-
Minerva: Here’s what the FBI’s found so far…
Minerva: There are only two reported members of the Doctor Light Numbers lines: 000 and 008. Both have Doctor Cossack as their listed Doctor.
Minerva: There were other files that are around the same timeframe that also list Cossack as the Doctor: seven members of the Doctor Wily Numbers series. One of those is DWN-024, who was seen on the highways fighting Mighty Number Seven. …The footage on that has to be seen to be believed…
Minerva: There are also nine registered Doctor Cossack Numbers, and one biological daughter.
Minerva: Dr. Cossack himself is a widower. Apparently, he’s cared for these series due to abuse and neglect issues from Doctors Light and Wily… though nothing has been found on them so far.
Minerva: However, I’m sure they probably exist, or did exist, as these bots all have their serial numbers branded onto them. ¬__¬ Things are made complicated by all the records that have gone missing.
Minerva: There was only one public record of 000. According to the reports, he went to visit the Colosseum back in late May. With Eight and Nine.
Minerva: And you’ll never guess what happened while he was there.
Des: -This we gotta hear–
Minerva: They were attacked.
Des: -Sputters– Right there–in the sands–?!
Minerva: By Bladeblaster.
Des: What.
Des: (I don’t get it, did–was he DRUNK?)
Minerva: According to the witnesses, 000 did not react in a way that would have suggested he were as much of a Combat master as he has proven to be. He made an effort not to reveal what he was capable of, even when taken by surprise. It would seem his instinct was to protect his friend, though.
Minerva: I may be wrong, but I think someone with the secondary jobs that he and Eight had would have had access to more information about people than the general public. Which means either there was no information suggesting 000 was what he was, or else he didn’t care.
Minerva: The three of them were seen talking after that. He must have said something offensive just before leaving, because both Eight and 000 were described to have reacted adversely.
Minerva: (Even if he didn’t know or care, he was surely sorely pressing his luck.)
Des: -_-;;;;
Des: It kind of sounds like outright stupidity to me, but…. Late May, huh, not too long after the date the files came in…
Minerva: They’re trying to find the receptionist who checked him in, but it’s very chaotic down there.
[She gives a slight smile.]
Minerva: At least there’s a humorous side to the story.
Minerva: According to witnesses, 000 was playing around on the gymnastics equipment before that confrontation. I’m sure it wouldn’t surprise you to hear he displayed aptitude for parkour and gymnastics in general.
Des: Heh…
Minerva: It was apparently enough to catch the attention of at least one recruiter. But by the time they went in there, he and Shade had already left. The recruiters were rather disappointed.
Minerva: We’ll have to try and talk with him as soon as he’s awake. -Smile fades, slight sigh- If nothing else, just to work out how to handle the press coverage.
Minerva: As far as I know, it hasn’t gotten out yet that he was injured so badly, or where he went… but the former has been almost universally accepted to be true, given the alternative was vanishing as suddenly as he came, as if some comic book superhero.
Minerva: I don’t want anyone knowing he’s at Sanda Labs just yet.
Des: No kidding, they don’t need that kind of publicity right now…
Minerva: … True….
Minerva: Be careful, Mister Secretary. Keep us posted, and stay safe.
[SANDA TECHNOLOGIES, REPAIR BAY: DAWN...]
"I don't know, Will, it seems..."
Sanda: It seems like we need to somehow broadcast the XelFilter on a mass scale in order to cure the nation but...that's WAY too dangerous...
[Will--on his third or fourth cup of coffee, no doubt--sighed in apparent defeat.]
Will: I...I know that, Soi. Perhaps...Perhaps I can work from the ground up without using his XelFilter at all?
Sanda: Well--that would take even more time...Mm...
Will: .....
Will: (...I...It's...really catching up to me...)
Will: (The past...) [PING!]
[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE.]
Will: --!!
Sanda: Uh oh...I mean--uh. -Mixed feelings here-
[Mikhail looks up from his work.
There was a curtain separating them, but still…]
Mikhail: Jack, hold this for a moment, please—
[He passes off some towels to the short-notice lab assistant and looks out from behind the barrier.]
Jack: --! -Oh--oh okay--
Shade: --Mngh...Ngg....
[DR.WHITE] //: -Both of you are still outside, right-
[MN.4 and 5] //: -PING-
Will: Okay then...
Will: Shade?
Shade: Wh...What...
Will: Countershade--?
Mikhail: (I’m glad Mr. Desmond is asleep right now… I get the feeling this is going to be hard enough as it is.)
Shade: ...D...Dad...?
Will: (Oh thank God--)
Will: Shhh, it's alright, don't exert yours--
Shade: C--Cards--
Shade: Ah'--Dad, where--
[Shade suddenly clutched at his own chest, a sudden pang of what felt like a needle going through his own core--]
Shade: Ngh--!
Will: --!!
Soi: Uh oh--
[Sanda immediately ran a diagnostic scan, then quietly motioned for Mikhail and Jack to stay out of sight.]
Soi: Shade--listen, it's me, Uncle Sanda...
Shade: --...Sanda...--
Soi: Your SH program is running faster than you can keep up with, so please don't move so much. We don't want you to have a complete system shutdown so--
Shade: --Can't--
Shade: Can't stay--
[WHUMP--]
[Unfortunately for Shade, his condition didn't allow him to get further from the foot of his bed as he simply rolled out of it.]
Will: Shade--!
[MN.5] //: -For Pete's sake I TOLD you we had to restrain him--
[MN.1] //: Mighty No. 8, you get BACK in bed this instant--
Shade: N--No, can't--I'll--
Shade: I'm just gonna hurt y'all again--!
Will: --!
Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- ({This is going a bit worse than I thought it would, that’s a new record.})
Will: Shade--
Shade: Don't--
Will: Countershade White!
Will: You are SAFE!
Will: The fact that you can think that is proof enough--!
Shade: --....
Will: Shade...
Will: It's okay.
Will: The virus has been purged from your systems. Beck made sure of that.
Shade: --!
Shade: --...Beck...
Will: And...
Will: And I know you would never hurt me, Shade.
Will: ... Alright?
[PING!]
[MN.7] //: -Breathe, brother.-
Shade: --! Brand--
[MN.7] //: -Breathe.-
[MN.7] //: Do nothing but breathe. Let everything go.
[MN.7] //: {Breathe.}
Shade: .......
[Shade tenses for a few seconds... as if lost in his own thoughts, still clutching at his own chest--]
[PING!]
[SH RATE: 150% OF NORMAL BASELINE.]
Soi: --!
Soi: (That's not good--)
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: -Do you need water, bro, we can get you some--
Shade: -Hurts--
_______________________________________
"Songbird, eh?"
"Well, that explains the bird part."
[CLICK.]
"Adios, Songbird."
______________________________________
[A flinch--]
[SH RATE: 180% OF NORMAL BASELINE.]
Shade: M'sorry--!
Shade: I tried to fight it, Ah' swear--!
Shade: Cards--!!
[PING!]
[RMDC SERVER] //: >STATUS INQUIRY (SUBJECT: DLN-000) HAS BEEN DENIED.
>RobotMaster Database® COSSACK SERVER IS CURRENTLY LOCKED.
>AUTHORIZIED BY: ADMIN MC005
Shade: NO--!
Soi: Will--
Will: (Gah, if I don't do something--)
[PING!]
[MN.9 IS NOW ONLINE.]
Will: --! Beck--
[--There's no words from the small Mighty Number, not at first.
Instead--
Instead there was a file.]
[For some reason, it opened up for Shade anyway, without any prompt on his part.
...It was only audio, but...
...It was from a very memorable night.]
"But I'll never give up on you, Shade."
"Not for any reason."
Shade: --!!
"Not for any reason."
"I'll never give up on you."
Shade: . . . .
Shade: (Cards....)
[MN.9] //: -Soft ping-
[Another file. Something from Beck's OWN memories...]
"I have to save you."
"So the two of you can /live/— together."
Shade: .....?
[MN.9] //: M...Mikhail found...
[MN.9] //: A new power source...
Shade: --!!!
[MN.9] //: He...he’s gonna...
[MN.9] //: Be okay...Shade...
[MN.9] //: I saved... everyone... like I promised...
[MN.9] //: S...so...
[MN.9] //: Don't run away...
Shade: --...
[MN.9] //: ...And make me a liar...
[MN.9] //: Okay? ^^
[MN.9 IS NOW IN SLEEP MODE.]
Shade: . . .
[PING!]
[SH RATE STABILIZING.]
Shade: Beck...Cards...
Shade: What in the world did Ah' do to ya, brother...?
Soi: -Siiiigh...-
Soi: (At least his SH Program's calmed down...)
Mikhail: -Also a sigh of relief-
Will: (Oh, Shade...)
Shade: Dad...
Shade: ...
Shade: Why's no one else answerin'...?
Will: The others...They are also Offline, for their own safety.
Will: .....
Will: Everything will be alright, Shade...
Will: (I pray it will be...)
Will: But please--I know your heart aches and you want to isolate yourself--
[PING!]
[MN.2] //: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, SNIPE BRO.
Shade: --!
[MN.2] //: -Like heck I'm gonna let ya go on your own after all that, FITE ME--
Mikhail: -From behind the curtain- Ahem. Shade?
Shade: --.... Mikhail...?
Mikhail: It’s also about… 5:46 in the morning.
Mikhail: Everyone else is asleep. That’s why they aren’t answering.
Shade: --.......
[MN.3] //: You picked a heck of a time to wake up and diszzturb our BEAUTY ZZSLEEP. -Annoyed buzzing-
Shade: Dyna...
Soi: -____-;; (Jeez, you're just as tactless as Will, aren't you, Mikhail...)
[MN.1] //: Alright, that is enough.
[MN.1] //: ....
[MN.1] //: -Very gently- Shade.
[MN.1] //: You've been gone for nearly a week and a half.
[MN.1] //: Have you eaten anything?
Shade: . . . .
Shade: .....
Shade: -Very, VERY hungry data-
Shade: Food...
[MN.1] //: As I thought.
[Ping—]
<FMN-008>: > -Mrrmnngghhmmmfffpph… did we hear someone mention f o o d—-
Shade: !
Shade: Kate...
<FMN-008 is now Online.>
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: (She was sleeptalking? That’s a new one.)
<FMN-008>: > -Hazy data- ???
<FMN-008>: > …Jack?
<MC005>: > He’s assisting me with something. Go back to sleep, Countershade.
<FMN-008>: > …? -Hazy data, but our Other—-
<MC005>: > He’ll be fine. Go back to sleep.
<FMN-008>: >Mmmm…
<FMN-008 is now in Sleep mode.>
Mikhail: -Another relief sigh- (I wouldn’t want to have to explain THAT to the Secretary.)
Shade: Kate...?
[MN.1] //: She's resting, Shade.
[MN.1] //: Seven, do you think you can get Eight to the kitchen without--
[Knock Knock.]
[MN.1] //: -....You're already outside the bay, at least let me finish my sentence--
Mikhail: -Starts shaking in silent laughter-
Will: Eheh... (Oh, Brand...)
[Sanda lets Seven in quietly, who chose to not wear his helmet, or his mask. His scarf is wound tightly around to compensate, though.]
Brand: --....
Shade: .....
Shade: Ah'...Guess we're on even ground nao, aren't we...
Brand: .....
Brand: I...suppose we are.
Mikhail: …?
Mikhail: -Puts his head in his hand- Mmmnn… (Tired. And hungry. But can’t eat in the lab. Jack should get something to eat, but I do not want to run the risk of him running into Desmond…)
Mikhail: (As a general rule, military men can be early risers if they stay in habit, and it’s nearly 6:00.)
Brand: .....
Brand: You're still quite insufferable, though.
[Shade quietly chuckles at that.]
Shade: An' yer still an' honored bastard, heh...
Mikhail: … -Smiles to hear the exchange- (At least he’s doing better. That’s what counts, right now.)
Mikhail: Number Seven?
Brand: --Yes, Doctor?
Mikhail: If Felix shows up, please have him let inside the building.
Brand: ...Felix is... ah. Of course.
Shade: --Felix is comin'...?
Shade: ....
Shade: -Too tired and hungry to think too hard-
Mikhail: You’ll see later, Shade. Go eat something.
Shade: ...Yeah...
Brand: Here. Just lean on me and stay invisible.
Shade: Alright...
[It looked strange, like Brand was supporting nothing but air, but one could almost hear a pair of footfalls walking out the door and down the hallway to the elevator.]
Will: .....
Will: -Sigh-
Will: (...It's going to take a long time to heal... from this...)
[Mikhail sighed, pulled a sheet over his patient, and pulled back the curtain.
He had been working through the whole night after Pyro brought Cardinal back. As with the injuries Tobias had received, the first step was to completely clean the exposed mechanics of the core mass of oil, grime, and debris. It was always a messy affair, and not one that could be made faster or more efficient through automation.
They were thankfully just about done. Call had been able to confirm that the old core was completely spent—it did not pose an explosion hazard. She had it locked away tight for later disposal, along with some other broken machinery that had been removed. Such things were a bit of an uncomfortable matter, and were best kept locked away out of sight to be dealt with in private.
Since there wasn’t really the time to do a proper replacement, he would have to rely on the energy source doing so. The systems would rebuild themselves once the new core was in place.
However…]
Mikhail: -Wiping his face- ({That was far too close a call. He has got to update.})
[…He wasn’t exactly planning on using the Sun Stone core just yet.]
Mikhail: ({I need to talk to him about updating and getting new hardware to go with it. He can’t keep it up like this with the form he’s been using, not at the rate he’s been getting into ghastly disasters.})
Mikhail: Please do make sure he doesn’t run off.
[Once the cleaning phase was over, he would have to wait until Felix arrived before he could continue the repairs on Cardinal. But his work was far from over.]
Mikhail: ({I isolated Tobias and his memories last night, but I still need to make certain Cardinal uploads to a quarantined part of the server so that the others don’t get cross-references from his memory files. Then I have to lock the files and set up proxy files to substitute for the memories so they at least know what happened. Otherwise, they’ll try to unlock the files to fill in those blanks.})
Mikhail: -Low grumble- {And then the questions… Mary help me, it’s going to be one in the afternoon before I get any rest…}
[He almost wasn’t sure whether he had the energy to feel grateful or not that he was too tired to be scared at the moment.]
Mikhail: Sanda? What’s his status?
Soi: Well...He's stable, for now. SH rate's normal, though a bit jumpy, but that's okay, given the situation...
Mikhail: …?
Mikhail: “S.H.”? Does that have something to do with the E.R. -like monitor sounds from just a moment ago?
Will: Ah. In a way...I suppose you can call it a more complex version of a Robot Master's Emotion.EXE program.
Will: The Synthetic Heart Program--it's the very coding that allows a Xelbot to feel. To evolve, and grow as they experience new sensations and emotion as they come.
Will: Like us.
Will: ...I designed this particular version myself, to all the Mighty Number Line.
Will: ...Usually...
Will: ...Usually, The SH Program is capable enough to keep up with the rest of the Xelbot's thoughts and functions, but...
Will: Shade.....
Will: ....
Will: He...He lost a core once.
Will: I had to rehaul his entire power output to compensate for 6 cores instead of the usual 7...
Mikhail: …
Will: --....
Will: -Hand in his face- But in doing so, the SH Program responded accordingly.
Will: With the increased power, it... sometimes, not often, but sometimes...
Will: It processes at a speed too high for Shade himself to keep up...
Mikhail: … (Just like an Emotions.EXE overload…)
Mikhail: …Heh. -Chuckles softly for a moment, shaking his head- Soul-brothers indeed…
Will: -Sigh- Ah... I suppose...
Will: In a way, yes, it is the equivalent of having an increased chance of cardiac arrest...
Will: It isn't life threatening, given that he's usually a loner...and rather hard-headed...Stubborn... -Cracks a smile-
Will: ...This isn't the first time he's come close to one, but it's certainly been the longest in between...
Will: The last time he had his SR Rate above 180% is when Beck almost drowned that one time during training...
Mikhail: …
[Mikhail sighs and sits down rather hard.]
Mikhail: I’d be more curious if I weren’t so exhausted. I’m so sorry, Will, I don’t mean to be rude.
Will: ....You... you should...
Will: ....Oh, bother, you're not going to stop even if I tell you...
Will: -Leans back in his own chair-
Will: Call, please go get us some food, I don't care if it's in the lab, I'll eat in the closet if I have to.
Soi: -Snorts-
Mikhail: Jack, you should eat something as well.
Jack: ...Yeah. Okay.
[Mikhail turns his attention back to Will. He has an almost defeated expression on his face, but that’s mostly from how tired he is.]
Mikhail: No, I’m not going to stop.
Mikhail: What I’m going to do next is crucial if we are to keep the Robot Masters from going berserk.
Will: .....
Mikhail: I sent everyone Offline just as the news came in on where Cardinal had been spotted. Everyone went into Lethal—except for David, who doesn’t have that setting—remember?
Mikhail: That was out of panic. Going someplace like that is a sure death sentence, and worse, where we come from.
Mikhail: Tobias I woke up on purpose, which again, is something I’ll have to answer for.
Mikhail: He has his own memories. He was angry, but that was tempered when he got feedback from Cardinal by way of his own Thunder Beam. He went Offline to rest before the worst of it, but it’s still enough to cause great anxiety and raise the threat level tag in the database entry for Shade by at least half a star.
Mikhail: I was able to isolate those easily while waiting for Cardinal’s return; everyone else was Offline, and the database was locked. As soon as his Awareness was re-seated back in his hardware, it became a non-issue… though it’s important he remains Offline.
Mikhail: -Rubs his face- He really does start to show his father’s worst traits when he is angry.
Mikhail: It’s Cardinal’s memories that are the danger now.
Mikhail: He encrypts all his memories, but it’s still something that would contribute to generating cross-references and modifying threat levels in informational files.
Mikhail: Those are things that would affect his brothers, and furthermore…
Mikhail: Whenever a Robot Master is forcefully sent Offline in a fight, the experience… that’s something very deep and complex, more than you realize, William. It starts to go beyond just the Emotions.EXE program and into the Awareness aspect itself.
Mikhail: The Awareness affected becomes… detached from the hardware, usually, and there is that sense of Self, that Self is not “alive”, and that…
Mikhail: …with Cardinal, it’s a bit more than that, for reasons I already went through.
Mikhail: I have to wake them up soon. He’ll probably still be either Offline or in Maintenance mode. That’s… going to cause incredible panic, unless I quarantine the files in a very specific manner.
Mikhail: The Hunter as a cultural concept, for someone to fall to the Hunter, and at such a high cost, too…
Mikhail: That sets off a frenzied panic mode, and for some, that could cause rage. And rage tends to cascade for robots running Wily’s OS.
Will: ....
Will: I... see...
Will: -Sigh- I suppose that's of higher importance.... But at least eat something for a bit...
Will: (And Mikhail still has to be questioned--Not to mention Soi...)
Mikhail: I’ll try.
[There’s a quiet pause. When he speaks up again, he does so softly.]
Mikhail: …I’ll admit I don’t feel very good about eating right now.
Soi: ...Cardinal would want you to take care of yourself.
Mikhail: -Closes his eyes and sighs softly- True.
Mikhail: It’s just… hard. (I hope you never have to understand how, though I think you may make a logic-based guess as to why.)
Mikhail: …Put some protein powder in chicken broth or something, that’ll be good enough for me. =___=
Will: Call, relay that to Pyrogen, please.
Call: Yes, Doctor.
Mikhail: -Rubs his hands with his face- (Ugh.) This would be so much easier if I could have Siam, but he’s… mmmngh, cross-references, experiences everything in a dual nature, complications.
Mikhail: Did you know—when he’s feeling particularly complex emotions, they tend to break down and manifest divided between his Awarenesses?
Mikhail: Yet another reason to do this properly—with one half panicked and the other enraged, I wouldn’t be getting any help— -buries face in arms at nearby workstation- {Saints preserve us—} Will, being the ONLY reliable Doctor for your world truly does get exhausting.
Will: ......
Mikhail: I wish we’d had the time to finish our tech lessons before this happened.
Mikhail: I could have helped with decoding…
Will: (Ngh...)
Will: ....No, it's fine...
Will: I never... quite...
Will: ....
Will: -Looks away in shame-
Will: I never quite managed to crack it... all the way...
Will: I...I did manage to understand enough how to combat it, but it would have required Beck's XelFilter program to be broadcasted much like the Virus was...
Will: And that's something I cannot just... release into the open airwaves.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Muffled- I would have Tobias help, except undoubtedly that would be just as bad of an idea. He might have some ideas, but I believe it would be safest for everyone—Shade in particular—if he and Shadow remained not just asleep, but Offline for at least a few months.
Will: ....
Will: If that is what's best for them... (This is all... my fault...)
Soi: ....
Soi: (Will...)
Will: ....
Will: I'm going to try to work on something from the ground up. I'll use the XelFilter's properties as a sort of blueprint, and go from there.
Will: (It will take a while longer, but...I can't use his XelFilter Program, not with the government...)
Mikhail: Siam may be able to give a few ideas. After all, he is as close as it gets to a Doctor, and as a Robot Master, he did interact directly with her.
Will: --!
Will: (--H...Her...)
Will: (Dear God, he's already even figured out gender...)
Will: ...The Virus has a gender now? ?_?
Mikhail: According to Siam and Tobias, yes.
Mikhail: Something about how it targets aggression and the English phrase “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” from what I understand.
Will: (Oh, God, no, is... is...)
Will: (Is... is she coming for me--?)
Will: (Am... am I what she wants?)
[There is a quiet knock on the door, snapping Will away from his darker thoughts.]
Will: --!
[Brand pushed in a cart of food for all present--even Call, who normally doesn't eat around other people besides Beck.]
Jack: -Hungryyyyy--
[Jack IMMEDIATELY grabs as much meat as his plate can handle, even biting and holding down on a large wing of chicken in his mouth just to have more.]
Jack: -Awwww yessss- < 3
Soi: Heh! Save some for us, Jack--
Mikhail: Good luck, Soi, you’ll have to fight him for that. While he was undergoing repairs, he could eat up to several pounds of meat a day.
Mikhail: -Smiles, adjusting glasses- It’s good to see you have a healthy appetite, though. Shows resilience and reflects overall well-being.
Jack: -It's mine-
Jack: -Miiiiiine-
Jack: -NOM-
Jack: ^^
Mikhail: Thank you for coming over on such short notice. I know that it was fearful work, but you helped speed up the process tremendously.
Jack: Eheh...n-no problem, Doc Cossack. Anythin' t' get Bird Guy up and taggin' corporate sleezeball's HQ's again. | D ;;
[Mikhail laughs at this.]
Mikhail: Once he’s well enough to do so, I’d almost be tempted to buy the paint for him.
[He shakes his head, looking over at his covered patient as he accepts a thermos of chicken broth from Brand.]
Mikhail: Oh, he’ll be ready and willing, alright.
Mikhail: Like with Shade, Robot Masters are prone to overclocking under extreme duress. With Cardinal, that’s always been a weak point. But now with the new power source… that’ll change, if he agrees to hardware modifications as well.
Mikhail: To minimize the impact of the memories… as they are slowly released from quarantine, there will be other cross-references actively running. I happen to know as a fact that there are at least 40 entries with Shade laughing as of the day you left to go overseas.
Mikhail: Once he knows his mission was completed… he’ll be alright.
Will: Thank goodness...
Will: (At least there is some light at the end of all this, for them...)
Mikhail: Mmm. He knew something like this might happen when he set out. He said so himself. He came to terms with that and accepted it—that’s why he left such strong messages pointing it out.
Mikhail: He knew how hard that would end up being on everyone else if it came to pass…
Mikhail: It’s his way of saying not to be too sad, that he holds no ill will and will be back soon.
Mikhail: Hopefully Felix will come by with the core soon; I want his armor closed up before Desmond makes a very firm and unavoidable demand to see him.
Mikhail: -Rolls his chair over to his yellow legal notepad- I think I might be able to input a program that will automate the quarantine process… that’ll help, as I won’t have to oversee it personally. Give me a few hours.
Mikhail: After that… -Sip- I’ll see what I can do within what there is to say.
{Later, in the Kitchen…}
[For once, it's not Pyrogen making breakfast. It's Dyna along with her elder sister, although Cryo's only washing dishes. It was strangely quiet, save for Brand and Shade shuffling past...]
[Mostly everyone else was either resting or requested their breakfast be brought to them.]
[For a family this large, seeing and hearing everything so quiet was...]
Des: (...Not right.)
Des: (I can practically cut the tension and stress in the air with a knife if I could...)
Shade: -Mngh, too tired, can ya just take me t' Mic's room instead, brother-
Brand: -Fine, but I'm telling him to make sure you eat something.-
Shade: Yeah, yeah, Ah' know...
Des: (...Poor man looks like he's fresh out of a warzone...)
Des: (...This is going to be one tough crowd to deal with...)
“Ree-ow."
Des: --!
[Jazz padded her way into the kitchen, looking fresh and eager as any housecat should be—albeit more green and blue than most.]
Jazz: Ree-ow. :D
[She trotted right past Brand and looked up at Shade.]
Jazz: Ree-ow.
Jazz: -Tall servant-
Jazz: -You still owe me food-
Jazz: -FEED ME- >:V
Shade: ....
Shade: Heh...
[His laughter is tired, but still lighthearted, in a way.]
Shade: I'll...ask Dyna t' make ya somethin'...
Brand: -You better not fall asleep on your feet, you're heavy enough as it is-
Shade: -Quiet snort-
Des: .....
Des: She's not going to start breathing fire again, is she? >>;;
Dyna: She'szzz a cat. Doeszzz what she wantszz. -Meaning we can't say for sure, bzz bzz-
Des: (Jee, THAT'S comforting to know...)
Jazz: -Purrs and goes over to Shade, rolling over at his feet and purring in the flop- </cat>
Shade: Jazz...Heh...
Brand: -_-;;;;; -You can come rest with him if you want, but the food is his, he needs to eat too-
Brand: -Sleep on top of his hat like you always do-
Shade: -More snickering-
Shade: Yer' more nonsensical than usual, Ninjabro.
Brand: -You are not the only one that craves a bed, alright- =~=
Jazz: -Purrs and hops up onto Shade’s shoulder- -Prrrrrrhhhrrrrhrrrrhrrrrr- -Starts kneading on his neck-
Shade: -Mmmm, lil more t' the left--
Brand: -Starts dragging his brother away before he really falls asleep on his feet-
Des: (...Well, at least there's some sign of healing in those two...)
Dyna: -I'm never taking Pyro for granted EVER again, making so much food is HARD--
Cryo: -WE GOT YA, SIS, we watch Pyro make breakfast so we can show ya-
Cryo: YO MISTER DEFENSE MAN, YA WANT COFFEE--
Des: --Uh...Yeah. Strong, two teaspoons of sugar, please.
Cryo: Got iiiit.
Cryo: Man, where's Avi when you need him, he's like our second backup breakfast person when Pyro's not making food... -NOT ALL OF US HAVE HANDS, YA KNOW-
Dyna: -Ping-
Dyna: Pretty sure everyone iszz crashing in Earth bro'szzz room.
Des: --???
Cryo: -This makes perfect sense to us- Ooooh, right.
Cryo: -No wonder it's so quiet, his room is sound proof-
Cryo: In THAT CASE--
[Cryo shoves Des a tray filled with pancakes and bacon, eggs and a whole lot of cooked ham, and also buttered biscuits.]
Cryo: That ain't for you.
Des: Uh--
Cryo: -Waves hose arms around, we don't have hands so YOU have to take breakfast to everyone else-
Des: (...Oh.)
Des: Uh...and where is...
Cryo: Dude, it's the biggest bedroom in the whole place, not THAT hard to miss. >>.>>
Cryo: -NOW GO, because we're hungry too and I want food-
[Deciding it was better to leave some of the two most temperamental members of the family be, Des obliged and made his way out of the kitchen and to the bedroom of Mighty Number Four. When he got there…]
"Aviiiiiii you're hogging all of the spaaaaaace...."
[The room wasn't exactly well lit when the door opened, but it was a comfortable darkness. The bedroom was indeed very large, and--]
Des: --?
[...The floor felt very soft, almost like... a bed, of sorts--?]
[It seems as though the whole team had taken refuge in Mic's room--Mic himself was napping right in the middle, with Shade--not invisible--was quietly snoozing, head down so that his hat would block most of the light from his face.]
[Pyro was in a corner along with Bat, in a game of chess--probably under orders by either his Father or Sanda to take it easy for now. Both seemed to be taking their time with their moves.]
[Brand had a corner all to himself, although he didn't mind--not far away were Beck and Avi, who had used both Mic's giant pillows and their own to build a fort.]
Avi: -Oops, sorry Becko-
Beck: .....
Beck: -Wait, I smell pancakes-
Beck: -Pancakes equal syrup, sugar--
[Beck pops his head up from the pillow fort, his hair all askew from sleeping so much--he's in a simple space-time sleep shirt that was WAY too big for him, and...]
[...Holding some kind of...pink plush toy...?]
Puffball: -u-
“Chirp-cheep!”
Avi: Baron, bro, I'll get ya some bird feed from my room if ya want some--
Beck: -Stumbles out of fort, rubs sleep out of his eyes-
Beck: Sugarrrr...
Beck: ....
Beck: -Looks up-
Beck: .....
Beck: ??????
Baron: -Wriggles to get to see where he can view what’s going on- 8>
Des: . . .
Des: (....THIS is...Nine?)
Beck: Who the heck are you...
Beck: -And why aren't you giving us that food-
Beck: -Grabbie hands-
Beck: -Give us the sugar, stranger-
[Foosh. Foosh. Foosh.]
Baron: {D.C.!} :V
Des: -Blinks-
Des: -That is a bird--
Beck: -Foooooood-
Des: Oh--um. -Here?-
Des: (So do ALL the animal-based bots breathe fire here?)
Baron: Chirp cheep! -Wriggles back in to hop around on Avi’s shoulder-
Baron: -Via hops- {D.C., D.C.!} : D
[It isn’t long before he pokes his head out again and twitters loudly.]
Jazz: -Looks up grumpily from Shade’s shoulder- Ree-ow. |K
Baron: >:V
Baron: -Flits over to Des and lands on his shoulder- ovo
Avi: --! (Wait, isn't that the Secretary person Cards saved--?)
Des: -Whoa--
Baron: ^v^
Des: -Never had a bird land on US before, jeez--
Avi: -Um- -Hides under blankets-
Des: Uh...hi?
Beck: -Guyyyys, there's breakfast-
Shade: -PING-
Shade: -Where-
Beck: -No, this is OUR tray--
Pyro: -Not looking up from chessboard- No fighting over food.
[This is when Dyna comes in with more breakfast trays, conveniently floating some of them around with her bits.]
Dyna: -We are GOING as fast as we can, we're not a master chef person like Big bro, ya know-
Pyro: -Snorts-
Pyro: Everyone thank your sister.
All: Thanks, Dyna.
Dyna: ~~
Cryo: -HEY DON'T FORGET ME TOO, I HELPED--
Pyro: Yes, you too, Cryo. | ]
Cryo: -HECK YEAH-
Baron: Chirp-cheep!
[Foosh. Foosh. Foosh.]
Baron: {000? D.C.?}
Des: ...
Des: (That--that cannot be Morse code, I must be seeing things--)
Des: You...You know 000?
Beck: --!
Beck: Pyro says that he brought back Cards with someone else...
Pyro: That would be him, yes.
Pyro: ....
Pyro: Thank you, by the way. I appreciate your help, Mr Secretary.
Bat: -Salutes-
Beck: . . .
Beck: Secretary?
Des: -Smiles-
Des: Desmond Donald, US Secretary of Defense, serving breakfast, heh.
Des: It's an honor to meet you, Mighty No. 9.
Beck: . . .
Beck: (I'm in my sleep wear--)
Beck: o//////o
Beck: I--Uh. I.
Beck: -SALUTES, TRIES TO SAVE SOME FACE- Th-Thank you, Um, Mr. D--I mean, Mr. Secretary, uh, sir--
Des: -Cannot help but be amused-
Des: Des is fine, Number 9.
Des: We're not in any kind of public or otherwise, so no need for formality. I'm in your house, after all.
Des: ....If I may...
Des: I want to thank you.
Des: For everything.
Des: This nation and its people owes you and your actions a lot more than we can ever say.
Des: (And I'm sure Min feels the same way.)
Des: If it weren't for you...I don't know where we would be at this point.
Des: Not to mention your family.
Pyro: -Pride, ALL of the pride data--
Des: I'm probably not going to get another chance to do this after all this is over...Not to mention, I don't have the actual thing with me, so...
Des: -Salutes-
Des: Beck Amadeus White, I hereby award you the Secretary of Defense Medal of Valor, awarded to those that perform acts of heroism and sacrifice in the face of overwhelming danger at the cost of personal safety for the good of all.
Beck: --!?!
Bat: -PING-
[At the sound of that, all of the Mighties give off much pride and joyful data for their brother, who was still trying to process the whole thing.]
Beck: I...
Beck: -Speechless-
Bat: -That is the highest honor the Department of Defense can bestow, WELL DONE, PRIVATE.-
Beck: I...
Beck: Really?
Des: Really.
Des: You deserve it, Mr. White. More than you know.
Bat: -Don't just STAND there, Private, SALUTE the man--
Beck: !
Beck: (–u–)7 Th-Thank you, sir! I--I mean, Des, sir--
Des: -Nods-
Des: Well...
Des: I should leave you to yourselves, now.
Des: (...They all seem like they really need to rest and relax. Questioning Six is going to have to wait.)
Des: Enjoy your breakfast.
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 9B: HAZY SUSPICION=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile…}
[Mikhail sat back with a sigh.]
Mikhail: {Finally, I’m done…}
[Coding the summary condenser had taken longer than he would have liked. However, it seemed to be working—he couldn’t say for sure until Felix came in with the temporary power core.]
Mikhail: -Stands, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose- Ugh… {I hope he comes soon, or at least calls—}
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Doctor, there is a call on our emergency line--
Mikhail: ({Perfect timing!}) -Interrupts- Patch him through, Call.
[He stood, gathering up his supplies with his back to the monitor.
Jack, meanwhile, was helping around with minor chores, like sweeping up after the good Doctor--he briefly flicked his gaze to the monitor when he heard Mikhail accepting the call, and...]
Jack: .....
Jack: Doc?
Jack: Why is the CherryDyn logo on the big screen...?
Mikhail: What?
[He turns around just in time for the call to come through.
He was immediately disappointed. Rather than a message from Felix in the Meadow, it appeared to be from none other than CherryDyn’s chief executive officer.
His expression quickly changed to being cross.]
Mikhail: {Computer, end call!}
[The call shut off before the man on the other line could even say a word.]
Jack: --Dude--I mean, Doc--
Jack: That was Gregory Graham--
Mikhail: -Crossly- I don’t have time to deal with CherryDyn and their dragons. Things are bad enough as it is without him making them worse.
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Attention--we are once again receiving an urgent call from CherryDynamics.
Mikhail: =___=“ -Frustrated- -Motions for Jack to move out of sight- Put him through.
Jack: (...This cannot be good.)
[As Jack quietly makes himself scarce, the CherryDyn logo once again fills the main monitor for a few seconds, before cutting to a man in a sharply dresses purple business suit, bright violet eyes, and neatly combed blond hair--save for one strand that seemed to stick out rather largely.
Needless to say, Gregory Graham looked less than pleased.]
Graham: You don't just hang up on an emergency line, you know.
Graham: And who are YOU supposed to be--I would think that Sanda would be more aware of who was handling his feeds!
Graham: Where is he?
Mikhail: Doctor Sanda is currently otherwise engaged.
Graham: Tch.
Graham: (The nerve of this...)
Graham: I demand to speak with him. This is an urgent matter that I MUST discuss with someone that, at the very least, can provide some actual assistance.
[Mikhail listened quietly as Gregory Graham began to rant. The lights of the lab gave his glasses a sinister glare.]
Mikhail: …
Graham: Did you not hear me?
Graham: Stop muddling around and go GET him!
Mikhail: …Hmm.
Mikhail: No.
[The screen blipped back to a screensaver as he hung up a second time.]
Jack: (Oh my God--)
Jack: -Whispers, even though the call is not active- Doc, I don't think this is a good idea--
Mikhail: -Still honestly doesn’t care- I have [color=black]worse[/color] things than him to worry about. -Sits down, pulling over a notepad- He honestly doesn’t scare me, not in the slightest.
Jack: But--
[The door to the lab suddenly lurches open, revealing Soichiro walking inside with a breakfast bagel in his hand. Either he was still waking up or he didn't exactly care for the lab rules at this point either.]
Soi: -Yawn- But what...?
Soi: I heard talking... was someone calling us? Who was it?
[Mikhail was at a counter, writing out a note by now.]
Mikhail: -Without looking up- No one important.
Soi: Oh--
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Doctor, we are receiving another urgent call from CherryDynamics.
Soi: ....
Soi: . . .
Soi: -Whirls around- No one important?!
Mikhail: -Grumbles- {The man is a liar and worse, so no, not worth our time.}
[He seemed more engaged in his note writing than anything else.]
Soi: For Tyson's sake, Mikhail, I KNOW, but he's still--d'oh, never mind--!
Soi: Patch it through, Call-- -Tosses bagel at Jack- And make sure the others don't hear this--
[CALL] //: Yes, Doctor.
[The line fizzes once again.]
Graham: Sanda--Sanda?!
Graham: Ah, Sanda--thank goodness. Greg Graham here.
Soi: -Ahem-
Soi: Mr. Graham. What a... pleasant... surprise... to hear from you...
Graham: Drop the act, Sanda.
Soi: --....
Graham: You don't like me and I do not like you--we can at least agree on that much.
Soi: (No kidding.)
Graham: You need to get a better handle on your interns. The nerve of that one...
Soi: (Cripes, Mikhail...)
[Mikhail tuned them out. While Sanda attempted to calm Gregory down, the Russian Doctor stepped aside out of sight and walked over to Jack. He had the note in his hand—and an amulet.]
Mikhail: Jack Parker?
Jack: --?
Jack: Y--Yeah, Doc? What is it?
Mikhail: You mean, why are we being called? I’m not entirely sure myself. But I am fairly certain about one thing.
[He glanced back at the door to the lab with a faint grimace.]
Mikhail: …
[He returned his attention to Jack.]
Mikhail: You won’t want to remain around here for much longer. The Secretary of Defense is in the building.
Jack: .......
Jack: Fraggin' hell...
[Mikhail holds up a hand as if to stop him from letting panic build any further.]
Mikhail: He doesn’t know you’re here. There are no records of you entering, since you came by the teleporters.
[He handed over the amulet.]
Mikhail: This is a teleportation amulet. It will take you directly to the Meadow.
Jack: !
Jack: (...He wants me to leave before...)
Mikhail: Once you get there, there are a few things I need for you to do.
[He handed over the note.]
Mikhail: I’ve written them all down in here. Just follow the instructions, and tell Felix to leave the swords behind, if you see him.
Jack: ....
[Jack glances down at the note, giving it a quick read--and confusion fills his face.]
Jack: But, Doc--
Mikhail: It will make more sense once you get there. Just… please do this for me, alright? It’s very important. For Tobias, for Cardinal, for you—
[By now, the conversation was once again getting louder.]
Mikhail: …You should go.
Jack: ..... (I shouldn't leave the Doc like this, but...)
Jack: (I can't help from behind a cell, or worse.)
Jack: Okay.
Jack: ....Good luck, Doc.
[Jack looks reluctant as he dons the amulet.]
Jack: Tell the Xel kid I said bye for now or something.
Mikhail: I will. I’m sure you’ll get the chance to speak soon enough. -Frowns, looking in the direction of the yelling- Stay safe.
[Pressing the center of the amulet transported Jack away to safety in the characteristic swirl of 0s and 1s associated with the Ambassador’s magic. Mikhail stepped back into view of the screen, his expression becoming sullen again.]
[To his annoyance, Gregory Graham clearly still hadn’t reached a point, and was still complaining, not even letting Sanda get much of a word in.
Seeing his friend and colleague treated such a way after all they had been through was starting to make the Russian feel exceedingly nasty—it wore right past his submissive baggage of the past and to his protective, fatherly nature.
There’s a saying that applies to people when they’re frustrated, and it was oh so apt for him—
Don’t poke the bear.]
[Mikhail sighed and walked over to the console again. He looked very annoyed.]
Mikhail: If all you’re going to do is insult people, then you can do it on your own time. We have more important things to attend to.
Graham: Grr--
Graham: This doesn't concern you! What is this upstart even doing in this room, Sanda, I don't even see any staff identification on him!
Graham: I doubt you even know the gravity of the situation--
[Mikhail slammed a newspaper right into the screen.]
[His glasses slid slightly, causing the glare to leave to reveal an even fiercer glare beneath them.]
Mikhail: On the contrary, Graham—I know a great deal more than you think. You want gravity? You want to play serious? Fine—try THIS on for size. I know you are ultimately behind all of this, and someday I will prove it. Do you understand me?
Graham: Excuse me?!
Soi: (Baaaah, I can't handle this anymore--)
Soi: (I've got to get Will--!)
[Mikhail slapped the newspaper down, paying no attention as Sanda hurried out of view to find Will.]
Mikhail: Do everyone a favor and go away. We have more important things to deal with than your mind-boggling incompetence.
[He ends the call abruptly.]
[MEANWHILE, WILL'S OFFICE.]
Soi: WILL--!
[Soi knocked on Will's office door as hard as he could, until the Doctor abruptly opened it with a panicked whisper--]
Will: Shhht--!
Will: Do you WANT to let Mr. Donald know I'm here--Hey--!
[Sanda didn't waste time pushing Will inside, locking the door behind him.]
Will: Soi--?
Soi: Will--
Soi: Graham is on our emergency line.
Will: --!?!?
Will:
Wh--What...?
Soi: Will--
Soi: Mikhail is dealing with him right now, but I don't think they're--
Will: YOU LEFT MIKHAIL ALONE WITH GRAHAM?!
Soi: He just--sort of--uh.
Soi: (...Oh dear--)
Will: Nononono--
[Will paces around the room in a clear panic, biting his nails and holding onto his hair with a grip that threatened to tear a good chuck of it off.]
Will: (Why why why, why is HE calling, why did Mikhail have to answer, why is this HAPPENING AGAIN--)
Will: Soi--
Will: Wh--What if he--?!
Soi: No, Will--
Soi: G-Graham hasn't mentioned you yet--and all Mikhail is doing is scolding and hanging up on him, at best...
Soi: I...It's kind of getting worse, though, and--I...I don't think I can handle it, Will, I'm sorry--
Soi: He--he listens to you, Will, so--m-maybe--
Will: NO!
[Soi is taken aback at Will's sudden outburst, full of fear and guilt--]
Will: I can't--
Will: I can't ever face Graham again, Soi, you know that--!
Will: I don't...
Will: I...
[......]
Will: I don't trust myself.
Will: I don't...I don't have the strength t-to...
[Will shakes--his entire body is shivering as he sits on the ground, one hand covering his face.]
Will: A-All this time...
Will: I...I thought...
Will: I thought that part of my life was over and DONE with, Soi...
Will: Why--Why is it happening again--?
Soi: Will...
Will: What if he...
Will: What if he recognizes me?
Will: Right there, in the open, where Mikhail is?
Will: What if my façade is not GOOD enough?
Will: ...What if I'm not good enough?
Soi: Will--
Soi: Come on, Will.
Soi: You even fooled me, at first.
Soi: And I'm sure I'm at least twice as smart as Graham ever will be.
Will: ---....
Soi: ....
Soi: Listen, Will...
Soi: I...I can't imagine what you're going through right now. I mean, I can, but...
Soi: ...I haven't been through what you have. Not then...
Soi: But...
Soi: I'm your friend, remember?
Soi: No matter what happens.
Soi: And no matter what the world thinks.
Soi: I'll always be in your corner.
Soi: And that's a fact.
Will: ....
Soi: Whatever we have to face...
Soi: We're doing it together.
Soi: I know you...
Soi: The REAL you.
Soi: Better than anyone else.
Soi: So believe me when I say that you are good enough, Will!
Soi: If you can fool me, and the entire world...
Soi: Then you can fool someone like Graham.
Soi: And...
Will: ....
Will: But what about Mikhail?
Will: And my own children?
Soi: .....
Soi: Mikhail's been working non-stop trying to fix Cardinal, and the Mighties are all asleep.
Soi: We... we can worry about them later.
Soi: Right now...
Soi: Right now, I...
Soi: We need you, Will.
Will: . . .
Soi: I promise--
Soi: The second things go south, I'll cover for you.
Soi: And we have the Meadow, if we need to run.
Soi: I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you, remember?
Will: .....
Will: Yes...
Will: I...remember...
Will: All those years ago...
Soi: Hmm-Hmm.
Soi: I know things seem bad, but...
Soi: Nothing is ever going to hurt you like that again, Will, I'm going to make sure of that--!
Soi: So don't you worry about a thing, okay? ^^ Mikhail and I got your back.
———————
Mikhail: Just… stay strong, alright? We’ll make it through this. I promised you that, remember?
-*-*-*-*-
“Listen… If anything ever goes that wrong for you, I /promise/ you I will help you find a way to fix it.”
-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: I intend to keep to that.
———————
Will: ......
Will: . . .
-*-*-*-*-
Mikhail: I’m sorry, Will…
Mikhail: It was for good reason, and I’m prepared to pay the price for it.
[…]
Mikhail: Between everyone’s efforts, we all made it out alive—and that is all I could have hoped for, so…
Mikhail: I am willing to [color=black]pay.[/color]
[…]
Mikhail: Such… such an action is…
Mikhail: …not something easily forgiven.
Mikhail: …I must… I have to answer for this, sooner or later. It’s the right thing to do.
Mikhail: I’m sorry, William…
Mikhail: After all this time, after all you’ve done for me… I’ve gone and done something terrible, something that places you in danger.
Mikhail: I certainly won’t let anyone put that onto you.
Mikhail: -Places a hand to Will’s face- You’re like a cousin, or… or even brother to me. And I know this is hard enough on you as it is.
[…]
Mikhail: But you…
Mikhail: You’ve been doing such good work, you… you’re already under enough stress as it is… you should definitely not be hounded by the things I’ve done using your equipment. The things my nephews have done throughout this whole mess…
-*-*-*-*-
Soi: Where would you be without me, eh?
Soi: Up the creek with no paddle, that's what! ^^
-*-*-*-*-
Will: ......
Soi: --...Um. W-Will?
Soi: (He's not moving...Oh, God, did he pass out from fright--?!)
Will: No.
Soi: --?
Will: No...
Will: N-No more running...
Will: I...
Will: I can't stand this anymore.
Soi: Will--?
Will: Watching you and Mikhail take so much for my sake when...
Will: Standing up FOR me...
Will: I...
Will: I can't watch you do that for me, Soi.
Will: I can't--it...hurts.
Will: Because YOU don't deserve that, and neither does Mikhail--!
[There's a strange, sharp edge to Will's voice, one that doesn't quite belong in his tone, yet it oddly fits...rather unnervingly.
And it's all too familiar to Soi.]
Soi: --!
Will: You...you and Mikhail...
Will: You've given up so much for my sake...
Will: It's...
Will: Unfair.
Will: I can't do this anymore.
Will: I can't watch both of you take blows just because I cannot.
Will: I...
[He stands.]
[There is a familiar fire in Will's eyes, one that Soi hadn't seen in...]
Will: I can't let that...that wretched excuse of a human being hurt anyone like HE hurt ME--!
Soi: !
Soi: (You...?)
Will: I can't run from this anymore...
Will: I might as well start now rather than never.
[Will's voice drops to a growl.]
Will: Starting with Greg.
Soi: ......
[Soi seems kind of...bewildered, for a moment.]
Soi: ....
Soi: Eheh...
[But then he begins to laugh a little.]
Soi: Ooof...
Soi: I forgot how scary you can be when you get like that...
Soi: Jeez...
Will: --.....
Will: I...
[Once Soi said that, all traces of darkness left Will's gaze, replaced with a sheepish uncertainty.]
Will: I--I'm sorry--
Will: I...didn't mean to lose it like--
Soi: -Laughs-
Soi: Aw, it's okay. At this rate, I almost feel sorry for Graham!
Soi: ....
Soi: Almost. ^^
Soi: Heh.
Soi: I'm proud of ya, Will.
Will: --...
Soi: Now, uh...
Soi: We should probably get back before Mikhail sends one of his kids after him or...something...
Soi: Unless you need a--
Will: No.
[Will straightens out his hair and his lab coat, taking a few deep breathes.]
[This would be the first he's faced Graham in...not enough time.]
Will: ....
Will: I'm ready.
Soi: Good!
Soi: I'm right behind you. ^^
Will: Heh...
{Soon…}
[As Soi and Will bustled into the lab, they could hear what was clearly the tail end of a conversation.]
“Learn to take responsibility for your actions.”
[Mikhail wasn’t even looking at the screen, instead checking stuff off a clipboard.]
Mikhail: Listen to a word of advice from a SCIENTIST, Graham—do NOT experiment with things you cannot personally control. This is your fault.
Graham: My fault?!
Graham: You think I would put this great country of ours at risk like this?! You listen here, you idiotic--
Mikhail: Not interested.
BLIP!
Soi: (....Whoa. How many times has he done that now?)
Will: .....
Will: (You haven't changed at all, have you.)
Will: What is going on?
Mikhail: -Dryly- I’m still waiting for Felix to call back, but the line appears to be busy.
Will: ...But...Soi told me that CherryDyn is calling--?
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Correct, Doctor. CherryDyn's CEO Gregory Graham is calling our emergency once again as we speak.
Mikhail: Tcheh.
[He walks over to wait by a printer.]
Will: Mr. Graham?
Will: What could he possibly want from us?
Mikhail: Good question. He keeps being very vague. I fear his screeching may break the delicate instruments here if he keeps jumping pitch.
Will: .....
[That gets Will to lighten up a little, hiding his smile behind his fingers.]
Will: Was he really screeching?
Soi: You have no idea.
Will: Heh.
Will: I see.
Mikhail: Do you mind if I use the printer?
Will: Oh, not at all, Mikhail.
Will: -Ahem-
[Will smile fades off after a moment, though, and he squares his shoulders back, his body facing away from the screen.]
Will: Unfortunately, I doubt Mr. Graham will give up so easily.
Soi: Oof...Yeah...
Soi: Um, I--
Will: Don't bother, Soichiro.
Will: Allow me to handle him.
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
[Call once again patches the line though, but Will doesn't even turn around.]
Graham: Bah, finally--
Graham: Sanda, If this call cuts off one more time, I'll--
Will: No need.
Graham: --?
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
[Will's voice is....]
[...Unusually pleasant, yet with a hard undertone to it. As if he was restraining something.]
Will: Good day, Mr. Graham.
Will: I'm ever so terribly sorry for all that. Right, Dr. Sanda?
Soi: --! Oh, yes! Sorry, it's just been... so stressful as of late, some of our staff's been, uh... moody.
[Mikhail has to smile a little at that from his position near the printer. He uses sign language to speak in Russian.]
Mikhail: “{‘Moody’ is certainly one way to put it. A TRUE bear could hardly be more ready to bite the man’s head off.}”
[It nearly takes all of the Doctors' willpower to keep from snorting at that.]
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
Graham: Tch.
Graham: At least SOMEONE has some decent manners.
Will: (Ha. That is funny coming from you, you monster.)
Will: Again, I do ever so apologize.
Will: What seems to be the problem, Mr. Graham?
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
Graham: More like crisis.
Graham: It's our factory.
Graham: It's out of control!
Graham: It's cranking out hostile, infected robots and we can't STOP IT!
Will: .....
Soi: W-What?
Will: (And you didn't mention that the very first thing.)
Will: (How strange.)
Will: Hmm.
Will: That doesn't sound good.
Graham: You THINK?!
Mikhail: -Narrows his eyes- …
Will: If I recall, CherryDyn's factory's are all mostly automated, yes?
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
Will: If that's the case, I'm afraid your own servers might be affected with the virus as well.
Graham: I KNOW that!
Graham: Our security measures have all failed! Every Xel-Robot in the building has gone insane, and to top it all off, they've blocked all the exits in the building!
Mikhail: -Snorts at this- “{Those measures were never very good to begin with, if what happened in April is anything to go by.}”
Will: ....
Soi: So... you're trapped?
Graham: All of my staff and YES, myself as well!
Graham: Our HQ's been locked down, but if you and the Mighty Numbers do not hurry--
Graham: Those infected robots will FLOOD the city, and the rest of the United States!
Will: .....
Mikhail: ({A bit late to cry wolf.})
Mikhail: -Russian- {Is there ANY other option? The children are asleep, they NEED rest.}
Soi: {Well...I...I don't think so. CherryDyn's robots are mostly flimsy compared to ours--No offense to you know who, of course--but a whole army--}
Will: Call.
Will: Confirm this.
Graham: Wha--!
Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- {Gah… if only I weren’t in—…} …
Mikhail: (I can wake up the Rebel Angels, but not my own sons…)
Mikhail: (Once they hear about what I’m going through, they’ll go RIGHT into Defense mode…)
Graham: Are you even LISTENING--
[CALL] //: Confirming...
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Confirmed. Defective CherryDyn robots are rampaging throughout the city, coming from one local source based on local reports.
Will: (So you aren't lying.)
Mikhail: —! {Wait—flimsy, right?}
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
Soi: {Yes--don't get me wrong, some of them are a pain to deal with, but Beck got through them no problem!}
Soi: {In sheer numbers, however, they'll cause enormous amounts of destruction...}
Mikhail: -Turns to face him- {More or less destruction than those using explosives to stop them?}
Soi: {I honestly do not know.}
Soi: {CherryDyn is the world's--the WORLD'S, Mikhail, top robot manufacturer. If this is already in their servers, who knows how long before it spreads off the country?}
Mikhail: {Dammit.}
Mikhail: {Ugh… very well then…}
Mikhail: {You might consider calling the Second Generation.}
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
Soi: !
Will: ...Mm.
Will: Well, this is a predicament...
Mikhail: Will—
Mikhail: {Jaden and Carlos together can truly handle themselves.}
Mikhail: {They’ll be awake by now. The only reason it hasn’t shown up is because I disconnected the servers.}
Mikhail: {This… this is the sort of thing they were made for, you know. To cause destruction. To channel that in a positive way…}
Mikhail: {It would really help the stress they’re going through right now.}
Mikhail: {Please at least consider? Your sons and daughters are so… tired…}
[The poor man looked exhausted himself.]
Will: .....
[Will doesn't quite answer back, but he nods, as if to acknowledge it.]
Will: Mr. Graham.
Will: Do you not have any countermeasures yourself?
Graham: Did I NOT just say--
Will: It's just a little odd to me.
Will: Surely, you know how tiring this has been on everyone.
Will: Did you not say yourself that you and your company would be doing EVERYTHING they can to help with the situation at large?
Graham: I--
Will: Yet...
Will: We seem to be doing all of the legwork, so to speak.
Will: Is there a reason for that?
Mikhail: {Excuse, you mean?}
[Prinz… prinz… prinz…]
Graham: How dare you--
Graham: We've been doing all we can to help CONTAIN the virus from spreading to our other servers!
Graham: We're not just twiddling our thumbs here!
Will: I see.
Will: I suppose I should thank you, then.
Will: In any case...
Will: I suppose there is no choice. Lives are in danger.
Graham: Finally, you get it--
Will: However...
Will: I ask that you do not disturb us after this.
Will: My children are quite tired.
[Will's hands ball up into fists.]
Will: And I will not have anyone asking for any more favors like this. For a long time.
Mikhail: {Good for you, Will!} -Clearly quite pleased-
Soi: Eheh...Er. Yes. We all need a...a break, eheh!
Graham: .....
[The CEO narrows his eyes at Will's form for a moment.]
Graham: So you're William Apollo White.
Will: Correct.
Will: And you'd do well to remember that name.
Graham: And him?
Will: He's going to chew off your DAMN head off if you don't MIND yourself!
Soi: --! Will...
Graham: (What the...)
Mikhail: -Grabs a file folder to put his notes in- A question, Graham, if you would.
Mikhail: The virus broke out over a week ago.
Mikhail: Why is this only now becoming a problem? Did something happen that changed things?
[He sounded genuinely curious.]
Will: That's a rather good question.
Graham: (I can't believe this--)
Graham: We've been TRYING to contain the virus all this time, like I have said.
Graham: At first, we stopped it from spreading to our factory branch--until now, that is.
Graham: We only had so many left in our Tech department after the virus struck.
Mikhail: (So it CAN be manually combated on Xel-based coded servers… that’s important information.)
Will: (Nggg....You don't care, you don't care--)
Soi: Ah-- (Oh, man--)
Soi: E-Er, we'll send help right away, Mr. Graham! Yes, we'll do that, don't you worry--
Soi: Right, Will--?
Will: ...Yes, of course.
Will: ...
Will: One more question, if you would.
Graham: -Exasperated- I do not have time to play 20 questions, White--
Will: What makes you so sure Dr. Blackwell is behind all this?
Mikhail: -Freezes- …
[He clutched the printed notes in his hand. His hands were shaking as he simmered in anger.]
[Will didn't seem to be faring so well either. His emerald eyes flared with what could only be described as burning hatred.]
Will: You first claimed that he was the cause of all of this.
Will: And then you wasted no time claiming that Dr. Sanda and myself were his cohorts.
Will: Why.
Will: I want to know why you did that.
Will: Why you're so keen on shifting the blame to everyone but y o u r s e l f.
Graham: You--! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!
Graham: It's OBVIOUS! That--that smelly old FART is out for REVENGE! Not only is the Blackwell name PROOF ENOUGH--
Graham: He's outright INSANE, and nothing SHORT of a complete MONSTER! Now stop asking STUPID questions and SEND HELP!
[That was the last straw.
Mikhail abruptly put the call on mute from his location.]
Will: --!
Soi: (Oh no--)
Mikhail: Let me tell you something, Mr. Graham.
[He turned to face the terminal. The way he held his glasses against his face made him look incredibly sinister—a presence which was only amplified by his frightfully calm tone.]
Mikhail: When a [color=goldenrod]genius[/color] suddenly loses it and makes the world burn, there is always something…
[He looked up.]
Mikhail: Or [color=gray]someONE[/color]…
Mikhail: … that pushed them there.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Shadow: If Doctor Blackwell has been stripped of all rights and is out of public sight, with restricted access to his person, then that means that there are—forgive the cynicism—fewer people necessary to bribe, blackmail, or distract in order to get at Blackwell himself.
Shadow: When one is kept on a tight leash, be wary to be sure the leash stays in the hand of the right master.
Shadow: …If he IS involved, he may have been for—
Mikhail: {ENOUGH.}
Will: –!
Will: (Oh dear–)
[He was hugging his daughter tightly. She was silent and cowering, with her face turned away from the camera. She was shaking slightly.]
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Will: .......
Mikhail: You are very fortunate that William is a man of incredible integrity with a hero for a son, or else you might have [color=goldenrod] more [/color] than Doctor Blackwell to worry about.
Mikhail: Assuming you aren’t lying— again.
Soi: O~O;;;;;
Soi: (Jeez, I...It's like looking into a mirror...)
[Mikhail leaned forward, looking over his glasses in waaaaaaay too calm a manner.]
Mikhail: You will address the Doctor— ALL the Doctors, but ESPECIALLY William—
Mikhail: —in a POLITE manner from here on out…
((pic))
Mikhail: …or you will discover how unpleasant a Russian can be to a rude American.
Mikhail: Good day.
[BLIP!]
Will: . . . .
Soi: ......
[Mikhail turned to face Will.]
Mikhail: It’s up to you whether you want to get middled in with his mess, and whatever trouble he wants us to drag him out of.
Will: .....
Will: Right.
Will: ....
Will: Mikhail?
Mikhail: -Walking over to the door- I’m listening.
Will: .....
Will: I'm sorry.
Will: >>
Will: Please remind me to never get on your bad side again.
Soi: -... Quiet snort-
Mikhail: -Snorts-
Mikhail: I just can’t stand the topic Will, I’m not going to lie about that.
Mikhail: Blackwell is only a darker variation of me, the man I could have been.
Mikhail: -Places the file folder into a plastic tub near the door- I have never forgotten that. And I never will.
Mikhail: So. I’m leaving before I risk the temptation of doing something that will only make my situation even worse. =_______=
[He shuts the door loudly on his way out.]
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 9C: HAZY SUSPICION=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Outside the Lab…}
[Mikhail scowled as he closed the door behind him.]
Mikhail: {I don’t have time for that miserable excuse of a—}
"Ahem."
Des: Dr. Cossack?
[Mikhail looked up in mild surprise.
He was too tired to be properly surprised—he had been working on Cardinal all night and for over six hours since the date rolled by. Then he had worked on writing a code that would allow the boys to come back Online—something that would be needed, especially if he didn’t make it through.]
Mikhail: ({No… I can’t think like that. I can’t… mustn’t give in to despair.}) …Mr. Desmond. Good morning.
[The man was in sad shape, that was for sure. He looked like he hadn’t eaten or slept much for a long time—a kind of exhaustion that would make most other people collapse onto the floor.]
Des: .....
Des: (...He looks ready to fall asleep any second.)
Des: (I wish I could postpone this.)
Des: I heard a lot of yelling. Is something the matter?
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: Just some trouble with public relations, that’s all. People are very stressed right now.
[He paused, standing up straight and letting go of the door. He adjusted his lab coat—stained with oil and coolant—and looked at Desmond with an air of authority and command.]
Mikhail: Is there something I can help you with?
Des: ....Yes, actually.
Des: It's been a little longer than others can wait, Dr. Cossack, and I'm afraid we can't prolong this any longer.
Des: We need to bring you into questioning.
Mikhail: …
[His eyes seemed to dull at that, but his expression otherwise didn’t change.]
Mikhail: …Yes, of course. …That was the agreement, after all.
Des: ....
Des: (I feel like I'M the bad guy here...Man, I hate that feeling...)
Mikhail: I’ve finished the first stage of repairs on DLN-000. I need to wait on the delivery of a specialized core in order to continue. I’m afraid you won’t be able to talk to him until much later. …
Mikhail: -Swallows once- …Very well then. Do you have a room ready?
Des: We've just finished setting up a room under Dr. Sanda's permission. It'll be a floor above us--a meeting room that's used by the other business men of Sanda Tech, I believe.
Mikhail: …Very well.
[He placed his hands behind his back and walked past Desmond.]
Mikhail: I know where that is; I’ve used that room before, myself. Let’s not put this off any longer.
[LATER...]
[There are several portable cameras placed around the hall, to monitor the two actually entering the room for questioning.]
[Des takes a large white tub container from a folding table placed by the door, holding it out to Mikhail.]
Des: First things first, Doctor. Any electronics and other personal belongings in here.
Mikhail: …Yes, of course.
[He gave a bit of a wry smile.]
Mikhail: Though you don’t need to use excuses with me. I know this is all about disarming. So with that in mind…
[He pulls his lab coat out to the side.]
Des: --!!
Des: (I had no idea he was armed this ENTIRE time--)
Des: (And with a pistol, no less...)
[Mikhail didn’t really seem fazed at this reaction. It was almost as if he had anticipated this.]
Mikhail: You know, Mr. Desmond, you’re free to take it from the holster. I would have done so myself but I didn’t want to get shot due to a misinterpretation. I know you’re under a lot of stress right now.
Des: ....
Des: (This really isn't his first time, is it.)
[Des carefully takes the gun out of the holster, and unloads it, dropping the bullets into the tub first before the firearm itself.]
Des: ...Alright...
Des: Anything else that you have hidden away?
Mikhail: Yes. No more firearms. However…
[He digs into his pocket and pulls out a Swiss army knife. He tosses that into the bin.]
Mikhail: …there are a few other things.
[He reached into his other pocket and pulled out a switchblade.]
Mikhail: -Tosses that in as well-
Des: .....
Des: (This guy is armed to the teeth.)
[He then undid a taser from the belt, which had been on the other side from the pistol, and placed that in.
Finally, he pulled off what seemed to be an alert button on a lace string, lowering it carefully.]
Mikhail: Be sure not to touch that one.
Des: ...Is that some sort of panic button?
Mikhail: Yes. It’s designed to stun attackers through sensory perception. It’ll affect the user, too, if used improperly.
Des: .....
Des: (Useful for both human and robotic attackers, I'm guessing.)
Des: Do you even have your phone with you, Doctor? (Because you clearly don't need it for help if you have all this.)
Mikhail: Of course I do. I have family, you know.
[Then, and only then, did he place in his cell phone and a pager.]
Des: ....
Des: So that's it.
Des: Is that really it.
Mikhail: Other than a good number of ballpoint pens. I’m afraid I tend to lose them all over the place.
[Aaaand he drops a few handfuls of those in as well for good measure—whether out of sarcasm or just being tired is hard to say.]
Des: ....
Des: Doctor...
Des: You're almost as armed as when I was just starting my military career.
Des: No offense, but I can't help but be skeptical about questioning you with so many pockets at your disposal. =.=
[Mikhail couldn’t help but laugh at that.]
Mikhail: If you want to interrogate me in my pajamas, I suppose that’s your prerogative. But if you insist—
[He takes off his glasses to clean them, shaking his head and smiling.]
Mikhail: I don’t actually mind too much. I’ll be honest…
[He spoke with no small degree of weariness.]
Mikhail: I’m very tired. And if I’m given the blessing of being given peace and quiet once I’ve said what there is to say, I would desperately like to go to sleep.
Mikhail: I’ll go change.
Des: ....
Des: (I didn't really mean in his pajamas, but...)
Des: Whatever makes you comfortable, then...
[When Mikhail returned once more, he looked significantly different. He had taken the time to wash up a bit and groom his hair and his beard. He’d grabbed a new pair of glasses and a new pair of gloves.
It also appeared that he was being literal about being questioned in his pajamas, but he hardly looked ridiculous—
He was wearing novelty pajamas designed after the Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Specifically, the Captain’s uniform.
It seemed to fit him well, and he had a certain kind of commanding dignity.]
Mikhail: Alright, Mr. Donald Desmond. Let’s begin.
[A recording device was placed in the center of the room. Desmond took the seat across from Mikhail and pushed a button on it to start the recording.]
Des: (...Something tells me this is going to be a lot different than other times.... He didn’t even consider bringing lawyers into this.)
Des: Alright.
Des: Let's start simple.
Des: Who are you?
Mikhail: I am Михаил Сергеевич Казак. I am the Doctor for my sons, the Doctor Cossack Numbers Industrial series. I also serve as the Doctor for the Rebel Angels, a group comprised of seven of the Doctor Wily Numbers Combat class constructs from two different series, and two of the Doctor Light Numbers from two additional different series.
[He paused for a moment, before adding thoughtfully—]
Mikhail: And I suppose I would be willing to serve as the Doctor for the one member of the Special Wily Numbers series—although he’s a bit of a stubborn brat, and too proud to ask for help.
[He paused for a moment before looking Desmond in the eyes.]
Mikhail: My wife is Светлана Казак.
[…But then his gaze shifted down a bit, weary and sad. Seemed to be fiddling with his wedding ring, even though it was covered by his gloves.]
Mikhail: God granted us a wonderful… such a beautiful child…. Калинка Казак, my daughter.
[He closed his eyes, as if to shut out pain, and was silent for a while.]
Mikhail: …I lost her… she was taken from us several years ago. …Since then, I’ve raised my daughter on my own.
Mikhail: ({Oh, Beloved…. I fear I have never done as good a job of being a father as when I had you at my side to be my better half…})
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Looks up again, eyelids half closed in faint disapproval- …But you already know all of this, don’t you.
Des: .....
Des: (This REALLY isn't going so normally...)
Des: Fair enough...
Des: But I find it strange that a Russian Doctor is caring for American constructs--and a mixed bag of industrial and combat class, at that.
Des: How'd you come to be their Doctor?
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: My oldest son, Дэвид Казак, was originally designated as DLN-005 —designation “Iceman”. I wrote DCN-000 while I was just a boy, really—it was a very long time ago.
[He runs his fingers through his hair with a sigh.]
Mikhail: I was working under Dr. Wily at the time. He and Dr. Light were working together to make the Doctor Light Number Industrials—their first AI&A Industrial series. Dr. Wily was originally personally in charge of two projects—the DLN-005 project… and the DLN-008 project.
Des: ....
Des: (That's the serial of that other mysterious DLN...)
Des: (Curious.)
Mikhail: He had to drop one of them for health reasons, so I was placed in charge of the DLN-005 project, despite only being an intern at the time.
Mikhail: Sadly, there were… complications, in the end. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily got into a terrible row when Dr. Light discovered that his colleague had given DLN-008 an emotions program.
Mikhail: He ordered DLN-008 to be erased.
Des: What?!
Des: (That is already at least 7 kinds of illegal--!)
Mikhail: DLN-008 overheard this. Practically the whole lab did—I certainly remember it, even to this day.
Mikhail: He was terrified. So… he ran away.
Mikhail: In the end… all the members of that series were given full Awareness, and chose to flee for their lives. But it didn’t last long.
Mikhail: They were hunted down and destroyed, one by one.
[Mikhail closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his left hand.]
Mikhail: I didn’t become involved with the family after the entire DLN Industrial series was completely destroyed, David and Tobias and all—not until a short while ago, when my daughter and I were kidnapped by my old mentor, Dr. Albert Wily… and one of his most dangerous constructs—DWN-022, Viper.
[He clenched a hand into a fist, brooding at the memory.]
Mikhail: As part of that series of events, DLN-005 and DLN-008 came back Online after having been sealed away for about two decades. David managed to get into contact with me, and he and Tobias helped Cardinal Light to find my daughter and deliver her to me. Cardinal arrived just in time to prevent his younger brother, DLN-001—Rock Light—from [color=black]ending[/color] my life entirely.
Des: ....
Des: (I can't even...-- I haven't even heard of something like this taking place, why isn't it on some kind of record--?)
Mikhail: After I recovered and was eventually cleared of charges, I was contacted again by Cardinal Light. I did some extensive repairs on him, and tried to get him to replace his core.
[He sighed, closing his eyes.]
Mikhail: It was his decision not to do so. I respected this decision; I firmly believe in allowing constructs to make such a choice, even if I don’t agree with it.
[He crosses his arms.]
Mikhail: Since then… because Dr. Light is so dangerous to them, and Dr. Wily is insane, that family has come to me. Cardinal Light is in charge of that family—he put them together, rescuing them from death at the hands of their brother.
[He lifts his gaze back up to look Desmond in the eye, even though his head was still bowed.]
Mikhail: So that is how I came to care for them. It has not been easy, but I am the only one they can turn to.
Des: . . .
Des: (What do I even say to that?)
Des: (Like hell there's any protocol for that.)
Des: ....
Des: -Deep breath-
Des: ...
Des: All of this...
Des: Why isn't it on record?
Mikhail: …There’s a good reason for that.
Des: ....
Des: And that iiiis...?
Mikhail: …For one thing… after THAT whole incident, I was placed in a variation of witness protection. My daughter and I were actually given new identities not that long ago. There’s a general desire on a number of levels to prevent the incident from happening again, either with Wily or any other person or persons of ill intent.
Mikhail: You might as well ask a different question, sir. Details beyond that aren’t something I am willing to discuss on the record, so they’ll have to wait if you want to press further. I’m sure you have other things on your mind to discuss.
Mikhail: What’s relevant to this conversation is that because of all that had happened, what Dr. Albert Wily made me do while I was being blackmailed… it was enough that very, very serious charges were brought against me.
[At this point, he stood up, looking at Desmond with a rather cold and unsympathetic stare.]
Mikhail: It appeared very much, for a time, that Cardinal had rescued me from the flames only for the world to throw me to an even greater [color=black]fire.[/color] I was forced to talk about the matter with my only child, as I feared and believed she would be left an orphan. Do you understand?
Des: ....
Des: (We have to get the FBI on this--something this big just can't have been ignored or missed--)
Des: (Then again, we had a entire military base not in our banks...)
Des: Doctor. Please sit down.
[Mikhail silently refused.]
Mikhail: I am done talking about the distant past. What else did you want to know?
Des: ....
Des: (I'm getting nowhere with this. Time to change angles.)
Des: How did you come to know Dr. Sanda?
[At this, Mikhail did relax just a bit, happy to talk on a more pleasant topic.]
Mikhail: Ah, yes… that was in February, I believe.
Des: ....
Des: Five months ago?
Mikhail: Heh. I know—it feels like it’s been a year, really.
Mikhail: It came as quite a surprise, and we were very nervous at first. You see— -Takes off glasses to clean them, smiling and shaking his head- —Carlos—or DWN-012, if you’d rather—Carlos Gonzales was the first one to meet them.
Mikhail: He accidentally wandered in on one of Countershade’s training grounds.
[He had to laugh a little at the memory.]
Mikhail: Poor Shade accidentally scared him witless. But once we came into contact once again, Cardinal decided to take a chance, and he made his choice.
Mikhail: He helped arrange for some meetings, to discuss a truce of sorts with one another. It was tense work for a while, but once we understood one another…
[He gave a happy sigh and sat down to relax again.]
Mikhail: You’d never seen the boys so happy. So hopeful. And it wasn’t long after that… around March 8th, I believe, that is when Countershade and Cardinal became such good friends.
[He seemed wistful, now.]
Mikhail: They grew very close. You could hardly separate them at times. Cardinal… he lost so much of his bitterness…. You didn’t know him before, Mr. Desmond, not like how he was when I first met him.
[He sighed and looked away.]
Mikhail: He’s had a faulty core due to shoddy coding for a very long time now. He didn’t have very long left in which he was expected to stay alive. Between that and dealing with Dr. Light and Dr. Wily… he had become a very weary man. He lived without hope.
[He looked up, his gaze distant.]
Mikhail: That’s why it meant so much to him, to all of them, when he really felt that Hope LIVES.
Des: (...Hope Lives...)
Des: (Isn't that what he tagged in the Office...?)
Mikhail: And that’s what you want to know about, isn’t it? Part of your main reasons for asking, since you can’t ask him yourself?
Mikhail: Yes, he and Countershade are very close. Countershade is his only long-term friend, the only one who’s stayed for so long. That is why it was so hard on them when the Mighty Numbers left in the spring and into the summer, to fight in the Queen’s Tournament.
[He paused for a moment, frowning and turning to look at Des.]
Mikhail: …But there’s a lot more to the story than even what happened in the Finals.
Mikhail: They became worried, especially after Bladeblaster threatened Cardinal’s life. Cardinal was sure that Bladeblaster was going to try and assassinate him in order to get at Shade.
Des: --?!
Des: (Greater Dusk's leader? What?)
Mikhail: I assisted in a strategy session—in this very room, actually—regarding trying to figure out how to handle the overall situation… and to try and learn more about CDN-7037: Dencerjack. Or, as we know him, Jack Parker.
Des: (That CDN unit was sorta like their mascot...)
Des: (Just how intertwined IS all this?)
[Mikhail interlocked his fingers and leaned forward, speaking more factually now.]
Mikhail: At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, I believe that Cherry Dynamics is directly involved in Greater Dusk, which in turn served as an experimental “Patient Zero” for the virus in its current state. We have a paper trail that links CherryDyn to the funds that paid for Greater Dusk’s business expenses.
Des: Wait--
Des: CherryDyn was their sponsor?!
Des: (Oh--Oh, man, a paper trail, if we can get our hands on that, that'll send their lawyers scrambling--)
Des: And you can prove this?
Mikhail: I can’t prove the company as a whole, but I can prove a link. But yes, I can prove it. I told you, we have a paper trail. I always keep my own copies of important files on an isolated server. I’ll get them for you after this is over. For now, though, I need you to listen.
Des: ....Right.
Des: I'm listening...
Mikhail: Jack Parker was originally a Civilian model, showcased to display new advancements in CherryDyn technology. He was neglected and abandoned, and fell onto very, very hard times. He was repeatedly mistreated and abused by employers and landlords, including some downright illegal situations. One day, he was attacked by Bladeblaster and his gang, and subsequently was pressed into service.
Mikhail: He was made to sign a contract without being allowed to read it, and was forcefully converted from a Civilian model to a Combat model.
Des: (...That's...)
Des: (I can't even count how many laws broken in that spell.)
Mikhail: After that, he was physically and psychologically abused by his team leader. Repeatedly. It is for that reason that he resisted orders in battle, and even fought back when the infected crosses tried to take control. A cross he had been forced to wear.
[He leans back, drumming his fingers.]
Mikhail: Bladeblaster didn’t tell him what they did, but he felt it once it began to happen.
Des: ....Infected...
Des: (So the whole Queen's Finals fiasco was a trial run, of sorts?)
Des: (With live test subjects, funded by CherryDyn.)
Des: (I do believe we got a prime suspect in our hands.)
Des: (Now, if only we can actually TALK to that CEO...)
[Mikhail sighed and shook his head.]
Mikhail: And here we begin to reach one of the other main things you wanted to know about, if I’m not wrong.
[He looked up.]
Mikhail: …Tobias personally heard his favorite brother die. My son…
Mikhail: … Light Number Eight himself was killed in a manner tragically similar to what happened again. When he saw Jack being attacked, saw him go down in the sands…
[He closes his eyes.]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: … … …
Des: . . .
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …Dr. Wily was not exactly a man with great self-control, himself. And his sons… they all reflect that streak of impulsiveness and rage.
Des: (...!)
Des: (So that's why...)
Mikhail: -Opens his eyes- When he saw that happen, especially after Dynatron was taken hostage…
Mikhail: He just couldn’t stand by any longer. He had an overwhelming directive to save her, to stop Bladeblaster from killing her, or killing Jack.
Mikhail: He made his way through on his own accord—and as you undoubtedly saw, paid the [color=blue]price[/color] for his insolence.
Mikhail: …Tobias had no intention of doing anything but stopping the measure, preventing loss of lives. He used force because at that level of Combat, he was willing and permitted to use whatever means necessary to stop her—to stop her from dying. He had no personal intent of compromising the security for the sake of malice.
Des: . . . .
Des: (So all he wanted was to save the Electric Maiden.)
Des: (That makes a lot of sense, given the Doctor's answers so far, and that both of them seem to be lighting-based bots. Looking out for one another...)
Des: (Still...)
Des: What about Bladeblaster?
Des: Was he going to...
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …He needed Dynatron safe, and he had never fought before except in self-defense. -Hesitant kind of thoughtful- I don’t think he knew or realized what could happen—not on a conscious level—to him or to Bladeblaster. …If you need those notes and logs to clear him, I can provide those as well.
Des: ...Fair enough.
Des: ....
Des: (Okay. We've covered this and that, and we got some important info out of this.)
Des: (Here comes the hard part.)
Des: This brings me to the other issue about DLN-008.
Des: As well as DLN-000 and the White House.
Des: What EXACTLY happened?
Mikhail: …
[He looks to the side again with a tired frown. His gaze seems to be glazing over, weary at the memory.]
Mikhail: …
Des: Doctor.
Des: You need to answer this. Please.
Mikhail: …Cardinal Light…
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: …When all of this happened… Cardinal had been so desperately looking forward to being reunited with his best friend. They hadn’t seen—and had barely heard from—one another since the tournament began. He wanted to hang out and have fun, like old times again. …
Mikhail: -Closes his eyes, his face twisting to show heavy sorrow- …Instead, he was faced with the potential loss entirely.
Des: ....
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: … -Swallows- …He didn’t have much time to react. But once he could see and process what had happened and what was going on…
Mikhail: He saw the danger. And he had to stop it.
Mikhail: He was made as a military robot, made to defend and to give his life for the lives of others on the front lines in war.
Mikhail: With this… he saw the potential for something much worse than just chaos and war.
[He looked up.]
Mikhail: He saw the potential for genocide.
Des: --...????
Des: What?
Mikhail: You know exactly what I’m talking about, Mister Desmond. And it almost happened more than one time in the past week.
Mikhail: When faced with the prospect of uncontrollable robot masses, to some it may seem that the only way to cease the madness would be to kill everything with fire. To obliterate the threat so badly that it was stopped completely.
Mikhail: But that would come at what price, if you destroyed all of the Artificial Intelligences and Awareness in your nation in your world, infected AND healthy?
Mikhail: Would the remaining humans be enough to support themselves, to grow food, to give medical care, to risk lives at dangerous jobs?
Des: ......
Des: (.....Gh...)
Des: (It's almost too horrifying to think about...)
Mikhail: This threat, for him, was on the level of a nation. It was about more than his friends. And he knew that his friends, now lost to the virus, could very easily make it a reality.
[He scowled.]
Mikhail: So he set out before we could stop him. He made his way to the one place he ever felt at home, and from there waited until he could figure out what was going on. Once that he saw that Shade still hadn’t come into play, he must have realized that Eight would not emerge again until he was ready to take advantage of his prey, too tired to fight any more.
Mikhail: And he must have determined that the one place Shade could do the most damage was the White House. And that is why he went there.
[He looked up again, tired.]
Mikhail: I’m sure you must be worried about security. That’s why you’re asking me this, isn’t it?
Des: --....
Des: (...Well, it doesn't help that a total of only four to five or maybe MORE robots were enough to stop our entire security system...)
Mikhail: Well, I assure you that very little short of a well-armed squadron could have prevented Cardinal from entering. He was made to take out armored tanks, and he was willing to take the hits if it meant getting in.
Des: (...So that explains the well-made helmet.)
Mikhail: And as much as he wanted to rescue his friend, his overhanded, commanding priority in a military-grade order was to evacuate the White House and save the President.
Mikhail: And that is why he risked everything to save you. ((pl.))
Des: .....
Des: And where does DLN-008 fit into all of this, Doctor Cossack? He isn't military, I assume.
Mikhail: … -Painful expression- ({This is going to hurt…}) -Looks away-
Mikhail: …No, he’s an Industrial. Built to handle power plants.
Des: Then?
Des: In the past year, he's broken into two top-level security establishments--the Queen's Finals, okay, that I can understand. But that's just me.
Des: I'm sorry, Doctor, but there are consequences for--
Mikhail: (Ghhkt—) -Interrupts- No, Desmond.
Des: Doctor--
Mikhail: Leave him alone.
-*-*-*-*-*-
Minerva: This is your last chance— hand yourself over to the authorities, or you will be facing the consequences—
Cardinal: NO!
Cardinal: Leave him alone!
[For the first time since he had come in…
He actually SOUNDED scared.
Desperate, even.]
-*-*-*-*-*-
Des: --......
Des: (This again...)
Mikhail: …Tobias is hot-blooded, but he did not—I… repeat, he did not…
[He’s VERY clearly uncomfortable.]
Mikhail: ({There’s… there is no other choice…!})
Mikhail: …You have to leave him alone.
Mikhail: He didn’t go after your security systems on his own initiative.
[Little did he realize…
…the watch he was wearing was the one Countershade had given him for his 39th birthday earlier that year. He’d completely forgotten about that, especially since he’d never had the chance to get the rundown on what it does.
But one of those functions was to report his condition if his heart rate were to rise high enough to show he was in danger.
And this was one of those times.]
Mikhail: …That was my fault.
[PING!]
[HEART RATE ABOVE NORMAL STRESS LEVELS. SENDING DISTRESS SIGNAL...] _________________________
Will: --...? What...?
Soi: What is it--
Will: --....It...It's Mikhail--?
_________________________
[MN.8 IS NOW ONLINE]
Shade: Mngh....
Shade: Mikhail's...
Mic: ?
Mic: -Go back to sleep--
Shade: Mikhail's not...Mgh...okay...
Beck: Huh?
___________________________
Mikhail: Mine and mine alone.
Mikhail: Do you hear me?
Des: --?!
Des: (Wait, what?)
Des: (HE told DLN-008 to...)
Mikhail: When we saw on the news that he was there, we quickly deduced what had happened. And I knew he was going to die, going to get himself killed if I didn’t intervene. I’m his Doctor, I know what his limits are— you and your people were going to destroy him out of panic, or weaken him enough that Shade, controlled by the virus, would do so himself.
Des: Then WHY didn't you call ahead, or at least--
[Mikhail stood, looking a kind of bitterly frustrated just short of angry.]
Mikhail: Called? Do you honestly think that after what happened with Battalion, I could have called!?
Des: What?!
_______________________________
Soi: Will, you shouldn't--you CAN'T hack into their camera's--
Will: Like HELL I can't--
________________________________
Pyro: Shade, sit DOWN--
Shade: Mikhail's in trouble--
Brand: He's in the same building, Shade, he's not--
Shade: Ya don't get it, I'm gettin' a distress signal from the watch--
_________________________________
Des: How do you KNOW about that?!
Mikhail: Your people called Sanda’s labs directly. I vacated the premises, but once I got back… Battalion was home and everyone involved had been sworn to secrecy on a governmental, military level.
Mikhail: What else would any SANE Russian conclude given those facts?!
Des: --....
Des: -Grits teeth- (Damnit, he has a point...)
Mikhail: The constructs went where they could cause the most damage, Desmond! Battalion is a walking tank built as a homage to the military!
Des: ....
Des: If you were there, at the time, at least for a while--
Des: Why didn't you say anything?
Mikhail: Why do you think? I left PRECISELY to avoid THIS conversation, Mr. Desmond. =____=;;
Des: Then were YOU responsible for the security breach at the base THEN?
____________________________
Will: --! No--!
____________________________
[Mikhail looked up, confused. He seemed to be trying to process the information, unsure whether to ask for clarification or not. Eventually it faded to just a frown.]
Mikhail: …
Des: (.... Wasn't expecting that response...)
Des: ....
Des: Alright, then. You don't know. Sit down, Doctor.
[Mikhail didn’t sit down.]
Mikhail: Mnnn. Anyway. -Crosses his arms, tapping his fingers and looking to the side-
Mikhail: After all of that, do you honestly think I could rely on anyone to LISTEN to reason, to stop shooting just because some Doctor nobody told them to, especially me—a Russian?
Mikhail: Tsk. Don’t patronize me. I knew at once that it wouldn’t work. Perhaps it would under normal circumstances, but everyone was in panic. You didn’t know his intentions, and you were under attack—the logical thing would be to fight back against those not under your control. And so, he would be damaged. And he was! By the systems, by your security outside—
[He puts his hands behind his back and looks at Desmond coldly over his glasses.]
Mikhail: You yourself even SHOT him in the head, you TOLD me that YOURSELF in our last brief interview.
Des: --....
Des: (Ngh, he's right, we would've...)
Mikhail: Do you remember the state he was brought in to me? If it had been any worse, even the SLIGHTEST bit worse, Nine would have been too late and 000 would have died— permanently.
Des: (Gh...)
Des: (Having the core exposed like that...Yet another point for the Doctor. Bah...)
Mikhail: I refused to let that happen, I refused to make that risk! And not just the risk to him, to his friends— Cardinal Light was running on nuclear power—
Des: Nuclear?!
Des: (That doesn't make SENSE, there's no Xelbot online that runs on nuclear--they don't NEED to--)
Des: (Great, NOW we have to go through a radiation check...)
Mikhail: —if the virus had forced Shade, if Shade in his unwilling madness had, in that last moment, shot him—
Mikhail: Cardinal would have exploded, we would have lost him—!
Des: Doctor!
Des: Calm. Down.
[Mikhail exhaled sharply, but didn’t budge—even continuing to glare for a few tense moments.
…But then that cold fire slowly died down, and he began to look exhausted again. He sat down heavily, bowing his head.]
Mikhail: …I got desperate. …I refused to allow that to happen.
[He put his head in his hands.]
Mikhail: …I had sent all of my patients into an emergency lockdown that placed them Offline. But once I saw what was going to happen unless Cardinal was helped— I wanted to take him out of there, but his transceiver had been off for a long time. Only a positive visual lock can compensate for the lack of a signal. I needed visual. The only way to get visuals was through the security system… where they were currently under the virus’s control.
Mikhail: I saw no other option but to bypass or at least mitigate the malfunctioning security, since feeds could not be negotiated from the Pentagon… can’t negotiate what you don’t have in your possession to offer…
[His heart was racing.]
Mikhail: I made the decision to bring Tobias back Online.
[He curls his hands into fists and places them down on the table, his miserable gaze still cast downward.]
Mikhail: And I ordered him to go into the Cloud, force his way in there, give us the feeds, and disable it or turn it off.
__________________________
Will: NO--!!
Will: (No, Mikhail, NO--!)
_________________________
Cryo: MIC SIT ON HIM OR SOMETHING--
Mic: -But we don't want to crush him--
Beck: Shade, calm down--!
Shade: Lemmie GO--!
__________________________
Mikhail: I knew it was wrong, yes, and I did so anyway. That is what matters here, justified or not.
Mikhail: ({I’m so sorry Will…! But… if I don’t accept this, then it’s only going to bring the axe down on Tobias or you, and I just can’t allow that! This is not your fault and Tobias—he’s just a scared child, he doesn’t deserve such a fate—})
Mikhail: ({If… if someone REALLY has… has to /pay/…})
Des: ....
[The Secretary of Defense slowly exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't expect things to turn out this way.]
Des: (This is a huge complicated mess...)
Des: (If HE ordered DLN-008 to infiltrate the White House security...)
Des: (Under the circumstances...)
Des: (I have to assume he's also acting under orders.)
Des: So you ordered him to do it.
Mikhail: Yes.
Des: ....
Des: And whose orders are YOU acting under?
Mikhail: Nobody’s.
Des: .....
Des: Doctor Cossack.
Des: Your files and that of your patients didn't even exist in the last year.
Des: I can only assume someone else FORGED your papers.
Des: Who?
Mikhail: -Somewhat shaky but VERY firm- I won’t answer that.
Des: Then what ELSE do you want me to think?
Mikhail: -VERY uncomfortable expression- ({I can tell that’s going to cost me…!})
Des: And how much do Sanda and his employees know about this?
Mikhail: ENOUGH! I told you, no, I’m NOT a spy—
Des: Then WHO are you WORKING for, Doctor?!
Mikhail: I don’t work for /anybody,/ Desmond! Before Wily nearly completely destroyed my family, I built my sons within an LLC that was privately, personally funded! I’ve never let anyone be able to claim ownership over my sons—no one tells me what to do, I’m my own boss!
Mikhail: Do you have children, or at least know the lives of parents?!
Des: --..... (Min…)
Mikhail: Can you expect to know everything that your children’s friend’s parents are and know?!
Mikhail: No! Doctor Sanda and his children are the friends of my children, of my nephews— we too, in turn, are friends—that’s IT!
Mikhail: So— with all due respect, Mister Secretary—
[He gestures at the camera.]
Mikhail: I’ve told you all I have to say within the hearing range of other listening ears! Anything else will have to be for you alone, and only then can you decide whether it will or can be added back into an official file.
____________________________
Will: --.....
Will: -Admittedly kind of freaked out how he worded that, how does he know--
Soi: o______o;;;;
__________________________
Mikhail: …If that’s not good enough to work off of…
[He forces himself to look up, to look Desmond in the eyes with great effort.]
Mikhail: …you’ll just have to… -Takes a breath- …make your decisions… based on… based on what I’ve told you thus far.
Mikhail: ({God—if it really comes to that, please spare me; let it be quick—I don’t know if I could stand the waiting, I’m not strong enough for that…!})
Mikhail: And you can question me again and again, but forevermore, the answers will not change.
Des: . . .
Des: . . .
Mikhail: That is all I have to say.
Des: (....)
Des: (He's not going to talk any more, is he...)
Des: (And this STILL isn't enough to go on. There's still too many questions left unanswered, and he's dead set on keeping that under lock and key--not to mention taking any blame thereof.)
Des: (He's covering up for that boy, I know he is.)
Des: ....
Mikhail: …
Des: (...At least we have some very useful leverage against CherryDyn now.)
Des: (Maybe we can even have some kind of breakthrough--and a lead on Dencerjack, if he's still alive...)
Des: .....
Des: You said you printed off those files you said you'd provide.
Mikhail: Yes. I printed them off in advance, as I anticipated that they would be needed.
Des: Fine, but I'll have to take a look at the original files myself.
Mikhail: Very well, I may be willing to grant you access. That would have to be done at a later time, though. The server that hosts the files is no longer accessible via the Cloud. It has to be visited in person.
Des: ...In Russia? Somewhere off country? (Am I going to have to travel half way across the world--)
Des: ...And why?
Mikhail: No, not in Russia. -Sighs, shaking his head and closing his eyes- I don’t live there anymore. Not after what happened. We had to move as part of the protection program.
Mikhail: As for why…
Mikhail: Among other things… data in the Cloud still isn’t safe, even on isolated servers. In order to keep the files intact, I’ve removed all possible access to the server for this time. Sorry.
Des: .......
[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⚠️: 🔬 🔗 ✅.
[D.D. to M.M.]//: 🔬 🔇 ⛔️ 🔍 re: L008, et. al, etc.
[M.M. to D.D.]//: USE Ɑ STAT?
[D.D. to M.M.]//: 🔂 👀 ABOVE.
[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⚖?
[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌— 📰, 📁, ANY?
[M.M. to D.D.]//: ❌ re:🇷🇺, 🇯🇵
[M.M. to D.D.]//: ⏱ ⌛️?
[D.D. to M.M.]//: ❌—💬⛔️🔇
[M.M. to D.D.]//: 🎬🔍— ⏲ @ 0
[M.M. to D.D.]//: PROTOCOL?
[D.D. to M.M.]//: 💬
[D.D. to M.M.]//: ⛓🔬🔐
[M.M. to D.D.]//: ∴ ⛓🔬🔐
Des: (....Damn it.)
Des: (...I'm sorry, Doctor, but if you're going to be like this...)
Des: ....
Des: We're going to have to bring you in for further questioning.
Mikhail: ! -Winces- ({I’ll—! There’s no way I’ll—!}) -Breathing a bit heavier now, a dismayed kind of terrified- ({I’ll never make it out of that alive!})
((-CUE SOI TRYING TO HOLD BACK WILL FROM LOCKING DOWN THE LAB , AAAAH--))
((-Also cue Mighties BARELY holding back Shade from seeing what the heck is going on))
Mikhail: -Clearly scared and hopeless- … ({This is really it, then…. This is where it will end for me…. Alone, in captivity, not even within my own time. That… that’s really how… how I’m going to die?}) -Swallows- …
Mikhail: … -Swallows again- ({Then…})
Mikhail: ({So be it.})
Mikhail: -Russian- {…I…. I understand.}
Des: ....
[Mikhail struggled to get his breathing under control, and to stop the swallowing, but it wasn’t easy to put a forceful end to the instinctive physical response to panic.]
Des: I don't like this either, Doctor.
Des: ...You seem like a good man, in my opinion. And my gut's usually right on things like this.
Mikhail: … {Do what you must.}
Des: ....
[With a sigh, Des reached around to pull out a pair of steel handcuffs. Unfortunately, this was protocol.]
Mikhail: -Flinches SHARPLY at this- …
[He didn’t say anything. He just looked incredibly defeated.
He started to pull off his left glove silently, hesitating for a moment before letting the silk slide.]
Des: --...!
Des: (What in the...)
[His hands were covered in burn scars. It was clear he’d had some skin grafting done. One could see the edges continued all the way to his arms.
…Looking closer, one could also see such scars beneath the beard on his face.
There were also other scars around his wrists—as if he had been bound there and struggled against it for months.
He really had seen hell before…and he’d actually been speaking literally when he said Cardinal had rescued him from fire.]
Des: ..... (Scars…)
[He hesitated briefly—he wasn’t sure if those scars were prone to sudden pain via pressure. They looked incredibly nasty—and also fairly recent.]
Des: (…I don’t have a choice.)
[Desmond took great care as he closed the restraints around Mikhail’s wrists. There was a cold, somewhat jarring clicking noise as he locked them into place and reluctantly tightened them.
Mikhail bites back a whimper of anxiety, gritting his teeth in silence. His heart was still pounding—he almost felt dizzy in the fear… but he was determined not to give in to it.]
Des: (…This is going to suck.)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 9D: HAZY SUSPICION=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
[The air of despair was suffocating. Even Desmond could feel it as he shut the recorder off.
It just didn’t sit right with him—none of it did.]
Des: (Those scars are real, if nothing else. …If it IS a front as part of a cover, he’s sure hellishly dedicated to the job. And if not…?)
Des: (What is he so intent on hiding that he’ll be willing to suffer so much?)
Des: …—! (Oh, right…)
Des: ...You have a daughter.
Des: If everyone is Offline, like you said, who's going to take care of her?
Mikhail: …
Des: ....
Des: If there's no one else, Doctor, I'll have to call Social Services.
[Mikhail opened his eyes again with a stern frown.]
Mikhail: …
Des: ...
Des: Do you at least have anyone that can tell her where you're going?
Des: .....
Des: -Sigh-
[He seemed to be thinking on this as Desmond opened the door to take him out into the hall.]
Mikhail: …I didn’t bring her with me. She’s with a family friend where she’ll be safe.
Des: ....Who?
Mikhail: I won’t talk about that right now. I don’t want anyone else knowing where she is. I don’t know who else is listening or who will be told, and we just had a call from CherryDyn—
Des: -Freezes- What?
Mikhail: -Dryly- Remember what I said about trouble with public relations? I’m afraid I lost my patience when the CEO called, after all the grief he’s caused this family. He knows that I’m aware of the link and trying to prove it. Given that Greater Dusk itself has been all but eliminated, I would not put it past him or his subordinates to go after my daughter before/as part of going after me. The danger may persist for some time yet.
((Des reaction))
Mikhail: It’s very important to me that she stays safe, but it is easily a secondary importance that you are able to have access to the truth. So… we should go pick that up, at least. My notes are in the lab. Do try not to bother the others at their work. If we’re quiet, we should be able to leave without raising up a panic.
[His expression softened.]
Mikhail: …There’s someone you need to see there anyway.
Des: (...DLN-000...)
Des: (...Why would Graham call Sanda Tech, at a time like this--)
[CRASH--]
Mikhail: ?!
"AH' SAID LEMMIE GO--"
[Just down the hallway's intersection was Shade, struggling to push himself forward despite Avi and Beck clinging to his legs, and Pyro trying to restrain him--the other Mighties were worryingly trailing behind.]
Avi: BRO COME ON STOP IT--
Shade: -In near hysterics- AH' SAID NO, UNCLE MIKHAIL'S IN TROUBLE--
Des: ( “Uncle”? And how—)
Beck: But he's right there--
Beck: --!
Beck: H...Huh?
Mikhail: Countershade Arthur White! You should BE IN BED! =__=
[It was clear Mikhail was not happy to be seen in his current condition.]
Des: How did he--
[SLAM--]
[At the opposite end of the hallway, a door is heard slamming shut, and a rapid pair of footsteps following suit.
Soi had just enough time to yank Will back by his lab coat into a restraining hug, who looked absolutely livid.]
Will: YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE HIM AWAY--!
Soi: WILL CALM DOWN--
Des: ???????? (How is it they all KNOW?!) -Looks back and forth- (...Crap wait the Mighties are behind us and the Doctors are in front of us--)
"ENOUGH."
Beck: --!
Beck: Felix--?
((pic))
[FELIX used HALT!]
Shade: --?!
Des: (What the--I can't move--?!)
Will: --!!
Beck: (Ngh...Can't move...)
Des: (How in the world--I can't even look to see who did that, what is--??)
Dyna: -BZZ BZZ, HEY, CAN'T MOVE--
Cryo: -YO WHAT THE GLITCH IS GOING ON, WHY IS UNCLE MIKHAIL IN HANDCUFFS, WHY DOES DAD LOOK REALLY TICKED OFF, WHY CAN'T WE MOVE-
[Felix strode into view. He looked annoyed.]
Felix: I want answers as to why I was told to deliver medical aid, and ended up arriving on a developing fight scene. And no violence.
[He released Desmond, Mikhail, Sanda, and Brandish from the Halt.]
Felix: Talk.
Soi: --Oof--
Brand: -We are honestly just as confused as you are-
Des: Ngh...
Felix: -Glares!-
Des: --!
Des: (What the...Who IS he?)
Des: -Ow-
Des: Doctor Cossack is being brought in for more questioning--
Beck: (What--?!)
Soi: But--weren't you just--
Mikhail: … -Looks away and sighs-
Will: -ATTEMPTS TO STRUGGLE, nope, can't move--Mikhaaaaaail--
Brand: . . .
Brand: (...No wonder Father is so worked up.)
Brand: Can you not question him here further?
Des: -...Looks at Mikhail-
Des: ....
Mikhail: …It doesn’t appear that is going to be given as an option.
Des: There's still things he needs to answer for.
Des: (And THEN some.)
Brand: .... -Also glares-
Brand: And you expect to leave this building without some kind of explanation to us?
Des: --....
Mikhail: -Warning tone- Brandish—
Brand: Besides.
Brand: Cardinal still needs repairs. You are quite literally taking away the help he needs.
[Mikhail scowled as he scolded Brand.]
Mikhail: Shame on you, Brandish. You know full well that Nineteen can handle the rest of the repairs. Do not try to guilt trip the man, it's already hard enough on the both of us as it is.
Brand: ....
Brand: >>
Mikhail: There are consequences to keeping secrets. This is one of them.
Will: (Ngh--)
Mikhail: Given what probably would have happened if I had told the full truth before he met Felix, I prefer this option. -_-;
Des: (The full truth?)
Brand: ....
Brand: ...I apologize for my deceit, it's just...
Brand: >> (Seeing you like this is rather...hurtful...)
Des: This--
Soi: Er--
Soi: I--I hate to interrupt, but we REALLY don't have time to talk.
Soi: There's a situation that requires all hands on deck--
Beck: (--?)
Mikhail: -Looks over at Sanda- So you really are sending them out? : /
Brand: --?
Soi: ....Do we really have a choice? We do not want the city or the lab overrun with infected robots again--
Brand: What?
Beck: (--!!)
Mikhail: Then... Felix, I need you to go back to the Meadow. Have Jaden and Carlos sent over.
Felix: ... And your sons?
Mikhail:Let them rest. -Looks over at Des, then down at his handcuffs briefly before returning his attention to Felix- I don't want them getting angry.
Des: Wait--
Soi: Er, Felix, before you go, uh...
[He gestured to the Halted others with a tilt of his head.]
Shade: B /
Felix walked over to Shade and looked at him with a frown.]
[His thoughts went back to the visions he had suffered—the agony he had seen.]
Felix: . . .
[But he knew better than to bring that up, especially now.]
Felix: ... Don't do anything too rash, Countershade.
Shade: -We thought he was in danger, alright, can ya please let us go, we're gettin' uncomfortably stiff here-
Brand: How did you even know?
Shade: -Watch signal-
Brand: --....
Des: ....Watch? -Aaaand looks at Mikhail-
Des:
(I thought I completely disarmed him--)
Des: (He's in his PJ's, for crying out loud--)
[Mikhail was equally surprised.]
Mikhail: ...It does that?
Shade: -Data- -Sends distress signal t' the server and me if heart rate is above normal stress levels for too long-
Shade: -.....-
Shade: -In hindsight Ah' should've given ya a rundown of the functions, sorry 'bout that-
Brand: -______-;;;;;;
Des: .....
Des: (What is going ON around here??)
Des: (I thought the Doctor said they were just his children's friends, yet...)
Beck: -Nnnngh, Feeeeliiiix can you please let us go, it sounds like there's trouble--
[Felix releases them.]
Mikhail: Thank you. Now Desmond, please, my notes are still in the lab, and we have a power core to deliver.
Will: .....
Will: (Mikhail...)
Will: ....
Des: ....
[As much as Desmond wanted answers, he knew he wasn't going to be getting any right at this moment. Especially with Dr. White silently glaring at him like that.]
Des: ...Fine...
Soi: R-Right--Mighties? We need a quick briefing. We don't have a lot of time.
Soi: Come on, Will...
Will: .....
Will: -Sigh-
{Sanda’s Labs}
[While Will, Sanda, and the Mighty Numbers walked off, Mikhail motioned for Felix and Des to come with him to the labs.
Felix looked a lot better than he had previously, but still harrowed by a normal person’s standards. (That tended to be a side effect of living off the land even under the best of circumstances.) Once he saw that Mikhail was bound, he wasted no time silently expressing his displeasure with a vicious glare. However, he chose not to say anything, and not to act on it.]
Mikhail: This won’t take too long. Mr. Desmond, this is something that will be important for you to see. Open the door, please.
Des: ….
Des: -Opening door- (Is that other guy his bodyguard or… or what?)
[The lab inside was quiet now; Shadow, who was still locked away in technological isolation, remained asleep. And as for Cardinal…]
Felix: … -Walks over to look down at the repair table- …
[He turned away, closing his eyes in regret and placing the hand which held the Psynergy Stone core over his heart.]
Felix: … (I saw this. I saw it, I foresaw it, and I couldn’t stop what was meant to be.)
Felix: (How much more suffering will I be powerless to prevent? Results of things done at my hands?)
Des: –….
Des: (…Is that…)
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Turns to look at Desmond- Remember when I told you there were things only you should see and hear? What you are about to see is one of those things. Please brace yourself—we’ve cleaned him up, so it doesn’t look quite as… macabre… but it’s still unpleasant.
[He pushes his glasses up his face before gently leaning down and pulling the sheet back.]
[Cardinal was almost just how they had found them—he had been cleaned up and his eyes had been closed, so he almost looked like he was asleep. That is… until you quickly noticed the cavity in his chest.]
Des: –?!??
Des: Wha–….?
Des: (That…)
Des: (That is NOT a Xel structure–)
Mikhail: I think you can see why I didn’t want one of your State Doctors working on him. Now are you starting to see why it’s so important you’re careful who gets to hear all of the answers?
Des: But….
Des: How–?
Des: (There hasn’t been a robot like this in–literal centuries, if the old records are anything to go by–!)
Mikhail: That’s a truth you need to reach on your own based on what you’ve seen and will see. It cannot be forced upon you.
Des: (With all due respect, Doctor, that cryptic response didn’t help much.)
Des: …Just…
Des: ….
Des: How old is he?
Mikhail: He’s as old as Doctor William White. Which is very, very old by his kind’s standards. Most are destroyed by their brother, DLN-001, before they reach three years of age.
Des: (…His–wait, that makes NO sense, how–?)
Des: …His kind?
Des: Are all the DLN and DWN series–and yours, like….?
Mikhail: Yes.
Mikhail: They are the Robot Masters, and that is as close to a species name for them as there is.
Mikhail: The DLN, DWN, DCN, and SWN series are all built like this.
Mikhail: But he was and is the first of them all—
Mikhail: DLN-000: Protoman.
Des: I….
Des: (What in the world…)
Des: … .
Des: (….W…Well, this sort of explains why he’s covering for them so much…)
Des: ….
Des: (How am I going to explain this to Min?)
Mikhail: Felix…? How long do you think the core will last?
Felix: -Shakes his head, turning around- If he doesn’t exert himself, it should allow for the repairs to finish, and for him to wake up, talk with other people, think, and discuss for two months. I condensed it the best I could, but outside of Weyard…
Mikhail: -Pushes his glasses up again with a small sigh- I rather expected as much.
Des: (Weyard–? What?)
Des: … .
Mikhail: Would you be willing to install it? I understand you’ve had some relevant experience with artifacts… I’d do it myself but— -Gestures to handcuffs- —I’m not able to move as precisely as I need to.
Felix: Yes, of course.
[He took a few steps back.]
Des: –?
Des: (What–why is he–)
[Felix used LIFT!]
[The stone began to float in the air.]
Des: –…??????
Des: (What.)
[Felix himself seemed to be glowing with a faint gold outline.]
[Felix used CARRY!]
[The stone was moved over in the air in a precise line, and then gently lowered into place.]
Click.
[A small object tucked behind the energy heart began to glow…
Energy seemed to surge through Cardinal’s body, and right before Desmond’s eyes…]
[…the fans and wiring started to repair themselves.]
Des: ?!?!??
[There wasn’t any words–what could Des say to something like this?]
[What was there TO say?]
Des: (This CANNOT be happening–)
Des: (But–)
Des: (It REALLY is–)
Des: (Mother Almighty, what did we uncover?)
Mikhail: Only once you accept this reality…
[The repairs went faster, entire portions of the mobility rig manifesting into being. The inner armor started to hem its way in, closing up. As it did so, Cardinal began to breathe on his own. The monitors were displaying rapid lines of code, flashing with a red screen for a moment before continuing in what looked like a DOS startup.]
Mikhail: …can I begin to finish telling you the full truth.
Des: …..
Des: …….
Des: …..
Des: Why…
Des: Why are you showing me this?
Des: I mean…
Des: I’m the /Secretary of Defense./
Des: There ARE people I have to… try to explain this to.
Des: You were already covering for them, so…
Des: Why?
Mikhail: … -Puts a hand to his mouth in thought for a moment- …
Mikhail: Well. -Places his hands down, gesturing as best he can with them cuffed- Simply put, I trust you.
Mikhail: I always wanted to tell YOU the truth—you and your superior, and the tech department have all been helpful to our friends during this trying time. Shown to be reasonable, trustworthy people.
Mikhail: And you do need answers. I judged that you could handle them, and thus deserved to have the truth.
Mikhail: I believe you are capable of making what decisions you need to with this information, and that whatever they may be, they will be just and for the good of your people. It’s the right thing to do.
Des: ….
Des: So, in other words…
Des: You had a gut feeling, and with the facts, decided to go for it?
Mikhail: Something like that.
Mikhail: The truth, Desmond?
Mikhail: The truth is you will never find records of us newer than five months ago. They don’t exist because we didn’t exist here until that point.
Des: …?
Des: …Here, as in…? (As in…What, the country?)
Des: And how does he– -points to Felix- Fit into all this?
[Felix turned to face Desmond, looking at him with an alpha stare.]
((pic))
Felix: I am Lord Felix of Vale, Proxan Warrior, Dragon Slayer.
Felix: Like the Doctor, I am another traveler through reality.
Des: ….
Des: (I did not hear that right–)
Des: (Another–another reality?)
Felix: Think for a moment before you protest that, Master Desmond. You slept just fine, I can see that much. You don’t seem like the kind of man to drink heavily or engage in other vices that cause illusions.
Des: …..
Des: And…Dr. Sanda and company knows all this?
Mikhail: Yes.
Mikhail: …Well.
Mikhail: His daughter knows. The Whites know. I’m not entirely sure if his brother knows, and to be honest… I’m not sure who else works in the company, if anyone. -Awkwardly scratches the back of his head- Only Dr. Sanda, Call Sanda, and the Whites know for sure.
Des: …
Mikhail: If we had told you this up front, you surely would have declared us insane.
Mikhail: Or, even worse, those listening might have believed it, and thus sought to take advantage of it for malicious purposes.
[His voice dropped to a tired, soft tone.]
Mikhail: Given what could happen to the boys… what may happen in your world if they knew…
Mikhail: ({And what you might do to them and to Will if I did not come forward at all…})
Mikhail: I could only say part of the truth. I was—and still am—prepared to pay the price for silence.
Des: ……
Des: -Deep breath-
Des: (Christ…)
Des: …..
Des: So…
Des: Let me… -runs hand though hair- Get this straight…
Des: Somehow, you and Dr. Sanda and Dr. White met up five months ago…
Des: From another world…
Des: …
Des: …. I assume somewhere in between all that, someone forged papers for you, so it wouldn’t seem as strange as you and your patients suddenly appearing out of thin air, which…
Des: …Which is kind of what sort of happened, from our perspective…
Mikhail: We hoped to prevent inquiries from reaching a federal level by having something there to FIND in checks and references.
Mikhail: The boys getting themselves DIRECTLY involved on a federal level was not something anyone had anticipated or wanted. They’re not innately aggressive or out to harm others, I swear—
Mikhail: They’re used to hiding, being hunted just for existing—
Mikhail: Left to their own devices, they just want to be left alone and allowed to walk around like any other normal Xelbot or human being.
Des: … .
Des: >> -Looks at Cardinal-
Des: I can see why.
Des: (…This is honestly way too crazy to make up. It…It just is.)
Mikhail: -Looks down at Cardinal with a smile, placing his hands on a shoulder in a comforting pat before pulling the sheet up to be like a bedsheet this time- Though Cardinal and Shade in particular have grown incredibly close. They all have their own close friends…
Mikhail: Tobias and Dyna, David and Cryo, Jaden and Beck—Beck with everyone, really. Shadow is Brand’s student, Digger likes being with Seismic… -Looks up, amused- And with Felix.
[By this point, the Adept in question had already quietly made his exit, presumably to get the help that Mikhail had requested earlier.]
Mikhail: I could go on for some while, but… yes. I imagine in your background checks, you found out about Cardinal’s visit to the arena, hmm?
Mikhail: Since then, he has had dreams. Dreams of combat in competition. But I suppose that can be expected when you are made for Combat but spend your life in hiding, only to meet and befriend people who make such a thing their livelihood as celebrities.
Mikhail: Now that hiding is no longer an option…
[He shakes his head with a gentle smile, closing his eyes.]
Mikhail: …But that’s enough of idle chatter. I suspect we have to go soon. Mmm….
Mikhail: -Looks up- Ready when you are. The notes are by the door just as we exit.
Des: …..
Des: <<
Des: (Questioning him further seems, uh…kind of useless at this point, all things considering, but…)
Des: Yes, of course…
Des: -Picks up notes as they walk by- I’ll see if I can’t have an escort waiting outside the–
[PING!]
[WARNING. WARNING.]
Mikhail: -Looks up- ???
[CITY AREA IS NOW IN CONDITION RED. CITY AREA IS NOW IN CONDITION RED.]
Des: What–?!
[PING!]
[CALL] //: Attention: All individuals in the building please report to the main lab. Attention: All individuals please report to the main lab.
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Starts to work up to a run- WILL?! WILL, WHAT’S GOING ON—
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 10A: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
((Briefing will go here))
[When Mikhail, Des, and Felix got there, The Mighty Numbers were gathered around the main screen, which had two live feeds.]
[One was of the main entrance of the CherryDynamics Factory, blown wide open. CherryDyn Models were pouring out by the dozens.]
[And the other feed...]
Speedy: Holy glitch is that a PRISON?!
Will: ....
Will: ...Yes.
Will: There's been a break-in.
Jaden: Seriously? At a time like THIS? Who would want to break INTO a prison?
Mikhail: ({—! No—! They DIDN’T—!}) Where are my sons?!
Jaden: Hmm? They’re still aslee— -Turns around-
Jaden: —!!!
<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
[His battle armor rapidly shifted into place. He looked scared.]
Jaden: HOLY glitch, Doctor WHY ARE YOU TIED UP—
Speedy: -Whirls around, shifting also and taking a defensive battle stance out of instinct as he speaks in alarm- Wait, what?!
Des: I'll uncuff him later!
Des: What is going ON?!
Call: CherryDynamic's Robot Factory has been mass producing infected models at an alarming rate.
Call: There has also been a reported break-in at the maximum security Prison, and all communication with them has been lost.
Call: CherryDyn Models have also been reported trying to swarm the Prison.
Will: . . .
Mikhail: What? Why? Who’s being kept there?
Will: ....
Will: Dr. Benedict Blackwell.
Mikhail: … What?
Mikhail: -Now just CONFUSED- I though we discussed this a long, long time ago—
Mikhail: Who would want to go after him? This can’t be his doing. You said he’s been there for ages, and even Dr. Wily isn’t THAT patient! After Rock finally corners him a second time, he’ll only wait a few months before—
Mikhail: … (Wait— he… w-will…?!)
[He doubled over in a sudden, overwhelming headache, with the Robot Masters present doing likewise. Felix managed to catch Mikhail before he hit the ground, despite being alarmed and startled—but Jaden and Speedy were not so lucky.]
Will: --!!
Will: Mikhail--?!
Beck: Guys?!
Jaden: Ow… (Feel like I had the wind knocked right out of me…)
Mikhail: Ghh… gah… not this again…
Will: (--?? Again--?)
Mikhail: This… this happened… or will happen… before…
Felix: Side note—Master Desmond knows the truth now.
Will: ......I...see.
Des: ....
Will: (...Ngh...)
Speedy: Ugh, worry about Dad and what he WILL do in the future later—let’s deal with the now, what do we do?
Will: Mngh.... (....)
Will: (They're not going to like this.)
Will: We now have not one, but two major situations we must deal with.
Beck: So we split up?
Will: No.
Will: At least, not you, Mighties.
Jaden: …What? Surely you don’t plan to send us off away from them. -Looks over at Desmond nervously- What if we’re… stopped, and…?
Speedy: -Suddenly notices, and seems to freeze up, then look pained- We’re not gonna get experimented on, are we? The first time people took me apart for science was bad enough.
((Des reaction))
Will: That’s, um… not quite what I meant, you two.
Pyro: --?
Will: You're more effective as an entire team, rather than in two parts. Not only that, but you have the endurance and skill needed for combat on a massive scale.
Will: It's only logical that you all will be sent to the Factory. There's no telling how many infected models are on site.
Will: ...Not only that—
Jaden: But—!
Jaden: Doctor, that’s a contagion hazard! D:
Speedy: Oh, shut up, Beck’s on our side and you can tank anything anyway.
Jaden: Why take that risk, brother?! After everything that’s happened?! What do you think would happen if—! What would that do to them?!
Jaden: You and I are immune and make to take this sort of fight—we can handle ourselves! If we must split ways—
((Will’s response as to why not))
Will: As long as you do not let any infected Xel into your systems, you all should be fine.
Will: I'll also be implementing a prototype XelFilter.EXE program into our server before I go.
Beck: ....
Beck: Go?
Mikhail: {What?} Will, what— go where?
Will: ....
Will: CherryDynamics's Robot Factory is all automated.
Will: The way the system is set up, it can produce models with little to no human help.
Will: Because of this, any and all changes to their Manufacturing Operator Mainframe-- The M.O.M units...
Will: ...Must be done on site.
Will: Though a certain, mainframe terminal with the ONLY authorized access.
Mikhail: —…
Mikhail: And… you’ve already determined there’s no one else— that’s why it took time, even after I left…
Mikhail: …
Felix: (I hope he doesn’t demand to take Will’s place. I don’t know much about the machines of this world, but I DO know that he’s going to make himself sick if he doesn’t get some rest very soon.)
Mikhail: At least take the sensory defense mechanism with you, Will!
Mikhail: I’m begging you—
Mikhail: You and Sanda are the ONLY friends I have ever since we were relocated in the protection program! PLEASE don’t get yourself hurt!
Pyro: Father--
Beck: Dad, wait--
Mikhail: Boys!
Mikhail: There’s an American saying you people have. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”
Mikhail: He wouldn’t be doing this unless he knew it were the best option—we don’t have time for further delay! Mighties, Angels—get ready to go, you must act quickly!
Beck: ....
Beck: --But what about the Prison?
Will: Sanda's going there with Call.
Soi: Yes, of--
Soi: Wait, WHAT?!
Felix: -sNORTS-
Will: Sanda.
Will: I know I ask too much of you...
Will: But if someone is going after Blackwell, someone must go and ensure his safety.
Will: ...As well as get some answers, if any.
[Speedy gave a loud, annoyed ping of disagreement.]
Speedy: You want answers from him?
[He points at Mikhail (who is standing to the right of him) using both hands, without even looking over. He maintains eye contact with Will the whole time.]
Speedy: Try having him talk to the guy! We’ve more or less known for ages that Blackwell went nuts for the same reasons my Dad did! : /
Will: I will NOT put any more in danger than I HAVE to, Speedy.
Will: .....
Will: ...Soi...
Will: If...
Will: If you really don't feel like you can, I--
Soi: ....Ngh.
Soi: ...W-Well...Under the circumstances, I...Suppose this is the only way to talk to Blackwell...Hoorf...
Soi: A...Are you sure you don't want to swap missions? ^^;;;
Will: You want to go to a factory full of infected robots instead?
Soi: --....
Will: (...Besides.)
Will: (I would prefer it if I NEVER have to see or hear of Blackwell ever again for the rest of my life.)
Des: Are you kidding me--
Des: This is INSANE, you're civilians, you can't just--!
Will: On the contrary, Mr. Desmond.
Will: I am not as helpless as I appear to be.
Will: I have means to defend myself.
Des: --...
Will: Brandish?
Brand: --Yes, Father?
Will: Remember that box I gave you? Before you left to train?
Will: The wooden one.
Brand: Yes...?
Will: Please bring it to me.
Mikhail: I still insist you take the sensory device mechanism with you. >>
Will: I didn't say no, Mikhail. -Chuckles-
[Mikhail walks over and slings his arms over Will’s head to pull him into a hug—as much of a hug he can, given his current condition.]
Will: --!
Mikhail: Be careful out there, alright?
Will: ....
Will: Eheh....
Will: I will.
Will: I have the world's top fighting team on my side, don't I? ^^
Cryo: -YEAH I'LL PUNCH ANYONE THAT TRIES TO HURT NOODLE DAD-
Mikhail: -Grins, pulling his arms up and over again to release his friend- And then some. I think you will all be surprised at what Jaden can take and what Speedy can do.
Jaden: As long as Avi doesn’t get me caught in a crosswind unfriendly fire, I can take just about anything.
Jaden: …
Jaden: …I wish Cardinal could come with us.
Will: ....So do I.
[A moment later, Brandish returns with the box in question.]
[...It's a stained black wooded box. It almost looked solid with no visible way to open it.]
Will: Ah...
Soi: --!
Soi: Wait a sec...
Brand: ....
Brand: You told me to never open it unless I was in real danger.
Speedy: Bro, I’m pretty sure now qualifies. >>;
Will: Yes...
Beck: ?
Beck: But what's in it?
Will: Hmm...
[Will runs his hands over it, an almost...Far away look in his eyes.]
Will: (...I never thought I'd have to use this again.)
Will: (Or if I even... Remember how...)
Will: Soi...
Soi: --!
[The box suddenly opened--either by voice or by some hidden mechanic only Will knew, was hard to say.]
[Inside was some kind of...]
[... Rapier handle?]
Soi: (...You still kept that--?)
Speedy: …
Speedy: Is that a classy light saber, or—
Will: -Laughs-
Will: Not quite, but that's a good guess!
[With one hand behind his back, Will grasped the handle.]
[As if by magic, Xel began to appear out of the hole where the blade should Be--slowly settling into that very sharp steel-like point.]
Will: I must admit, I...
Will: ...Haven't quite fenced in a while...
Brand: ....
Brand: You knew how to FENCE and you didn't tell me--
Will: Eheh...
Will: Oops? ^^;;
Felix: …
Felix: -I want to spar—-
Brand: -So do I--
Soi: -SNORTS-
Soi: Ah, ah! I'd think twice if I were you!
Soi: -Pats Will on the shoulder- Will here won the National Collegiate Fencing Tournament for FIVE years running!
Beck: WHAT--
Will: I, uh...Eheh. That was college, Soi...
Soi: -STILL COUNTS-
Felix: And I trained under Proxan Warriors for five years, give—
[Mikhail gives a hearty laugh.]
Mikhail: You boys can have all the spars you could want once this nightmare is over. Felix, you and Brand are next, if I remember correctly?
Brand: -Winner gets to face Father-
Felix: -DEAL-
Mikhail: Go on. Go out there and end this, to make those happy days once again a reality.
Des: -You guys are NUTS-
Will: Mikhail...
Will: I trust you'll hold down the lab while we're gone.
Felix: -Brought back to the now at this- -Frowns- …
Mikhail: I’ll do my best. Mr. Desmond, will you help me with that?
Des: I...don't really have a choice...
[RING!]
Des: --? (That's my cell--)
Des: -Takes out phone--
Des: --....
Des: (Oh.)
[CALL FROM: MINNIE MOUSE]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: ???
Des: Uh.
Des: -Quickly moves to unlock the Doctor's handcuffs- I have to take this--
Des: Good luck!
[While Dr. White prepared the Mighty Numbers for a battle in an infected factory, Donald Desmond took a call from his boss on a private room on a secure line.
She was less than pleased.]
Minerva: THERE you are! Good heavens—we were starting to wonder if we’d have to promote your secretary!
Des: Madame President, I’m fine. >>; Thing is, now we got a bigger problem...
Minerva: Besides the fact that the last I contacted you, you were going to arrest him, and the next thing I know, both the city where you WERE and the prison you were going TO were both under attack? -.-;
Des: ...No, that's pretty much it. -Sighs-
Minerva: -Also sighs and puts a hand to her face- Your colleague in the Department of Homeland Security is having a field day with all the work that’s been slammed onto him since this started. And now that the strongest prison we have has been compromised…
Minerva: The CIA are pretty certain foreign entities—primarily Russia and Japan, since that was the most intense focus—aren’t part of this, though that rather suggests this is homegrown, which isn’t much more reassuring.
Des: Besides the fact that we got civilians heading in both places, that is. -_-;;;; Dr. White and the MN Line is heading into the Factory while Dr. Sanda and his daughter are heading for the Prison...
Minerva: …
Minerva: I don’t like the sounds of that. (Can Dr. Sanda even handle something so dangerous?)
Minerva: Even with all nine of the Mighty Numbers, that still places Dr. White in extreme danger.
Des: He seemed pretty confident in himself, Min. …And he has some sort of Xel rapier, too.
[Minerva looked up.]
Minerva: Beg pardon?
Des: According to Dr. Sanda, Dr. White won the National Collegiate Fencing Tournament for five years in a row.
Minerva: …
[She gave a bit of an odd look, and didn’t speak for several moments.]
Minerva: …Well, if he’s certain, then. The factory is privately owned, however…
Des: They got a call from CherryDyn itself asking for help.
Minerva: … Really?
[She sounded exasperated on Will’s behalf.]
Minerva: Does Mr. Graham really think that they’d be so eager to help after all the scandal he’s tried to cause them?
Des: Well, apparently they agreed to help out, because of the emergency.
[Minerva sighed.]
Minerva: Alright, enough on that matter. As for the prison…
Minerva: Everyone on the scene is already doing what they can, and it’s DoHS’s problem if they need to prevent Dr. Sanda from entering, then. But why is he going there in the first place?
Des: I heard that it was to ensure that Dr. Blackwell isn't harmed...
Des: ....
Des: But I also heard something about getting some answers...
Minerva: …Now that’s suspicious. That was actually said directly?
Des: Yup.
Des: At first, I thought it was because Graham blamed him when the virus broke out, and wanted to ask him why, but...
Des: If Blackwell isn't involved, then why go though the trouble, besides ensuring safety?
Minerva: What did the others have to say to that?
Des: Doctor Cossack wasn't exactly pleased.... It was suggested that HE be sent to talk to Blackwell instead of Sanda.
Minerva: … What? Why on earth would they suggest that? .-.
Des: He's....older? I don't know.... (They said something about Blackwell and their father… sounded like they were referring to Dr. Wily, but why…? How does that connect to Cossack being able to get answers?)
Des: Still, it doesn't make much sense...
Minerva: …
Minerva: What even happened earlier today, Des?
Des: ...........
Des: >>
Des: ....
Minerva: I asked you to keep me posted, and you did—you said that Dr. Cossack was involved, that that had been confirmed, and he was stonewalling you. What happened in that interview?
Des: .....
Des: It's not really what happened in it, it's...
Des: It's what happened right after that.
Minerva: Elaborate.
Des: I can't.
[There was a moment of silence as Minerva Morandi gave her best educator’s stare of disapproval. Desmond scowled under the fierce power of a miffed teacher’s gaze.]
Des: It's....
Des: It's really hard to put into words, okay--
Des: I literally can't can't explain it without sounding...Uh.
Des: ....
Des: >>
Des: Really really crazy.
Minerva: -Raises an eyebrow- You’re stonewalling me? Really?
Minerva: Honestly, Donald—it’s not as if you’re going to say you discovered that Beck White is actually an alien from the moon running the Illuminati with a sock puppet as a mind control device.
Des: Okay, point--
Des: It's still hard to put it in a way that you'll actually believe it, Min.
Des: It's...
Des: ...Probably better if you saw it yourself.
Minerva: :T I can’t enter the city, Des. It’s been declared an area of emergency. That’s one of the reasons why it was so important to figure out WHERE you were—both of the options possible were bad. Even if I were feeling like humoring you, there’s no way the Secret Service would let me sneak over.
Des: Then you're just going to have to trust me on this one, Min.
Des: Look, you've known me for years, okay? I've been nothing but truthful to you, not because I'm the SECRETARY of DEFENSE, but because you're my friend.
Minerva: Exactly, so I don’t understand why you’re stonewalling me.
Minerva: You said Cossack was involved—how so?
Minerva: Is he relevant to this or not, Des?
Des: >> ....
Des: Just brace yourself for this--
[He pulled out the recording device that was used to record the interview.]
[Click.]
((descriptive text, flashbacks here; too sick right now to write it out))
Minerva: He surrendered— just like that?
Des: Yeah.
Des: Covering for DLN-008, I know he is.
Minerva: But that would cost him his life if he kept that up, and he clearly knew it!
Des: .....
Des: >>
Des: There's....A reason for that, why he covered for them.
Des: ....And this is the crazy part, Min.
Minerva: Sacrificing the well being of his daughter for another patient he isn’t related to? For charges amounting to what we send CAL missions out for? This better be good.
Des: ....
Des: After that...
Des: >>;;;
Des: I had a bit of trouble escorting the Doctor out of the room...
Des: The other Doctors, and the MN series--they weren't going to let me walk out of that building with him, that's for sure...
Minerva: —wait, what? Are you saying they threatened you?
Des: No, although White was really angry...
Des: Apparently, Doctor Mikhail had a watch that sent a distress signal based on his heart rate--to their server.
Minerva: … (Des… how could you have missed that? -Internal sigh- I guess we’re all only human.)
Minerva: Well. That would suggest that all his reactions were genuine, and not an act…
Des: True.
Des: ....
Des: . . . . .
Des: And then this...
Des: This man...
Des: -Again struggling to put it into words-
Des: Like something out of a book or something...
Des: He just raised his hand and NO one moved after that--
Des: I couldn't move--
Minerva: So you WERE attacked—
Des: No, more like restrained--
Des: And I wasn't exactly the primary target, I think...
Des: He had no weapon in his hand, nothing, it was like he...I don't know, stopped TIME or something!
Des: I could still think, but move? Nothing.
Minerva: What kind of Xelbot was he?
Des: I...
Des: I don't think he was one.
Minerva: …
Minerva: (There’s another human angle besides the four Doctors and Gregory Graham? That’s new.)
Des: ...He said his name was Felix of Vale.
Des: He said he brought DLN-000's new core replacement.
Minerva: …
Minerva: I taught the Xel equivalent of biology as a science unit for years.
Minerva: It… …doesn’t work that way.
Des: -Runs hand though his hair-
Des: Yeah. On Xelbots, yeah.
Des: .....
Minerva: …
Des: .....
Des: Min?
Des: The DLN line, the DWN line, and Cossack's line...
Des: ...
Des: The Doctor let me watch.
Des: I saw DLN-000 in repairs.
Des: He's not a Xel-Type Robot.
[A pause.]
Minerva: …
Minerva: -Puts her hands to her face- That… explains a number of things.
Minerva: (Such as why it was stated he ran on nuclear energy. Ugh, now the whole White House will have to be swept for radiation…)
Minerva: No wonder Cossack wouldn’t let us take him in for repairs. If the tech branch of HHS saw…
Des: Would have seen wires and fans and other things like that.
Minerva: Goodness gracious. That such old technology could produce something sturdy enough to stand up to assault from the world’s best security and arguably the world’s most dangerous long-range combatant, at the same time…
Minerva: Oh yes, that would have been very much of interest to a number of departments in the Pentagon. As we now know. >~> -Grrr-
Des: It...
Des: ....
Des: There was...
Des: The core that Felix brought--
Des: It was like...Like a rock of some kind...
Minerva: …?
Des: And when it was placed in--
Des: The damage started to repair itself.
Des: Without any of the Doctor's doing, it just...
Des: By itself.
Minerva: …
Minerva: I… -Trails off, brain buzzing with the inferred information of that statement-
Des: See what I mean now? (And that's not even the biggest part.)
Minerva: …I can see why the Doctor would want to protect such research development from being discovered, and why he might risk his life to do so. I can understand why he might cover for 000. And… if his sons are the same way, then I suppose for DLN-008 as well—all part of keeping his family safe.
Minerva: But… why tell you, then…? He was clearly willing to die for those secrets. And that’s still a possibility.
Minerva: It seems as if this Felix person’s arrival changed things, somehow.
Des: ......
Des: Kind of did.
Des: Ever heard of a place called Weyard, Min?
Minerva: … (Well, it’s certainly not a country or a major city anywhere in the world…)
Des: ...No, right?
Minerva: Not that I can think of…
Des: Well, me either.
Des: Apparently it's where the rock core--and I assume this Felix character came from.
Minerva: Could it be code, I wonder…?
Des: There's also the timestamps on the files sent to us, dated three months ago. About Cossack and his family.
Minerva: …
Minerva: —!
Minerva: Wait—three months?
Minerva: I thought something was strange—
[She looked down at a pile of papers, sorting through it to bring out a file folder. She opened it up.]
Minerva: It seems Mr. Cardinal Light went to visit the Colosseum several days before the files first manifested in the systems. That should have made it impossible for him to—…
Des: …
Des: Min…?
Minerva: =.=“;;
Minerva: Stupid…
Minerva: Can’t believe we didn’t see this earlier…
Des: See what?
Minerva: -Exasperated- Desmond?
Minerva: I don’t think the KGB or FBI forged those papers.
Des: ! -Listens closely-
Minerva: Unless I am very much mistaken…
((Pic))
Minerva: /Countershade Arthur White/ did.
Des: . . .
Des: (Dammit—)
Minerva: I should have seen it—
Minerva: The Certified Assassins League has some rather broad powers of deception at their disposal due to the nature of their missions, and he’s one of the highest ranking members they have—
Minerva: 000 accompanied HIM to the Colosseum, went after HIM, SAID they were friends, CLEARLY knew him well—
Minerva: Gaaaah of course it was him, should have payed more attention to Occam’s Razor…
Des: -Uuuuugh-
Des: He must have pulled some strings...
Minerva: I’m not sure if anyone can even punish him for that, not unless they can prove it was treason. =~=; Since it was clearly in personal and public interest to keep the technology of the non-Xelbots secret, that would be practically impossible.
Minerva: -Sigh-
Des: .....
Des: >> (It makes sense why he had to get them, though...)
Des: The weird thing is...
Des: Before then, and all files pertaining, there's nothing else.
Minerva: That is disturbing, if nothing else.
Minerva: Those burn scars were real. He did get injured in a fire. He mentioned that he had been so injured as part of an abduction case. Something that serious should have been in multiple FBI files. The man was tortured by someone.
Minerva: The CIA can’t find anything from Russian data banks, either. Nothing. The Russians possessing such technology has never come up on your radar, either, or else we’d know about it—because that IS your Department, literally.
Minerva: It just doesn’t make sense, Des.
Minerva: There should be dozens and dozens of files on him, if he’s telling the truth: abduction case files, foreign Doctors, people under Witness Protection, completely different robotics technology, something—
Minerva: Countershade wouldn’t have provided papers for someone he didn’t completely trust, and he was hardly the trusting sort, 000 aside. (That’s a different topic.)
Minerva: That means that the lack of information is not because of the powers of the KGB to hide things being put into use—if they had been involved in any way, ESPECIALLY if Cossack had been a spy…. If Cossack is lying, I’m sure Eight would have found out. Found out and eliminated the threat, actually.
Minerva: It’s as if he’s both lying and telling the truth at the same time…. Which in turn means either all the departments here are lying or completely incompetent…
Minerva: …Or else… there just never was anything to find.
Des: …
Minerva: …Tell me, Secretary…
Minerva: Did the files get eaten in one of the cyberattacks this year? Or am I being lied to… again? …We, rather—
Minerva: …Or…
Minerva: Is there a different reason?
Des: .......
Des: Min....
Des: -Exhales-
Des: ....
Des: I'm going to repeat what the Doctor told me.
Des: I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself...
Minerva: … (It’s not like him to be this uncertain… it must really have been something very much conflicting in nature…) Go on, Donny.
Des: He said...
Des: ....
Des: >>
Des: (Ugh, what can I compare this to...)
Des: (...I got nothing...)
Des: ....
Des: "'The truth is you will never find records of us newer than five months ago. They don’t exist because we didn’t exist here until that point."'
Minerva: …
Minerva: -Very thoughtful- …
Minerva: …Are you saying…
Minerva: (To exist and not exist at the same time… records don’t exist because nothing existed to record, and yet they clearly happened…)
Des: ....
Des: As in.
Des: At all.
Des: -Pinches nose-
Des: And then that man named Felix said...
Des: "'Like the Doctor, I am another traveler through reality.' "
Minerva: …
Des: Look before you say any—
Minerva: Incredible.
Des: --...Wait huh?
Minerva: The existence of alternate realities as true realities rather than “might-have-beens” is one of science’s greatest daydreams. There’s a reason so much science fiction exists on the matter.
Des: -Yeah but it's fiction-
Des: -Or at least it was—-
Minerva: It’s a… fantastic— that is, relating to fantasy option, yes— but my alternatives are just as strange to accept.
Minerva: The entirety of the federal government, blind to something so large and heinous as an international abduction affair that nearly wiped out a family? The same government, lying about it and lying well? One of the best of the CAL falsifying papers for a spy?
Minerva: Those are equally as implausible, in my opinion.
Minerva: There’s also the matter of the dog to consider. That thing has abilities that no other animal has. DNA has no match.
Des: The dog--?
[She looks up with a smile.]
Minerva: Yes, the dog.
Minerva: -Whistles- Scout! Come say hi to Donny!
"RARF RARF RARF RARF--"
Des: --?????
Scout: -AFFECTIONATE HEADBUTT--
[Scout used HEADBUTT! Unfortunately, because it is a screen and Des is not actually there in person, it’s not very effective.]
Des: -WH--
Scout: : D!!!!!!
Des: -Oh iT'S YOU, YOU KEEP STEALING MY SUIT PINS-
[Minerva picked up the happy Zig and gave him a kiss.]
Minerva: Yes, who’s a good booooooy~
Scout: -ME, I AM THE GOOD BOY, THE GOOD BOY IS ME-
Scout: <3~~~
Minerva: < 3~
Minerva: -Gives scritches and looks back up with a smile- Whatever reservations I might have about the investigative branches of departments, I’m fairly confident in HHS’ ability to identify if something is a dog or a raccoon or not.
Minerva: They said something very interesting about his DNA—
Minerva: Now as you know, DNA is constantly changing in little ways, that’s how biology works. It’s part of microevolution.
Minerva: They said his DNA showed the capacity for what would be regarded as macroevolution—a radical change that completely alters the physical structure of the organism to the point where it’s classified as a new species. Which is not something that tends to happen on an individual scale.
Des: ...This little guy?
Minerva: Yes.
Scout: : D
Scout: -LICKS screen, hallo person, you seem nice-
Scout: <3
Des: ....So--what, he's some kinda alien dogcoon or something?
Minerva: -Laughs- Yes, that’s the best way to put it. He’s still very close to a raccoon, though. Not quite that alien.
Minerva: Biology not normally found on earth… technology never seen before… incidents with no records which have physical evidence of having happened… an eyewitness statement of someone I trust the most besides my husband and my parents—
Minerva: No, all that together suggests that it is more plausible and likely to be correct than any of the more conspiracy-leaning theories. It’s not an easy thing to accept, but it does have a lot of solid evidence and some strong theoretical evidence behind it.
Minerva: I think we only really have two options—that there is a large conspiracy pulled off on a scale that would be astonishing to work at all…
Minerva: …Or else there really has been an incident with an intersection between realities, small enough that one family who cares could try and keep it secret.
Minerva: To put it frank: I believe you.
Des: ....
Des: -Jesus Christ Almighty this is a RELIEF--
Des: -One because now I know I'm not crazy and two--
Des: -Two because you believe me--
Des: ---...
Des: Uh.
Des: You, uh, do realize this is gonna basically tear down years of security measures if there's other worlds out there, right--
Minerva: Yes. That’s a problem I’ll have to consider carefully.
Minerva: There is a unit of the FBI that goes out to investigate supernatural claims—usually there’s a malicious hoax behind it, sometimes innocuous as an accident, though, but yes…
Minerva: If this is not an isolated incident, there’s got to be someone in that department who’s noticed. They probably didn’t come forward because of the same reasons you were reluctant to speak, yourself.
Minerva: I’ll have the vet from HHS who worked on Scout make some discreet inquiries, and see if we can determine if this is a problem or not at this stage. If it is, then perhaps our “travelers” have more to say on the matter, or could help.
Minerva: You might have to question Felix later, from the sounds of it. We’ll have to see.
Minerva: I don’t like the sounds of this Dr. Wily character—he was reckless and capable enough to overpower a Doctor of great intellect and multiple strong sons, and in doing so, set out to create an international incident. The “charges” that Cossack alluded to… it sounds very much like it had to do with a close brush with war.
Minerva: I do not like that.
Minerva: And another thing, Des.
Minerva: He said a construct named Viper was part of it.
Minerva: Constructs are often named based on appearance, power, or both, especially Combat ones.
Minerva: We have seen the unexplained involvement of SNAKES before, recently, in matters of interest. Remember?
Des: . . .
Des: (Oh no...)
Minerva: Unfortunately, I suspect you WILL have to question Doctor Cossack again before everything is said and done—off the record, for at least one occasion.
Minerva: I noticed he is a master of exact phrasing. He also may know more about what happened with Jack than he’s said—and if not, he may be at least be able to identify whether or not the snakes found in the UK match Viper’s weaponry.
Minerva: The way he talked about Jack… I do think he knows more.
Des: Hmmm...
Des: Well, if anyone can explain what happened to Jack, gotta be one of the Doctors.
Des: Dr. Sanda still needs to be questioned, but...
Des: (That has to come A LOT later.)
Minerva: -Sighs, rubbing her temples- Yes…
Minerva: He is an American citizen, but he’s related to matters in your department, so you get lead point with that. DoHS was happy to oblige, given they have enough to worry about without adding on working with an agreeable Japanese Doctor.
Minerva: The DoD needs to focus on the international angle. HHS is working with the tech departments to keep Japan updated, as they said they would send help when it was safe—and now that we know Tobias Wily falls under your jurisdiction and not Homeland Security… DLN-008 is still a person of interest as a potential security hazard, and if we can’t question him directly, the Doctors are going to need to be more forthcoming about him.
Minerva: What do you plan to talk to Soichiro Sanda about?
Des: Jeez, that is IF Doctor Cossack will let me within five feet of him...
Minerva: …?
Minerva: What do you mean?
Des: Min, he covered for him.
Des: And honestly, someone like the Doctor with that many concealed weapons on him--
Des: -We had to question him in his PJs, and even then we STILL missed something he had up his sleeve—-
Minerva: …
Minerva: What’s all this about weapons?
Minerva: You didn't mention THAT—
Des: -Well, we were more worried about whether or not you'd believe us about the whole space and time thing, but--
Des: Two blades, a pistol, a taser, and some kind of panic button made to disable human and robots by sensory overlord... -That's how he put it at least-
Des: ...And the watch...
Minerva: … -Raises an eyebrow- Well someone’s sure prepared. Sounds like you on a camping trip, actually.
Des: I know—I said something to that effect, myself. -.-;
Minerva: I wonder, though.
Minerva: From what I understand, several things factored into Dr. Cossack’s behavior. First, a strong protective fatherly instinct for his children… and the DLNs as well, it seems.
Minerva: Second, a great and terrible fear based on his last experience with a federal government—his, specifically. It sounds like they were debating on giving him the death penalty, and it got close and bad enough that he came to terms with it and helped his daughter do likewise.
Minerva: And third…
Minerva: It sounds and looks like he hasn’t really eaten or slept for three days.
Minerva: All of that together makes for a much more aggressive man than you’d find under normal conditions.
Minerva: If he’s no longer tired, and can be assured he needn’t fear for his loved ones… he’ll probably stonewall you less. He seems pretty submissive when it’s for the good of others.
Minerva: …Alternatively… you could hold the interview when Dr. Cossack is sleeping. He didn’t look very well, he’ll probably be sleeping a lot once adrenaline wears off. (And if that doesn’t work, well. : / Protocol, I’m afraid.)
Des: ...Yeah, maybe when he's asleep...
Des: Poor guy needs at least a few days of sleep...
Minerva: I wonder what Sanda’s side to all of this is.
Minerva: Remember when we spoke to him? He seemed a bit desperate to spare Mikhail Cossack the worst of what could have been as an alternative.
Minerva: He might be willing to talk for Mikhail’s sake, if Mikhail is trying to take the fall for him for something.
[She crossed her arms with a frown.]
Minerva: We can’t avoid this, Des. And out of respect, we shouldn’t try to ignore the fact, at least not for any longer.
Minerva: It’s easy for the heart to be moved to compassion. It’s in our better natures. …That’s why criminals will try to make themselves appear the victim, in hopes to avoid justice. And in turn, why that cannot be allowed to interfere with the truth. Justice is blind for a reason.
Minerva: While the situation may be sympathetic, it unfortunately does not change the fundamental reasons why he is under arrest in the first place. In fact, it may only make it worse.
Minerva: He is the authoritative force behind multiple unregistered, highly powerful, and apparently unsupervised Combat constructs who pose significant security threats. Conventional means of dealing with them may not even work, since they can heal themselves of all but the most grave of injuries—so there’s also no easy way to keep them in check.
Minerva: As for him—he is capable of working to defend himself with the means of force without using Xel, using and working with coding that can bypass traditional and cutting-edge firewalls alike. He’s also very clever, able to obtain well-hidden information even without going to illegal measures. He’s aware of government secrets that even we barely found out ourselves, and he has no problem stonewalling investigations. If he chooses to, he can avoid detection completely, even from multiple governmental agencies of several countries.
Minerva: He’s chosen to assume responsibility for the actions of his patients. That includes: two or three accounts of hacking through military-level security firewalls to disable them, two attempted murders and one additional threat thereof, one breaking-and-entering, and the destruction of federally owned property of national historic and cultural importance.
Minerva: Those would be bad enough for anyone: such a rap sheet would easily earn him a black spot-level mission to CAL operatives… one assigned top-rank member, multiple authorized mid-rank members, and League-wide requirement to any situationally capable member.
Minerva: But he isn’t even a citizen. That makes him a foreign threat to national security.
Minerva: If he continues to stonewall us at the rate and manner he’s been doing, it’s going to quickly cost him his life.
((transition))
((Desmond returns. If the lab is empty, then… at first it seems Felix is alone, but then one can spot Dr. Cossack sleeping on part of the console nearby. Felix has muted the sound, and is currently turning over a large, decorated card in the fingers of his left hand. He seems distracted.))
Felix: …
Felix: (Darkness covered the skies, and across the land, there were screams of agony, the despair of the dying.)
Felix: (I’ve seen this before…)
((Grave Eclipse))
Felix: …
Felix: (But…)
Felix: (Why did I see that again? Everything else I saw was related to the Robot Masters in some form.)
Felix: (If I was only seeing a collection of future disasters, the visions of the past should not have been included. And…)
[He looks over at Desmond with a judging frown and piercing gaze.]
Felix: (If it were related to future troubles in which they would get involved… why was this man absent? He said he was going to take in Master Cossack for questioning, but the way everyone was acting, and the fact he was bound…)
[His frown shifted again into an aggressive glare.]
Felix: (I do not like what that suggests.)
((Des reaction, such HOSTILITY, lawls))
Felix: I’d very much like to understand what is going on, but I doubt I will get a full answer. -Giving Des a sullen stare- It bothers me to see him so submissive about something he considers to be a threat to his life, and I don’t entirely understand what put him there.
Des: >>
Des: Believe me, I'm not very crazy about all this either.
Felix: I know. Master Cossack said that as part of speaking up for you. He certainly made an effort to do that, you know.
Felix: He specifically mentioned for his sons to be left asleep when he called for me to come over with Master Cardinal’s new heart. Combined with the fact you have all of his weaponry and he told me to leave mine behind, he’s trying to make sure that it’s understood he doesn’t intend to fight back.
Felix: Who /are/ you, Master Desmond? Why is he— and everyone else for that matter— so terrified of you?
Des: ....
Des: -Sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose-
Des: That may have something to do with the fact that I'm a important government official, Mr. Felix.
Felix: …
Felix: The military leader of an empire… | [ -Obviously less than pleased-
Des: >>;; Secretary of Defense. I'm hardly ecstatic over this, you know.
Des: Because I know he's covering for DLN-008.
Des: Dr. Cossack claims to have ordered DLN-008 to infiltrate the security of our nation's Capital Building--The White House. Among other things...
Felix: …
Felix: Do you know why he -may- —theoretically—be doing that?
Des: Know?
Des: I saw. -You were there when you did... that, on DLN-000-
Des: But I assume you primarily mean the other reason...
Des: Preventing that kind of tech from falling into the wrong hands, I assume?
Felix: That’s not what I’m talking about.
Felix: Let’s play “suppose this”, shall we?
Felix: Suppose you’re right, and he is covering for Tobias.
Felix: In doing so, he’s choosing to sacrifice himself, take on the punishment—or an equivalent—that would have fallen upon the child.
Felix: Any construct in their world, should they be captured alive, would have their code analyzed and rendered inactive in the long run, potentially partially active during experimentation. Barring or including that, if a body is left behind, it will be treated in a similar fashion. Such a thing has already happened once before, and was described as one of the more horrific sights the family has seen.
Des: . . .
Des: (That's BEYOND barbaric...)
Felix: Furthermore—
Felix: The secrets of that mind would be used to tap into the collective being that the family shares, and used to track down the rest, for similar treatment. And if they did manage to escape, they would still be subject to enduring either the memories or the lasting effects of the pain suffered in the dying.
Felix: None of us have any idea what would happen to Tobias if he were—hypothetically—responsible, found responsible, and captured as such.
Felix: Once a Robot Master’s code has been altered in a way that cannot be undone, then they—as they were—die.
Felix: That happens on occasion when they suffer greatly. Their mind comes to terms with such suffering, and they change. Just like we would. It is the death of innocence, and can be described as “dying on the inside”. It is why it takes them even longer than usual to recover from such things.
Felix: But if such a thing happens to their Awareness, then they are destroyed. Permanently.
Felix: Whether or not he is “covering” for Tobias, that is what he expects would happen if the boy—or any of the others, for that matter—were to be held responsible for high crimes against the state.
Felix: So. If it is the threat of death that is so very real for offenses that must be punished, what he’d be doing— regardless of whether it’s taking the blame for them, or else just preventing miscarriage of justice through misunderstanding and fear—
Felix: —is sacrificing his life to prevent a situation which would destroy at least one, potentially drive the others mad, and send several Mighty Numbers into such madness as well.
Felix: I cannot say what exactly happened, as I was barely conscious myself at the time. I remember him saying that they must have not been given word in advance because the military commander was trapped inside. He did ask to get in touch with somebody at your military headquarters, to try and figure out what the exact situation was.
Felix: That is all I really know. He started speaking in his own language at that point, and I was too weak to continue.
[He stood up, looking over at the Doctor.]
Felix: He is tired. So tired that he is very close to making himself very, very sick.
Des: . . .
Felix: He has overworked himself for several days with little rest and even less food.
Felix: In such a state, everything becomes darker, even one’s own actions and words. I’m not entirely sure if he could give an objective account of what he was doing, even though he clearly tried. If you want to get a more accurate and complete account, you won’t be getting it by taking him elsewhere.
Felix: You’ll only get it by stating your own intentions more plainly. And that includes what would happen to him or the others, should parties be found responsible for various events—including, but not limited to, what will happen to him as things are now.
Felix: If it is not your intention to kill the electric child if he is found guilty, you must say so. But do not lie to get him to talk, or it will end poorly for you. And everyone else, for that matter.
[A pause.]
Felix: He has chosen to submit to you. Therefore, I shall respect that.
Felix: He has chosen to surrender and clearly doesn’t want anyone else to risk or dishonor themselves by breaking him out of the peril, so I will honor that wish of his.
[He grabs the handcuffs that had been taken off of Mikhail earlier, and looks Desmond in the eyes.]
Felix: Understand we’d be having a very different exchange otherwise.
[The metal condenses and twists into a pendant showing the Venus tree.]
Des: --!
Des: . . .
Des: (Just what can't he do?)
[He changes it back just as easily, and tosses it to Des for him to catch.]
Des: ! -Whoa--kind of fumbles with it before grasping it fully-
Felix: I can tell that you have some interest in me, as you asked about me specifically.
Des: ....You could say that...
Felix: I can tell you this much; I have dealt with soldiers before, and I am well aware what consequences an empire brings down upon individuals it considers to be enemies.
Felix: However, all these people are my friends, and I try to help them wherever I can. If you are no threat to them, I will be fine with helping you and your superior if it is not something that is conquest or oppressive in nature.
Des: .... Noted...
Des: (He's right--we really haven't gone over what could happen since we were too busy trying to figure out what's going on--)
Des: (But now that we have some idea of it, well.)
Des: ....
Des: We do still have to question Dr. Sanda, if possible.
[Felix couldn’t help but snort at the mental image of that.]
Des: …?
Felix: I… apologize. It’s just that he is so… -ahem- …he’s very congenial in nature, and can display rather childish behavior when nervous or happy.
Felix: A lot like Avi and his mirror, actually…
[Felix sat back down, looking over at Mikhail again.]
Felix: Master Cossack wanted you to know the truth about the worlds primarily because he wanted you to realize that Doctor Sanda and Doctor White were not part of some conspiracy involving his cover. I think he was concerned that you would hold them guilty by association unless you knew where he really came from.
Felix: Doctor Sanda has little influence over what Mikhail says and does, and even less influence over what the Rebel Angels do.
[He suddenly cracks a grin.]
Felix: …As has been seen before.
[He shakes for a moment in silent laughter, coughing once before regaining composure. …Mostly. He’s still grinning, though.]
Des: . . .
Des: -Can't help but snort a little- I heard about that...
Des: I can hardly believe Eight got involved with DLN-000 in that massive... artwork mural, we'll call it...
[Felix laughs aloud at this.]
Felix: I’m not sure how you figured it out, but I can only imagine it became obvious once you considered their abilities and the animosity the family has with that company.
Des: (The use of spray paint at the Office was a pretty big hint, too…. And those pictures he left all over Kansas City, for that matter.)
Felix: -Covers his grin with a hand, trying to regain composure again- I think you’d understand better if you knew…
[At this point, he EASILY transitions to a serious demeanor again.]
Felix: …if you knew just how deeply affected they are by that company and what they’re involved in.
Des: ?
Felix: There was a very bad accident a while back involving supplies bound for both this lab and for the company.
Des: ...Right, the Highway Delta incident...
Felix: When that happened, it was actually Dr. Cossack who suggested making the donation.
Des: --! It was...?
Felix: Yes. He’s more familiar with sociopolitical psychology and the like, and he saw that that was one of the best ways to prevent the situation from being turned against them out of paranoia. And a good way to genuinely help.
Felix: From what I understand… things ended out bad enough anyway that it was obvious it would have been far worse if that measure had not been taken.
Felix: Countershade in particular was placed under a lot of stress, and it took some reminders from Cossack’s youngest son about who had the authority to investigate—something about a Federal branch specifically for that?—such a matter, and that the responsibility was to the state, and not to him.
Des: >>; (Right, the FBI…. I do remember hearing that the director was talking with DoHS about the ordeal.)
Felix: The Rebel Angels were concerned for a while if the incident might lead to anti-construct sentiment, the likes of which led to the dismal situation in their own world. Thankfully, that did not happen, but the threat from the company was far from over.
Felix: It became a point of interest again when they learned that the team of a rival assassin had ties to that company.
Des: (Greater Dusk again. Why is it that everything seems to link back to the Queen’s Finals?)
Felix: Now, with all of this in mind…
Felix: Consider that Master Cardinal and Master Countershade are very close to one another. Being forced to separate so completely and what felt a bit suddenly was… almost physically painful for them both, from what I understand.
Felix: I still don’t know why Cardinal gained that mischievous streak of his again—but it offered him a way to give them a way out of it that would remain something positive to look back on, no matter how long they were separated.
Felix: With the pain at hand and the suffering in the past to support it, I can see why Eight took him up on the offer.
Des: Hmm. (I suppose it’s relatively mild compared to what those two are capable of.)
Felix: -Shakes his head- I think you should know something.
Des: Yes?
Felix: You already know what Tobias is capable of, so there’s no use pretending he wouldn’t be able to do this…
Des: … (I don’t like the sound of that.)
Felix: After particularly nasty episodes, both Tobias and Mikhail—primarily Tobias—expressed a desire to see what information that the company was keeping secret. Despite that, they actively chose not to take the easy—and illegal—way of getting information, because it would be wrong to do so.
[He looks up at Des with a frown.]
Felix: They aren’t out to get people, Master Desmond. Even people they don’t like.
Felix: If you want my opinion, what you are dealing with is a very scared child and a worried relative who wants to protect everyone else. Handling the situation accordingly would be the best way to diffuse the situation from the tenseness that has built to a tangible fear. They mean you no harm, and are less likely to accidentally lash out if they do not feel so frightened.
[His frown shifts to a scowl as he looks away.]
Felix: I hope you give those notes special attention. I would very much like the company to explain why it is behaving the way it is. This is now the second time they’ve publicly placed the Mighty Numbers in a very bad spot. That suggests intent.
Felix: It’s been suggested that the disasters were—directly or indirectly— caused for THAT very reason— to destroy the reputation of the White family as a team and a force of justice.
Des: ....
Des: (CherryDynamics...)
Des: (You DEFINITELY are hiding something, that's for sure...)
Felix: While I’m not sure if that’s the case, I think the possibility needs to be treated seriously.
Des: We've been looking into it. These notes can give us the extra push we need to get though to their CEO.
Des: >> ....Never did say thanks to the Doctor, though.
Des: Could you tell him that for me?
Felix: Yes, though I hope you can tell him that yourself at some point. He does want to help. He blames himself for not learning more Xel coding before this started. : / -Looks over at the sleeping doctor- It has limited what he can do in helping fix the situation. All he was able to contribute was the effects the virus had on his own servers.
Des: Wait a minute—he kind of insinuated that his servers were… well, in a different world.
Felix: Yes, they are not located in this world.
Des: And they still got infected?
Felix: Yes. I’m sorry, I don’t really know all the details. If you really wanted to know about the virus, there are only two people you can ask at this point.
Felix: Tobias is one of them. He’s fought it three times now.
Des: Three?
Felix: Yes. The recent event that we spoke of earlier was the latest. But there was also the time he fought against it for control while trapped inside Avi’s body.
Des: ...
Des: (....Ack, right, Six's broadcast...)
Des: ...
Des: And the other?
Felix: As I explained… the RobotMaster Database: Cossack server was infected. The boys fought it off on an individual basis, and Dr. Cossack ensured that they were not overwhelmed in the process.
Felix: The Doctor was able to completely remove it from the servers, though I don’t know the details. When the boys woke up, they were fine—if feeling rather hot from the strain.
Felix: I don’t know much more than that; I had to hear the short version when I was caught up to speed before bringing the core over. If you want to know more details, you will have to speak to DWN-018. He is the head of the family in lieu of DLN-000, and would make the decision on whether or not to give you details… or even let you talk to Tobias directly, if he feels completely comfortable with it.
[He looked over at Mikhail.]
Felix: …In theory, Master Cossack may be able to say more. But as a healer, I insist he gets some treatment first—starting with rest. I used a sleeping cast Psynergy on him to make sure he actually got some sleep, and once that wears off, I will chide him into eating if I have to.
Des: I agree. The man looks like he might keel over any minute, I have no problem with letting him rest.
Felix: I was worried for a moment there that he would insist on going with Master White, or even taking his place entirely. Thankfully, I didn’t have to restrain him from doing so.
Des: >>;;;
Des: I still think it's absolutely off the wall--Doctor or no, he's still a civilian...
Des: ...I can only hope Doctor White knows what he's doing...
Felix: I had no idea he owned a sword. I wish he would have told me, I could have made him one for his birthday.
[He goes over to look at a screen listing status updates from the Mighty Numbers.]
Felix: I can tell you one thing for certain. There is not going to be much of the factory’s production line left after this.
Des: What makes you say that?
Felix: DWN-013’s main weapon consists of high-grade explosives, and he’ll be in Lethal mode.
Des: … (Why only mention that serial number? Mighty Number Five is a walking arsenal, and One is no slouch with explosives, either.)
Felix: You are going to see some of what the Wily Numbers are capable of, just as much as you will get to see teamwork in the Mighty Numbers outside of the arena.
Felix: Try not to see it as a threat. Jaden is even more submissive than Dr. Cossack. >>;
Des: (It may be a bit late for that, but at least that’s better than the alternative.)
Felix: …
Felix: I would have gone myself, but it’s going to be important that there are people here when Cardinal wakes up. He’s going to be rather frightened if this happens while the lab is empty, for reasons I explained earlier.
Felix: He’ll listen to you, though, since you are a military man of authority.
Des: .... I see. (Since he explained that they would literally be torn apart back in their own home, I can see why DLN-000 would think that, waking up in a lab environment alone...)
[Felix seems tired all of a sudden.]
Felix: I wish I could have awakened sooner. I saw that was going to happen… but I woke from the vision too late to make a difference.
Felix: (There are still things I saw that I do not understand…)
Felix: …
Felix: What happened, exactly? Not the fight, I know about that. But what happened that day? From your perspective, at least.
Des: -Completely stressed look-
Des: Well, I was... with Min, and one other female--our regular secretary--figuring out how to go about damage control and rescue... as well as figuring out what the hell happened at the military base...
Des: Suddenly, everything just--
Des: My walkie went nuts on all channels, the alarms went off, and we got locked in. I got notified through the channels that someone had infiltrated the House, and then...Nothing.
Des: Everything on the comms front went dead, and all I could hear was Eight's voice instead.
Des: ....Told everyone that he was in charge now, and that the first thing he would do as acting President was to up the security of the whole place. >>
Felix: (Interesting…) So…
Felix: Some of the security in place was not yours?
Felix: I wonder which parts and whose security Tobias actually ended up fighting. -Somewhat exasperated- This is relevant and should have been discussed earlier.
Felix: Continue.
Des: Since we were locked in and without comms, there wasn't much we could do except arm ourselves with what we had. Min was very angry, trying to call her children, find a safe way out of the House...
Des: ...A bit later, though, I could hear Eight talking with someone, and distant gunfire...
Felix: That would have to have been Cardinal, as he arrived earlier. Could you hear what he was saying, or just the tone and fact he was talking?
Des: ...I heard some of what DLN-000 was saying--not all of it, though, but enough to tell that they knew each other. As for Shade, I could hear him clear enough...
Felix: … -Wry smile- Was [color=brick]he[/color] taunting the [color=cadetblue]Hunter[/color]?
Felix: Somehow, that does not surprise me. He taunted Countershade when they fought before, after all.
Des: ...They fought before?
Felix: Oh, yes--it was a very good match, truth be told. And a highly anticipated one as well. From the beginning, ever since they understood one another, he wanted to have two spars.
[He sighed, and his smile faded.]
Felix: One mostly for show, and one to push each other to the limit. I believe there is a saying in your world that fits here...
Felix: "Be careful what you wish for."
Des: . . . (I guess he got that other spar...)
Des: Jeez...
Felix: (I doubt Cardinal will have the strength of heart to fight again for some time.)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 10B: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{LATER…}
[CHERRYDYNAMIC HQ BUILDING - FACTORY COMPLEX, FRONT PARKING LOT...]
[MISSION DETAILS: INFECTED CDN MODELS ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED BY CHERRYDYNAMICS'S CALIFORNIA ROBOT MANUFACTURING FACTORY AT AN ALARMING RATE. THE FACTORY'S PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT ALSO REPORTED TO BE INFECTED.]
[MISSION OBJECTIVES: ESCORT DR. WILLIAM WHITE TO THE PRIMARY M.O.M UNIT IN ORDER TO SHUT DOWN AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE ROBOT FACTORY. ELIMINATE ANY INFECTED HOSTILE CDN MODELS WITHIN THE VICINITY. DESTROY THE FACTORY'S ROBOT MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT IF NECESSARY.]
[SUB-OBJECTIVES: ENSURE PERSONAL SAFETY OF DWN-012 AND DWN-013, MINIMIZE RMDC IMPACT.]
((music))
Systems Ready?
GO!
[After Beck had fully materialized, the familiar sounds of chaos in the city had once again touched his ears, now in a more dire state than before--even way back when he and his father had to make it back to Sanda Tech, it wasn't this bad...]
[MN.6] //: Yoooo, check one two, testing! This is your mission control requesting a mandatory sound off!
[Avi chimed in as soon as he felt Beck's signal nearby.]
Will: Ah.
[William White was currently looking over a holoscreen projected by one of Avi's cameras--it seems he already had visual of the inside.]
[...His grip tightened on the glowing Xel Rapier in his left hand.]
Will: (...It's even worse than I imagined...)
[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam One, what's your status?
[MN.1] //: One here. We're at the front entrance. It's been blown open, alright. Lots of hostile CDNs...They're almost crowding where the doors were.
[MN.5] //: Five reading ya loud and clear. Armed and ready for battle!
<DWN-013>: >Just to restate the obvious, but this is very important—
<DWN-013>: >These are just AIs, not AI&As, right?
[MN.6] //: Yuppers, just your average cookie-cutter AIs, like drones. It's mainly an Industrial Factory, not something like where ya-know-who came from.
<DWN-013>: > Good.
[…
…A priming noise could be heard.]
<DWN-013 has entered Active Combat mode.>
[For Avi, there seemed to be an echo of sorts…]
“Crashman paces back and forth Inside walls reinforced Crash bombs mounted to his arms Locked… loaded… ready… armed…”
[MN.6] //: -....miiiiildly creeped out-
[MN.1] //: ...Avi?
[MN.6] //: Huh? Oh, right, not done yet--
[MN.1] //: ... (Not what I was going to ask...)
[MN.6] //: Teeeeeam Two! You guys ready?
[MN.2] //: BRO I WAS MADE READY, I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT POPCORN FOR THESE FIREWORKS--
[MN.1] //: -Snorts-
<DWN-013>: > … -You sure you’re up for doing this, MNN-008, you just woke up a few hours ago— -
[MN.8] //: I'm fahn, Jaden.
[MN.8] //: -Got a score t' with CherryDyn anyway and Ah' ain't gonna spend it layin' down--
[MN.3] //: Ugh, don't be zzzso dramatic, Shadebro. -Bzzzzt- You're just mad you haven't gotten enough beauty zzsleep.
[MN.8] //: -Pyro wai did Ah' get stuck with the girls again-
[MN.1] //: The three of you can cause more wide spread damage together. You'll be picking off anyone too stubborn, Shade.
[MN.8] //: -Mgh, fair enough, Ah' guess.-
[MN.3] //: Anyway, we're waiting on your zzzsignal, fire bro.~ Just zzsay the word!
[MN.1] //: Good.
[MN.6] //: Team Three, you guys up and ready to go?
<DWN-012>: > Glad you finally asked, can we GO yet—
<DWN-013>: >Don’t run into a wall, Carl.
<DWN-012>: > I told you only MY dad can call me that—
[MN.7] //: Speedy.
[MN.7] //: Focus. You and I will be covering for Mic. He'll be doing most of the equipment damage.
[MN.4] //: OWO
<DWN-012>: >Easy for YOU to say. I was made to move, and being in Active Combat makes me antsy!
[A slight priming noise—]
K-TANG! K-TANG!
<DWN-012>: >This is NOT the first setting of this sort that I’ve trashed.
<DWN-012>: > I am more than ready—
[MN.7] //: -Sigh- -_-;;; Yes, we know now, Twelve.
[MN.7] //: On Stand-By until your order, One.
[MN.6] //: Last but certainly not least--
[MN.6] //: Becko? Dad? You guys there?
Beck: Right here and waiting for orders, Avi!
Will: (That's everyone...)
Will: (I hope you're alright, Soichiro...)
Will: ....Right.
Will: Everyone listen carefully.
Will: Once Avi gives the signal, Pyrogen and his Team--Team One, will lead the charge into the Factory. Your objective is to clear a safe route into the main assembly line.
[MN.1] //: Understood...
Will: After Pyro and the others make some headway, he'll tell both Team Two and Three to enter and eliminate any other threats, as well as damage the manufacturing equipment. Consider it our second wave.
[MN.8] //: Got it.
[MN.7] //: Yes, Father.
Will: After that, Nine and I will start making our own way into the complex. You needn't fight every robot you see, Beck--our objective is the factory core, the Primary M.O.M Unit.
Will: It controls all commands and functions of the factory and it's robot manufacturing machines. It's located deep in the heart of the building, in the main assembly line.
Will: Avi will be monitoring all team's progress and giving support where needed.
Avi: Yeees sir! ^^
<DWN-012>: >If Snow were awake, he’d really be asking questions now—what an acronym, geez.
<DWN-013>: >You know full well [color=goldenrod]why[/color] he’s still asleep. Try not to go running off from your group, I’m getting interference for Robot Master signals…
<DWN-013>: >I think we might have some [color=darkgreen]spectators[/color] watching.
[MN.8] //: -Yer kiddin' me-
<DWN-013>: >Unfortunately no, but that is a matter for later, I’m afraid.
Will: Right now, he is the least of our worries.
Will: ...
Will: Everyone just be very careful in there--I may have upgraded everyone's filters, but...
Will: Don't do anything too rash, alright?
<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > PLEASE mind yourself, Mic does have clearance to restrain you if you get too out of hand
<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > I’m the older brother here, Crashman.
<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > YOU try not to let the others know just how much you can TANK, we all know what happened the last time our strengths and weaknesses were used against us.
<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-013 to DWN-012>: > Cardinal’s going to kill you for that.
<DWN-012 to DWN-013>: > Hmph.
<DWN-013>: >I’ll do my best, Doctor. …I’ve already discussed the matter with Pyro.
<DWN-013>: >Just one last thing—
<DWN-013>: >Um. Aviator?
[MN.6] //: Yo?
<DWN-013>: >Just… give a heads-up whenever you’re about to head my way. >.>;;;;;
<DWN-013>: > -Mild discomfort data-
[MN.6] //: No problamo, Darth Jader. : D
Beck: -Snorts, Star Wars pun, heh-
<DWN-013>: > …Heh… thanks.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >The RMDC has been completely disconnected from your servers. So there’s no way for Siam to monitor our progress. What you sense is what you get.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >I haven’t heard from Dr. Cossack, so I can only assume he fell asleep. I’m not sure Felix knows how to run the teleporter.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > I’ll be fine, but Twelve…
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: > …Let’s just say we’re still all equipped with our self-destruct devices and let the rest speak for itself. >.>
<DWN-013 to MNN-001, DR.WHITE>: >If we take too much damage, don’t stick around.
[MN.1] //: ....Right.
[MN.1] //: -Sharp inhale-
[MN.1] //: Mighties!
[MN.1] //: You are clear to engage combat mode.
[MNN-ALL HAVE ENTERED COMBAT MODE.]
[MN.6] //: Team One, you're cleared for frontal assault!
[MN.6] //: GO GET'EM, GUYS--
[MN.5] //: -TO BATTLE--
[MN.1] //: -Sound of FLAMES IGNITING, FOOSH-
[Interesting. Jaden doesn’t seem to be doing anything in particular.]
[From Beck's position, there was the sound of explosions and crashing of parts, and it wasn't long before whatever alarms that still worked to be set off.]
[The haywire CDNs immediately take notice and engage--they're sheer numbers seemed to almost overwhelm the three constructs...]
[BLAM.]
[…Now why would Jaden be firing at the ground—]
Pyro: --?
[And then it IMMEDIATELY churned in and started blinking.]
Jaden: …
Jaden: -Smirks-
[BOOM!]
[A pretty LARGE explosion sets off from where the drill was, enough to send debris right back at them.]
Jaden: -Looks up, eyes glowing green, still with that smirk-
[You could hear that priming noise again.]
Jaden: If nothing else, this ought to be informative.
((pic))
Jaden: Time for the welcome party!
Pyro: ...
Pyro: Heh...
Pyro: (Well, it IS a sort of drill, I should have guessed...)
Bat: HA! That all you got, you walking oven rejects?! Almost ain't worth the ammo!
[Bat was riddling the hordes of CDNs with bullet holes--the mindless infected did not stop of waver, however. They really were malfunctioning.]
Pyro: Careful not to point that thing towards something Father might need active.
Bat: -He won't need THESE tin-cans active, brother, so-
Jaden: Tch.
Jaden: These guys make themselves—
[He made a RUN for it, WOW is he fast for his size—]
Jaden: -Leaps into the air- —such an easy TARGET!
Bat: !
Bat: -Hooo, that's SOME height--
[He lands down right on top of a few unfortunate CDNs HARD, and SLAMS some nearby with a backhand swing.
Then he fires right toward the entrance, into the horde.
Sure enough, it can just barely be seen that the Crash Bomb burrows into the constructs too—
—no wonder he asked if they were sentient, that would HAVE to hurt!]
[BOOM!]
[Parts go FLYING as the horde is dispersed--huh. These CherryDyn Models do break easy, don't they...]
Jaden: PATHETIC!
Jaden: I’ve seen /Pipis/ more sturdy than this!
[Once they are inside, the sounds of factory making and... other unpleasant noises greet the three team members.]
Pyro: ....!!
Pyro: -That's--
[...Oh.]
[...Those...look like the fire-type Industrial CDNs from the Oil Platform, aren't they--]
Jaden: Heads up!
[He aims for the CEILING this time.]
Pyro: ...!! Bat!
Bat: -STANDING CLEAR--
[There was a resounding crashing noise as the ceiling came down on top of the fire ‘bots.]
Pyro: Good one.
Bat: --Gh.
Bat: -Points- There's a whole lot more where that came from...
[...It was as if every time they fell one, two more would take their place. This time, it was the standard Security Elite drones that protected the Colosseum in their way...]
Pyro: Allow me.
Jaden: Pyro.
Jaden: Do you trust me?
Pyro: --?
Pyro: ....You have an idea?
Jaden: Yes, but if I’m wrong, it might hurt you a LOT.
Jaden: If I’m RIGHT, though…
Jaden: You’ll get more powerful and will be able to move a lot faster.
Pyro: --!
Bat: Ya can do that?
Pyro: Well, it's not like they haven't surprised us before, Five...
Jaden: I don’t have time to explain the details as to how it works, but yes. Only for fire ‘bots, though.
Pyro: Bat?
Bat: -BLAM- Worth a shot, Commander, but better hurry--enemy flank's comin' in T-Minus 20 seconds!
Pyro: ...
Pyro: -Nods-
Pyro: I trust you.
Jaden: If I’m wrong about this, I’m really sorry—
[He turns and fires right at Pyrogen!]
Bat: --?!?
Pyro: !!!
[Pyro flares and takes up a defensive stance by reflex, knowing that Jaden had fired too close to dodge--]
[FOOOOOOOSH!]
Pyro: --!?
[Suddenly, Pyro's energy levels take a very high spike--!]
[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHO TURNED ON THE LIGHTS, MAN, WHAT'S HAPPENING--
Jaden: -Winces a bit, shielding his face with his arm against the searing heat-
[It turns unbelievably bright, flames almost engulfing Pyro himself--]
Bat: Talk about great balls of fire--
[BURNING LEVEL 3 ENGAGED.]
Bat: -OH-
Jaden: Ngh—! -Staggers back, augh, that hurts to be so close—HURTS—-
Bat: -Ya might wanna stand back a lil' for this one, soldier—-
Jaden: Noted— -Takes cover behind some rubble-
[Without another word, Pyro charges past various other CDN with so much momentum that he BREAKS down the door to the other room--]
[MN.6] //: -Holy--
[...You can even see footprint shaped flames where he ran--]
"BURRRRNIIIIING...."
Bat: -FIRE IN THE HOLE--
"SPIRIT--!!!"
[BOOOM--!!]
[The entire building shakes from the small shockwave of wind and heat that followed, charred CDNs being blown backwards either half incinerated or just plain melted. ]
Bat: ......
Bat: HOO-RAH--!
Bat: THAT WAS SOME FINE EXPLOSIVE ARTILLERY, COMMANDER PYRO--
Bat: -You alright in there--
"........"
"Aside from being covered in soot, yes--"
"Though I didn't think that Crash Bomb would send me all the way to Level 3..."
[MN.6] // THAT WAS AWESOME--
[MN.6] //: -AND WE GOT IT ALL ON FILM, NICE-
<DWN-012>: > …Wait, you’re recording this?
[MN.6] //: -Bro when am I not recording, dude-
[There is an audible groan from the other destroyed room.]
"Really, Aviator?"
[MN.6] //: : D
Jaden: -Snorts-
Jaden: -Starts laughing-
Jaden: Avi, you crack me up sometimes.
[MN.6] //: -Thank you, thank you~-
[MN.6] //: Where you at, fire bro?
"...It was where shipment supplies were being sorted and organized..."
[MN.6] //: Ooh, good! Nice job, you guys! : D
Jaden: Aheh… I’m just glad it worked—I had a feeling it would but oh man I am so many levels of glad I wasn’t wrong—
[MN.6] //: Uh--...What exactly is IN those things--
[MN.1] //: Questions later, Avi. Can you tell us where we are relative to the factory core?
[MN.6] //: Still a long way to go, bro, but the equipment isn't too far off!
[MN.6] //: How about you go on ahead towards that and tell the other teams to get a move on?
Jaden: -Looks around at the many things still smoldering and/or burning-
Jaden: You might want to have Lady Cryo kill the flames before anyone else comes this way.
[MN.1] //: ...That would be a good idea.
[MN.1 to MNN-ALL, DWN-012] //: Team Two and Three prepare to enter on my mark!
[MN.4] //: E :< -MIC SMASH--
[MN.1] //: Cryo, you'll be on lead, there...Is a bit of a fire hazard now--
[MN.2] //: BRO WE COULD HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY OVER HERE, THAT WAS GLITCHING S I C K--
[MN.2] //: -I'M READY TO PICK SOME CHERRIES, LET'S GO ALREADY--
[MN.6] //: -EEEEEEEEY-
[MN.8] //: -Ugh, WAI-
-*-*-*-
“I’d rather light things on fire, but that wouldn’t be being…
…a good House guest~”
-*-*-*-
[MN.8] //: --....
[MN.8] //: -Ngh....-
[MN.8] //: (...this’d be more fun if he were here.)
[MN.1] //: Ready?
[MN.1] //: Mark!
[MN.2] //: PERSON THAT TAKES OUT THE LEAST CHERRIES HAS TO BUY EVERYONE FOOD--
[MN.8] //: --!
[MN.8] //: OI, AH' AIN'T PAYIN' NOTHIN'--
<DWN-012>: >DUDE I DON’T HAVE ANY CASH, WE’RE LEGIT DIRT POOR YOU KNOW—
[MN.3] //: -Who careszz, YOU GUYSZZ ARE GOING TO EAT MY DUSZZT--
[MN.7] //: =_=;;;;;
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: >You guys ran out of groceries again? Already? Seriously?
[MN.2] //: -IT WAS SHADEY--
[MN.8] //: AH' WAS-- -BANG- ASLEEP, YA MANIACAL SNOWGLOBE--
[MN.3] //: I bet it was Mic, he'szz been kinda craving everything since he got home.
[MN.4] //: ^^;;;!
[There is the sound of slicing and sword swinging over at Brand's feed.]
[MN.7] //: ...Unless Jack returned and raided our fridge.
[MN.5] //: -Doubt it, Secretary Donald is still at the lab-
<DWN-012, DWN-013>: > ?!
<DWN-013>: > “Secretary”?
[MN.6] //: Uh--
[MN.6] //: Guys I'm getting some REALLY weird signals--
<DWN-013>: > This better not be a diversion, Avi—
<DWN-013 to MNN-005>: > Secretary of WHAT?
<DWN-012>: >Define “weird”. >_>
[MN.6] //: -No, DUDE, UH, AS IN “I CAN'T TELL WHAT IT IS” WEIRD AND IT'S HEADING YOUR WAY--
[MN.5] //: --?!?
[...There are clunking noises....]
[Sounds of something slugging and...sparking--?]
<DWN-013>: > Grrr…
[MN.1] //: What the--?!
[It LOOKED like it was one of the encountered enemies from Cryo's stage, but...]
[It looked like it had grown GIANT spider legs— and it was twitching erratically, this way and that.]
[MN.6] //: --??????
[MN.6] //: Dad, you gotta see THIS--
[DR.WHITE] //: --?!
[MN.6] //: That-- That isn't any CDN model I've seen--
[MN.6] //: -man it looks gross, EW-
Jaden: … This…
Jaden: -Ugh, no, not headaches now— -
[MN.1] //: Jaden--
[MN.5] //: There's more coming--!
_________________________
[MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE....]
Beck: What is going on in there--?
Will: Hmm...
Will: (This is concerning.)
Will: (Has CherryDyn become so desperate that they're literally mashing robot designs together...?)
Will: (Graham couldn't possibly be that stupid, and if he really is, it's very demeaning that he's done so much harm to us.)
Will: (No, this...This has to be something else...)
Beck: Dad? Is...Is everything okay?
Will: --Ah. Well...
[Will turns to the floating monitor, which showed the Teams all in a three way split screen.]
Will: They're encountering robots that we haven't anticipated before...
Beck: What?
Will: It seems CherryDyn has some... unreleased products still hot off the assembly line, so to speak.
Will: Be prepared for anything, Beck.
Beck: R-Right...
Beck: ....
Beck: You're gonna be okay, right, Dad?
Will: Well, I have you, don't I? ^^
Beck: Eheh...
Beck: Yeah, but, I mean, you only have that sword...
Will: Nonsense. Mikhail gave me something to defend myself with before we left....
Will: And while I haven't quite fenced in a while...
Will: I'm sure it'll come back to me. Muscle memory and all that.
Will: I'll be fine, Beck. So long as we stick together, yes?
Beck: R-Right! (^^)7
[MN.6] //: -Oof--UH--Yeah, I'm gonna head in there now, there's these weird flying things with drills on them and they do not look happy--
[PING!]
[The ping was clearly from someone on the RMDC server. Which was very odd, considering that it was supposed to have been in radio silence.]
Beck: --??
[Siamini’s worried data flooded the feeds.]
<DWN-019>: > Oh gosh Jaden, Speedy, where ARE you—
<DWN-019>: > Where is everybody?!
Beck: Siam--!
[MN.6] //: KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING, BRO--
<DWN-019>: > -Incredulous and growing annoyed- “In the middle of something—“
<DWN-019>: > -Increasingly frantic- GUYS ANSWER ME—
<DWN-012>: > Dude we’re BUSY—
<DWN-019>: > “Busy”!? What do you two think you’re DOING?!
<DWN-012>: >Siam, for all that is good, did you just call here to scream at us or what—
<DWN-019>: > -Double data intensity- IDIOTS!
[MN.6] //: Dude, calm down, deep breaths--
<DWN-019>: >Avi, you don’t understand—
<DWN-019>: > -Talking over self- Are you two trying to live up to Wily’s name by being overly proud, or are you just plain stupid?!
<DWN-019>: >Hey, that’s not—
<DWN-019>: >There’s a primal analysis nexus being constructed, Avs! Doesn’t anyone remember what happened the LAST time a primal nexus was added into the database?!
<DWN-019>: >Do I have to spell it out for you?! If that thing goes live while you’re out there—!
<DWN-019>: > Even if it DOESN’T cause crippling pain, what kind of reaction do you think you’ll GET when you look at Shade?!
-*-*-*-*-
“Don’t… don’t do this… beg… begging you, please…”
-*-*-*-*-
[MN.8] //: --Ngh--hurts--
[Shade reeled in the despair of that painful memory. It stabbed at his heart, piercing him with sorrow right to the core.]
[MN.6] //: Sammy, bro, as much as we'd like to deal with it, we're all kinda out making sure Dad and Becker are okay in this crazy place--OW--
[MN.6] //: -OW GET THIS THING OFF OF ME--
[A red blur by Avi.]
[MN.6] //: --!
[Suddenly, whatever THING was on him was stuck with yellow boomerangs.]
[There is a SCREECH and then a Thud that followed--]
[MN.6] //: Whew--THANKS, SPEEDSTER--
<DWN-012>: >Siam, I know for a FACT that the data has been encrypted for slower release—otherwise, do you think I’d even be able to BE here at all? Please stop freaking out over something that isn’t IMMEDIATELY a problem, we’re kinda BUSY!
[Siam was clearly less than pleased with that answer. His data suggested that the situation was FAR worse than the Mighties were prepared for.]
<DWN-019>: >Do you HONESTLY think I would—
<DWN-012>: > YES
<DWN-019>: >I didn’t—
<DWN-012>: >I don’t care!
<DWN-019>: > GRAH! Why won’t you LISTEN to me!?
<DWN-013>: >No offense, bro, but if that’s all—
<DWN-019>: > IT’S NOT, YOU TWITS!
<DWN-019>: >There are some temporal anomalies and you’re all getting caught up in it! It’s not just you, it’s Mikhail as well—and do I need to remind you, YOU SPECIFICALLY, TWELVE, of how dangerous that could be to YOU, personally?
<DWN-012>: > -Mnnrrgh…!-
<DWN-019>: > Where is Mikhail?!
<DWN-019>: >I need Cardinal over here to properly oversee the updates, and I need his help with—
<DWN-013>: > Ugh—
<DWN-013>: >I’m SORRY, Gem, but— -BLAM!- 000 is still processing everything, we can’t move him yet, and it seems there are other problems—
<DWN-019>: >HOW can this possibly get worse?
<DWN-013>: > -Irritable- I think Mikhail is under arrest, Gemini!
[MN.5] //: (-Inwardly cursing self for using military titles where they are due out of respect, NGH-)
<DWN-019>: > …
[The feeds were slammed with acerbic data.]
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC DATA-
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC PANIC PANIC-
<DWN-011>: > …
<DWN-011>: > …Joking, right?
<DWN-011>: > Right?
<DWN-012>: > He was IN handcuffs, brother—
<DWN-019>: > Nnnnnnnn-nnn-nnn-noo—
<DWN-019>: > Stars above I don’t think I can do this—
<DWN-018>: >Look, I doubt that if—
<DWN-019>: >IT DOESN’T MATTER! NOT WHAT YOU THINK!
<DWN-019>: > I DON’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THAT DATA FROM REACHING THE COSSACK NUMBERS!
((COLLECTIVE OH GLITCH-- ))
[There was more than a little reason to worry. Having gone through so much suffering, the Cossack Numbers were very, VERY protective of their sister and their father. Mikhail had asked that they remain undisturbed for that very reason.
It was highly unlikely they could be convinced to sit it out—especially when one of the Numbers was the very epitome of rage.]
<DWN-018>: > Are you serious.
<DWN-019>: >I’m not the Admin, Nico! I don’t have that kind of power!
<DWN-018>: > That’s it. As head of the family, I’m intervening. Dealing with our dysfunctions is plenty; I am not going to put up with fighting the Russians.
[It would seem that Nico had lost his patience.]
Will: -Winces-
Will: (Oh, no, this...This is not good--)
<DWN-018>: >Siam, there’s got to be SOMETHING you can do—
<DWN-019>: > Well I’ll TRY to stall—I think I can by changing the data Snow gets— but hurry up as much as you can, I need the rest of the family back as soon as possible!
[MN.6] //: Roger Dodger--
<DWN-018>: >Fine, do it. Gem, get that guy on the line. We’ve got to talk this out before it gets out of hand. And as for you two…
<DWN-018>: >Speedy, Jaden, you guys were BUILT for Combat, can’t you work ANY faster?!
<DWN-013>: > Grrr…
<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
[MN.1] //: --!!
[Jaden began to glow white.]
[It almost… almost looked like the light from an evolution!]
[MN.6] //: -WHOA WHAT THE HECK--
Beck: --!!!!
Will: (What is...)
Beck: (I know that light--)
Will: (What IS that...?)
Beck: (I KNOW that LIGHT--!)
((pic))
Jaden: I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!
[MN.1] //: ??!?
[Jaden had changed. The was larger now, and bulkier—and based on the energy ratings from him, he was packing some SERIOUS heat.]
[MN.5] //: -DATA AT ALL THE WEAPONRY BORDERING ON SURPRISE AND EXCITEMENT--
[Hatches popped open.
YEP. Those were some sort of missiles inside.]
Jaden: WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!
[MN.1] //: Jaden--!
[MN.5] //: -I SECOND THIS NOTION--
[MN.1] //: BAT--
[Jaden used CRASH BOMBER!]
[A barrage of about five Crash Bombs were nailed into the wall, where they burrowed.
MORE hatches popped open.]
Beck: -DAD DAD DAD LOOK--
Will: -Is looking but with awe--
Jaden: -FIRE!-
[Missiles launched from EVERY port at once. In conjunction with the Crash Bombs, they took out the walls’ supports—flattening the constructs that HAD been behind it—]
[—with more continuing to the wall on the OTHER side of that room and turning it into a gaping hole of RUBBLE.]
[MN.5] //: HOOOOO-RAAAAAAAH!
[MN.1] //: -Is just shocked into silence-
Beck: YEAH, GO JADEN GO--!
Jaden: COME ON, MAJOR, WE HAVE AN EXTERMINATION CONTRACT TO HONOR—
Jaden: AND WE’RE SENDING THE BILL RIGHT TO HQ!
[MN.5] //: RIGHT TO GRAHAM'S ILL-GOTTEN OFFICE, TOO!
[MN.1] //: -The both of you better not level the place while WE'RE STILL IN IT--
[The hatches close.]
Jaden: Who said anything about leveling the building?
Jaden: These constructs, on the other hand…
[Jaden used BODY SLAM!]
[He rammed RIGHT into one of them, crunching it against the wall. It had been covered in spikes, but he took no damage.]
Jaden: ARE GONNA BE FLATTENED!
[He was jumped by several more constructs—or abominations, rather.
He skewers one with a drill and fires the Crash Bomb—with the enemy on it—right into several others, exploding.]
Beck: : D!!!!!!
Beck: -I KNEW HE COULD DO IT--
Beck: -I KNEW IIIIIIT-
[MN.6] //: Wowsers....
[MN.6] //: Uh...I'm pretty sure you guys can head on in? : D ;;;;;
Will: Ah, yes...
Will: Shall we?
Beck: Yeah!
Beck: Just stay behind me, Dad, okay?
Will: Oh, by all means, take the lead. ^^
<DWN-013>: > Let’s do this, Mighty Nine!
<DWN-013>: >We’re just the opening act—you’re the main show!
Beck: Heh!
Beck: -Running ahead- Gonna be hard to top what you dished out, Jaden! c: <
<DWN-013>: >Heh…
<DWN-013>: > Not for a hero like you, it won’t!
[A mess of what was once dense with virus fodder was now in utter ruin.]
[Will quietly made his way behind his son with methodical footsteps, careful to not let his guard down.]
Will: Goodness, the lot of you really made short work of all this...
Beck: No kidding...
[MN.5] //: HA! I've met CAN-OPENERS THAT WERE TOUGHER THAN THAT!
[MN.3] //: I appreciate the zzzeal, Bat, but can you tone down the trigger happy crazzzy little? Trying to concentrate.
[MN.2] //: KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~ WHO WANTS FROZEN CHERRY SMOOTHIES FOR DESERT?~
[MN.6] //: Not of these weird things, bleh--
[MN.6] //: But get it together, you two! Tyrannasaurous-BECKS is here! : D
[MN.6] //: The haywire robot assembly line is just up ahead, Becker, it's all up to you! And Dad too, of course! : D Keep heading straight!
Beck: Roger, Avi! I'm on it!
Beck: --Whoooooa...
Beck: Pyro, what did you do?
[MN.1] //: I don't know how, but Jaden's Crash Bombs seem to have a sort of buff effect on me...
<DWN-019>: >Well of COURSE it does, you’re a fire based construct.
[MN.1] //: << -Siam shouldn't you be stalling right about now--
<DWN-012>: > -sNORT-
<DWN-012>: >You’re forgetting something, Pyro.
[MN.1] // -...Damn it, you're right, he can multitask--
Beck: -Cough, ugh, smoke's kinda bad--
Will: -Coughing and using lab coat sleeve over his mouth and nose-
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
Beck: -Blows smoke away with propeller wind-
Beck: Dad?
Will: -Ugh- Yes?
Beck: How exactly are you going to shut down the Primary M.O.M Unit?
Will: --...Ah...
Will: I'm going to try and hack my way into it...
Will: It can only be manually shut down from that one terminal.
Will: (....I might have to combat the virus myself while I'm at it...)
Will: .....
Beck: ...Dad?
Will: --...Er. We need to keep moving.
Will: If we can shut down the Primary Unit, we won't have to bother with the Secondary...
Beck: There's a secondary M.O.M unit?
Will: Yes, but it only serves as a sort of support pillar to the Primary--shutting THAT down won't slow or stop the factory itself.
Will: It's faster and much more effective to go straight to the Primary M.O.M unit than waste time with the Secondary.
Beck: Okay...
Beck: (......)
Beck: (When did Dad have time to read up on how CherryDyn's Factory setup works...?)
<DWN-019>: >I suppose it doesn’t surprise me there isn’t more of a redundancy in the system for failsafe measures.
<DWN-019>: >I’ll try to leave you be for now, I know that most people can’t do two entirely different things at once, but—
<DWN-019>: >I’m a little concerned by what is going on over there, given the kind of files Mikhail printed off from this server. And the fact he’s under arrest.
Beck: .... Files...?
Will: ......
<DWN-019>: >Evidence files, Beck.
Beck: ....For...For what?
Will: Siam.
<DWN-019>: >William, with all due respect—
<DWN-019>: >My family leader is dead and our Doctor could very well follow, and you’re in the middle of somewhere dangerous while I’m trying to keep the Cossack Numbers from hearing something I DON’T have the authority to censor.
<DWN-019>: >I am a bit stressed, sorry.
<DWN-019>: >You and I need to talk when this is over.
<DWN-019 has left the conversation.>
Will: ......
Will: -Sigh-
Will: >>
Beck: ...Dad...?
Beck: What's going on?
Will: . . . .
Will: Beck, it...
Will: . . .
[Will places a reassuring hand on his shoulder.]
Will: I...I'm sorry, but we don't have time.
Will: We have to get to that terminal.
Will: ...Please, I know...I know things seem troubling, and that's a light way to put it...
Beck: .....
Beck: No, I...
Beck: I get it.
Will: --?
Beck: We gotta keep going.
Beck: (....I get it...)
Beck: Avi said the factory line was just down this straight path...
[Beck hovered over to the other end of the room--or, rather, where the room WOULD end, because the wall that was there was in several different pieces now.]
Beck: Don't fall behind, Dad!
Will: . . .
<DWN-012>: >Boy does this bring back memories.
Beck: You said you did wreck a place like this before, right--
[THUD.]
<DWN-012>: >Yeah, the place where I was built—hmm?
<DWN-012>: >Mic, did you—
[SMAT!]
[MN.4] //: -Oops-
[MN.4] //: MIC SORRY, MIC DIDN'T BRING WALL BACK DOWN--
[MN.7] //: Speedy--
<DWN-012>: > -SPRINGS BACK UP, readjusts balance sensors- Ow.
[MN.7] //: . . .
[MN.7] //: -...Oh.-
[MN.4] //: -Speedy okay? Okay.-
<DWN-012>: >YEAH BRO I RUN INTO STUFF ALL THE TIME, no big deal—
[MN.4] //: -Goes back to crushing things-
<DWN-013>: >Him wrecking where we were built is more impressive than it sounds.
<DWN-013>: >I was built there too, and like all ‘bots, I had a testing phase. Let that sink in for a moment, heh.
<DWN-012>: >And…
<DWN-012>: >And there was also Wily Nine.
<DWN-013>: >Oh yeah—Dad assigned him to a factory, didn’t he?
<DWN-012>: >Yeah.
Beck: .....
Beck: (...Wily Nine...)
Beck: (....Huh...)
Will: --!!
Will: Beck, look out--!
Beck: !
[Beck flanked away JUST in time to avoid a MASSIVE cylinder-shaped pillar crashing down from the ceiling, the CherryDyn logo pulsing above in a hologram.]
Will: --!!!
Will: That's the secondary M.O.M Unit--!
Will: How did it end up--
[The Hologram suddenly glitched Red and PURPLE-- ]
Beck: ?!
[--And then out materialize the generator robots from the Power Plant--! ]
Beck: NOT THESE THINGS--
Will: -BACKING FAR AWAY NOW--
[REXELECTION: CRYOSPHERE.]
[A blast of chilling ice coated the generator bots before they could charge and lock his systems--Beck did NOT want to be rendered immobile with his Father so close to these dangerous CDNs.]
Beck: Dad, get away! Now!
Will: -Ngh--
[Will turned to take cover the other way--]
Will: --!!
[...Only to find that a few trash robots had been materialized to block him.]
Will: We're surrounded--!
[Will took a step back, holding his Rapier in his left hand while his right went behind his back.]
Will: Ngh...
Will: (Parry, thrust, stance wide...)
Will: (Never take your eyes off your opponent...)
Will: (Look them in the eye and strike without hesitation--!)
[One of the trash bots leaps--]
[CLANG!]
[Will side steps out of the way, the Xel in his weapon glowing as it is thrust into the construct--]
[KKKSST--]
[...The trash bot's Xel begins to melt away--]
[SHING!]
[And then suddenly, it isn't there anymore.
The Xel dissipates as the trash bot vanishes, stabbed right in the exact center of its central core.]
[Back in the Meadow, Siam was utterly speechless.
The manner in which Will had acted was nothing short of slightly terrifying. To see the ease and unflinching willingness in which he could dissolve those that opposed him…
…It was more than a little unnerving, and a harsh new perspective that cast the Doctor in a much darker light than before.]
<RMDC>: > SENDING UPDATES…
[The reaction to this permeating their collective consciousness was immediate.]
<DWN-011 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-012 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-013 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-018 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-019 has entered Defensive Combat mode.>
Beck: --??? -Confused for a moment before going back to FIGHTING--
[Will let the trash bots come to him, watching their every move with a steely gaze that didn't quite suit his overall appearance...
He moved with practiced poise and grace, and while he did miss a swing here and there due to being out of practice--]
[SHING!]
[...The trash bots were no match for someone of Will's technique.]
[Siam suddenly felt very cold and ill. This was the man that had access to their blueprints and inner workings.
Suddenly, he wasn’t so willing to share them anymore.]
<RMDC>: > ERROR: ADMIN PASSWORD REQUIRED TO CHANGE ACCESS LEVELS. REQUEST DENIED.
<RMDC>: >CONTACTING ADMIN…
[The sickening chill had gripped the others as well. They were overcome with the need to flee for their lives.]
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: > H-how much more of this do you think there i-is—
[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: ...Are you alright? -What is with the sudden drop in mood-
[MN.1 to DWN-013] //: This factory is CherryDyn's, I wouldn't be surprised if it is larger than we think.
<DWN-013>: > D-dammit…
<DWN-013>: > -N-no, we aren’t okay-
<DWN-013>: > Let’s g-get this over with and get out of here…
<DWN-013>: >I won’t abandon you now, but something has happened and now I very much want to go home.
[While Jaden had started showing submission again, his older brother had much the opposite effect.
His usual hot-blooded demeanor had turned icy cold, much more like Shadow’s when the latter was in a dangerous and silent mood.
Furthermore, his usually green eyes had turned and were now glowing a deep red—a sign that he felt the presence of a powerful and aggressive, cruel enemy in his midst.
…
But then there was a shudder of some sort in the air, almost a glitch within reality itself.]
<DWN-011 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-012 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-013 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-018 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
<DWN-019 has left Defensive Combat mode.>
Speedy: -Puts a hand to his head- Nnngh…!
Brand: --!
[MN.7] //: Speedy--are you alright? (...What just happened?)
<DWN-012>: > I hurt, really bad— it’s like… like all my programs just ran flat into a wall and were turned off for ages—
[He coughs, trying to re-calibrate various sensors.]
<DWN-012>: >Ugh… I wasn’t made to handle that sort of thing, it really hurts…
[…He was right.
Somehow, he seemed to have taken damage from whatever that was just now. The readings showed it.]
<DWN-012>: > (Maybe Siam was right…. Nnnngh, I have a bad, bad feeling about this…)
[MN.4] //: -PING- -Mic can provide cover if you need a minute-
[...And it REALLY seems Mic was confident in this, because he was just walling the other crazed CDNs.]
<DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > -Emotional data- Th… thanks, man…
[He grits his teeth against the pain and forces himself back to his feet.]
<DWN-012>: > -You guys really are the best-
Brand: -SHING- No need to thank us. -SHING- Besides, being the defense is Mic's function.
[CRASH!]
[A bunch of CDNs were casually swept aside by Mic's huge arms--he briefly turns back to Speedy to give a reassuring smile.]
Mic: ^w^
Mic: -Turns again to WHAM on a CDN that tried to get the jump on him-- -NOPE, DENIED-
Speedy: Heh… -Weak smile- I guess just… so not used to it.
Speedy: Our family… my series, just so very different, such a different experience.
Speedy: Almost all my brothers shot at me at least once. Including the defensive-based unit.
Speedy: That was the last time I… actually fought, was… the [color=blue]end[/color] of our Generation…. As the Last Survivor of my series…
Brand: .....
Mic: -WHANG- : E -Awwwww-
Mic: -Mic give you hug later-
Mic: -Busy with Cherry crazies right now but IOU a hug-
Speedy: Heh…
[A larger boomerang materializes in his hand. He’s smiling with his eyes closed.]
Speedy: Just try not to crunch hug me, I hear FMN-004 likes to do that.
[When he opens his eyes again, they’re glowing with determination.]
Speedy: But we’ll make our way out of here, alright—
[He gives a short burst of a sprint to vault his way onto Mic’s back.]
Mic: -Oop- : D!
[He hurls the larger Quick Boomerang down the hallway, slicing through about a dozen and a half constructs before it gets wedged into a piece of machinery.]
Speedy: And we’ll get to hang out with someone that gives a better name to what these guys are associated with.
Speedy: Let’s speed things up so we can FFW to the feast, yeah?
Brand: -Nods-
[Brand slices a few CDNs in half before pointing his sword towards the next room.]
Brand: Onwards!
[MEANWHILE...]
Beck: KYAH!
[Beck doesn't waste a second slamming a guided missile at the M.O.M unit, it's systems damaged and scrambled--but it was now churning out fused abominations of whatever it could find in CherryDyn's database...]
Beck: What even ARE these things??
Will: -KICKS A TRASH BOT AWAY- The systems are infected! The manufacturing programs must be going haywire--
[Another trash bot that seemed to be fused with a fire based bot is dissolved--]
Will: --The virus must be finding schematics in CherryDyn's database and mixing them together--!
Beck: But WHY?
Will: --Ngh-- I don't know--
Will: (Does...Does SHE know I'm here--?)
[CRUNCH.]
Will: --??
[After a few seconds, there was a sudden explosion from beneath one of the heavier fused Xel beasties—]
Will: --?!?
[Sending (besides Xel) a splatter of hissing liquid and green shrapnel pieces everywhere.]
Beck: Dad?! Are you okay?!
Will: Fine--
Will: --!!
Will: (...B... Battery Acid...)
Will: (Ngh--not you, not NOW--!)
Will: BECK!
Will: We need to get moving, NOW!
Beck: On it!
[REXELECTION: PYROGEN]
Beck: Out of the WAY--!
[Will ducks for cover just in time before Beck unleashed a Level 2 Burning Spirit--]
[CRACK--CREEEEEEEEEEAK--]
[The display on the M.O.M unit flickers and dies, the top end of the pillar melting away and--]
[CRAAAAAASH!]
[...falls backwards, COMPLETELY taking out the wall to the next room after.]
Beck: --Oops--
Beck: Uh...aaaat least we can pass--? ^.^;
Will: Goodness--
Will: (I didn't think Level 2 would be THAT effective...)
Will: Are you alright?
Beck: Yup--I'm good!
Beck: Let's keep going--
"Eeeeyyy, Beckers!"
Beck: !
[Avi flies in from the giant hole in the wall, surveying the damage done by the now broken M.O.M unit.]
Avi: Wowzers, next time give a little heads-up there, buddy, you nearly pillar-ized me!
Avi: -BADAUM TISSS SOUND EFFECT OVER THE FEEDS- : D
Beck: -Giggles- Sorry, Avi, I didn't know you were there.
[MN.7] //: -My guess is Avi, which means ignore it-
Avi: Love ya too, Ninjabro! ;D
Avi: Things all good with you, Dad?
Will: I'm fine, Six--what's the status of the other teams?
Avi: Team One is making some pretty good headway, and the other Teams are following right behind--they're not too far ahead of where we are.
<DWN-013>: >I must admit concern for the structural integrity of the place if we collectively keep blowing up walls and stuff, though…
<DWN-013>: >It’ll probably be declared structurally unsafe after we get out of here.
<DWN-012>: >Heh, no big loss. |D
Avi: -Snorts-
Beck: Hey, Avi--you haven't seen some weird fused robots, have you?
Avi: Oh, THOSE things--
Avi: Yeah, they're popping up everywhere in this place, they're so weird--
Will: Hmm...
<DWN-013>: > That’s rather not my point, though—
<DWN-013>: >We can say with a great degree of certainty that when things get unstable enough, they collapse and bury you alive, it happens more often in our family than you think. If this keeps up for too long, that puts you in a lot of danger, Uncle Will.
Will: ....
Will: (He's right--there's not only the infected robot threat, but the status of the factory building itself...)
Will: ....
Will: The fused infected CDNs and the weakening integrity of the building is all the more reason why we must hurry to the Primary M.O.M unit.
<DWN-013>: >Gah…
<DWN-013>: >If only we had Cardinal’s use of the Search Snake Power Capsule right now—that thing is great for scouting out unknown territories, it’s why it was made to begin with…
Will: (...Or to spy on others, in this case...)
Will: Avi, can you scout out the next room for us?
Avi: Already did, Daddo! Cleared it out while you guys were busy--this way!
[The next room seems to be a data storage room, with screens that take up the entire wall much like in Sanda Labs...]
[...Except they showed off dozens upon dozens of blueprints and schematics for all sorts of CDN Industrial Models--it looked like a viewing room for whatever few humans that DID work in the factory to oversee the manufacturing process.]
Beck: -Look, ITS A ROUND DIGGER, BUDDYYYYY-
Will: (All these models...)
Avi: --!!
Avi: Well, well, well, what do we have here...
<DWN-012>: >A punplane who’s about to tell us something interesting?
[Avi flies over to a schematic that's waaaaay up high near the ceiling, something that seemed...Out of place...]
Avi: Hey, Dad? The rest of these plans are for Industrials, right?
Will: ...They all seem to be, yes...
Will: Did you find something?
Avi: ..Oh, yeah, I FOUND something, alright--
Avi: A schematic for a COMBAT Model.
Will: --!
<DWN-012>: >I don’t get why that’s so strange—
Avi: (And if I'm reading this right--)
Avi: --!!
Avi: Uh Oh--
Avi: DAD I GOTTA GO--
<DWN-013>: >Woah, woah, woah—
<DWN-013>: > -Avs are you okay— -
Will: What--
Avi: Got a hot scoop to deliver to Doc Sanda-Man, DON'T WORRY I'LL BE RIGHT BACK--
[Without another word, Avi shifts into Jet Mode and zooooooms back out the way Will and Beck came in.]
Will: Wait--Avi! What about Soi?!
Beck: ....
[REXELECTION: AVIATOR.]
[Beck flies up to where Avi saw the schematic for the CDN combat model...]
Beck: ....
Beck: K-9...?
<DWN-013 and DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > Scrap—
<DWN-012>: > Canine models can get VICIOUS…
Beck: Combat model designed to patrol and guard--
Beck: Maximum security establishments--!
<DWN-013>: > UGH this is all Fahrenheit 451 on us—
Beck: -THERE'S ONE AT THE PRISON--
Will: SOI!
Will: (Oh God SOICHIRO--)
Will: (And you--)
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Soi: A-Are you sure you don't want to, uh... swap missions...?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Will: (Oh, Soi, I never should have--!)
Beck: Dad--Uncle Sanda--!
Beck: And--And Call--!
[PING!]
<DWN-018>: > -Shocked data-
<DWN-019>: > NICO YOU STAY PUT—
Will: --!!
[Unfortunately, this was the worst thing that Siam could have said. Nico quickly snapped out of it, and his data became almost horrifically aggressive.]
<DWN-018>: > … You—
[There’s a loud WHANG and a crash, followed by static—]
[As if Siamini had been flung against a wall by a powerful force, and possibly into a transmitter.]
Beck: Wha--?
Will: (Nico...)
Will: (....Soichiro is going to need all the help he can get in there--)
Will: (Oh, please, Avi, PLEASE get there in time to warn them--!)
<DWN-012>: > Augh…
<DWN-012>: > By the time this is over EVERY ROBOT MASTER AWAKE is gonna end up in repairs, GREAT—
<DWN-013>: >With Cardinal, Nico, and Siam all out of it…
<DWN-012>: > I KNOW—
<DWN-012>: > Let’s hurry up and get out of here before I have no one left to look over!
<DWN-012>: > Doctor!
Will: --!
<DWN-012>: >Based on the perimeter and area of the building before we got in here, how close do you think you are to where you need to be? And would it be on this same floor or in a basement?
Will: Th-The same floor--and there's still quite a bit to go--
<DWN-012>: >Nnngh…
<DWN-012>: >Alright then—
<DWN-012>: >We need to make sure the building stays in one piece until then. Mic, as you go along, will you put in reinforcement beams in rooms and so forth to reinforce the structural integrity?
[MN.4] //: -PING- Hmm hmm! ^w^
<DWN-012>: >Good. Team One—
[There’s a loud crashing noise.]
Brand: . . . .??????
Brand: -What--
Brand: -I thought that only happens in the old cartoons Avi watches all the time--
[MN.8] //: Oi, what the HELL was that noise--?!
[MN.2] //: -Shadey stop being grumpy and COVER ME YOU COWPOKING GRUMP-
Beck: Dad--
Will: -Ngh...-
Will: We have to keep moving--
Will: (Soi--Soi has Avi coming, and Call is there, and Nico is on his way...)
Will: (He'll be fine, he'll be fine--oh goodness please let him be alright after this--)
<DWN-012>: > …Uh…
<DWN-012>: >OKAY so apparently not all the walls are meant to take Combat-model force momentum??
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > You RAN THROUGH A /WALL/ are you SERIOUS—
<DWN-013>: > -CRACKS UP LAUGHING-
[MN.2] //: -Yo for REAL, HE DIDN'T GO SPLAT--
Will: (... Well, this IS mostly an Industrial Robot Factory...)
<DWN-013>: > Are you kidding, Sis?
<DWN-013>: > -Warm data- Dad made him to be FINE after running into walls at well over 100 mph.
<DWN-013>: >I guess since he held up and something has to give when two objects meet…
<DWN-013>: > He just went right through the wall oh I’m dying of laughter here
[MN.2] //: -DUUUUUUUDE THAT'S SICK-
<DWN-013>: >How are you three holding up, by the way?
<DWN-013>: >Haven’t heard from you in a whi—
[MN.2] //: HEY MIC DO YOU THINK IF YOU THREW ME AT A WALL I'D GO THROUGH IT TOO LIKE THE KOOL-AID MAN IN THE FUNNY COMMERCIALS--
<DWN-013>: > -SNORTS-
[MN.1] //: -cryo please FOCUS ON YOUR TEAM, NO ONE IS THROWING YOU AT A WALL-
[MN.2] //: -BUT IT BE SO COOL, THO, I'D BE ALL OOOOOH YEAH, GLITCHES, GET WRECKED--
[Jaden’s laughter quiets down a bit, but he’s still grinning as he goes at the infected CDNs around him in drill-to-hand combat.
He’s quite good at it, too, in a way that suggests he trained to be so.]
[MN.3] //: -Bzzzzt, we're fine, just pretty concentrated on these CDN creeps-
[MN.8] //: -Very focused data, trying to stay in the zone here but SOMEONE KEEPS YELLIN'--
[MN.2] //: -TOO BAD, I'M TEAM LEADER, PLLLLLLLPGH- -Raspberry noises-
<DWN-013>: > -Gently- Shade?
[MN.8] //: What?
<DWN-013>: > You’re awfully tense, and that makes it harder to focus right.
<DWN-013>: > …Everything will be okay.
[Shade didn’t respond to that.
As much as he was trying to hide it, he was in a great deal of emotional pain and physical exhaustion. He had only just woken up from the fights of his life, and the main thing that kept him going in the face of the terrible things, the things he had done—the only thing that kept him going was because he HAD to.
He had to—they needed him—
And he had to, he had to keep his mind—keep it off of—]
[MN.8] //: (Nnngh…)
[…The fact that the update of Cardinal’s memories to the server was a ticking time bomb, just waiting to make the Rebel Angels even more terrified of him and potentially hostile…
…really, really wasn’t helping.]
<DWN-013>: > We’re all in this together, alright?
<DWN-013>: >And we don’t need perfection here just now—
[Background noise of something being lit on fire.]
[MN.8] //: .....
[MN.8] //: -mmmgh.-
<DWN-013>: > -He’ll be okay, I promise-
<DWN-013>: >He’s already running again.
[MN.8] //: ........
[There was a muffled bit of data that seemed edge with dread—dread, uncertainty, anxiety, concern—
Almost as if he were thinking to himself a worry that what happened could ever be forgiven.]
<DWN-013>: > Ah ah—I know that data—
<DWN-013>: >Just try and loosen up a bit and be there for your sisters, okay?
<DWN-013>: >We can deal with the rest later after we get home.
<DWN-013>: >Think of it as…
<DWN-013>: > -Lightbulb-
<DWN-013>: >Some DLC for your tagging incident. : ]
[MN.8] //: --....
[MN.8] //: (....That would be nice...)
[MN.2] //: -YEAH AFTER WE CLEAN UP CHERRY'S MESS, WE CAN AAAAALL BE NICE AND CHILL TOGETHER-
<DWN-012>: >GG, Icewoman—
<DWN-012>: >Now I want black cherry flavored snowcones—
<DWN-013>: > I prefer strawberry and lemonade flavor, myself.
[MN.2] //: -Glitch when Snow wakes up we gotta make ALLLL THE SNOWCONES AND ICE CREAMS--
[BOOM-!]
[MN.2] //: --What the glitch was that?
<DWN-012>: >I’m not sure— Bat?
[MN.5] //: That wasn't us or Pyro--not Jaden either--
[MN.1] //: Avi isn't here and Shade didn't blow up anything, did you?
[MN.8] //: Nope--
[MN.7] //: --....
[MN.7] //: Beck--
[Static.]
[MN.9] //: B--Buddy--that's not Buddy--
[MN.7] //: -????-
[DR.WHITE] //: It's--It must be an unreleased, upgraded Round Digger Model--!
[Explosions can be heard over the feeds--]
[MN.9] //: -BUDDY IS LIKE TEN TIMES BETTER THAN YOU, STOP SHOOTING WATER AT ME--
<DWN-013>: > …
<DWN-013>: > -A Digger that uses WATER????-
<DWN-013>: >Are you sure that’s not a glitched model?
[MN.9] //: -Don't care--
[SHING!]
[MN.9] //: -This thing can wreck the whole building if we leave it unchecked--
<DWN-013>: >If Avi were here, I’m sure he’d be punning about “where’s the fire” or soOOOOOoOooohhhhh okayyy…
<DWN-012>: > -No, bailing and letting it run loose is not an option-
<DWN-013>: > -Didn’t mean it wasn’t tempting for a moment-
[SHING SHING SHING--]
[MN.9] //: -UGH THIS THING IS WAY TOUGHER THAN BUDDY WAS--
<DWN-012>: >But nowhere near as tough as you!
<DWN-012>: >I guess he’s using your form, Brand. : ]
[MN.7] //: >> -....He uses it well-
[MN.9] //: -wat really--
[MN.9] //: -I MEAN--THANKS NII-SAN--
[There's a strange burst of data when Beck is praised by his elder brother--]
[SHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHINGSHING--!]
<DWN-013>: > ?
Will: Oh my--
<DWN-013 to MNN-007>: >Brand, what am I hearing?
[MN.7] //: Otouto?
[MN.9] //: -......-
[MN.9] //: @~@
[MN.9] //: Sooooo dizzyyyy...
[MN.9] //: -Blrgh, dad why did you program me for nausea--
Will: -I--I think Beck just did Brand's Spin Slash technique--
Speedy: -Raises an eyebrow- …
[MN.7] //: What!?
[MN.9] //: WHOA WHAT REALLY I CAN D O THAT NOW--
[MN.9] //: -NII-SAN--NIIII-SAAAAAN I DID THE THING--
Speedy: -Slight wry grin- So when you hear it from someone you hold in high regard then, huh…?
[MN.7] //: -Low-key actually excited about this, what, that isn't pride, what are you talking about--
[MN.9] //: : D!!
<DWN-013>: >So… he can unlock secondary abilities, too? -Seems… pleased about this, in a sense-
<DWN-013>: >I wonder if that’ll happen when eventually you get to have our forms.
<DWN-012>: >Heh. Imagine Beck, like, duplicating himself!
<DWN-012>: >Or teleport spamming! B]
<DWN-013>: > -Chuckles at this-
<DWN-013>: >You’re just full of awesome surprises, aren’t you, lil’ bro?
<DWN-013>: > -Warm ping of approval-
[MN.9] //: ^//^
[MN.9] //: Eheh...
[MN.9] //: -Imeannii-sanistheonewhomadeupthatmoveso--
[MN.7] //: >>;
<DWN-013>: > -Laughs in data- Tell you what, Beck!
<DWN-013>: >After this is over, I’ll teach you some of the non-Capsule style moves I use!
[MN.9] //: -OOOO REALLY--
[BLAM--]
Will: Oh dear Beck wait for me--
[Will hurries behind a gleefully excited Nine, who is spurred on by the prospect of learning something new from one of his other brothers.]
Beck: Come on, Dad, how much further?
Will: Ah--Not long now, now that you took care of that Round Digger...
Will: We should be seeing some of the assembly lines right around here...
Will: .....
Will: That's odd...
Beck: --? Huh? What is?
Will: ...The assembly lines are going in reverse--?
<DWN-012>: >Say what?
<DWN-012>: >That sounds… really gruesome…
Will: (That's strange--why would the factory disassemble its own models?)
Will: (Something is wrong here...)
Beck: .......
Beck: (There's a lot of Xel up ahead, I can feel it...)
Beck: (Huh...)
<DWN-013>: >Why would models be being torn apart into Xel? That’s honestly messed up. >.>
<DWN-013>: >Even a malfunction should just cause it to shut off, because a buildup backlog would just cause an explosion somewhere.
<DWN-012>: > …Unless it were being used somewhere else in the factory, somehow…
<DWN-013>: >Doing what?
Will: Only one way to find out...
Beck: Keep going?
Will: Yes.
<DWN-013>: >Let us know.
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Kinda concerned we haven’t heard from 18 or 19 yet…
<DWN-013 to MNN-001>: >Nico must have either knocked 19 out entirely or else taken out the transmitter altogether. I hope it’s just the transmitter, because I don’t want our cousins to get involved…
[MN.1] //: Tch...
[MN.1] //: (Alnico, you better know what you're doing...)
[MN.2] //: --uh--
[MN.2] //: Guyyyyys--
<DWN-013>: > -Distracted- Yeah, Icesis?
[There is what could only be described as absolute chaos over Cryo's team's feeds--even Beck himself could hear it on the next rooms beyond.]
Beck: --!
[MN.2] //: WE MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE HERE--
[MN.8] //: -REQUESTIN' BACK-UP, THERE'S BEEN A INFLUX OF CDNs--
[MN.3] //: -BZZZZZZT OW--
<DWN-012>: >UH.
<DWN-012>: >TEAM ONE YOU MIGHT NEED TO BACKTRACK—
<DWN-013>: > Hang in there!
[MN.1] //: Bat! Move up front with Jaden--we're heading to the assembly lines!
[MN.5] //: Roger that, Commander--
[MN.1] //: Speedy, Brand, Mic, how far are you from their location?
[MN.4] //: -Not far, heading that way now--
[MN.1] //: Beck, stay with Father until we can clear things up enough for you to pass though!
Beck: Yessir!
[There’s an increasingly loud clanging noise coming closer.]
[MN.2] //: -EY, CALVERY IS COMING--
[MN.3] //: -BZZZ, HEY, HANDSZZ OFF THE PONCHO--
Jaden: -Runs in- HI BECK—
Jaden: -Runs past- BYE BECK—
Beck: !!
Bat: CHAAAAAAAARGE--
Beck: -WHOOPS, OUT OF THE WAY--
[Pyro does pause for a moment when he catches up to check on Beck and Will--]
Pyro: --...
Pyro: Father, you're a mess--
[Will did look a bit worse for wear, but there wasn't any real major injuries to worry about.]
Will: Eheh... Don't worry about me, son.
Will: Go.
Pyro: -Nods-
Beck: -GO GET THEM, BRO--
[Inside the assembly lines....]
Cryo: TOOK YOU GUYS LONG ENOUGH--
Cryo: -FREEZES A CDN instead of finishing that SENTENCE--
Dyna: -BZZZZ, THEY JUST KEEP COMING--
Jaden: Not for much longer, they don’t.
Shade: Ya seen Brand and the others--?
[Shade, of course, was at a high vantage point along with Cryo to pick off the CDNs as they came out of the lines.]
Shade: We need them t' trash the equipment--
[CRASH—]
Pyro: --!!
Speedy: -Keeps running so he doesn’t get run over- HI GUYS MIC AND BRAND ARE RIGHT BEHIND ME, STAY OUTTA THE WAY I THINK THEY AREN’T GONNA BE STOPPING EITHER—
[SHING SHING SHING SHING SHING--]
[RRRRRRRRRRR--]
Mic: -SLAMS RIGHT INTO A PROCESSING UNIT-
[Speedy opens fire with Quick Boomerangs.
Shade flinches at the sound.]
Shade: --ngh--
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
KTANG!
[Leaping onto the walls and vaulting onto a statue, he peppered the room with high speed Quick Boomerangs.]
"You clearly haven’t learned I don’t go down so easy, Counter.”
-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Cryo: Hey! -Sprays with cold water--
Shade: GAH--
Cryo: I need ya here and now, bro, gotta keep those CherryDyn's down!
Shade: | [ -Ya didn't have to cold spray me--
Brand: Mic! Help me with these processing units!
Mic: -MIC SMASH--
Jaden: HEY MIC!
Mic: !
[He fires into a bit of debris and kicks it over Mic’s way.]
Jaden: Give ‘em a slam dunk! >B]
Mic: E : <
Mic: -WHAM--
[A slew of CDNs are crushed underneath the pile of debris, now just a pile of Xel on the floor.]
Cryo: -THREE POOOOOINTS--
[BOOM!]
Brand: --!
Mic: -OOO TRASH BALL GO BOOM--
Pyro: Dyna, barrier!
Dyna: You got it--!
[A bunch of bits fly in front of Pyro to create an electric shield, which he stands behind for a moment before igniting himself--]
[--And CHARGING FORWARD, Using Dyna's shield as a battering ram against the CDNs--!]
[Interesting. Bits of surge from what’s left of the Crash Bomb provide a boost. Not NEARLY as much as the full thing, but still.]
[PING!]
[MN.6] //: HEY GUYS, AM I LATE TO THE PARTY--
Speedy: EEEEY, LOOK WHO’S OUTTA THE JOINT.
Speedy: Tell me you have good news, bro!
Speedy: Everyone’s in one piece, yeah?
Avi: Yo I got there JUST in time, bro, Call's giving the pooch a lesson--
Speedy: How’s our younger brother?
Avi: They're on their way to Doc Blackwell, and--Uh.
Avi: ....Wait, what?
Speedy: …
[He leaps up onto a higher vantage point to start taking out his frustration on the production lines.]
Speedy: Nico went in there! Are you saying he’s not back yet?
Avi: -YO SAY WHAT--
Jaden: He must have seen Call on the screen after Siamini looked up the status of the Sanda team after hearing you freak out over the dog plans.
Avi: -I--I didn't see him there, I didn't know, I only broadcasted to Sanda-bag--
Avi: -Gaaaaaaah if I knew I would've stayed and backed him up--
Pyro: Avi--
Avi: --?
Jaden: I wouldn’t worry about it…
Jaden: He could tear things up pretty badly if he puts his mind to it.
Jaden: Especially if he took shrapnel bits with him on the way…
Speedy: I’m going to guess yes, given he was going into something with Combat in mind.
Avi: -Oh-
Avi: ....
Avi: : ' D -Okaaaaaaay yup cuz that's not terrifying to think about at all--
Jaden: -Laughs at this-
((pic))
Jaden: We’re Wily constructs, dude.
Avi: : ''''' D
[PING!]
[MN.9] //: How are you guys holding up?
[MN.5] //: Managed to push them back at least--
[MN.6] //: -EY BECKO GUESS WHAT, CALL'S BEATING UP THE DOGGIE AND NICO'S, UH--GOING IN FOR BACK UP-
[MN.9] //: Oh, That's-- waitdidyousaynico--
<DWN-013>: >Yyyyyyeah, uh…
[MN.9] //: -NOBODY TOLD HIM ABOUT CALL--
<DWN-013>: >No, we didn’t, but he apparently saw, because he took out both the transmitter and possibly Siamini as well in the process of storming off.
[MN.9] //: -Thaaaaaaaaaat's not good--
[MN.9] //: Do you guys need a hand?
<DWN-013>: >No thanks, I don’t use hands. B]
<DWN-013>: >No hands no problem, right, Shade?
[MN.8] //: Heh...
[MN.8] //: Little help does sound nice, though.
[MN.1] //: Someone has to stay with Father--
[DR.WHITE] //: No, we're running out of time--
[DR.WHITE] //: We NEED to get past this into the main assembly line--
Jaden: You want me to come over?
[DR.WHITE] //: No, Jaden, you're needed with the rest of your team--all of you just keep concentrating on the infected units while we slip by!
[MN.9] //: -Don't worry, I'll be in Mic's form for defense--
Jaden: Awesome! Go for gold, guys. : )
Jaden: We’ll just be having a ball here, right, Icesis?
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC]
Beck: -Snorts-
[MN.2] //: -TEN POINTS FOR YOU-
Beck: Hey, Dad--get on!
Will: --Wait--what, on you--
Beck: -This'll be much faster than you on foot--Don't worry, 'Linka and I do this all the time--
Will: Oh--
Beck: Just hold on tight because we're going to be going really fast--
Will: Uh--H-How fast--
[RRRRRRRRRRR--]
[MEANWHILE...]
Mic: -SMAAAASH--
Brand: --Mic, is that noise you--
[RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR--]
Will: -SCREAMING, TOO FAST, TOO FAAAAAAAAST--
Avi: -GO BECK GO--
Beck: -SKIDS AROUND STUFF- You sure you guys don't need some--
[WHANG--!]
Beck: !!
[OH WHEN DID A ROUND DIGGER GET IN HERE--]
Jaden: Woah! -Knocked over-
Brand: Haaaaaah--!
[S H I N G !]
Jaden: o.o
Jaden: -Looks as the half of a Round Digger turns into Xel goop- Nice one, bro.
Brand: Hmph.
Brand: Nothing here my blades cannot handle.
Cryo: -Oh stop being dramatic, ya loopy ninja-
Mic: -NOPE, got this area all under control-
Mic: -Maybe help Cryo team instead--
Cryo: PFFFT, I'm ice CREAMING these bots--
Cryo: -There's snow many of them though--
Shade: -Sigh- -BANG-
Shade: Maybe if ya spend more time FIGHTIN' and less on yer lame puns...
Cryo: -Shrills- WHAT?!
Cryo: Just remember who you're talking to, Shadey, I'm SIX WHOLE NUMBERS OLDER THAN YOU--
Jaden: Like the other punster? | ]
Avi: : D
Cryo: Okay YES but six as in OLDER--
Shade: -Rolls his eye- Yeah, yeah, an' Ah'm--
Pyro: Shade stop arguing with your sister--
Shade: -OI SHE STARTED IT WITH HER PUNNIN'--
Speedy: -Laughs a little at this-
Jaden: -Jumps onto Mic- You provide a great vantage point, bro. : )
Mic: ^ W ^
Beck: -ZOOOMS AROUND XEL MUSH-
Will: -AAAAAAAH STILL TOO FAST, HELP-
Speedy: Buckle up, Will! |D
Will: -WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I DIDN'T DESIGN BECK W I T H SEAT BELTS--
Beck: -Skids as he just HAS TO LAUGH AT THAT--
Beck: -BYE GUYS, HEADING FOR THE LINES NOW--
Will: -PLEASE, I want to get ooooofff--
Pyro: Bat! You're with me, we're going to secure the room ahead!
Pyro: Jaden, stay here and provide support for the others, alright?
Jaden: You’ve got it.
Jaden: Come on, bro, let’s wreck some things.
Speedy: Heh. It’s what we were made for!
[They both give devilish grins.]
Beck: -GOOD LUCK GUUUUUYS--
[Beck, with his father in tow, races across many a battered hallway, Pyrogen and Battalion following close behind.]
Pyro: Crash and BURN!
[Following Pyro's lead, they thin out the CDNs that littered the reversed assembly lines, giving Beck a clear pathway towards the center of the factory.]
Bat: HAHA! Now that's what I like to see! First into battle, the tip of the spear!
Pyro: | ]
Pyro: Heh, of course--it's a leader's duty, after all.
Beck: --!!
Beck: Dad--look!
Will: -Opens his eyes--
Will: !
[CHERRYDYN MAIN ASSEMBLY LINE FLOOR.]
Will: At last!
Pyro: We'll keep things under control here so nothing tries to come up from behind!
Pyro: Good luck, Beck!
Beck: c : <
[The door automatically opens, and then slams shut behind them--]
Beck: !
Beck: Whooooooooooa...
[Right in the middle of the entire assembly floor was the Primary M.O.M unit, it's displays flashing from red to purple with errors littering the holoscreens around it.]
Will: There it is...
Will: .....
Will: (All the assembly lines so far lead to here, but in the reverse way...)
Will: Alright, first, we need to find it's computer core and destroy it--
Will: That will halt all of the production lines so I can hack into the systems themselves and shut them down for good--
[Will calmly approaches the M.O.M unit slowly, looking for any sort of panel it might have that will reveal it's inner workings...]
Will: Beck, I need you to scan this with your C.Visor and--
Beck: --!!!
Beck: DAD, UP--!
Will: --?!
[Beck grabs Will and yanks him backwards, right before--]
Will: -Fumbles right into his back-
Will: Wh--
[GGGHGHGHGGGGGH...]
[The Doctor scrambles to his feet as the very earth shakes from the force of a giant, MASSIVE construct slams down just where he was not moments ago--]
((pic))
Will: What on--?!
[PING!]
<DWN-013>: >WOAH, guys, what’s with the shaking—
<DWN-013>: >It’s like something Gamma size slammed down!
[MN.9] //: -WHAT THE HECK IS THAT--
[MN.9] //: WHAT IS THAT, IT'S--IT'S LIKE FOUR TIMES BIGGER THAN MIC--
[DR.WHITE] //: G--Good heavens--
[DR.WHITE] //: I--I've never seen it's like before--th--this isn't like ANYTHING that CherryDyn's schematic database has--!
[DR.WHITE] //: --!!!!
[DR.WHITE] //: No, wait--of course, it makes sense now--the reversed assembly lines, the mixed up fused robots--
[DR.WHITE] //: The factory, the virus--it's--
[DR.WHITE] //: It's begun to CREATE it's OWN DESIGNS--!
[MN.9] //: WHAT--?!
[MN.9] //: H-HOW, HOW WOULD--
<DWN-013>: >Ooookay, um…
<DWN-013>: >Where are you guys right now, exactly—
[DR.WHITE] //: -Too terrified to answer--
<DWN-013>: >I’m… going to try and contact Siam, hang in there—
Beck: D--Dad--?!
Will: (Run, we need to--!)
[Will backs up, but the cold, hard surface of the door reminds him that they just can't run from this.]
Will: (Ngh--!)
???: -HELLISH SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
[MN.7] //: -What on EARTH WAS THAT--
Beck: This thing is huge--
Beck: Why would the virus want to--to MAKE something like this--?
Will: Ngh--
Will: It's still trying to cause mass destruction...
<DWN-013>: >Okay, so I couldn’t contact Siam, BUT—
<DWN-013>: >I was able to contact someone else, and they’ll be right on over—
???: S C R E E E E E E E E E --
Will: Beck--
Will: We--We have to--
Will: -Grips sword-
Will: We can't let this thing leave this factory--!
Will: We have to stop it here--now, and shut down the M.O.M Unit before it can create an ARMY of these--!
Beck: --!!
Beck: But this is--this is WAY bigger than anything else--
Will: We have to TRY!
Will: Otherwise it will tear this place apart with EVERYONE IN IT!
Beck: --!!
Beck: (Everyone--)
[TRIGGER RECONIZED. XELFILTER.EXE ENGAGED.]
Will: You distract it!
Will: I'll handle the M.O.M Unit!
[REXELECTION: SEISMIC.]
Beck: Yes, sir!
[SCANNING...]
((pic))
[SCAN COMPLETE.]
[E N C O U N T E R.]
[MODEL: CDN-XXX, CODENAME: NAMELESS]
[HEIGHT: 774cm WEIGHT: 4048kg XEL COUNT: 809,200,000]
[The giant Xel goliath lurches forward, and one of it's arms raises to the sky--]
[And-- detatches--?]
<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: HARD KNUCKLE.>
Beck: -UH OH--
[The arm rotates, and the boosters on its end propel it STRAIGHT at the pair--]
[Will and Beck both dive on opposite directions, Beck rolling to the left while Will tumbles to the right and off the platform.]
Will: -Ow--
Will: (Have to get to the M.O.M unit--!)
[The M.O.M unit is a slick jet black pillar instead of the smaller white secondary unit...
He calls on the terminal at once and begins to type away.]
Will: (If I can just find an old back door I used for this...)
[ACCESS DENIED.]
Will: Argh--!
Will: (Of course HE would lock my old pathway out of the system--!)
Will: (Fine, hacking the old fashioned way, then--where is that computer core--?)
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[CRAAAAAAASH--!]
Will: --?!?
Will: Beck--?! Are you--
[As Will turns around, he is SURPRISED to see the giant, 25 foot tall Xelbot--]
[....Utterly in pieces.]
Will: Wha?
[...]
"Ngh..."
[POP!]
[Beck's head peeks out from the mountain of debris, in his default form.]
Beck: Okay, so...
Beck: These things break WAY too easy to my default weapon.
Beck: No joke!
Will: ...Really?? ?_?
Beck: Yeah!
Beck: Huh. Kinda weird that something is that big and it doesn't even hold well...
[CERCHINK--]
[A panel slides open behind Will, prompting him to turn around to watch it open--]
[ A black sphere with the CherryDyn logo on it juts out, pulsing with a sickly purple glow--there was no saving this data core, not when it was so corrupted like this.]
Will: The computer core--!
Will: (So it is infected...)
Will: Beck--
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH--!]
Beck: -Wha--
[The earth once again shakes, felt by all in the building--]
Beck: A--Another one??
Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
Beck: GAK--
[Wait, why is the floor moving BACKWARDS--]
<CROSS-REFERENCE IDENTIFIED: DWN-009>
Will: BECK!
[Chink--]
Will: --!
Will: No you DON'T--
[SHINK--!]
[Will manages to slash at the core with his Rapier before the panel shuts it away, the systems on the terminal glitching out as it went back into the M.O.M unit.]
Will: (I see now--)
Will: BECK!
Will: Keep breaking the Nameless!
Will: I'll destroy the core myself!
Beck: -BLAM BLAM- On it!
Beck: -Ugh, I didn't need a work out today, this thing is fast--
[BLAM--]
[CRAAAAAAASH--!]
Beck: Two down!
Will: (And the core should--)
[Right on cue, the core panel once again opens, the core itself revealed.]
[SHINK--!]
[ERROR--INTERNAL COMPUTER CORE DAMAGED.]
[PRODUCTION DOWN 25%]
Beck: It's working!
[S L A M--]
Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE--
Beck: -Oh jeez--
<DWN-012>: > Guys are you okay in there
<DWN-012>: >DO YOU NEED STRUCTURAL ASSISTANCE
<DWN-013>: > -KINDA SOUNDS LIKE THE BUILDING’S FALLING ON TOP OF YOU OR SOMETHING?-
Will: Fine--we're fine, It's just Beck on the third of one of those things--
Will: -SHINK-
Will: I've damaged the computer core of the M.O.M unit, the production lines SHOULD be slowing down now!
[WHANG--]
Beck: --GUH--
[Beck struggles to keep an even footing on the moving assembly line, and failed to dodge an incoming arm from slamming into him AND the wall.]
Beck: ACK!
Will: You can DO this, Amadeus!
Will: Just hold on!
Beck: Nngh--
Beck: Y-Yes sir...
[ACCESSING XEL STOCK 1...]
[XEL ABSORBED.]
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
[As the third Nameless unit is felled, Will wasted no time moving from hacking the terminal to striking at the core the moment it came out of the panel, with quick thrusts and parries.]
[ERROR--PRODUCTION DOWN 50%, SYSTEM FAILURE IMMINENT.]
Will: (Ngh, I need--I need MORE than just this sword--)
Will: (But Beck is busy with the Nameless, and--!)
[There’s a shrill, FAMILIAR whistle that BLASTS across the feeds.]
Beck: --?!?
Beck: (No way--it--it can't be--)
Beck: (He can't be up already--?!)
“RRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNGGGGGHHH…”
Beck: --?????
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEE--]
[S L A M--]
Nameless: -HELL SCREECH-
Beck: Oh MAN--
Beck: (Help--)
[FOOSH.]
Will: --?!?
Will: Jazz?!
[Indeed. It was none other than Cardinal’s support unit—and BOY, did she seem to be in a BAD mood.]
Jazz: HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHSSSS!
Nameless: -HELL SCREEEEEEEEEEEE OF PAIN--
Beck: Jazz--!
Beck: : D
[While Beck was happy to see her, Jazz didn’t return the affection. She was angry, and vicious, and it showed.]
Jazz: >8K
Beck: --Oh right you're in pantheress mode, Kay then--
Jazz: >|K
Jazz: Ree-ow.
Beck: We need to take THIS big thing down!
Beck: -And keep them away from Dad while he does his thing, okay-
Jazz: -REE-OW.-
[SHING!]
[YUP. THOSE ARE CLAWS IF EVER THERE WERE SOME.]
Beck: O.O
Beck: -....NICE- ^.^
Beck: -Yes, there will be food after, we know you-
Beck: Let's get 'em, kitty! > : D
Nameless: -SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEE-
Jazz: Ree-ow.
[BLAM BLAM BLAM--]
Will: (Oh, thank goodness, at least Beck will have some support...)
Will: (I still have to take out this core, but I have nothing else--)
[There was a squealing noise as Jazz dug her claws into the Nameless.]
Will: -OW, OUR EARS--
Will: --!
Will: (Wait...)
Will: (I DO have something else--)
-*-*-*-
Mikhail: At least take the sensory defense mechanism with you, Will!
Mikhail: I’m begging you—
Mikhail: You and Sanda are the ONLY friends I have ever since we were relocated in the protection program! PLEASE don’t get yourself hurt!
-*-*-*-
[Will scrambles to get the sensory defense mechanism off from around his neck--]
Will: (This--)
Will: (If I can get this right in the core, the signals should overload it and the system--!)
Beck: DAAAAD I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER I CAN DO THIS--!
Nameless: SCREEEEEEEEEE--
Will: Just a little longer--
Will: --And brace yourself--!
Beck: --?? Wha--
[CRAAAAAAASH--]
[Will presses the mechanism and throws it into the open panel, where it lands right on the computer core--]
Will: (I hope this works--!)
[The panel closes, and--]
[The closed panel prevented the blinding light, yes.]
[At least… the VISIBLE light… to the outside observer.]
[ERROR--E R R OR--]
[But the SOUND, and the SOUND and the LIGHT over the FEEDS—
Not so much.]
<DWN-012>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-
<DWN-013>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-
<CSU-001>: > -ERROR: DATA OVERLOAD-
[It was like every possible avenue related to the perception of vision and sound was overwhelmed in a blinding and deafening way. Both in the traditional sense and through data alone— it BLASTED throughout not only the entire factory, but also the building next door.
Although the concept had been originally designed specifically to fight against Robot Masters running a DWN_OS, it functioned through the use of sensory overload. Anything—even organic things—that had sensory perception was, to some degree, susceptible. This included the Mighty Numbers.]
Beck: -OW OWOWOWOW--
[MN.4] //: @~@
[MN.7] //: -ngh--cant see--!
[MN.6] //: -CRASH, OUCH, WE'RE OKAY BUT OW MAN WHO TURNED ON THE BRIGHTNESS SETTING TO EXTREMELY NOT OKAY--
[For Shade in particular, the experience was borderline torturous—his high sensitivity made it not merely uncomfortable—it made it PAINFUL.]
[MN.8] //: UUUGH WHAT THE DAMN HELL I S THAT--
[He was suddenly overcome yet again.]
-*-*-*-
"You’re going to have to do better than that, KID! But if you insist on playing hide and seek…”
[Cardinal used SCREECH—]
[He briefly stopped the mufflers on his fans, causing their overworked whine to get broadcast over his speakers.
It was worse than metal grating mixed with fingernails on chalkboard.]
___________________
“AAAAARUGH–!!!”
“Goddamn BUCKET OF BOLTS–AH’VE HAD IT UP T’ HERE!”
“Fahn, if ya wanna DIE SO BADLY–”
-*-*-
"HEY SHADE! Too bad your glasses got all dusty. Better wipe the dirt out of your eye!”
__________________
“Grrrr…”
“Just keep talkin’, Birdy, see where THAT gets ya…”
__________________
[…….]
[VEEEEEEEEEEEEE–]
"I don’t think so.”
[CARDINAL used FLASH STOPPER!]
[WOW, everything is hit not only with BLINDING light, but whatever is in those intangible waves of data is enough to STUN everything in the hall.]
[There is a HUGE clattering somewhere deeper in the house–it sounded like something very heavy just fell–]
_________________
“AUGH MOTHERSCRATCHIN’ CHEATER–!”
-*-*-*-
[MN.8] //: -Ngh--!
[THUD--]
[MN.6] //: -Oh crud SHADE BRO ARE YOU OKAY--
[MN.8] //: -WHAT'S IT LOOK LIKE--
Will: --?!?
[Will was taken aback at all of this, but didn’t have long to dwell on it.]
[E ROR LRKRKKDJSNAK--]
[SY TO TME F ISIALUT RE--]
Will: --!
[The lights and the holoscreens around the M.O.M unit blink out one by one, and then--
The assembly lines all over the factory come to a screeching halt.]
Beck: @~@
Beck: Uuugh, my head...
Will: ......
Will: >~>!;;;;
Will: (Er...Oops?)
Will: (I--er.)
Will: (Oh dear I really shouldn't ever make Mikhail angry ever again--)
Will: o~o;;;;;;
[MN.1] //: -Jaden???? Speedy????-
[The two of them were out cold, though they were still Online, at least.]
[MN.2] //: -YO THIS IS NO TIME TO BE TAKING A NAP BRO--
[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]
<DWN-012 is now Online.>
<DWN-012>: > -Gurgle noises-
[MN.2] //: -Rolls over to Jaden now--
[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]
<DWN-013 is now Online.>
<DWN-013>: > -AWAKE, SO AWAKE NOW— -
[MN.1] //: | / --Ngh--head still hurts, what WAS that--
[MN.2] //: -Yeah that was, like, WAY DIZZY-
[MN.3] //: -Bzzzz ugh is there such thing as robot asprin Because that would be nice right now--
<DWN-013>: > Ugh…
<DWN-013>: > That was Doctor Cossack’s robot mace.
<DWN-013>: > …On the lowest setting.
[MN.2] //: -YO ARE YOU FOR REAL-- --Wait what isn't Uncle Mikhail like back at the lab--
[MN.3] //: ...Hang on, didn't Doc Cosszzack give Daddy zzsomething like...?
<DWN-012>: > My head still hurts… man is that strong stuff.
<DWN-013>: > Is Shade okay?
[MN.6] //: Eeeeeeeh... -Gives the so-so kinda guesture-
[MN.8] //: -Incoherent data, mostly grumpy to angry data, but mostly discombobulated-
<DWN-013>: >Ow.
<DWN-013>: > …I don’t hear any more crashing noises, the production seems to have stopped…
<DWN-013>: >Does that mean we’re done here…? @~@
[PING!]
[DR.WHITE] //: ...
[DR.WHITE] //: ....Um. I-Is everyone--um...--MOSTLY alright--?
[DR.WHITE] //: -Dear god I am SO sorry I hadnoideathedevicewasthatpowerfulareanyofyouhurt--?????-
[DR.WHITE] //: -WE'RE SORRY, BECK WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE GIANT ROBOTS, THE CORE WASN'T--
[DR.WHITE] //: O~O
<DWN-013>: >I think Jazz is still stunned.
<DWN-013>: >There should… should be a button that does a hard reboot for systems on that device… it must still be intact, because destroying it sets off the highest setting.
<DWN-012>: > We’re okay, we’ve had worse—
[MN.1] //: Ngh... Besides minor damages from the fighting and a massive migraine...
[MN.8] //: -Sounds of stumbling and broken cursing-
[MN.1] //: ....We'll be alright, Father.
[DR.WHITE] //: -Oh thank God, for--for a moment I thought I had seriously hurt you all, I'm SORRY--
<DWN-013>: >No, noooope… >m> That was the LOWEST setting. That doesn’t… isn’t meant to do lasting harm.
[MN.9] //: @~# I really need to lie down...
<DWN-012>: > We should probably head back…
[MN.9] //: yeah that sounds nice, I'm--just gonna carry Jazz back after a bit--
Will: .......
Will: Beck.
Beck: --?
Will: Hold on to these for me.
[Will handed off both the device and his rapier off to Beck, who was resting besides a disabled Jazz.]
Beck: --???
Will: You go on ahead with Jazz without me.
Will: ....There is someone I must see first.
Beck: Huh?
Beck: I--I don't understand--
Beck: Who?
Will: ......
Will: -Puts a hand on Beck's head-
Will: Don't worry about it, alright?
Will: You make sure everyone gets out safely.
<DWN-012>: >You come back okay too then, or else Mikhail will give us an earful. |D;
Will: Eheh--yes, of course....
<DWN-013>: > …I honestly think he might have been put to sleep.
<DWN-013>: >Otherwise there’s no way he wouldn’t have been saying stuff through all of this.
<DWN-012>: >My point still stands…
Will: (Rest, that will do him some good...)
Will: I know.
Will: Just let me finish a few things here before I go.
Will: (Rather, go take care of some unfinished business.)
Beck: Okay....
Beck: Just don't take too long...
Will: I won't.
[Will fondly smiles at his son before turning around, tattered lab coat flowing behind him as he made his way towards a far off door.]
Will: (It's time you and I had a little chat...)
Will: (. . . Gregory Graham.)
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[CHERRYDYNAMICS HQ BUILDING, CEO OFFICE SUITE.]
[Gregory Graham had little silver lining to go on at this point.
Not only were those Sanda Tech brats literally demolishing his factory (and costing him millions to boot!), the virus that had seemed to come from out of nowhere was threatening to spread to the other Continental servers--
And now the GOVERNMENT was sniffing around where they SHOULDN'T be, and Blackwell could very well be either DEAD or running amok!
And now there was that foreign intern, the fat Japanese doctor and the PRESIDENT herself knowing far too much--]
Graham: -...Ngh-
Graham: Keep it together, Greg...
[No, no need to panic--
She was still safely tucked away, albet running everything at this point, but still contained--and he had influences in Homeland and Defense, and his Sentator friend, of course--and if nothing else, he ALWAYS had that ace in the hole if things ever got that desperate.
He had options. It was all like stocks. It wasn't the end just yet.
And if he were to go down, he'll be damned if he wasn't going down alone.]
Graham: (I just have to make a few private calls, pull some favors...)
Graham: (Make sure she is under wraps and try to sail though this--)
[Knock Knock.]
Graham: --??
Graham: -Pushes the intercom on his desk- Darcy, I told you to not let anyone in here--
"Uh, yeah, he isn't--he didn't listen to me--"
"... And it's Daisy, not--"
[CLICK.]
Graham: Tch.
Graham: (Fine, I'll call whatever's left of security once he gets in here--)
Graham: Open.
[The door recognizes the verbal command and slides open without a sound.]
Graham: --?
Graham: What the--
Will: Hello, Mr. Graham.
[William White walks into the room as soon as Graham opened it, not once waiting for permission to enter.]
Will: Am I interrupting something?
Graham: White?
Graham: How the HELL did you get up here--
Will: Oh, I wanted to. Your staff seems to be rather, ah-- lacking since the virus struck.
Will: Nonetheless.
Will: I didn't come here for idle chatter, so I'm going to get right to the point.
Will: It was you who activated Trinity, didn't you?
Graham: -Sputters--
Graham: Wha--
Graham: What are you TALKING about--
Graham: (How does he know about HER?!)
Will: Greg. It's a little...
[His eyes turn dull and utterly emotionless.]
Will: ...Too late to cry dummy, at this point.
Graham: --?!
Graham: (That look--what is THAT look, why is it--?)
Will: Dr. Blackwell wasn't around to stop you this time, wasn't he?
Will: And yet you're trying to scapegoat his father again, just the same.
Graham: --?!!!
[Will walks across the room with a poised grace, almost too perfect, as he turns his back away from Graham.]
Will: -Sigh-
Will: It was NEVER about progress with you...
Will: Or the will, the drive to make the world a better place than what we found it...
Will: It was always money.
Will: -Angry-
Will: Just. Money.
Will: That's--
[He turns, a FIERCE expression breaking through the emotionless mask he wore to EXPLODE in RAGE!]
Will: --ALL YOU E V E R CARED ABOUT--!
Graham: -Falls back into his chair--
Will: Never about HIM OR ME OR EVEN HER!
Will: -Advances- All you EVER cared about was YOURSELF and this EVIL EMPIRE you've built on NOTHING but the PAIN AND SUFFERING OF OTHERS--!
Will: MY PAIN AND SUFFERING! T H E I R PAIN AND SUFFERING!
Will: H E R PAIN AND SUFFERING--!
Will: And YOU--
Will: When you pieced her back together, did you feel anything at all? No, because you would even BRING BACK THE DEAD to justify your own ENDS!
Will: YOU THINK I WOULDN'T NOTICE, GREGORY GRAHAM?!
Graham: N--this isn't my FAULT--!
Graham: Her warning label didn't SPECIFY all this, not specifically--
Will: Warning label--
[He laughs. Bitterly.]
Will: Warning label, WARNING LABEL, HE PUT A WARNING LABEL--
Will: Oh, that's just RICH.
Will: And even then--You didn't listen.
Graham: I--
Will: THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT--!
Will: Trinity, my friends, my FAMILY, MY OWN CHILDREN--!
Will: And even this VIRUS, isn't it?!
Graham: Nono, THIS THING ISN'T OUR FAULT, DON'T YOU PUT THIS ON ME, WHITE--
Graham: I don't know HOW you got this information, but I can very well RUIN you if you so much as--
[Will once again laughs at the face of Graham's supposed threat.]
Will: Is that supposed to scare me, Greg?
Will: What are you going to do? Send your PEOPLE after me?
Will: I've survived them once. I can do it AGAIN.
Graham: --?!?
Will: I am. Not. Afraid of YOU.
Will: Not anymore.
Will: Trinity was my project. You and Blackwell ultimately deemed her a failure.
Graham: !
Will: But she was an educational one, if anything. I learned. Oh, I learned.
Will: And I put EVERYTHING that I had learned from her, from everything that I experienced...
Will: ...All of it, and the good that came from it...
Will: ...Into Mighty No. 9.
Graham: (WHAT--)
Will: Beck is now our only hope of stopping what YOU have sowed.
Will: AT THE VERY LEAST, IF I CAN'T STOP YOU MYSELF--
[He swipes away the various objects on Greg's desk aside, including some very heavy paperweights--]
Will: --HE CAN!
[There’s a muffled CRUNCH and a hissing noise, followed by some leaking liquid.]
Will: --?!?
Graham: What the--
Will: Nnngh!
[He turns his attention back to Graham.]
Will: You--
Will: You honestly think you can get away with everything you've DONE?
Will: After HER?
Graham: --.....
Graham: Wait...
Graham: Waitwaitwait WAIT A SECOND--
Will: --??
Graham: You...
Will: --!
Will: (....Uh...Uh Oh--)
Graham: YOU!
Graham: I didn't RECOGNIZE you with that--that RIDICULOUS HAIR DO--
Graham: But you're--
Graham: YOU'RE BILL BLACKWELL--!
Will: ......
Bill: . . . .
Bill: You were always a bit slow on the uptake, weren't you.
Bill: All these years, Graham, and you STILL haven't changed.
Bill: It nearly makes me feel SORRY for you.
Bill: N e a r l y.
Bill: ...But you know what?
Bill: You're wrong.
Will: I'm NOT Bill Blackwell.
Will: And I HAVEN'T been.
Will: For a VERY. Long. Time.
Graham: HA!
Graham: -Sneers- Oh, you think you're so SMART, thinking that changing your name and identity will change who you really are.
Graham: I'm honestly impressed, though. I really did think you were dead after you just vanished.
Will: -Snorts-
Will: Reports of my demise have been GREATLY exaggerated, Mr. Graham.
Graham: You costed me, Bill.
Graham: YOU'RE the idiot here, coming back and building those Mighty Numbers even after what YOU did to her.
Graham: They don't even know they're really just BLACKWELLS, do they?!
Will: ..........
Graham: I THOUGHT not.
Will: Leave them out of this, Graham.
Graham: Oh, really, alright, let me just turn back time and stop them from becoming infected in the FIRST PLACE?
Graham: They were DOOMED the moment you created them, Bill, and that ISN'T just their namesake talking!
Will: --Nnnnngh...
Graham: Your old man was RIGHT about you.
Graham: Really, Bill. I thought that a BLACKWELL genius such as yourself wouldn't RETURN to the scene of a crime--what occurred here all those years ago was tantamount to MURDER.
Will: Both of you MADE ME DO IT--!
Graham: But I wasn't the one holding the metaphorical knife, wasn't I?
Will: Graham--!
Graham: I said I would RUIN you.
Graham: It'll be a VERY nice bonus to see everything that you've worked SO hard to accomplish just CRUMBLE away, hm?
Graham: You, those Mighty Numbers, your fat friend and his brother, and that little Russian intern that you CLEARLY have connections with.
Graham: Once the WORLD knows that Dr. William White is a LIE AND THE SON OF A MAD GENIUS--
[WHACK--]
[Gregory Graham's vision went bright as William curled a fist and socked him across the face, causing the CEO to tumble backwards into the floor.
There was a burning sensation as something ate away at the super expensive suit he was wearing, too!]
Graham: -NGH!-
[SMACK--]
[A sneaker plants itself squarely on Graham's chest to KEEP him there.]
Will: I am only going to say this once.
Will: If you ever.
Will: E v e r.
Will: Threaten or lay one hand on EVERYTHING I love and care about--
Will: I will TEAR you and this company ASUNDER.
Will: You PATHETIC excuse for a HUMAN being.
Will: You MONSTER.
[Will looks down on him with a BURNING hot gaze, like some kind of disgusting bug or rodent, not even worth the DIRT under his shoe that which is soiling the already ruined suit Greg was wearing.
And Graham?
Well, as one would expect, he was certainly no less than terrified, scared witless.]
Will: How fitting.
Will: I think I've gotten my POINT across, hm?
[There is a TOUCH of a evil grin that tugs at the corner of Will's lips.]
Will: Good talk.
[And just like that, Will steps off, carefully walks around the mess made, and makes his way back to the door.]
Will: I'm not paying for any of this, by the way, so you can forget about sending me a bill.
Will: I WAS the one that HELPED you, if you need a reminder.
[He waves back without turning around.]
Will: Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Graham.
Will: ... Because it is ABOUT to get a whole LOT worse.
[Click.]
[The room is dead silent.]
Graham: . . . .
Graham: (Bill Blackwell--)
Graham: (You--I'll--)
Graham: -OW MY NOSE-- BLEEDING--
Graham: DARCY--SOMEONE GET ME A DAMN FIRST AID KIT--!
Beep.
Graham: --?!?
Beep.
Graham: What the hell is that noise--
[A rather smushed Search Snake—having finally flickered to life, only to find itself incredibly damaged—scrapes itself out of the hiding place where it had been crushed by some paperweights. It was already leaking battery acid, but apparently it had more than one battery, because that wasn’t stopping it…]
Beep beep beep beep beep beep BEEP—
Graham: --?!?
Graham: -DIVES BEHIND THE DESK--
Boom!
Graham: WHAT THE--
Graham: BIIIIIIILLL--!!
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
[BACK IN SANDA LABS SEVERAL HOURS LATER...]
Will: (Oof...)
Will: -Stepping out of the elevator- (I actually felt REALLY good about that. Huh.)
“William!”
Will: !
[It’s Felix! He seems to be in a fairly good mood, albeit relieved to see Will again.]
Will: Oh, hello, Felix! -Beams-
Felix: Good to see you back again! Most everyone is resting right now.
Will: Good, good, that's fine...
Will: I heard Mikhail was still resting as well?
Felix: I put him to sleep shortly after you started getting ready.
Felix: He needed the rest. Don’t worry, he’s still here—and it would appear Siam has been successful at delaying the Cossack Numbers from waking, so I’ve let him continue sleeping for now.
Will: Hmm...I see.
Will: (Yes, rest easy...Let me handle this now, dear friend...)
Will: ...And Soi? He's not back yet?
Felix: Not as of yet, no. I did see Aviator talk with him, but it seemed that there was some interference in the feeds toward the end of your fight.
Will: Ah...That.... >>;;;
Will: Er...I'll explain that later...
Will: Since Soi isn't here, I'll have to do repairs myself...
Will: (And on all nine of them...)
Will: (...Mngh...I still don't know how I'm going to take care of the virus without hurting Trinity...)
Will: -Frowns-
Will: (....And now Graham knows.... Knows who I really am.)
Will: . . .
Will: (...Maybe he was right about me being stupid...)
Will: (.....)
Will: (Oh, what the hell, it was worth it, for that ONE good right hook.)
Will: -Rubs his hand-
[...Oh, that's a little bruised, isn't it--]
[Felix steps forward.]
Felix: Here, let me take care of that.
[Felix used POTENT CURE!]
Will: ? Oh--
Will: (...Oops.)
Will: (Never exactly punched anyone before that...)
Felix: Goodness, it must have been rough in there. But your swordplay was excellent.
Will: --? Oh--
Will: Eheh, uh... ^^
Will: I'm honestly surprised I still even remember, it's been so long since college...
Will: Er, thank you for that, the hand...erm. ^^
Will: -It's my writing hand, the left one, that is-
Felix: Not at all. I only wish I could be as helpful to the others. I’ve been able to relieve pain to some degree, and helped alleviate some of the strain Mikhail has put on his body, but… -shakes head- I’m no Doctor. Not like you.
Felix: I still can’t get in touch with Master Siamini, so I’m afraid you’ll have to help tend to the Robot Masters as well. But just tell me what to do, and I shall help you.
Will: ...So that makes twelve...
Will: Hm.
Will: --!
Will: Ah!
Felix: Yes?
Will: Mikhail--he left us some of the E-Tank substitute, didn't he--
Felix: ! Ah, yes!
Felix: The cases from Guardia that were sent over! Is that what those are? That will be incredibly useful.
Felix: Ah, but one thing—Shade refuses to enter the lab right now. I think he’s asleep in Seismic’s room, and Pyrogen didn’t push the point as the repair bay has become rather crowded.
Will: ....
Will: I see...
Will: (Shade...I swear I will make this right, I promise...)
Will: Mic's room will have to do for him. I won't force him into anything either. Not until he's ready.
Will: I'd rather wait until Soi comes back, but we don't--
[PING!]
Will: --!
[DR.SANDA] //: -WILL--SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE ANSWER--
Will: --!! It's --It's Soi--
<DWN-013>: >Doctor Sanda?
Will: Soi!
[DR.SANDA] //: Oh, thank God, William, you're ALIVE--
<RMDC>: >STATUS UPDATE: DWN-018. CURRENT STATUS: SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE SUSTAINED, APPROACHING CRITICAL
<DWN-012>: > What? What’s going on over there?
[DR.SANDA] //: Will, please, I--I need the repair bay ready--
[DR.SANDA] //: Nononono, Call, please, you're going to be OKAY--
[STATUS UPDATE: CALL is in CRITICAL CONDITION.]
<DWN-013>: > OH [GLITCH—]
Will: --?!? Call--!
[Nico didn’t take the news very well. His data started to fluctuate wildly.]
<RMDC>: > WARNING! DWN-018 HARDWARE ERROR DETECTED!
<RMDC>: > MAGNETIC FIELD POLARITY UNSTABLE: ERROR X00— MISSING/DAMAGED PRIMARY AND/OR SECONDARY UNITS
Felix: -Takes a step back, looking unnerved-
<DWN-012>: > OH MAN THIS IS B A D
[DR.SANDA] //: I--I couldn't--it was so--fast, I--
[DR.SANDA] //: She wasn't any match for it, and--
“I am magnetically Drawing my death to me So why can’t my body Reverse polarity?”
<DWN-012>: > UH, GUYS—
[DR.SANDA] //: Dr. Blackwell--
[DR.SANDA] //: It--it TOOK him--
[DR.SANDA] //: HE--HE'S GONE--
<DWN-012>: > GUYS!
“You walk into my town Waving that gun around You want a fight I’ll give you one tonight—”
<DWN-012>: > NICO’S GONNA END UP HURTING HIMSELF BECAUSE OF THE UNSTABLE FIELD!
Felix: What? I thought you had that repaired—I specifically remember labeling a mold for parts for him!
<DWN-012>: > He put off getting his upgrade because he thought the research for Cardinal’s was more important!
Felix: Is there any way to get him out of there?!
<DWN-013>: >Nnngh…! He’s been triggered into Lethal mode due to a crisis, Felix!
<DWN-013>: >You can’t just stop something like that! The only way to put a halt in a Combat initiative is to eliminate the circumstances that created it or force a shut-down!
Will: (Ngh--)
Will: (And the only one that can do that is--!)
<RMDC>: >UPDATE COMPLETE.
<RMDC>: >WARNING: THREAT IDENTIFIED.
<DCN-000 is now Online.>
<DCN-003 is now Online.>
<DCN-007 is now Online.>
<DCN-008 is now Online.>
<RMDC>: >INITIATING DEFENSIVE COMBAT MODE.
Will: Felix, we need Mikhail.
Felix: …
Felix: -Puts his hands over his face- You don’t need me to wake him up at this point.
Felix: The nearest person can—
[SPLLIIIIIIISH--]
[MN.2] //: WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY, UNCLE COSSACK--
<MC005>: > -VERY much awake now- {What—}
<MC005>: > {Cryosphere, why are you screaming about breakfast—}
[MN.2] //: -CUZ I'M HUNGRY AND EVERYONE IS KINDA GOING BONKERS LIKE NOW-
<MC005>: > {What?!}
[It only takes him one look at the status screens to make his decision.]
<MC005>: > {Emergency shutdown! Authorization MC005!}
<DWN-011 is now Offline.>
<DWN-012 is now Offline.>
<DWN-013 is now Offline.>
<DWN-018 is now Offline.>
<DWN-019 is now Offline.>
<DCN-000 is now Offline.>
<DCN-003 is now Offline.>
<DCN-007 is now Offline.>
<DCN-008 is now Offline.>
<CSU-001 is now Offline.>
>ERROR: DLN-000 CANNOT BE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT DAMAGE TO SYSTEM.
>Internal Database ALERT: 06.30.20XX MEMORY DATA HAS GENERATED NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS: DATA CANNOT BE ISOLATED UNTIL UPDATE IS COMPLETED. ALL SHUT DOWN PROCEDURES MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY BY AN ADMIN.
<DLN-000 is still in Maintenance Mode.>
Will: (Cardinal...)
[There’s a noise as a door opens and Mikhail walks in. He’s still in his pajamas, though he’s somewhat soaked from Cryo’s wake-up call.
He DOES look significantly better—apparently Felix’s Cure spells had really, really helped do him some good.]
Mikhail: {Where is Alnico?}
Will: At--
Will: At the Prison--
Will: With Soi and Call--
Mikhail: -Pinches the bridge of his nose- {I’ll—}
“No.”
Will: --!
Felix: No you won’t, Doctor.
Felix: For one thing, I don’t recall Master Desmond releasing you.
Mikhail: —…
Felix: And for another… now that you’re awake, if you insist on being awake and not taking more rest…
Felix: It should be to tend to some patients. Jaden sustained significant heat damage, and Carlos was injured by a fracture in time.
Felix: Now either go rest or go heal and THEN rest, because you aren’t leaving the building.
Felix: Neither are you, Master White, so don’t even try.
Felix: Lady Minerva called while you were out, said something about fencing championships and Master Battalion—she seemed to imply you would know what she meant by such a vague message?
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: ({What does Bat have to do with fencing, I don’t get it—}) -Clearly confused-
Will: (Fencing championsh--)
Will: -Pales-
Will: (Oooooooohdearlord--)
Will: I...
Will: -Swallows-
Will: ...I see...
Mikhail: …Will? Are you alright?
Felix: He was just in the midst of a very stressful fight, so no, he needs rest, too.
Felix: Both of you stay here, I will retrieve the others.
Will: -Um, okay, okay...-
Will: -I--I think I need to sit down, f-for a bit-
Will: (G-Greg--Greg I can handle, but--h-h-her--)
Will: (She can do s-so much worse--)
Mikhail: … Will?
Felix: … -Slightly concerned himself- She said not to worry about it, that she’d be coming over for tea by herself after the city was no longer a region of emergency.
Mikhail: What? Why?
Felix: She wants to see Cardinal, I believe. She didn’t elaborate much—even Master Desmond looked confused.
Will: (E-Erk--)
Mikhail: Will!
[He has his hands on Will’s shoulders again.]
Will: --!
Mikhail: Will, you should eat something: you look like you’re about to faint. Did you ever finish your breakfast?
Felix: Wasn’t that yesterday?
Mikhail: … -Puts a hand to his face- The last few days are running together…
Will: .......
Felix: -Shakes his head- I’m leaving for the prison.
Will: (......)
Will: (I'm running out of...time...)
Mikhail: How are you going to—
Felix: -Already walking off- The same way Jack did.
Felix: I’m taking a shortcut.
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
CHAPTER 10C: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile…}
[Felix looked up from the console as shouting intensified.
He had been focusing on analyzing his own notes on the whole matter, but now…]
<DWN-019>: > GRAH! Why won’t you LISTEN to me!?
<DWN-013>: >No offense, bro, but if that’s all—
<DWN-019>: > IT’S NOT, YOU TWITS!
<DWN-019>: >There are some temporal anomalies and you’re all getting caught up in it! It’s not just you, it’s Mikhail as well—and do I need to remind you, YOU SPECIFICALLY, TWELVE, of how dangerous that could be to YOU, personally?
<DWN-012>: > -Mnnrrgh…!-
<DWN-019>: > Where is Mikhail?!
Felix: -Narrows his eyes a little- -Out loud even though Siam can’t hear- He’s resting— you shouldn’t even be calling, there’s a reason he told me to keep it quiet…
<DWN-019>: >I need Cardinal over here to properly oversee the updates, and I need his help with—
<DWN-013>: > Ugh—
<DWN-013>: >I’m SORRY, Gem, but— -BLAM!- 000 is still processing everything, we can’t move him yet, and it seems there are other problems—
<DWN-019>: >HOW can this possibly get worse?
<DWN-013>: > -Irritable- I think Mikhail is under arrest, Gemini!
Des: --....
Des: (Damn it...)
Des: (Ugh, with the way the Doctor and the Mighties reacted to that, I don't even want to think about how THEY will...)
<DWN-019>: > …
[The feeds were slammed with acerbic data.]
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC DATA-
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC PANIC PANIC-
<DWN-011>: > …
<DWN-011>: > …Joking, right?
<DWN-011>: > Right?
<DWN-012>: > He was IN handcuffs, brother—
<DWN-019>: > Nnnnnnnn-nnn-nnn-noo—
<DWN-019>: > Stars above I don’t think I can do this—
<DWN-018>: >Look, I doubt that if—
<DWN-019>: >IT DOESN’T MATTER! NOT WHAT YOU THINK!
<DWN-019>: > I DON’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THAT DATA FROM REACHING THE COSSACK NUMBERS!
Felix: ?!
Des: --...
Des: (Son of a...)
Des: (This is exactly what the Doctor said before...)
<DWN-018>: > Are you serious.
<DWN-019>: >I’m not the Admin, Nico! I don’t have that kind of power!
<DWN-018>: > That’s it. As head of the family, I’m intervening. Dealing with our dysfunctions is plenty; I am not going to put up with fighting the Russians.
<DWN-018>: >Siam, there’s got to be SOMETHING you can do—
<DWN-019>: > Well I’ll TRY to stall—I think I can by changing the data Snow gets— but hurry up as much as you can, I need the rest of the family back as soon as possible!
[MN.6] //: Roger Dodger–
<DWN-018>: >Fine, do it. Gem, get that guy on the line. We’ve got to talk this out before it gets out of hand. And as for you two…
<DWN-018>: >Speedy, Jaden, you guys were BUILT for Combat, can’t you work ANY faster?!
<DWN-013>: > Grrr…
<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
[MN.1] //: –!!
[Jaden began to glow white.]
Felix: -Stands, raising an eyebrow- ?
Des: What in the--?
Des: (What is this bright LIGHT? It's almost like...Nine's...?)
Felix: !
((pic))
Jaden: I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!
[MN.1] //: ??!?
[Jaden had changed. The was larger now, and bulkier—and based on the energy ratings from him, he was packing some SERIOUS heat.]
Felix: Well this is new—
Des: (These Robot Masters can change forms too?)
[Hatches popped open.
YEP. Those were some sort of missiles inside.]
Jaden: WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!
Felix: Goodness. I wasn’t aware they had this capacity.
Des: (...For some reason, that doesn't comfort me in the slightest.)
Des: (Do they ALL have this level of form shifting...?)
[He wasn’t given much time to think on it. A notification opened up a third window in the screen.]
[INCOMING CALL]
Felix: …
Felix: I… I’m not sure how to answer that, but I think we really should.
Des: (....)
[After a brief glance at Felix, Des himself walks over to the terminal and presses a single button, accepting the call.]
Des: (I got a good guess who this is...)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
=CHAPTER 10D: SNEAK INTO THE PRISON=
~AO v1.0~
((Courtesy of @limitbreakers))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
{Meanwhile…}
[Felix looked up from the console as shouting intensified.
He had been focusing on analyzing his own notes on the whole matter, but now…]
<DWN-019>: > GRAH! Why won’t you LISTEN to me!?
<DWN-013>: >No offense, bro, but if that’s all—
<DWN-019>: > IT’S NOT, YOU TWITS!
<DWN-019>: >There are some temporal anomalies and you’re all getting caught up in it! It’s not just you, it’s Mikhail as well—and do I need to remind you, YOU SPECIFICALLY, TWELVE, of how dangerous that could be to YOU, personally?
<DWN-012>: > -Mnnrrgh…!-
<DWN-019>: > Where is Mikhail?!
Felix: -Narrows his eyes a little- -Out loud even though Siam can’t hear- He’s resting— you shouldn’t even be calling, there’s a reason he told me to keep it quiet…
<DWN-019>: >I need Cardinal over here to properly oversee the updates, and I need his help with—
<DWN-013>: > Ugh—
<DWN-013>: >I’m SORRY, Gem, but— -BLAM!- 000 is still processing everything, we can’t move him yet, and it seems there are other problems—
<DWN-019>: >HOW can this possibly get worse?
<DWN-013>: > -Irritable- I think Mikhail is under arrest, Gemini!
Des: --....
Des: (Damn it...)
Des: (Ugh, with the way the Doctor and the Mighties reacted to that, I don't even want to think about how THEY will...)
<DWN-019>: > …
[The feeds were slammed with acerbic data.]
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC DATA-
<DWN-019>: > -PANIC PANIC PANIC-
<DWN-011>: > …
<DWN-011>: > …Joking, right?
<DWN-011>: > Right?
<DWN-012>: > He was IN handcuffs, brother—
<DWN-019>: > Nnnnnnnn-nnn-nnn-noo—
<DWN-019>: > Stars above I don’t think I can do this—
<DWN-018>: >Look, I doubt that if—
<DWN-019>: >IT DOESN’T MATTER! NOT WHAT YOU THINK!
<DWN-019>: > I DON’T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KEEP THAT DATA FROM REACHING THE COSSACK NUMBERS!
Felix: ?!
Des: --...
Des: (Son of a...)
Des: (This is exactly what the Doctor said before...)
<DWN-018>: > Are you serious.
<DWN-019>: >I’m not the Admin, Nico! I don’t have that kind of power!
<DWN-018>: > That’s it. As head of the family, I’m intervening. Dealing with our dysfunctions is plenty; I am not going to put up with fighting the Russians.
<DWN-018>: >Siam, there’s got to be SOMETHING you can do—
<DWN-019>: > Well I’ll TRY to stall—I think I can by changing the data Snow gets— but hurry up as much as you can, I need the rest of the family back as soon as possible!
[MN.6] //: Roger Dodger–
<DWN-018>: >Fine, do it. Gem, get that guy on the line. We’ve got to talk this out before it gets out of hand. And as for you two…
<DWN-018>: >Speedy, Jaden, you guys were BUILT for Combat, can’t you work ANY faster?!
<DWN-013>: > Grrr…
<DWN-013 has entered Lethal Combat mode.>
[MN.1] //: –!!
[Jaden began to glow white.]
Felix: -Stands, raising an eyebrow- ?
Des: What in the--?
Des: (What is this bright LIGHT? It's almost like...Nine's...?)
Felix: !
((pic))
Jaden: I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!
[MN.1] //: ??!?
[Jaden had changed. The was larger now, and bulkier—and based on the energy ratings from him, he was packing some SERIOUS heat.]
Felix: Well this is new—
Des: (These Robot Masters can change forms too?)
[Hatches popped open.
YEP. Those were some sort of missiles inside.]
Jaden: WE’RE TAKING A DETOUR!
Felix: Goodness. I wasn’t aware they had this capacity.
Des: (...For some reason, that doesn't comfort me in the slightest.)
Des: (Do they ALL have this level of form shifting...?)
[He wasn’t given much time to think on it. A notification opened up a third window in the screen.]
[INCOMING CALL]
Felix: …
Felix: I… I’m not sure how to answer that, but I think we really should.
Des: (....)
[After a brief glance at Felix, Des himself walks over to the terminal and presses a single button, accepting the call.]
Des: (I got a good guess who this is...)
[Nico’s face greeted him on the screen. He was wearing full armor, minus the helmet, and his arms were crossed.]
Des: (...And I was completely wrong--)
Des: -Raises eyebrow- ...I assume you want to speak to either this guy-- -Jabs his thumb behind him-
Des: ...Or me.
Nico: I’m assuming with you, as I know who Felix is.
Des: -Yup, thought so-
Nico: What’s Dr. Cossack’s physical condition? Is he okay?
Des: He's sleeping, right now. Resting. (Even though he really didn't want to, I noticed, but that Felix person did something to get him to rest...)
[Nico seemed to relax quite a bit at this.]
Nico: Thank goodness… that should buy us more time…
Des: (...So this must be one of his patients, I would think...)
[He turns to yell over his shoulder.]
Nico: Siam! The Doctor’s okay, he’s just sleeping!
[As he does so, the brand on his shoulder is visible:
DWN-018. ]
Des: (Another DWN...)
Nico: Okay, next question—
Nico: What’s going on over there? Is he really under arrest, or is my brother exaggerating?
Des: ....
Des: Sir...
Des: Dr. Cossack is currently in custody for...unauthorized access into federal security.
Nico: -Pained expression- (Oh no…)
Des: ...
Des: (And there is still the matter of the Military Base's security breach too...)
Des: Since the Doctor... simply refused to answer all of our questions...
Des: I am...
Des: ...
Des: ...Ugh...
Des:
I am forced to put him under arrest given the situation, and--
Nico: !
Nico: You mean— (N-no, they mentioned handcuffs…)
[He holds his head in his hands, looking very concerned.]
Nico: Might I suggest an alternate form of restraints? Anything?
Des: . . .
Nico: First of all, that… that’s… not exactly what happened. And second of all…
Nico: He was kept chained up in some form or another for at least three months, maybe up to as much as six—and this wasn’t too long ago.
Nico: My brother used spikes on the inside of the bracers, even.
Des: .....
Des: (The burns...)
Des: ....
Des: I'll see what I can do in that regard. …I promise.
Nico: …Thank you.
Des: ....
Des: -Looks to the side- He told me. Showed me, actually.
Des: About where you're from.
Nico: —… -Looks to the side himself, rather distressed expression- (He can’t mean Monstropolis… that would only make Toby look worse…)
Nico: -Forces himself to hear this out-
Des: ....
Des: I still don't completely understand why, but.
Des: ...
Des: I can tell the Doctor...he isn't what the law thinks he is right now.
Des: >> If anything, I know he's stonewalling.
Des: Listen.
Des: I can't...
Des: ....
Des: If he keeps doing that...
Des: . . .
Nico: Please—
Nico: Please don’t SAY it, I can’t—
Des: .......
Nico: Nnng…
Nico: We’re connected to the RMDC, his sons will pick up on that data.
Des: >> (Right....)
Des: ...
Des: (Man, Min, I don't know about you, and no offense, but this is REALLY the worst part of the job...)
Nico: Sir, I…
Nico: (Nnngh…! I can’t just hand Tobias over, but I can’t let Dr. Cossack take the fall for this! Even if I felt like it, his sons…)
Nico: We… can’t we talk this out? Just a little bit? I really don’t want this getting out of control…
Nico: My brother is good, but after M—… after what happened to the First Gens, Mikhail made sure no one else could mess with his kids’ minds, and that includes outside Doctors our equivalents.
Nico: So… we don’t have a whole lot of time, either. I’ll try to stick to the point.
Nico: What happened with the system was more complex than that. What he probably told you is the super-simplified version. Interaction in the Cloud… that’s not how it happened.
Nico: He printed out notes… do you have those on hand?
Des: Mmm--right, I do...
Nico: You might want to read those as I talk this over.
Nico: First of all, he did try getting feeds from the Pentagon first. He had Sanda’s secretary call, I think. But when that didn’t work, he knew that the security system was out of control.
Nico: So when he says he ordered Tobias to take over the security… he means that in the sense he’d have to fight it, and more precisely, the malevolent force controlling it.
Nico: From what I understand based on the data we’re getting in the update, he had to tell Tobias not to go overboard and zap both the system and Shade to soot crisps.
Des: (What--?)
Des: -Flipping though the notes-
Des: (...Shade does have a weakness to electricity, true...)
Nico: Fighting through infected security isn’t an easy ordeal, sir.
Nico: The Cloud is a desolate and dangerous place. Your systems, when they are fully working, would be… like fires of Hell to any unauthorized program—including Awareness ones. Firewalls manifest that way, metaphorically speaking. And viruses? Eldritch abominations. Monsters.
Nico: Fighting against the virus was to restore control to your systems. Because staying there? Would have meant more fighting, and just about equally dangerous fighting.
Des: (--!)
Des: (That explains the sudden return of our feeds--)
Des: (It was in OUR favor--?)
Nico: And that is what happened. As the virus was being pushed back, your firewalls started turning back on.
Nico: Part of the reason Tobias got so agitated and aggressive—don’t know if you heard him while you were there—part of that was that he was starting to get burned by them, and it hurt.
Des: . . .
Nico: -Scratches his head- Trying to get in if the firewalls had been working wouldn’t have been a quick or easy task. The reason Tobias got inside so quickly is because they were down.
Nico: If he’d had to disable them first, I dunno… he’s brilliant, but I don’t think he’s ever intentionally done THAT before. Not to my knowledge. (Other things, yeah, but getting around firewalls he wasn’t already immune to? Not so much.) He couldn’t even bypass the RMDC firewall, actually.
Nico: Barring the control being returned, though, Dr. Cossack needed Tobias to keep it from going too out of control. To take the controls from the virus to keep her from frying Beck, Cardinal, and you guys. Which is what he means by shutting it down.
Nico: It’s hard for an outsider to know what happened in there, sir. He had to cover all options when he let Tobias go, and when he told you about it. I’m not sure how much he knows about what happened.
Des: ......
Nico: Before that incident, well…
Nico: He’s been working on things for Cardinal for a VERY long time. It’s within the past few days for both of us that he’s made some real progress. Medical progress. And he…
Nico: I’m not sure if anyone told you, sir, but there are only three Doctors of his caliber in our entire world. He’s the only one we can trust. Literally… the only Doctor in the world who can do this. Unfortunately…
Nico: …That kinda has exacerbated his innate tendency to wear himself out.
[He sighed and rubbed his eyes with his right hand.]
Nico: Man, he must be exhausted. After all that this has put us through, we all just want it to stop. I’m not surprised he gave the short version—
Nico: Do you know what would happen if any of us were caught?
Des: . . .
Des: It was mentioned.
Nico: …
Des: -Sigh- Ngh...
Des: (Well, this just...)
Des: (The fact that he tried to help us, it makes things better, but unless I can get it out of him...)
Des: (Ugh, but he doesn't even have the energy to be AWAKE right now...)
Nico: He didn’t consult with us beforehand, you know, before talking with you. >.>
Nico: He doesn’t have the authority to give direct orders to Wily Numbers. I’m sure he could if he wanted to, but he respects us more than that. The ability to shut us off was a negotiated exchange for using his server to house our extended neural network.
Nico: No one would have approved of him taking everything onto himself, but…
Des: >>;; (Even I don't...)
Nico: What are you planning to do to my brother if you were to get your hands on him? -Visibly afraid-
Des: Well, we aren't going to dismantle him, if that's what you're...Well.
Des: -We KNOW it's practically murder, honestly--
Des: From the account you've given and Cossack's own...
Des: ....
Des: All we want are a few answers.
Des: Some sense out of this entire mess, and honestly, even the answers themselves are a little... -I don't even have a proper word for it-- ...Delicate...
Nico: I can try…
Nico: Was there something else you were wondering about?
Des: Cossack already explained the Queen's Finals, in a sense.
Des: ....
Des: There was...
Des: Also another security breach, but not at the White House.
Nico: I don’t know how he got past the Brit firewalls, I’m going to guess an emergency services loophole—
Des: Not that. (Though that explains some things.)
Des: The...incident regarding MNN-005.
Nico: …
Nico: Huh?
Des: There was a security breach then where Battalion was...infected.
Nico: Wait, Bat—
Nico: Oh GEEZ—
[He looks TERRIFIED. There are a number of pings in the database showing that the whole line was going into Defensive mode…]
Nico: If—if everyone went where—
[His pupils shrank to only just being visible, and he broadcast over his speakers out of fear.]
Nico: “OH GLITCH YOU MEAN HE WENT TO— HE WENT TO A MILITARY BASE?!”
Des: (...An unauthorized base.)
Des: -~- -This is almost embarrassing to say-
Des: (Still, it seems like I won't be getting answers here too.)
Des: Was DLN-008 active during that time?
Nico: No way! He was still out cold from being fused with Avi!
Des: (So it wasn't him...)
Des: (WHO, then? Some third party?)
Nico: Avi saw the depths of suffering that floats about the collective consciousness, it was bad.
Des: . . .
Nico: Oh man—does Mikhail know? He’s going to freak if he hears that those kind of “fireworks” were getting ready to go live. It’s been our mission since learning of this world to try and prevent—…
[He winced for a moment, seeming to calm down again.]
Nico: …try and prevent things from… reaching what they got for us.
Des: ...More or less...
Des: -Long sigh-
Des: =~=
Nico: Ouch.
Nico: No, that wasn’t us, and it wouldn’t have been Mikhail either. Especially not after the Russian incident. If Cardinal hadn’t gotten there in time, he would have died and that would have set off WWIII. He really still blames himself for this, and he’s super sensitive about it. He wouldn’t have done that.
[A pause.]
Nico: After Beck fixed up Toby and Avi, Toby was asleep until Cossack woke him up to try and get the White House feeds back. He, uh… well. Tobias needed the rest, honestly. It was a very disorienting experience.
Des: (I can only imagine...)
Nico: Sorry, but you’re going to have to look elsewhere for your base phantom.
Des: (Ugh, now what? I'm out of leads...)
Des: (...But at least I have a good idea of what this DLN-008 is like...)
Des: (They all really need some help...)
Nico: I… I don’t think that it’s fair to say Dr. Cossack is responsible for us, no. We’re… sorry about all that’s happened. All we wanted was to… hang out with our friends. Everything just started to get out of whack starting with the finals…
Nico: Poor Jack, too. Sawblade to the back, ow.
[Another pause.]
Nico: -Looking off to the side, still with a concerned expression- I’ll be honest with you, Mister Secretary.
Nico: I’m not just going to hand my older brother over. I can’t do that.
Des: .....
Nico: But… Dr. Cossack… he in all honesty is just our medical provider. He doesn’t have control over us the way he does with his sons. Who by the way, are going to really panic [color=black]if[/color]… -Trails off-
Nico: I’m sorry that he wouldn’t answer the questions, but… that’s the truth of the matter—from the finals to the White House.
Nico: We still want to help sort this out as much as we can, you know. I know Dr. Cossack would help unravel this…
Nico: …if he weren’t in trouble, of course—and also not so exhausted. >.>;
Nico: Isn’t there something that can be done?
Des: Unless Dr. Cossack can say this on record himself, I--
[There’s sudden yelling from one of the feeds.]
Des: --??
-*-*-
Avi: DAD I GOTTA GO–
<DWN-013>: >Woah, woah, woah—
<DWN-013>: > -Avs are you okay— -
-*-*-
Nico: —?
-*-*-
Will: What–
Avi: Got a hot scoop to deliver to Doc Sanda-Man, DON’T WORRY I’LL BE RIGHT BACK–
[Without another word, Avi shifts into Jet Mode and zooooooms back out the way Will and Beck came in.]
Will: Wait–Avi! What about Soi?!
-*-*-
Nico: -Turns to yell over his shoulder- Siam! What’s going on?
Des:
What--what just--
Des: (--Sanda--isn't he at the Prison, why would Six--)
-*-*-
Beck: K-9…?
<DWN-013 and DWN-012>: > …
<DWN-012>: > Scrap—
<DWN-012>: > Canine models can get VICIOUS…
Beck: Combat model designed to patrol and guard–
Beck: Maximum security establishments–!
<DWN-013>: > UGH this is all Fahrenheit 451 on us—
Beck: -THERE’S ONE AT THE PRISON–
Will: SOI!
-*-*-
Des: --. . . .
Des: Damn...
Des: (The Cerberus Units...)
Nico: …
Gemini: …Mikhail was going to be sent somewhere with those?! ._.
Siam: Well it’s not like he would have done anything but sleep—
Gemini: But Dr. Soichiro Sanda is over there!
Nico: Can he handle something like this?! He just went over with his secretary!
Des: (...but--Isn't his secretary also a Combat Unit--?)
Des: (At the very least, he has SOMEONE protecting him...)
Des: =_= (Although I still think it's nuts.)
Siam: I’m sure he’ll be fine…
Gemini: …I think…
Nico: Can’t we just talk to him over the feeds?
Siam: They don’t have that capability on their end, that’s only a Meadow-capacity thing—
Des: (...Meadow? Is that some sort of code?)
Nico: —!
[He looks… shocked at something.]
Des: --?
Nico: “R-Roll—?” -Reaching his hand out to touch the screen-
Des: --???
Gemini: -OH GLITCH expression-
Nico: (N-no… it’s not her, it…)
Siam: NICO YOU STAY PUT—
[Unfortunately, this was the worst thing that Siam could have said. Nico quickly snapped out of it, and his data became almost horrifically aggressive as he turned to glare at his brother—his eyes burned green as his helmet appeared.]
Nico: …You—
[There was a burst of data as everything was VIOLENTLY flung outward by a sudden magnetic field, Siamini included.]
Nico: YOU’VE BEEN /LYING/ TO ME—!
Felix: Oh dear…
Des: . . .
Des: | /;;;;; (Um...)
Nico: How dare you keep this a secret from me?! You’ve denied her MONTHS of time, of celebrations and sadness alike, all because you thought that I couldn’t handle it?!
Siam: -Sitting up, rubbing his head, also in armor now- Alnico—
Nico: DON’T!
Nico: Don’t call me by that name SHE gave me, don’t use it to LIE further!
Nico: We’re going to talk this over later, Geminiman. Talk about two-faced…
Nico: -Narrows his eyes to glance over in Des’s direction in a glare-
[His face plate at least gives the advantage of making him only look annoyed. How mad he really was was hard to say.]
Nico: Permission to enter the building, sir?
Des: --What, the Prison--
Des: . . .
Des: (In hindsight, I have no idea if Call can even handle the K-9...)
Des: (Sanda doesn't have an entire team behind him like White does.)
Des: (He's going to need back up.)
Des: Permission granted.
Nico: -Nods and salutes with two fingers-
[He then hovers out of there, gaining momentum. Gemini helps Siam up, and the two of him look at the transmitter.]
Siamini: Great.
Gemini: He knocked out the transmitter.
Siam: At least that’ll buy us a bit more time…
Gemini: …Are we still transmitting? How?
Siam: Because Felix is there. Something about Psynergy…
Felix: -Shakes his head- I’d focus on the Cossack Numbers for now. : / The Second Generation Wily Numbers are capable of handling themselves: you know this. Though I must ask—did you know about the second forms?
Siam: Not exactly, no—
Gemini: I’ll have to get back to you on that later.
Siamini: Nineteen out.
[That feed closes.]
Felix: -Looks over at Des- …
Des: . . .
Des: (...This is going to be a long day.)
Des: ....
Des: Do you have something else that can...Er.
Des: >> -Looks at Mikhail-
Des: (I'd ask for rope, but that seems insulting too.)
Felix: I can use Halt on him.
Des: . . .Right. . .
Des: (...Just who is...--and how did he do that, back there...)
Felix: …If you need something more conventional… well, I’ll see what I’ve got on me.
[…He starts pulling out some things that just WOULDN’T—or SHOULDN’T—fit in a bag that size.]
Des: O.o???? (What.)
Des: (How--how would that even--)
Felix: Why is it always on the bottom of the bag under all the extra equipment…
Des: (Did he just pull out a suit of ARMOR?)
Des: -Blinks-
Felix: Ah, here we go.
[He pulls out what appears to be some large rocks, a few crystals, some silk, and some reptilian leather.]
Felix: This should work, temporarily, at least.
Des: --???
[Felix used GROWTH!]
((pic))
[A vine started growing from a gathering of Venus psynergy near the floor. Felix let it snake through his hands, intertwining with the silk to create a harness of some sort. He went over to place it around Cossack gently before it finished and bound up together, becoming enclosed.
The leather encased the vines to create the appearance of straps, and it ran to the rocks and crystals. Felix then used these together to create a strong cable, which ended at a stop within the floor itself.
The cable was long enough to allow for sitting, standing, and slight movement in sleep, but not much else. Not being within reach of a console, the only way he could have any input now was to use voice commands—and he was asleep.]
Felix: I trust that will do, at least for now?
Des: . . .
Des: Uh...yeah. o_o (Who IS this person--?)
Felix: -Notices this look and grins- Is there something you wanted to ask me, Master Desmond?
Des: ....
Des: -Yeah I kinda have a question or 50-
Felix: Go ahead. -Looks at the screens, where everyone is busy fighting- We’ve got a while.
Des: ....
Des: How did you...do that?
Des: That and...Back there, with the Mighties and the Doctor...
Felix: Psynergy. Your world might call it “magic,” but it follows a defined set of rules, just as much as physics does.
Felix: I’m not quite human, myself; not in the traditional sense.
Des: (He's not human--?)
Des: (...Well, I guess that makes a little sense, if he can do all that...)
Felix: Research I’ve done indicates that in my world, humanity split into three branches. What most people think of as human is a different branch than what I am. We are closer to “monsters” than to “humans” in most but appearance and behavior. Like many monsters, we can make use of elemental energy, or Psynergy. We are also incredibly sturdy.
Felix: However…
[He pulls off his own gloves.]
Des: ...--!
[Like Mikhail, he has scars— burn scars, but also nasty healed cuts—all over his forearms and some on the back of his hands.]
Felix: We are not invincible.
[He takes off his cape and pulls down on the inside of his collar enough to show there are more around his neck and over his collarbone, probably continuing over his torso.]
Felix: I was trained by Mars Adepts—dragon sons and daughters. They were harsh and often cruel taskmasters.
Felix: I am not a Mars Adept—their style is not my way. Venus Adepts are best at defense and hard hits, not taking the initiative. It took a lot of hard hits from much stronger warriors before we all realized and came to accept that fact.
Felix: That was not the end, however.
[He puts the cape back on.]
Felix: One of my former sparring partners—and one of the two last Warriors of the clan—attempted, with the other remaining Warrior, to kill me atop the perilous heights of Jupiter Lighthouse.
Felix: I was not strong enough to withstand her. If someone else hadn’t intervened, I would have been killed then and there. Her preparation to do so was the last thing I remembered before my strength left me entirely due to the injuries.
Felix: -Pulls his gloves on- I was quite unhappy when the hands of fate—or rather, that which claims to be so—pulled a nasty trick at Mars Lighthouse, and I was forced into a darkness that has ever stained my hands and haunted my dreams. She was but one of the five casualties in that place—all of them tricked onto us, and carried out under my command.
Des: (Jeez, this all sounds like some kinda...storybook or something...)
Des: (With not a very happy fairytale context...)
Felix: But even that would not prove to be the end.
Felix: When we finally came home—somewhere I had not been in years, in nearly five years—
Felix: My former best friend—who by the way, had spent the better part of the last two years quite literally chasing me across the world to the ends of the earth in the effort to slay me—
Felix: —went and told someone that I had been involved in restoring the elemental energy of our world to the natural balance.
Felix: This was forbidden in our home land, and punishable by death.
Des: . . .
Felix: -Shakes his head- I was chased out, and haven’t been home since. I don’t know if I’ll ever see my family again, not in this life.
Felix: Since then, I have wandered the worlds. That is how I came to meet the Rebel Angels, and later the Mighty Numbers.
Felix: I fought Countershade myself, once, before all of this.
Des: You what--
Des: --.... (He isn't human but still, against Eight--?)
Felix: It was a test of endurance, and I lost. We were both holding back, of course—I wouldn’t use my true power on them, not without good reason.
((pic))
Felix: Venus is the element of man… the element of the earth, yes, of plants and the ground, of living things…
((pic))
Felix: …But also of death, of poisons and necromancy, the Judgement of the world…
Felix: While it can be intoxicating, that kind of power is not a toy, and not to be used in play. No—I’d only use that in great need.
Felix: I did lose, but it was a close judges’ call—as I had managed to wear him to exhaustion as well.
Des: . . .
Des: (I...)
Des: ....
Des: (I think I have severely misjudged the scope of all this... Again...)
Des: And you...come here, often...?
Felix: What, to California?
Des: Yes...
Felix: No… I’ve only been over here for birthday celebrations. Everything else was at the Meadow.
Des: --I heard one of the Robot Masters say that before...
Des: The Meadow.
Des: I don't suppose that is code for anything...
Felix: No, not really. It is a literal meadow. Nice place, really. There is a VR set up there, as well as a lab/recreational center.
Felix: I live further out in the undefined parts of reality, in the Wilderness. That’s where Eight and I fought.
Felix: It is a very nice place, and I imagine you’ll be seeing it once the time is right.
Des: --Me?
Felix: Though with time being what it is, you might “already” have done so, and the memories will catch up to you.
Des: --.....
Des: Are you saying I might have already--BEEN there?
Felix: There’s a good chance of that, yes.
Des: I...
Des: Good Lord...
Felix: I understand this can be overwhelming, sir, particularly given your responsibilities. But now that you know, you are only more likely to learn more, to better understand the situation and learn who is friend and who is foe.
Felix: There are more parties in play besides the Rebel Angels and the Cossack Numbers, their sister, and their father.
Des: (....More...?)
Des: (...He can't mean Blackwell, can he?)
Des: ...Like...What?
Felix: For starters, mirror realities. There is a “what-if” come true that has become very close with your own. Tell me…
Felix: Do you remember the publicity campaign for when Mighty Number Eight was first being revealed?
Des: (...That was out of left field...)
Des: ....
Des: There were a few adverts for the overall cowboy design...
Des: (But they looked...)
((pic))
Des: (...Different than what Eight does now...)
Des: ...What does that have anything to d--
Des: Do...
Des: With....
Felix: -Gets a somewhat amused expression-
Des: . . .
Des: (The Highway--!)
Des: There...
Des: (So that image we got from the tunnel cameras in the highway--)
Des: (If what he's saying is right--)
Des: There's TWO Eights?
Felix: Mighty Nine Number Eight and Fighting Mighties Number Eight. The Teal Silence and the Teal Widow.
Felix: The latter is the lady of silence, the siren sniper.
Felix: …Though she does have quite a fondness for dairy.
Des: (...Dairy?)
Des: >> (This makes me wonder how much the CAL knows about this...)
Des: (The whole two of the same person deal...)
Des: ...Are there more?
Des: -Doubles, that is.-
Felix: Well, that whole family, yes.
Des: ....
[Des takes a moment to re-think it all over his head, crossing his arms and placing one hand on his face.]
Des: (Min, I REALLY wish you were right here right now--)
Felix: There’s more to it than that, though. The Fighting Mighty Numbers are benign forces. True, Kate got sick, but, well… if you know about her, you would have to had seen her. And if you saw her, then you saw him, too.
Felix: Yes, Jack helped rescue her. They’re both safe.
Felix: However.
Felix: It’s unlikely that he’ll be released to you any time soon, because they’ve been worried. They know that the rest of his team… “disappeared.” They don’t want any unsavory sources knowing his whereabouts or status.
Des: . . .
Des: (So that's what happened to Dencerjack.)
Des: (Mmm. No wonder we couldn't find him, he practically dropped off the face of this Earth.)
Felix: Including DWN-022.
Des: --Another DWN?
Des: (...22? Just how many are there--?)
Felix: Yes. Not all DWNs are tended to by Mikhail Cossack.
Felix: Most of them are dead. You know why already.
Des: ....
Felix: But there are some… DWN-022 specifically was rebuilt, but—Dr. Wily? He’s still active, Master Desmond.
Felix: As is Viper. He was scouting about where Jack was.
Des: !
Des: (But--)
Des: (All the way back in England?)
Felix: He’s after Cardinal, you know. And now that Cardinal has a close friend… going after them jointly is the way to cause the most pain.
Des: MN.8...
Des: (...Definitely need to bring this up with Min, this Viper character sounds...)
Des: (...He gives me VERY bad vibes for some reason--)
Felix: Exactly. This isn’t over yet. Cardinal has been a target for a while, ever since he pulled one over on Wily… twice.
Des: -Raises eyebrow- (Twice...)
Felix: Wily has never been one to share a spotlight, though. He’ll wait until this is over before he strikes. How long? I don’t know.
Felix: Cardinal will want to keep everyone out of it, but… the chances of that succeeding are… small.
[He sighs, putting a hand to his face.]
Felix: At least the Doctor and his daughter will be safe. They have powerful forces looking after them. But the Rebel Angels? Not so much.
Felix: But one crisis at a time, shall we? No use worrying over something beyond our scope that we know will not happen until this is over.
Des: ....
Des: -Right...-
[((Transition scene here, or not—as need be.))]
[Felix stood.]
Felix: Well then. I need to go speak with Dr. White, now that he’s back. There’s something important I need to ask him, anyway. May I leave?
Des: Er, yes, yes, of course--Thank you for your time...
Felix: Certainly.
[He took his leave.]
Des: ....
Des: -Phone, Phone, where's--
[CALLING: MINNIE MOUSE.]
Des: -Come on, Min, pick up--
[Click.]
“Hello, Ducky. Something up?”
Des: Something like that--
Des: >> I may have some news you might not like.
Des: ...Someone else might be looking for Dencerjack.
Des: Another DWN not in Dr. Cossack's care.
Minerva: …The snake?
Des: Bingo-- (...At this point I'm not surprised she knows by now--)
Des: Also learned that Jack's...well, flown the coup, so to speak.
Minerva: Oh? You know where he is?
Des: More or less.
Des: He's safe, and, well.
Des: ...You know those images we got from Highway Alpha?
Des: From the tunnel cameras?
Minerva: The ones we couldn’t decipher?
Des: I'm pretty sure by now someone in Tech managed to clean up those images.
Minerva: Well, I had the one intern—remember the report that the Pentagon submitted regarding Five’s rescue?
Minerva: About the lower level worker who worked with them, even when his superiors had hung up on the Whites?
Minerva: I set him on duty to tend to tech information that may pertain to the cases, for now…
Des: You might want to take a look at those...
Des: ...As well as launch some sort of investigation into CAL.
Minerva: I assume he is writing up a report, but—what’s this about investigating CAL?
Des: >> I think they know a little more than they're letting on.
Minerva: …
Minerva: -Dryly- They’re assassins and half of them are spies of some degree. Of course they know more than they say.
Des: -Exactly--
Des: >> Felix was kind enough to let me in on this, but...
Minerva: ? -Listening-
Des: ...Mngh, at this point, I feel... ugh.
Des: I feel useless here.
Des: The situation is in good hands, I know that--
Des: But I'm not exactly the one making the decisions here, and I think it's starting to get to me...
Minerva: -Soft sigh, but still listening-
Des: >> Haven't been in the field in a long time.
Des: ...Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky or something.
[She chuckles at that.]
Minerva: Oh, Donald. I understand the sentiment. It’s just part of being in these offices, when you lead such a large amount of people.
Des: ...How are things in your end?
Minerva: I’ve learned some very interesting things. And to that end…
Minerva: I’m going to come over.
[A beat.]
Minerva: As in, join you on the East Coast.
Des: --Wha--
Des: Min--the city is practically still Ground Zero--
Minerva: Mr. Desmond.
Minerva: I can’t go back to my House, that’s been utterly trashed, and needs to be checked for nuclear radiation.
Minerva: I certainly can’t go back to my home; that’s not secure, and doesn’t have proper resources.
Des: --...
Minerva: Right now, all of our leads are generated over there—whereas on Capitol Hill?
Minerva: The only thing being generated is more paperwork as it becomes more apparent that we will need a serious look into internal affairs.
Minerva: I don’t like how little DoHS has done to help matters. I don’t think your counterpart is involved, but “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, as the saying goes.
Minerva: Quite frankly, I need an office somewhere that is both technologically secure and has communication and computation resources. As of right now, that lab is the only place that I, personally, feel sure of—and I went through quite a long list of other safehouses before making that decision.
Minerva: The city itself may be dangerous, but let’s be real here—almost all major cities have been badly hit.
Des: ...Good point...
Minerva: Besides… what I’ve learned has completely convinced me that there is no way someone could steal information or otherwise effectively spy on the place.
Minerva: And that same thing also makes it very necessary for me to speak to Dr. White in person.
Des: -- Dr. White?
Minerva: Yes. Dr. William White.
Des: ....
Des: (That's...I thought our focus was on Dr. Cossack, why would Min want to suddenly talk to him?)
Des: (And directly, at that; if she just wanted him to be questioned, then she'd let me do it--)
Des: ....
Minerva: I believe I learned something about what happened during Battalion’s rescue, and I need to confirm the sequence of events with him.
Minerva: And also discuss his days as a fencing champion.
Des: ...Now you've lost me.
Des: What does THAT have to do with anything--?
Des: --The fencing, I mean--
Minerva: Oh, you’ll find out, Donald.
[Well that was ominous.]
Des: ....
Des: -Sighs- Alright...
Minerva: As for Dr. Cossack—
Minerva: He seems to be more forthcoming when speaking while he isn’t being recorded, anyway; and you’ve had to play bad cop, which has yielded minimal results. It sounds like you’ve learned more from Felix than Cossack himself, which is telling.
Minerva: Perhaps if I play good cop, we’ll learn something enlightening—
[SPLOOOSH--]
"WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY--"
Des: What the--
Des: -Hey wait a min--
[...There's...the sound of a lot of water over the phone--]
[Min had hung up, but—]
[The action had certainly not ended.]
[Having burst the door open with a jetstream of water, Cryo proceeded to rush over and spray Dr. Cossack in the face.]
Des: -Is now SOAKING wet--
Cryo: I said--
Cryo: WAKEY WAKEY EGGS AND BAKEY, UNCLE COSSACK--
[Mikhail was scrunching his eyes, swatting at his hair to try and get some of the water out. He, too, was soaking wet.]
Mikhail: -VERY much awake now- {What—}
[He was talking in Russian, presumably from being tired.]
Mikhail: {Cryosphere, why are you screaming about breakfast—}
[Cryosphere responded in English, though.]
[MN.2] //: -CUZ I'M HUNGRY AND EVERYONE IS KINDA GOING BONKERS RIGHT NOW-
Des: --???
Mikhail: {What?!}
[It only takes him one look at the status screens to make his decision. He looks alarmed.]
Mikhail: {Emergency shutdown! Authorization MC005!}
[There’s a flurry of status messages showing all the Robot Masters going Offline.]
[…Well.]
>ERROR: DLN-000 CANNOT BE SHUT DOWN WITHOUT DAMAGE TO SYSTEM.
>Internal Database ALERT: 06.30.20XX MEMORY DATA HAS GENERATED NEW PRIMAL ANALYSIS NEXUS: DATA CANNOT BE ISOLATED UNTIL UPDATE IS COMPLETED. ALL SHUT DOWN PROCEDURES MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY BY AN ADMIN.
<DLN-000 is still in Maintenance Mode.>
[…Almost all of them.]
Des: -What is--
Des: -It's just one thing after another, isn't it--
Mikhail: -Mumbles- {Now what is—}
[He stood, but quickly found he couldn’t move over toward the console. He wasn’t even able to reach it.]
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: -Tired- Mr. Desmond, I appreciate this less painful means of restraint, but— a harness, really?
Des: Don't look at me. <<
[Mikhail has already turned to look at the cord binding him to the floor. He had to squint rather hard, though.]
Mikhail: (Vines. Of course.) …So I can see, now. Apologies.
Mikhail: -Puts both hands to his face- I believe we need to obtain a status update at this point.
Mikhail: What’s your call? I’m not the one in charge in this range.
Des: -Turns- Cryosphere, where is your Father--
Cryo: -Back over there, you guys might wanna take a look, things are going cray cray--
[PING!]
[DR.WHITE] //: -Mikhail--
[DR.WHITE] //: -Mikhail if you can see this, Nico just went to the Prison after Soi and Call--
Mikhail: …!
Mikhail: He—
Mikhail: {Mother Mary help us, no wonder…}
Mikhail: Will. Will, we’ll be right over—
Mikhail: Hold on, we’ll come down to the lobby.
Mikhail: -Please-
Des: ....
Des: -Mngh-
Des: Alright, fine--
Des: -But I'm sticking close to you every step of the way--
Mikhail: I’d appreciate that, sir—
Mikhail: It seems the water has washed away my glasses, so I can’t see very well at the moment.
Cryo: -...Whoops-
Cryo: -UH, YOU GO SEE WHAT'S UP, ILL FIND THEM--
Mikhail: Alright, Cryo. Thank you.
Mikhail: Alright, Mr. Desmond, it’s your lead— though I’d appreciate it not being so obvious if you really do intend to use the cord as a lead.
Mikhail: You’ll also have to cut this free somehow, first.
Des: -I got this--
[...Oh, well, that's definitely a Military grade Swiss Army Knife.]
[Mikhail couldn’t see, but he could definitely hear, and he seemed a bit nervous at the sound. He took a slight step back, out of instinct.]
Des: -JUST going to cut this-
[Des moves to cut Mikhail free as quickly as possible--he seems practiced with it.]
Des: -Okay--
Des: That should do it.
[Probably the fact he couldn’t see very well helped in Mikhail not reacting much to it. And he did seem grateful at Desmond being right next to him—gave him a point of reference in moving around.]
[It wasn’t too long before they made their way down to the lobby. Felix and Will were both there.
Felix looked a little surprised to see them in their current state.]
Felix: You’re both soaking wet.
Des: =~= -Don't ask-
Will: Mikhail--
Will: -Oh thank goodness, sorry about the rude awakening--
Felix: Your glasses are missing.
Mikhail: Not important right now.
Mikhail: Where is Alnico? Is… is he really at the prison?
Will: He's--
Will: Yes, we--we couldn't stop him--
Will: -Oh Soi, please be alright--
[Mikhail groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.]
Mikhail: So he found out about her at last, did he? (What a mess…)
Mikhail: Well, he’s Offline, now. Someone will have to go and get him, before he gets further injured.
Mikhail: I’ll—
Felix: No.
Des: ...
Felix: No you won’t, Doctor.
Will:
-Mikhail, please...-
Will: You still need rest--Soi is in there, let--
Des: Not you either, Doctor.
Will: ......
Will: (Soi...)
Felix: For one thing, I don’t recall Master Desmond releasing you, Mikhail.
Mikhail: —…
Des: Right.
Felix: And for another… now that you’re awake, if you insist on being awake and not taking more rest…
Felix: It should be to tend to some patients. Jaden sustained significant heat damage, and Carlos was injured by a fracture in time.
Felix: Now either go rest or go heal and THEN rest, because you aren’t leaving the building.
Des: As for you, Dr. White.
Will: --?
Des: You have an appointment.
Des: POTUS is coming here.
Will: -Wha--
Mikhail: …
Mikhail: What…?
Des: Gentlemen.
Des: Our White House is down.
Des: And all our info is coming from here, in Titus.
Des: Seeing as Sanda Labs is not only fortified, as well as having the technological equipment needed to function as a HQ...
Des: There is no where else President Morandi can go.
Mikhail: …I… suppose that makes sense, but—
Mikhail: What do you mean by “appointment"?
Des: >>
Des: ....
Des: I'm not so sure myself.
Des: But it has something to do with No. 5 and...
Des: ... your championship fencing days, Doctor.
Mikhail: ???
Mikhail: ({What does Bat have to do with fencing, I don’t get it—}) -Clearly confused-
Will: (Championship fenc--)
Will: --....
Will: -Pales-
Will: (Oh my God, no--NO--)
Will: (Sh-She can't have--!)
Mikhail: …Will?
Will: (Oooooodearlordno--)
Will: (No, this--can't be happening, not NOW--)
Will: ...... -Swallows-
Will: I...I see.
Des: (...Well THAT was CERTAINLY a reaction if I ever saw one.)
Mikhail: Will?
[He’s squinting pretty hard, because he can’t see at the moment.]
Will: (I didn't think...)
Will: (I thought...)
Will: I...
Will: -I need to sit down a f-for a bit...-
Des: (A VERY strong reaction.)
Will: (G-Greg--I can handle Greg--)
Will: (B-But her--s-she can do s-so much WORSE--)
Mikhail: Will, are you alright?
Will: (Oh, Mikhail, I'm so sorry--!)
Des: Doctor.
Will: --...
Des: She'll be coming over as soon as she can get a bird in the air.
Des: ...She'll also want a word with DLN-000 once he's recovered.
[Mikhail looks… VERY tired all of a sudden.]
Mikhail: Fully recovered? That could take up to a year.
Felix: —?!
Felix: A year?
Des: .....
Will: (Cardinal...)
Mikhail: …But— regarding Nico and Soi—
Felix: Appointment or not, Will was just in the midst of a very stressful fight, so no, he needs rest, too.
Felix: Master Desmond, may I go over to help them?
Felix: If your superior is coming here, you’ll be needed for a briefing, and you have people to look after. It seems that the staff there cannot help—and Nico is assuredly injured. I’m sure you remember from the Finals and the White House that Robot Masters do not bleed Xel, and if someone else were to notice this from Nico…
Will: ....
Des: ...You raise a good point.
Des: ...And I've... experienced what you can do...
Felix: Not all of it.
Felix: I can also escape fairly well. As soon as I find them, I will be able to leave from that spot, and then teleport here.
Des: -... Impressed.-
Des: ...Although... You're not a Xelbot either...
Will: We have false...transponders...
Felix: That should work, if it is acceptable. Although—would the readings be able to tell I’m organic?
Mikhail: You give off a lot of energy radiation. It… obscures that fact a bit.
Felix: -Raises an eyebrow- I was not aware you’d already measured that.
Mikhail: I didn’t have to measure, it’s actually observable.
Des: (...As in, entirely visible...?)
Des: .....
Des: ... Alright.
Des: You're cleared for entry to the Prison, Felix.
Des: I suggest that someone else prepare a room for POTUS once she arrives.
Will: (Erk--)
[Mikhail seemed to realize something.]
Mikhail: Oh—
Mikhail: Is she bringing Scout with her?
Will: --Scout--
Des: ...Right, the... -Ahem-
Des: I imagine so.
Des: >> I should have known he belongs to you all, really.
Mikhail: Oh? And why’s that?
[Felix had already made his way off. Man, can he move quietly when he wants to.]
Des: Well, he was with 000 during the White House raid...
Des: And he seemed to know Eight as well, in particular.
Des: >> ...That, and we learned that he isn't even...
Des: -We can't tell if he's some sort of dog or raccoon or both-
[Mikhail laughs at this.]
Mikhail: Well, I could tell you more later.
[He shakes his head, putting a hand to his face.]
Mikhail: I… can’t see right now, so I won’t be able to help with repairs. Unless you have instructions for me, Mr. Desmond… no matter where I end up, I’ll probably fall asleep again, so I might as well rest.
Will: -...what DID happen to your glasses--
Des: -Your daughter-
Will: --...Oh-
Will: -Can't help but grin- I'm sure she just got a bit excited.
Des: -Excited is underselling it- =~=
Mikhail: That sounds like her.
[He wrings his lab coat a bit.]
Mikhail: I do have my devices waterproofed, but I’m nevertheless thankful that they didn’t get drenched.
Mikhail: Alright then… might as well tell Pyro and Seven, I imagine they’ll make the best of the preparations.
[He seems… very tired again. Or rather… weary.
Almost defeated, in a sense.]
Mikhail: ({…Not much has changed…})
Mikhail: ({Still so much… to [color=black]answer[/color] for.})
Will: (...Mikhail...)
Will: (Mngh...I'm running out of time...)
Will: (...What...)
Will: (What am I going to do--?)
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
Writer Journal Entry
{Wednesday, September 25th 2019T}
//This blog is going to be repurposed to be a story-oriented blog. The characters from sirensniper will be moved over to join the crew on @mowseries.
This is a placeholder style announcement. Proper explanation and frills will come after I have things set up.
Not sure how much good this will do, given it’s about to be buried under nearly 200 more posts.
—T.
FIGHT! Bonfire Vs Ray!
BONFIRE VS RAY (Current)
Intro Quote(Versus): [Bonfire reeled from the horrendous scream. As he gritted his teeth in pain and looked up into the looming shadow that glinted with many serrated fangs, he was slammed with a cross-reference—something his sister had said to them the night they learned the truth of what happened….] || “-Teeth. So many teeth. In the dreams, always the teeth. The teeth and the screes. So many teeth. Did we mention teeth?-” || [The shock was stunning, but the severity of the situation kickstarted a different instinct. He burst into WHITE-HOT FLAMES OF PURE RAGE.]
Taunt: BURN, YOU INSUFFERABLE WITCH!
Special Attack: ((No dialogue, just an angry shout with a wicked right hook!))
Ultimate Attack: [The power that he put behind the explosion was more than just pushing himself to the limit. This high-tier Burning Spirit was fueled with a roaring rampage of revenge—revenge for all that they had suffered, for all the pain and madness and sorrow. But most of all, for that night—for THAT NIGHT, the night that his sister had been brought back, SCREAMING in agony as she fell to pieces…]
Win Quote(Versus): What the hell—?! || [Out of ALL the things to happen, he had NOT expected her to suddenly start DISSOLVING like that…!]
Lose Quote(Versus): [He huffed, shaking in pain and injury from the numerous, heavy wounds. || Try as he might, he couldn’t contact anyone. There would be no escape…] || D…Damn you…!
===================
BONFIRE & RAY (Post-AO: Full Memory)
Intro Quote(Team Up): [The leader of the Fighting Mighties flared up in anger. He was not pleased to have landed himself in this situation, but this was hardly the time or place to confront the past when they had a BIGGER problem on their hands…]
Assist: No further! ((Directed at opponent(s), not Ray))
Ultimate Team Attack: Taste the fires of Hell! ((Referring far more to Ray’s fire than his own, but still.))
Win Quote(Team Up): Hmph. I’m calling in the chaos spheres and the ice child before this inferno rages out of control.
Lose Quote(Team Up): This is out of our control—!
Knock Out Quote(Team Up Self): [He staggered down to one knee, trying desperately to stay conscious. He didn’t trust his combat so-called “partner”, even though…] || Ghh… gnnnn… || [He couldn’t take it. He was worn down beyond his limits.] || : >F-Father…! ||
Knock Out Quote(Team Up Partner): [Bonfire was seized with a sudden cold fear. This was not a choice he wanted to make. He didn’t want to have to even think of choosing. Especially not when his own sister and her Other had orders to carry out, and they would all pay the price for obstruction. || For the first time ever, he found himself desperately HOPING that he would lose, so that he wouldn’t have to MAKE that decision…]
FIGHT! Enigma Vs Masa!
MASAMUNE VS ENIGMA
Intro Quote(Versus): …So it begins. Stay in the present, or pay the price, Time Lord.
Intro Quote(Team Up): Hmph. It is one thing for the likes of them to defy the whims of fate and tides of time, but this approaches borderline stupidity.
Taunt: Stop daydreaming about the realities where you’re winning this fight and start making an effort in THIS one.
Special Attack: {At high enough speeds, time is relative!}
Assist: Lay out the dotted line.
Ultimate Attack: {Your thread is about to get shorter!} ((Referring to the classic Greek literature regarding the thread of life, subjected to the shears Atropos used to seal the ultimate fate of mortals.))
Ultimate Team Attack: {Seal off their escape!}
Win Quote(Versus): {An honorable fight. I am certain your father will be proud.}
Win Quote(Team Up): {You fought well. We’d best leave this place before the others start pestering…}
Lose Quote(Versus): Ha…. {It would seem… I cannot fight fate…}
Lose Quote(Team Up): -Suspicious squint- … ((…Heh, he’d be cynically wondering whether it was “supposed” to happen this way, and what the implications of that would be))
Knock Out Quote(Team Up Self): Gh…! Go—! {You must carry this to the conclusion!}
Knock Out Quote(Team Up Partner): {How is this possible?!}
FIGHT! Jack Vs Kate!
KATE VS JACK
Intro Quote(Versus): ‘bout tahm we had a proper fight, you an’ I. Let’s give ‘em somethin’ t’ talk about~
Intro Quote(Team Up): Ha! They’ve got no idea what’s comin’.
Taunt: Ya gotta FOCUS, Jackie!
Special Attack: Watch yer step!
Assist: FREEZE! ((She’s talking to Jack, since some trick shots are about to be put into play.))
Ultimate Attack: Take a cue from the music, Parker!
Ultimate Team Attack: DANCE for me, boys!
Win Quote(Versus): [She gives an EXTREMELY mischievous shark grin.] || You know, normally, Ah’ have a certain dart I use here, but for you, Ah’ think a more direct approach is in order…~
Win Quote(Team Up): Well done! -Happy ping-
Lose Quote(Versus): Alright, alright already—you win! A girl’s gotta know when she’s beat. Boy, ya sure gave ME a workout! Hope ya had some fun.
Lose Quote(Team Up): Bah, we’re gonna have t’ regroup an’ rethink this…
Knock Out Quote(Team Up Self):
Knock Out Quote(Team Up Partner): || Imma count t’ THREE, an’ y’all better SCRAM, OR ELSE—!
Sketch commission for my lovely friends! This is the third in a series of commissions I’m doing for them involving their AU crossover fanfiction, Allies Obstruct! It’s got robot, and robots, and smart scientists, and cool people, and despicable villains, and even a few OCs to boot (like Jack here)!
I’m also super excited to announce that they’ve started posting their fic so you can have a look at the intro here! Or say hi to them over on their RP blogs @codedhopes and @mowseries!
Allies Obstruct
=INTRO B: COLLAPSING PEACE=
((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
Keep reading
Allies Obstruct
=INTRO A: COLLAPSING PEACE=
((Courtesy of @codedhopes & @super-tired-robot))
<<—Previous——————Table of Contents——————Next—>>
Keep reading
“It’s really rather a long story…”
Rules || Profile
Independent Felix from the Golden Sun series, set post-Golden Sun: The Lost Age
15+ years overall RP experience; 5+ years as Felix on unluckyadept
Crossover friendly
OC friendly
Flexible writing style
—T.
[A different story for every day of the month, perhaps—but never the chilling truth of what REALLY happened…
Such thing were best left upon the fringes of nightmares, right…?]
((Aaaaaaaaa thank youuu~~ <333 ))
-Amputation-
Small request for @mowseries | @sirensniper of the AU version of Countershade <:
I can never turn down MN9 related stuff, honestly. I love a lot of the designs way too much haha. Not super gory on this one given the robot in question is essentially made of nanomachines but aaayyyy!
white-bird-in-a-cage is five years old!
Five years ago, on August 7th, 2012, I made this blog under the url not-a-nobody. My preference was not available for another year, and I have been under that changed url ever since. Since then I have grown and changed, both as a person and a writer.
Naminé as a character is truly very important to me. No other character is more beloved. I first saw her in 2006 and I was immediately drawn to her. It is because of this girl with an angelic appearance that I got interested in Kingdom Hearts… without her I wouldn’t be here, or have met any of you. Seeing as how I’ve met my best friends on this blog, that’s really saying something. To me, Naminé represents hidden strength and the truth. She could’ve easily lied or not said anything to Roxas; she could’ve easily used him and Sora for her own gain; instead she not only spoke the truth, she fixed her mistakes. Naminé also defied DiZ and Riku to do what she felt was right, and even more awe-inspiring, she stood up to Larxene and Marluxia upon realizing her mistakes. It is never easy to stand up to your abusers and captors. For someone so small, Naminé has left an indelible mark on my life.
I’ve been in these groups: Kingdom Hearts Ultimate RP (KHURP for short), Pyreflights, Aeon Soul, Somnium Finite, and Crowned Kingdom. Each taught me something and introduced me to new friends. I’m happy to say that I’m still friends with people from each group!
Five years is a big milestone for me. At this moment I have 630+ followers, and I’m happy to have all of you on board! I never dreamed I would last this long; I have no idea what I was thinking back in that August before my freshman year of college, but it certainly wasn’t this.
I’ve been through a lot on this blog: group changes, friends and partners leaving and changing, being bullied (though thankfully that has long since passed), learning time management, and so much more.
I wouldn’t be here with you all. Obviously I could not possibly name everyone, past and present, but I thought I should show at least some of you my thanks. This is not a follow forever or a bias list; instead this is a thank-you post. Some people might get repeated because I couldn’t just leave them under one category. Oh, and alphabetical order because I like to have everything orderly.
I know why the caged bird sings - to those who have helped me grow, and who have supported me
@ainokizuato/@redheartedmage/@talesofmino/@talesofharima, @blitzballstar, @musicandlights, @noxtalgie, @parttimedeliveryboy, @radiantheart/@milessomnia, @thecentralheart/@vens-gonewiththewind, @the-lonely-soul, @the-sixth-apprentice/@unversed-nightmare, @unquenchedresolve, @xambiefoxx
Memory… the cruelest and most beautiful of gifts - to those who have moved on; I miss you and I have not forgotten you, and I wish you the best
@duelwielding, @parttimedeliveryboy, @screndipitouskxy, @thecentralheart/@vens-gonewiththewind, @the-sixth-apprentice/@unversed-nightmare
You’ve got the light to fight the shadows - to those who make every day here a joy
@ahmyhotdog, @ivory-paragon, @lazuliss, @professorxehanort, @radiantheart/@milessomnia, @redheartedmage/@talesofmino/@talesofharima/@ainokizuato, @thetaintedemotion, @unquenchedresolve, @valorhearted
Your House will be like your family - to my beloved Crowned Kingdom
@ahmyhotdog, @chaoshearted, @cindythegreasemonkeygal, @dogstreetstyle, @heartseekingfreedom, @iokanchieftess, @lovelysweetxhart, @malevolentwind, @milleuda-folles, @professorxehanort, @radiantheart/@milessomnia, @redheartedmage, @somnusheir, @steelwolfgrey, @theicequeenslion, @thespellweaver, @thetaintedemotion, @unquenchedresolve, @valorhearted, @vespersung, @whitedressedoracle, @wingedcomposer, @xxpinkseeressxx
If only I had five lifetimes! - to my fellow Naminé blogs; I don’t follow or write with you, but we have all chosen a beautiful character, and I am glad you are here
@fadxngmemcry, @frailwaves, @oblivion-witch, @namine-constellations, @noxtalgie, @reflechir, @scatteredcrayons, @sketchedinnocence, @paintedpaeonia, @p-aperr-oses, @vvatercolors, and those I cannot name because I don’t know who you are
Reader, I married him - to all 630+ of you, my Readers
Goose: dON’T TALK TOO LOUD OR THEY’LL HEAR YOU—
AVAIL— Don’t you think your actions are reckless?
[ KING ] - “Hmm…”If Avail was REALLY honest with himself…Well, yes. He COULD be reckless at times, and..Sometimes his sister Hense didn’t like that. At all. But, in a way, he couldn’t help it–There was just so much to see and do, and it was literally in his programming to adventure for the sake of Firixia–the game, that is.Hense had that too, just…not to the very same degree–more sensible about it.“I guess. But, hey, I’m no pushover! I can always find myself out of a jam if I have to, heh.” …Still, Hense had a point–He should be more careful–If not for his own kingdom, then for her.“I’ll just have to practice being more, uh…aware of what I’m doing, if anything!”
Goose: I TRAVEL THE W—
[Oh.
WELP—]
<FMN-006 has entered Sleep mode.>
[There was a loud WHONK as he crashed onto the floor of Shade’s room, snoozing LOUDLY, as only a plane with engines can.
Great. Now not only is he STILL making noise, he’s not awake enough to leave.]
((NJ, SHADE, BWAHAHA—))
😪 Goose —> Shade, re: Jingle Bells
[ VIII ] - “Nnngh, ya dang pun plane AH’M TRYIN’ T’ SLEEP–”Cue Shade aiming his rifle–and a second later a dart whizzes past Goose to lodge itself in the wall. Looks like Shade didn’t take so well to be awoken via bad Christmas caroling–“Next one’s goin’ right where the sun don’t shine if ya don’t shut up and GIT–”
Goose: 8′D;
[To pun or not to pun, that was the question. Especially when concerning grouchy younger snipesibs.]
Goose: …
Goose: -INHALES—- 8′^D
[What he warbles next isn’t exactly SINGING—]
Goose: SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIIIIIIIS, WHO AM I TO DISAGREEEEEE—
😪 Goose —> Shade, re: Jingle Bells
[ VIII ] - “Nnngh, ya dang pun plane AH’M TRYIN’ T’ SLEEP–”Cue Shade aiming his rifle–and a second later a dart whizzes past Goose to lodge itself in the wall. Looks like Shade didn’t take so well to be awoken via bad Christmas caroling–“Next one’s goin’ right where the sun don’t shine if ya don’t shut up and GIT–”
[Masamune appears to be huddled in a corner in a comical fashion.]
Masamune: ({I’ve made my mistakes—})
((gg, ninjabro))
<FMN-008>: > -GWARGH-
<FMN-008>: > RICK YA DANG BIPLANE, AH’ SWEAR AH’LL SWISS CHEESE YER PROPELLORS—
🎼 Avi
[ VI ] - “JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BELL ROOOOCK–~”The screeching sounds that came from the plane bot could barely register as singing, but sing he did regardless. Complete with jester hat. Avi, you glorious goofball.