OOC: If you recall that big edit I made to the in-game map to show the full layout of the ship, Oakie, the forward door to sickbay is right across from the data room.

------

"Aile, how're you doing? I heard you got pretty roughed up yesterday. It's good to see you up and about."

Malcolm returned the smile as he approached, glancing at the lift Aile was standing in front of. The display showed it down on deck one, headed up; the other one was ascending toward the deck five access corridor. They'd have a minute to chat, it seemed.

"It's strange seeing you in a Guardian uniform, you know that?"

OOC: I'd established it as being located elsewhere before you posted that map. But I'm not really in the mood to worry about that now, so let's move on.

I should also note, Vent took the first elevator with Kile and Prairie. Fleuve is still with Aile.

------

"I know, right?" Aile pinched the edge of the skirt as she looked down at her outfit. "I kind of feel naked with a skirt on. But my uniform was run ragged, so I'll have to stick with it for now."

As the second elevator landed on their current floor, the girl immediately stepped inside. "So, what's up? Fleuve said you were bringing some data."

Meanwhile, Rose helped Kiriyama back to the sickbay.

"Yeah," Malcolm replied as he stepped onto the elevator with Aile and Fleuve. "We managed to find an incomplete biometal not too long ago. Fleuve asked me to deliver my analysis of it in person since he had some other biometal data he wanted me to look at anyway."

OOC: I assumed Vince was still close enough to hear that last remark, especially since Kiriyama hasn't said anything. If not acceptable, I will delete my post and allow R_B to catch up.

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

Malcom's words turned Vince's attention away from Kiriyama. He quickly caught up with them.

"An incomplete Biometal?" he asked as he managed to squeeze into the elevator. His own Biometal hovered back into his coat to conserve space. Malcom's words seemed cryptic enough for another Mega-headache.

I bet that's the Biometal in his pocket, Model ó thought.

Kiriyama allowed Rose to assist him.

[To Sickbay(or Emergency Room?)]

"Wait, what?" Aile blinked as the elevator rose. "What Biometal is this? And why didn't you guys tell us anything when you found it?"

[Continued in Deck]

"Because Prairie asked Fleuve and I to keep it on the down-low," Malcolm replied. "We didn't want word getting out that we had another one in our posession."

[Continued on the Deck]

"That's understandable," Vince replied.

[Continued on the Deck]

[Continued from Neo Arcadia - Ruins]

Chêne remained silent for the rest of the way; an uncommon event for her. The young Guardian's mind was still in the process of reflecting on the latest events. Conflicting feelings made it difficult for her to decide how to handle her relationship with her commander, and her own posture in general. She could not simply forget the threats around her, but perhaps she would need to attempt a different approach...

"Are you OK, Chêne? You've gotten awfully quiet all of a sudden." Carrelet asked as he walked the boarding ramp with the girl.

"... Sorry. I know that I'm a real pain." The female Guardian responded. "I'm going to talk to the commander and set things right."

"... Alright, I hope you'll work things out. See you later, Chêne." The Reploid said last before continuing his way into the corridors.

Chêne turned in the opposite direction and walked towards the bridge.

[Continued in The Bridge (Chêne)]

[Continued from The Bridge]

Aile was just about ready to introduce Kile to the many areas of the airship... but she had barely made three steps beyond the door when she saw Fleuve rushing out of the laboratory towards the Emergency Rooms. Despite his apparent age, the vice-commander left her reach too fast for the girl to catch his attention. That left the following Malcolm as her next chance.

"Hey, Mal!" The girl shouted. "What's going on?!"

Malcolm paused and turned around to face Aile as she came up behind him. He briefly considered his options; the Guardians had tried to keep Aile and Vent in the dark before, and only managed to piss them off. Considering everything that had happened in the last few months, he figured being up front about the circumstances would probably be the best thing to do.

"Trouble," he finally replied. "Fleuve and I just found out that Model R was corrupted with Model W code fragments, which means Kiriyama's likely in danger. Fleuve and I are headed up to medical right now."

[Continued from The Bridge]

Kile approached but remained silent. He didn't know what Malcom meant by that. He hadn't been given a complete explanation as to what the Biometals were, especially Model W. But he could gather that the kid he saw earlier was in serious trouble.

Kile kept the Dragon Crest in his hand. The fact that the armor had an open slot where it was previously was now clearly evident to Malcom.

"What?!"

Aile did not wait for a response to the rethorical query and immediately followed Malcolm to the medbay.

[Continued in Emergency Rooms]

Malcolm took note of the empty slot on Kile's armor for the dragon crest as he turned to resume his path to medical. Perhaps he'd removed it so the resident science team could do some analysis on it directly.

Unfortunately, Malcolm wasn't really in the best position to ask at that precise moment. He would have to get to it after they dealt with Kiriyama.

[Continued in Emergency Rooms]

Kile didn't know what to do at that moment. He followed the two to the emergency rooms, but decided he'd stand outside. There was no need for him to get in the way of medics. Kile stashed the Dragon Crest in his pocket, leaned up against the wall opposite of the emergency rooms, and crossed his arms.

[Continued from The Bridge]

"... What are you doing, idling like that?"

Chêne asked Kile with both a curious and inquisitive tone, coming across the young man on her way through the corridors.

Kile faced the girl. He tried to recall everything that had just happened. It was all so confusing, so it was hard to put into words.

"Well," Kile started, "as soon as we walked out, um..." The swordsman paused, still struggling to memorize names. He put his hand to his chin and averted eye contact. "Fleuve, and Malcom went to the medical bay. Malcom said that a Biometal... Model... R, I think, was infected with Model W's code. They think that Kiriyama kid is in some sort of trouble because of it. Aile followed them in." The swordsman finally lowered his hand and faced the Guardian.

"I'm just waiting out here for hoping for things to cool down."

Chêne's eyes widened as she listened. Just what the heck had the Watchbrat gotten into?! And when had Malcolm Locke arrived to begin with? She knew him enough to realize that he would not personally appear unless it was important.

The girl turned around and approached the door, but stopped short of pressing the button to open it. She was still curious about this stranger who was invited into the ship, and the fact that he mentioned the Biometals made her wonder about his involvement. She did not feel that she would be even allowed to see what was happening in the emergency even if she did walk in. On the other hand, it was just her and the young man in the corridor.

"... What do you know about the Biometals?" The girl turned back to Kile as she asked.

Kile sighed and crossed is arms. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm being interrogated? he thought. I'd best answer truthfully, anyway. "Not much," the swordsman replied. "From what I've seen, I gather that they are devices which allow people to get some sort of special armor and powers. They are also sentient, apparently."

"... You really don't remember anything at all?" The girl habitually put her hands on her hips. "Not everybody walks around with that sort of get-up, let alone that sword."

"I honestly don't remember much," Kile said. He was curious as to how the conversation shifted gears, but he felt no reason to lie. In fact, telling anything but the truth would only hurt whatever little trust the Guardians held in him. If he was to get any help at all, he would have to tell what he knew.

"Occasionally, I'll see bits of fragmented memories," Kile continued. "All I can remember distinctly right now are my name and..." He paused for a moment. His thoughts returned to Lina. "And my... girlfriend, I think..." He shook his head. He didn't have time to dwell on her at the moment. "Though I seem to remember some terms as well. Like 'Cyber-elf.' I also remember seeing a strange one... But to the point, I don't have a clue as to why I have this sword and armor."

"Cyber-elves? I've heard about them." Chêne responded, her look unchanged. "And not many people know what they are. Where did you see one?"

"I don't know if you've been told about it or not, but I was in stasis in a bunker in those ruins." Kile explained. He scratched his head a bit. It was a ridiculous and awkward story. "I have a vague recollection of seeing one when I was in stasis. Other than that, I don't remember when I first heard the term or if I had seen any before then."

"You mentioned being in stasis back in the bridge." Chêne responded, pausing for a moment. "... Have you ever wondered if there is a reason you don't remember anything? If it's really worth it to remember your past? If your equipment is a hint, I doubt it's anything nice."

"I..." Kile tried to speak. But he was somewhat taken aback by that comment. He didn't know what he could possibly say to that. Was his past really worth remembering it? Was she right...? He hadn't had time to think about it. The whole time he had been awake, it was nothing but a fight after another fight. He remembered a fragmented memory he saw earlier. He remembered trying to get into a burning building. The reason? It was still unclear. But the image still felt terrifying.

And then there was his sword. And his armor, which he was hesitant to tell this girl about. These were frightening tools for waging battle. There was nothing around that.

"You... might be right," he said after a pause. He turned his gaze to the floor. "But without my memories, who am I?"

"... Before I came back here, I met another girl. She... had potential for war." She felt it was better to not mention the biometals, to avoid confusing the man and involving him on the Game of Destiny, unaware of what Kile had experienced the previous day. "I tried to convince her that she should walk on her feet instead of letting others determine her life. But... she was afraid. She resented her life, and she still refused to walk away from it. All because she was afraid of facing things on her own."

Chêne looked away briefly as she recalled her encounter with Sage, then faced Kile again.

"... And I lost everything I had when I was little." Chêne continued with an anguished gaze. "Then I decided to become strong and fight those who ruined my life. I say that don't want anyone else to go through what I did, which is true... but what I really want is revenge. I can't get back what I lost, but I can't simply forget about it and do something else. You, on the other hand, just got the chance for a fresh start." She pointed at Kile. "You can get away from what was probably a dirty past and start a new life. Who you are is something you have to decide by yourself. No one can make that choice for you. I know that anyone who tried to do that for me would learn the taste of a knuckle sandwich." The girl closed her right fist to assert her point.

Kile looked up with a frown. Although almost swayed by her words about a traumatic past, she seemed hypocritical by trying to tell him to forget his past while saying the choice was his.

"A fresh start? You don't know about what happened yesterday, do you?" he asked. "I don't exactly have a fresh start. If I didn't have this armor or this emblem," he pulled the Dragon Crest out of his pocket as he said this. "... I probably would be able to start my life over. But yesterday, I fought a Biometal user along with Vent. And during that time, this armor..." Kile was hesitant to mention it. But he realized that as a Guardian, the girl would find out sooner or later. "This armor and this crest can apparently allow me to transform like they can. I probably would have relinquished the technology so a reliable group like the Guardians could keep it safe. I probably could have walked a new life. But today, Vent and the detective encountered someone else with my ability. And on top of that, I was told the bunker I woke up in got destroyed overnight."

Kile paused for a moment and slipped the device back into his pocket. He crossed his arms. "I'm already in over my head in something I'll never understand. The key to what this power is may lie in my past somewhere. Who I was is not simply my own problem anymore. There are apparently others like me, and they probably know I exist already. And judging from what Vent said, they are dangerous. It's too late for me to just walk away and ignore it."

Chêne was taken aback by the explanation, remaining speechless for a second before her anger drove her fist at the wall. Though the difference between the crest and a Biometal eluded her understanding, the similarity was far clearer. And the fact that he knew about the Biometals was evidence of how involved he was.

"... How many more must be involved in this cursed game...?!" The girl muttered to herself...

[Continued from Emergency Rooms]

The door on the opposite wall slid open suddenly as Aile and Fleuve left the room in apparent haste, immediately drawing Chêne's attention. "What the heck?!"

"Kiriyama is going nuts inside!" Aile responded immediately as she turned around. "The others are trying to hold him back, I'm going to help!"

"No, you won't! Out of the way!" Chêne quickly blocked the transporter with her arm as she rushed into the emergency room herself. "Let someone in shape deal with the Watchbrat!"

[Continued in Emergency Rooms (Chêne)]

Kile frowned at the girl's behavior, but did not question it. Not that he had the time to; she waltzed in to deal with that Kiriyama kid.

He was dumbfounded by what was going on, but decided to offer his assistance anyway. "Should I help?" he asked aloud.

"Tsk! I thought she got over rushing on her own!" Aile complained just before answering the query. "Stick around with Fleuve, Kile, I'll go check on things. Chêne's a bit of a hothead, but I know what she can do; I'll just make sure she doesn't go overboard." Aile finished as she wandered back inside the medbay.

[Continued in Emergency Rooms (Aile)]

Kile held his hand forward in a "wait!" gesture, but said nothing as the door closed behind the female Mega Man. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"A bit of a hothead, huh?" Kile asked aloud. The swordsman did as Aile told him and stayed with the blue-clothed scientist. He crossed his arms again and waited to see how the situation would develop...

Fleuve took a moment to calm down and regain composure, but his worry did not disappear. Not knowing what happens around him was something that left the elder Reploid very uncomfortable.

"... Fleuve? What's the matter?"

The vice-commander was jumpstarted by Prairie's voice as his superior left the bridge. The commander had a puzzled look on her face, but she could already tell by Fleuve's reaction that something was wrong.

"... K-Kiriyama is behaving erratically, commander." Fleuve responded. "It appears to be some sort of panic attack... Chêne entered the medbay to help restrain him."

Kile remained silent. He was troubled by the continuing confusion unfolding around him. What kind of world had he woken up to...? What kind of destruction could those Biometals and his armor cause...? He just didn't know. He didn't know what he was supposed to do now. Too many things were happening at once for him to keep up with.

After a few moments, the sounds of Kiriyama screaming subsided. Suddenly, he heard an odd voice. He couldn't quite place where it came. Its echoing quality sounded a lot like a Biometal's voice. At least, similar to the Biometals he had heard before. Did it come from the Emergency Room?

"Did you two just hear something... odd, just now?"

[Continued from Emergency Rooms]

Seemingly on cue, the door slid open revealing Chêne's figure. She was slightly surprised to see Prairie all of a sudden, but was not bothered otherwise. "The coast is clear. Except for the green Biometal babbling inside." She said bluntly.

"'Green Biometal'? Do you mean...?" Prairie quickly eyed Fleuve in expectation.

"Model K awakened?" Fleuve said in surprise. "I must see this immediately!" Fleuve did not wait for a response from Prairie before quickly entering the medbay again, moved by his astonishment and scientific curiosity that never dwindled with the times. The commander promptly followed, having an equal interest in answers.

Chêne turned around to follow as well, but paused upon noticing Kile was still there; what was she supposed to do about him?

------

OOC: The timing might be slightly off compared to the events in Emergency Rooms, but please bear with me.

Kile didn't have much of a choice at the moment. He was supposed to let Fleuve study his armor. As that currently was on halt to investigate another Biometal, the swordsman decided it would be best to simply stay within the Guardian's sight. He shrugged slightly and motioned to follow the group.

[From the Emergency Room]

Kile emerged from the room, following behind Fleuve. However, he paused, feeling almost insecure about leaving the others to deal with the mess. But what could he do? He didn't know anything about Kiriyama's situation. He didn't even know who he himself was. What could he even hope to accomplish...?

The swordsman's pause was only momentary as he continued to follow the Vice-Commander towards the lab.

[To Laboratory]

[Continued from Emergency Rooms]

Aile walked out of the medbay just in time to see the door of the laboratory closing behind Chêne. Despite her mild curiosity, she took the sight in stride as she walked towards the bridge.

"I'm really glad we got this worked out." She said to Malcolm as she noticed the man following her. "I didn't want to say it before, but I was seriously worried about what could happen since Vent took all the other Biometals. If the worst happened, I'd only have one choice left..."

"You mean that thing Fleuve's got in the lab? That thing worries me. We don't even know what it is or what it's really capable of."

Malcolm shoved one hand in his pocket as he walked beside Aile. "But yes, it's good that we managed to sort out all that nonsense, and we got another viable biometal out of it. I do think it was a little short-sighted of Vent to take all of the others with him..."

"I know, right?" Aile responded. "But Prairie insisted that I'm in no shape to fight and had Vent take them all with him to make sure I wouldn't try anything. I guess there's the fact anything could happen in that sunken island too."

The girl then eyed Model K. "But I'm happy we have Model K with us now. That means we've got another Biometal away from wrong hands."

[Continued in The Bridge]

"Indeed it does," Malcolm agreed, following Aile through the door.

"I feel better knowing who the wrong hands actually are," Model K pointed out.

[Continued in The Bridge]

[Continued from Laboratory]

"You're going to love this place! Did you know we all live here and that we get our own rooms?"

Sardine pulled Mr. Dragoon along by the hand as he exited the lab, still excited by the new face. He had questions. Lots of questions. And he was going to ask them all, but it would be nice if they became friends first. That would be the right thing to do, after all.

Then the sound of a door sliding open and shut again was heard.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Hi Ms. Chêne!" Sardine turned around to greet the tall redhead. "Mr. Fleuve asked me to show Mr. Dragoon around the ship! He's a new Guardian! Wanna come along?"

"... Sure." Tagging along was not exactly in the girl's best interests, but at least it gave her an excuse to keep an eye on Kile Dragoon. And somebody would have to stop Sardine from doing anything stupid; Reploid or not, he was just a kid. "By the way, kiddo, I'm not old enough to be called 'Ms.'."

"Sorry! How old are you again?"

"It isn't nice to ask a girl that either."

[From the Laboratory]

Kile felt almost helpless as he was pulled out of the Lab by the young boy. So the Guardians all lived here? He wouldn't have thought of an airship as a home, but it was interesting to say the least. They must be on the move a lot. When Sardine then mentioned that Kile was now a new Guardian, he also felt helpless, as if he didn't have much of a choice in that matter. However, Kile himself did say he would help in whatever way he could, and it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go anyway. It was probably better being accepted as a Guardian rather than left without anyone to consult on existential dilemmas.

The situation only became more awkward as Chêne also became involved. Kile had a bad feeling that the tour might crumble into a fiasco.

Sardine eagerly took the lead, whereas Chêne just followed silently.

"Prairie said the base is 300m long and made of Ceratanium! So even if it isn't made for battle, it's pretty tough! There's four floors along with the deck, but Prairie doesn't let me go there alone because it's dangerous. So I check out the view from the bottom! It's really cool!"

The boy dragged Kile along to the nearest lift, in order to show the view from the armored glass windows that extended all across the bottom corridor, which ended in a reinforced door. The skies were mostly clear, making the land below visible, but the ground from their current altitude resembled something out of a map. Though the Guardians were mostly used to the sights, it could still seem fascinating for those who don't live in the air, or young children such as Sardine himself.

Kile struggled to keep his balance as he was dragged by the energetic lad. But he was impressed with the view from the bottom of the ship. The windows were wide, which allowed for a less obscured viewing experience. He couldn't help but wonder what was behind the reinforced door. Was it the engine or power source? That would make sense if it were...

"I don't know much about airships," Kile said. "But this is a pretty sweet method of travel!"

"Yeah..." Chêne folded her arms as she glanced sidelong at the window. "... Up and away from the people we're supposed to be helping." She muttered to herself.

"Huh?" Sardine turned to Chêne, confused.

"... Nevermind." The girl sighed, ceasing her musings.

"Okay then." The eager boy pulled Kile by the hand again. "Come on, I'm going to show you what makes this ship fly!"

"... Hold up!" Chêne quickly interjected with an aggravated expression. "Did you forget Slither Inc.'s attack? Why do you think surveillance was redoubled after that? You can't just take any strangers to the reactor."

"Mr. Dragoon isn't a stranger!" Sardine retorted indignantly. "Mr. Fleuve said he's a new Guardian, so he should get to know the ship! You saw it too, so it's fair!"

"... Fine." Chêne snarled. "But I'm watching you two. And don't touch anything." She pointedly looked at Kile.

"Okay!" Sardine immediately yanked Kile away, with Chêne in close pursuit.

[Continued in: Reactor]

"W-whoa!" Kile reacted in surprise as the boy guided him along. He was becoming a bit wary of Chêne and hoped that he wouldn't be the source of a conflict between the two Guardians. "I promise I won't touch anything!"

[To the Reactor]