"I'm still working on that," Malcolm admitted. "I have an idea, but I'll need to run it by Fleuve before we try it. My thought was that if a biometal gave Kiriyama a virus, maybe we could use a biometal to deliver an antivirus."

"You want me to merge with him in other words," suggested the biometal. "And hope that I can remove the infection without getting corrupted, myself."

Model K began to float just above Malcolm's hand; he blinked for a moment, but let the biometal hang in the air on its own, folding his arms. "Right. It's not a perfect plan, but we just don't know enough about how a Megamerge functions to do it any other way."

The biometal faced Malcolm as he spoke, quiet for a moment afterward. "Didn't you say before that my inner workings are different from the rest of the biometals you've seen? How do you know it'll even work the same for me as it does for that Model R you were talking about?"

Malcolm shrugged. "You know what? I don't. But we haven't exactly got a lot of options otherwise, right now."

"... We're not going to force you." Aile spoke. "But you're our best shot right now. Vent took all of our other Biometals with him, and if Kiriyama stays like this much longer..."

Aile could think of yet another option... but it was one she was told persistently to not consider. She hoped it would not have to come down to that, especially when she saw Fleuve and Prairie step inside.

"Is it true Model K activated?" Fleuve asked eagerly, although he soon realized how silly the query was when he saw the Biometal afloat.

"Yeah, and Mal thinks we can use it to help Kiriyama." Aile gestured at the downed Watchman. "Fighting fire with fire, like we Mega Men always do... just in a different way. It depends on Model K, though..."

"... I'll confess that I'm not understanding the logic very well." Muguet interceded, just as Chêne entered the room again with Kile. "But if this can help the boy, we should do it as soon as possible. We tried everything we could, and putting him to sleep doesn't solve anything."

"... Someone has to make a decision, then." Prairie eyed the Biometal with a hopeful expression. "Will you help us?"

"It'll be the first useful thing I've done in probably a damned long time," Model K posited, "so yeah. Why the hell not?"

The biometal spun around in the air to face Fleuve, Prairie, and Chene; Malcolm continued to watch it, still a little dumbfounded that the thing seemed to be able to communicate with anybody it pleased. The larger implications of that fact hadn't escaped him, and he wasn't sure whether the thought excited him or terrified him. A biometal that could potentially megamerge with anybody, chosen one or not?

Communicating and actually triggering a transformation were two different things though, and Malcolm hadn't seen anything in Model K's design to make him think it worked that way. He kept the thought to himself for the time being.

"Fleuve," he asked, "what do you think it'll take for Model K to remove the viral code in Kiriyama's cybernetic implants? Can we devise some kind of anti-virus on such short notice?"

[From the Corridors]

Kile followed Fleuve and Prairie into the room. He stayed silent as he let the conversation run its course. There was nothing he could do at the moment but observe the situation.

"... This is a highly hypothetical field. I would have to research this in depth before I could even answer... and I don't know if we can afford to delay. The consequences of leaving Kiriyama in this state can be disastrous..."

Fleuve glanced at the sleeping Kiriyama; he was not oblivious to the Biometal's voice and would very much like to look into it, but he could not stray from the current line of conversation.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? There's only one way to find out." Aile chimed in again, walking towards the bed with an impatient look. "If part of Model W is inside Kiriyama, that also includes part of Model W's soul. We just have to merge Model K with Kiriyama to help him fight it! Model K already said yes, so let's get on with it already!"

"... As much as I'd prefer the safe approach, there are times immediate action is required." Commander Prairie said in consent. "Unfortunately, we can't all stay here and we have other tasks at hand."

The commander glanced at Kile, realizing his helplessness in this situation. And she knew that Muguet would not appreciate a crowded medbay.

"Aile, you'll assist Model K in the transformation process. Malcolm, Muguet, you can monitor the situation; contact me immediately if anything changes. Fleuve, take Kile back to your lab and study his crest and the weapon Vent and Vince retrieved earlier."

"What about me, Commander?" Chêne asked with her arms folded.

"... Chêne, I'd like you to stay here and watch."

"... Really?"

"Yes. This is an opportunity for you to see that not all Biometals are evil."

Chêne was surprised at the proposition, but did not seem displeased for once. She was skeptical about this situation changing her point of view, but the fact that her commander was allowing her to observe seemed like a step up in their relationship. She would not openly admit it, but she felt happy.

"Aye, Ma'am." The Guardian replied as she approached Aile; the younger girl did not seem to have reservations about Chêne's presence.

"I must return to the bridge and monitor the progress of Vent and Vince. Don't forget to keep me updated." With the situation managed, Prairie finally turned around to make her leave.

Model K turned to approach Kiriyama and Aile. He had a feeling that this was going to be risky business, but there was no helping it.

"Alright," he said to the girl. "I've never done this before, let alone with someone who's unconscious, so do me a favor and cross your fingers since I haven't got any."

Kile nodded to Prairie in acknowledgement. He turned to Fleuve, and waited for him to lead the way. Kile almost wanted to see what would happen with the kid and the Biometal, but he knew he would just get in the way.

Fleuve eyed Malcolm, Aile and Model K a final time before following his commander; the situation was now on their hands.

"All right..." Aile beckoned at Model K. "Do you know how the M.E.G.A. System works? The other Biometals seemed to know that right off the bat."

[Continued in Laboratory (Fleuve)]

"Seems familiar, yeah."

The biometal hovered closer to Aile. He was pretty sure what he needed to do, undoubtedly something that was programmed into him by whoever had turned him into this little gadget in the first place.

Kile took another glance at the room before turning to leave as well. He adjusted his scarf as he walked...

[To Corridors]

"Okay, then. Let's do it to it."

Chêne eyed Aile with a bemused look. "... Where did you get that from?"

"... I'm not sure; I might've picked it up from a comic book or something. Anyway..." Following the lapse, Aile gently placed Model K on top of Kiriyama's chest, putting the Watchman's uninjured hand over the green Biometal.

"Alright, I don't think contact is a must, but it ought to help. The activation word is "Megamerge", but the Chosen One has to say that, so... I don't know, do your thing?" Aile stepped back, rubbing her neck with uncertainty.

"Here goes nothing," Model K muttered.

Instinctively, he knew what to do. The crystal in the center of his "body" and his blacked-out eyes lit up intense electric blue as his internal hardware fired up for the first time. Blinding streams of green light engulfed Kiriyama's prone form. They took the vague shape of armor, swirling around his limbs, torso and head.

That was as far as it went, however. Try as he might, Model K could not make the energy strands around Kiriyama solidify.

"...Biolink incomplete," he felt compelled to explain. "I don't think it's going to fully work with him out cold, so this will have to do."

Chêne quirked an eyebrow at the translucent sight, turning to Aile. "... This is it? Is this what's supposed to happen?"

"I... I don't know..." The girl looked just as puzzled, turning her glance to Malcolm as if she was passing on the hot potato.

Either way, both girls were helpless. This would be a mental battle with Kiriyama's subconscious as the battlefield, and the Watchman himself held hostage in his own body...

... And the Model W data within the boy had already made the first retaliatory move; as a knee-jerk reaction, it used its corruptive influence to partially block the attempted merge. It could not repel the Biometal completely... at least, not yet. But it was only a matter of time before it gained the awareness and the strength to do so...

Inside Kiriyama's head... There was an elaborate city that looked extremely high tech but also corrupted, rotten, and destroyed. The representation of his mind was tarnished. It looked like a perfect utopia, that was rotten and falling apart at the base. The top parts of each buildings looked completely different than the middle and bottom parts giving the indication that Kiriyama had two minds, except his mental representation showcased that Kiriyama had four. Signs of Model W's influence however were visible at the very tops of the building. It was both decaying to the buildings, but also healing them as it attempted to replace Kiriyama's mind with its own will and corruptive force. Kiriyama inside his own mind was tarnished. It was a dream state to him which his subconscious ran and not his awake, aware self.

In the real world, Kiriyama slightly jolted here and there now and then. Kiriyama's head shook slowly.

Malcolm looked as puzzled as Chene and Aile, and he wasn't afraid to say as much. "I've never seen anything like this. I'll keep an eye on the readings, but I haven't got the slightest idea what to expect."

He stopped speaking when Model K grunted with apparent effort, the glowing field around Kiriyama flickering slightly.

"Something's resisting me," said the biometal. "I'll do what I can to maintain the connection..."

In Kiriyama's dream state, Model K felt like there was more to him than just a fancy electronic gadget. He felt whole.

Whether it was his own imagination interpreting the boy's brain as a vast city or Kiriyama himself, there wasn't really a way to be sure. But he knew without a doubt that his present form--a sleek green-armored reploid--was all him. He lifted his right hand into his field of vision, studying it for a moment. A moment later his hand folded and retracted into the gauntlet on his arm. An intense stream of electric blue energy flowed out in its place, its shape and length similar to an ancient European rapier.

Model K looked up at the city above him. The buildings were being eroded and replaced by the viral Model W code, and if he allowed it to continue there wouldn't be enough left of Kiriyama's mind to save.

I won't let this happen, he vowed. Between Sigma, Weil, and X's regime in Neo Arcadia, too many people have been lost. So help me god, I will not stand around and watch another innocent kid get killed.

The words echoed through the vast, empty city before him... and through the medical lab back on the Guardians' airship, Model K realized. He didn't care. His determination fueled by righteous anger, he began to climb.

The cryptic landscape was eerily silent. Despite the blatant signs of unnatural activity corroding this representation of Kiriyama's psyche, there were no signs of life in what seemed like a twisted version of a purgatory.

Until an audible footstep came from behind.

"All these centuries and you still haven't learned, 'brit-boy'?"

The masculine voice made itself heard. It was calm and deep, but also firm and stern. A voice eerily familiar to Model K.

Now existing where he did not a second before, a tall, visored Reploid in black and blue armor stood, with what looked like Kiriyama's body hanging from his right hand.

"Casualties are an inevitability of war."

Kiriyama moaned in this dream state, seemingly asleep within his own dream. His eye opened now and then, as if he had a second personality. It was an odd fight.

Model K grit his teeth and spun around. He remembered the voice well. It was the last voice he had ever heard, before he woke up as a biometal.

"Strike. You son of a bitch. I suppose you'd know about casualties, wouldn't you? You killed your fair share of innocent people, after all. But you never did get it did you?"

He approached the echo of the other Maverick Hunter and raised his weapon. "After Weil, it was never a war. It was attempted genocide. I don't know if you ever noticed, but X completely lost it! He was having reploids put to death left and right simply because they were reploids! There's a difference between casualties of war and slaughtering people for no goddamned reason!"

Model K's left hand retracted and formed into a buster cannon. He pointed it at the other individual's face.

"Put the kid down and get out of my way. I opened my eyes too late to help the resistance, but the least I can do is save this one person. No force on Earth is going to stop me, least of all you."

"You, with all your paranormal ability, was never able to grasp the concept of priority."

The Reploid effortlessly brought Kiriyama forward with his hand, revealing something frightening; part of the Watchman's body was covered in silver crusts and small orange thorns. A sight unfamiliar to Model K, but still unnatural... even aberrant; as if something was overtaking him in the same way as the surrounding landscape.

"Do you think you're doing a favor to this kid? Do you think he will thank you for 'saving' him? You should have realized the situation we were in: a decaying world where survival was only possible when the needs of many were put above the needs of few. X understood this, but you remained strung to outdated convictions and unrealistic ideals. You blamed X because you were in denial of the harsh, simple truth: you became a Maverick, and Mavericks are terminated. That's all there is to it."

"I couldn't have said it better. The Mavericks are pure evil and must be eliminated."

The visage of a shorter, blue Reploid appeared from behind the black one. His complexion bore a frightening resemblance to Model X, but the blue eyes conveyed an air of disdain and contempt.

"I didn't lose it. I woke up to the harsh reality we were suffering, and reacted accordingly. I protected the ones who mattered at the expense of those who threatened them. In my whole life, all I did was keep the peace... until the Maverick extremists ruined it. And I learned too late that humans can also be Mavericks. Look at this child."

The blue Reploid looked at Kiriyama with pity.

"He has no regard for law, order or stability. He is a loose cannon who thinks he can do whatever he wants, ignoring friends and allies without a care. He lives a fake existence, with false memories... he isn't even a person; he is a failed experiment, a mockery of a being who should have remained forgotten by history. He doesn't even know it, but he subconsciously hides it all behind an overbearing facade. I'm sure you could feel it with your ability."

The blue Reploid paused briefly to let out a sinister smirk, but quickly resumed his speech.

"But you won't listen to me, will you? You're deafened by your hate. Hate at how, despite our history together, I issued your termination the second you turned on me. Hate at how Strike smashed through your core and discarded your body like so much Maverick garbage. Admit it: you lost all interest in helping this boy as soon as we appeared: he is just an excuse now. What you really want right now is revenge. So what are you waiting for?"

The Reploid made the motion of converting his arm into a buster...

Model K drew back his saber. With a dashing thrust he could impale X, and probably bring his weapon to bear on Strike before the other reploid had time to arm himself.

He very nearly went through with it.

You lost all interest in helping this boy as soon as we appeared.

The words echoed around in his mind. As much as he didn't want to admit it, they rang true. Here he was wasting time with these illusions when the real threat was far above him. The Model W, whatever the hell it actually was, was just using his frustration and anger to manipulate him.

This isn't real, he told himself. The thing can probably get at my memories just as easily as Kiriyama's at this point.

Some of Model K's anger abated, and he deactivated his weapons with a derisive snort. "Piss off, you half-arsed impostor. I've got better things to do."

He spun on his heel and began to run in the opposite direction. The clock was ticking and he had yet to pinpoint where exactly he needed to be.

Part of him really wanted to turn around and deck X and Strike right in their smug faces, though.

Kiriyama's eyes opened up slowly. He blinked several times, and continued to do this, not fully aware in his dream state.

OOC: Since Arby didn't PM me the info I asked for, I'll go ahead and improvise.

------

"You never change, Brit-Boy."

Model K had turned around only to find another figure: a blonde in ancient red armor who could at first be mistaken for a Reploid. However, Model K would know the female better than that: a human from the long past who could pass for a Reploid due to bionic enhancements. A victim from an experiment that made her more than human, centuries before that would become law. Not that Model K would be aware of this development, though.

"You always had trouble figuring out who the true enemy is."

Model K had just made the worst possible mistake in a battlefield.

Announced by a high pitched humming, the burning impact from a powerful buster shot rent his back... fired by none other than the formerly inert Watchman. The silver crust on his arm had formed into a grotesque buster with orange barbs and fired seemingly on its own...

"Kivane--?"

Model K felt the buster shot coming, but was only able to move a few inches before it hit. It spun him around in an explosion of energy, and as he let out a loud grunt of pain, the light show around Kiriyama back in the medlab flickered weakly for a moment. Kivane had sidestepped when Model K was thrown toward her, and she looked down at him with one golden-blonde eyebrow arched.

"...Can't be here when I'm inside your head," he muttered, pushing himself back to his feet with a hot glare pointed at Kiriyama. "I get it. You're no more real than X, Strike or Kivane. You can't be, because this entire place is Kiriyama."

The weapons on both arms sprang to life once more, and he dashed to the side to evade any further attacks. Blinding blue flashes pulsed from the end of his buster as he returned fire.

Kiriyama's eyes burst open in the dream. His eyes were glued onto Model K as Kiriyama made grunting noises. His voice tone changed slightly to a more lower pitched voice and he began talking.

"I'm dead. So this place isn't real. Like my dead parents. My dead friends. And my dead city. AND IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A PAINFUL TRAIN WRECK!" Kiriyama said before attempting to get down from where he was.

His hair itself somehow changed length, no longer being as long as it was before and instead being a shorter hair length ending at his collar while Kiriyama seemed to have a change of clothes; he wore teal armour with a red cape and his eyes constantly changed colour from Red to Blue.

"Everything turns out to be real. Reality can't escape." Kiriyama said with his voice and his current, darker voice speaking it as Kiriyama still shook.

Kiriyama was hit with the pellets; doing damage to his physical form in the dream state. He didn't seem affected by it as he was already in pain due to Model W's influence and rather seemed torn by his mental stress to pay much attention.

OOC: I can't do a damn thing as Kiriyama besides make him reply, or struggle to escape, and so forth. But fine. I'll just have Kiriyama getting hit.

Also: Deleting the other OOC posts to reduce the number.

"What's going on?!"

Chêne was horrified at the sight; unknown to her, what was happening in Kiriyama's mind was also altering his physical body; his arm had mutated into the same bizarre form from his subconscious. Other visual changes had not manifested physically however, as those resulted from Kiriyama's mental state, rather than Model W's power.

Aile, on the other hand, caught on quickly; Kiriyama and Model K were losing. She needed to do something, badly, but this was not a problem she could just shoot at. Model K was surely doing its best, but its best somehow was not enough.

She did not know if it would make any difference, but it was better than to just stand quietly; she leaned over Kiriyama...

"... Kiriyama! If you can hear me, you've got to fight it! You can't let Model W take over just like that! Fight it!!"

------

"... You are nowhere near as powerful as he once was..."

"Because, uh... ... Because bad people are here..."

"Who do you think you are to talk like that, runt?"

"You're trapped like mice..."

"I left Kiriyama with you guys, and what happened? He gets injured but a Pseudoroid."

"I can't trust you anymore. You don't have the power or responsibility..."

The multiple voices echoed into Kiriyama's mind, and therefore could be also heard by Model K; voices that reminded the Watchman of his status as an outcast in a world that scorned him. A being who was considered nothing more than a cancer in this world. An aberrant that even those he might have once considered "friends" would have preferred to be rid of.

No, he never had friends. No one who really cared about him. Even the Watchmen only tolerated him at best... and there was a feeling that the same thing happened in a past life... so why should Kiriyama care about this world? Why should he protect anybody? Why not accept that he is a destructive, loose cannon and use his power to ravage those who despise him? Why should he conform to such a pathetic life when he could stand at the top of the world, purging those who repulsed his existence?

Model K skidded to a halt, keeping his buster trained on Kiriyama in case the kid fired again. He shot quick glances at Strike, X, and Kivane to make sure they stayed where the hell they were. He wasn't sure what the whispers were that were echoing around them. Probably Kiriyama's memories. Bad ones from the sound of it.

"Listen to me, kid. You're not dead. You've got some kind of virus trying to eat away at your mind, and if you don't focus and fight it, it damn well will kill you!"

The form that Kiriyama was changing into looked familiar, but Model K didn't really have time to ponder it just then. "I know the situation's FUBAR, but you can't just let this thing consume you. It sounds like you've bloody well had a hard time of it, but you don't just lay down and die when things get rough! You get back on your feet, you learn from your fuck-ups and you carry on!"

Anyone's guess if he was actually getting through to the kid, but he continued regardless.

"You think your family and your friends would want you to just let this happen? No! You're alive, you're young, and you're stronger than some piece of garbage code planted in your head! Now quit bitching and fight!"

Kiriyama's facial expression changed. It changed from an angered look of frustration into a saddened look. As if he just experienced a terrible mental pain. The area they were in inside Kiriyama's mind changed. The city changed into a different city. It was larger but the building designs were not of the current era. Pre Elf Wars... 22XX. They were in the front yard of a large mansion. Several other figures formed as Kiriyama's memories... No, not his memories was doing something. Two formed in between Model K and Kiriyama himself. Both wore name tags; the male one wore a tag while the female wore a "Guest" tag. The male looked extremely similar to Kiriyama. Hair... He just looked older. More mature, while the woman looked similar in facial features. The male's name tag read "Sakeguchi Kiriyama Kazuo" while the female's read "Teruko Kyo Kazuo". A lot of their physical form in the current memories were blurred, and a lot of the city they were in were missing chunks entirely. Logic wasn't flowing properly in the city... The two parent figures looked and eagerly awaited the arrival of somebody... And sure enough, an air School Bus came by and dropped off a kid in all the commotion. They seemed to not notice the events going on. The kid that was dropped off looked exactly like a younger version of how Kiriyama looked right now, except without the armour... And human. However, unlike the two adults who seemed like the parents, the younger Kiriyama... Named "Kazuo" looked over and saw Model K.

"Did you die here too?" he asked Model K.

After he asked, the very mansion they stood in front of started on fire and the two parental figures seemed to burn up as well while the younger Kazuo grew rapidly in size, now looking exactly like the Kiriyama that was being infected. Hair, armour, same saddened facial expression. It began to talk, but in a rather familiar voice to anybody from pre 22XX...

"Hehehe... This mind is the key... It won't succumb to the likes of a mere human's mass of will... This boy... No, my successor... Is strong... Hehehe... HAHAHA!" it said in Sigma's voice.

Kiriyama was getting additional help from a set of memories... NOT in the current time frame. This other set however, seemed to be endangering Kiriyama though as the Kiriyama held by Model W's influence was getting scars over his body as he was getting burned, but they were rapidly healing as the armour itself was being rejected by the Model W. Another will, another set of memories was attempting to fight Kiriyama's battle right now, and Kiriyama himself was attempting to reject both.

Muguet did not know what to do; none of her equipment would allow her to understand what was really happening to Kiriyama; his body remained inert, but the metamorphosis he was undergoing made it clear that something was amiss. She eyed Malcolm in hopes the man would have a course of action in mind...

"Come on, Kiriyama! Fight it! I believe in you! Fight it!!" Aile continued to insistently shout in Kiriyama's ear; despite how badly Kiriyama had screwed up recently, she stood up for the Watchman and put her faith in the boy; she did not want to think her effort had been in vain...

Another feminine hand suddenly clenched onto the Watchman's collar.

"Aren't you listening, runt? Are you going to let a girl waste her oxygen like that? And I still have to give you a piece of my mind, so snap out of it!" Chêne scolded the Watchman at the top of her lungs.

------

The chaos, the destruction. That was what the boy was meant to be; a harbinger of doom. It was inescapable destiny that brought him here; it was time to crush the opposition. Crush those who scorned him. Those who dreaded his existence. He would not listen to the voices that attempted to divert him from his true path, would he? Those were mere distractions... hindrances. The only thing left to do was to purge the interloper attempting to rob him of his destiny, so what was he waiting for? A buster shot was all it took for the boy to make the first step in his ascension to a god of destruction!

Something strange happened as Chene grabbed Kiriyama's shirt. Her hands passed into the plane of Model K's energy, and the emerald light nearly doubled in strength, the biometal itself letting out a loud, relieved gasp. The emerald light crawled several inches up the young woman's arms, and electric blue flared from the biometal's eyes.

In the dreamscape, Model K dashed toward Kiriyama and grabbed him by the front of the armor with one hand, similar to how Chene had done so in the real world. The other hand snapped out and caught his buster, pushing it out to the side to keep it pointed away from him. Chene's words echoed around them, given substance by her link with the biometal.

"You hear that, Kiriyama!?" Model K demanded. "I'm not the only one trying to help you! Chene, Aile--they're both at your side, right now, fighting to get through to you!" He could feel Model W's presence like a vast, encroaching wrongness that threatened to consume everything, spilling its poison into the very atmosphere around him and Kiriyama. He steeled himself against it, aided by the strength that Chene was now adding to the link.

He just wasn't sure it was enough.

The biometal's voice rang out in Chene's mind, quietly, as unobtrusively as possible.

I don't know if I can get through to the kid on my own, Chene. Please... help me.

"The will of one man cannot take me over..."

A familiar force appeared. It seemed to come out of Kiriyama's body in the dream state in the form of a purple-blueish gas.

"Accept... What you are..."

Kiriyama didn't know what this was, but his other set of memories did. It was DNA leftover... It was Sigma's presence. The city they were in soon began crumbling as a crater formed in the center. Kiriyama witness what was going on and realized that there was something hidden inside of him. Something that Model W could use to easily turn him around.

"I killed everybody... But not as me? Now I'm suicidal... As if I'm SUPPOSED to be dead..." Kiriyama said as his armour started to fade away.

The armour fading away revealed a completely machine-like body; exactly like a Reploid of Japan, except in the chest was a beating, human heart. Kiriyama tilted his head forward and saw the heart. He was horrified at his current body, wondering what was going on. He didn't shake so much as Model W's grasp on him remained strong... But Kiriyama soon became completely calm. The city they were in vanished and they were back where they started the dream sequence... And Kiriyama's body returned to it's current state. The only difference was they were now... They were in a city of 25XX/26XX, but they were in a hospital room of 22XX. Kiriyama's doubt vanished.

"I have a human heart... And that alone is stronger than a giant vengeful rock..." Kiriyama said slowly. "A human..." the purple gas vanished as the "Sigma Virus" of the dream disappeared. Kiriyama then started to yank himself from Model W's control as he grabbed the back of his neck.

"You can't do this alone..."

Kiriyama was now ignoring the voice even if it was telling the truth. He needed assistance, but not as much as before. He rejected the thoughts Model W implanted in him and thought of the "memories" of his life. The good ones... Meeting the Watchmen, a birthday, even receiving Model R.

Chêne's body froze as Model K's voice made its way into her head; the first time she heard the Biometal after it had transformed. The plea for help wasn't something she had expected, and gave her pause. She did not know what to do, but had a feeling she would not like to find out...

"... M... me? Help you...?! But... I'm not even a Mega Man...!"

------

Biometal Model R... the Biometal that made a puppet of Kiriyama, robbing control of the boy's own body. The Biometal that forced him to nearly kill the man who adopted him. The Biometal that caused him pain, that caused others to fear him. The Biometal that almost caused his death in the Game of Destiny, and abandoned him when he became worthless. Could the boy seriously find motivation in such an accursed relic as these memories emerged in his mind?

The boy had a greater power in his grasp. A power far greater than what could have been obtained from a treacherous Biometal. This was no ordinary power... it was the power that gave birth to all the other Biometals! The true power which singled out the chosen from the unworthy! And all the boy had to do was to accept this power! The power that would allow him to conquer the world! There was no sense, no purpose in rejecting it!

"Don't listen to that thing," Model K spat. "You think you'd be anything more than a puppet under its control? I sure as hell don't."

...That doesn't matter right now, he continued in Chene's head. You know Kiriyama, don't you? I've never met the kid before. I don't have that... personal connection. But with us connected like this, he can hear you. At the very least, you might be able to say something. He's fighting back, but we need every advantage we can get here. Model W isn't the only thing screwing with his head.

The voice wasn't something Chene heard so much as knew. Its words came at the speed of thought, gentle but insistent. It's possible you might be able to do more than just talk at him. I might be able to show you what's going on in here. It's your call. I won't force you to do anything, but this kid needs someone he knows, not a total stranger.

"Reject the human... I can help you... I can give you power... Evolution requires sacrifice..." the voice echoed.

"This voice... I know it... But I don't know it..." Kiriyama said as the words echoed in the dream state.

They were each spoken individually to him before... Actual words said in the past but Kiriyama did not remember them... But he knew he they were said to him(?) at some point.

"... Evolution does require sacrifice..." Kiriyama said. His facial expression changed. "... But... I'm not sacrificing who I am... I know what I am... Model R may be an arrogant, annoying rock who nearly turned me against others... But I can't change that I'm it's Chosen One... If I up and give up instead of work things out... Then the world isn't worth shit." Kiriyama said as he thought about the predicament he was in.

"Your Destiny is Death... Kazuo... Your Destiny is to succumb... You were given this power to serve me..."

"... This power... Doesn't matter who gave it to me... I just need to use it properly... And I'll be dammed... If I let... A stupid thing called a 'Model W' influence me!" Kiriyama said.

"I... Am not Model W... I... Am... Your everything... I am why you exist..."

Kiriyama froze up. He was now determined to reject Model W's influence, but this other influence was confusing Kiriyama. He was finally coming to the decision that Model W and Model K aren't the only things in his head... Even now, it was obvious that something else was in his head even to him. He thought the voices was a manifestation of Model W at first.

"... What are you!?" Kiriyama asked in regards to the mysterious voice as it influenced Model W and Kiriyama.

"I'm.." was said.

-------

Kiriyama twitched in the Emergency Room, as his mind was attempting to reject Model W and take control of his own body... But total control was not confirmed as Model W still lingered along with the new presence.

OOC: Walker explained his scenario to me, so I feel confident in covering it in his post and sparing the effort.

------

The secondary voice would not interfere with the ultimate power. Especially when it came from a false nature that should never have existed. Whatever was whispering words to Kiriyama was ensnared by barbed tendrils and dragged into the ground, muting its voice in favor of the true power... the power of the Biometal.

"Go ahead! Keep pretending you're better than you really are!"

The figure of Vent in the form of Mega Man Model ZX manifested by Kiriyama's side, pointing the ZX-Saber in his direction. "You don't have what it takes to be a Chosen One! No one likes you, and no one trusts you! I should have taken you down back in Area A!"

"No. That's what I should have done." The figure of Vince as Mega Man ó was next to appear, on the opposing side. He pointed his buster at Kiriyama. "You're not getting away this time, Kiriyama. It's only a matter of time before you become a Maverick anyway."

The ground started to crack and crumble under Kiriyama's feet, revealing its nature as merely a shell being shed by a silver surface with orange spikes, technoveins and red orbs. The charade was dropped, but its power would not be denied!

------

"... Chêne?"

Aile looked at the other girl when she started to stutter. She did not know that Chêne was, in her own way, about to be dragged into the fight.

"... Fine, but don't think I'm going to merge with you; just let me talk to the Watchbrat. After we're finished, I want you away from me."

With the reluctant agreement expressed to Model K in thoughts, the taller girl froze along with her eyes which displayed a lifeless gaze; her brain stopped registering her eyesight to process the imagery superimposed by the Biometal's consciousness. She was, quite literally, seeing through Model K's eyes.

Her figure took over from Model K's position, placed in front of the Watchman with a grip on the boy. She barely recognized him, but her instinct told her not to think, but to act.

"... Listen up, runt." Chêne was quick to voice herself. "I'm not going to pretend I like you. But I'm not going to ever forgive you if you lose yourself here. You've been a pain in the neck to everybody, but they never gave up on you. And Aile is putting all her faith in you, so you'd better show gratitude and snap out of this crazy trip you're making in your head! Believe me... few things are worse than a boy who lets a girl down."

Malcolm stared at Chene. The biometal had reacted when she touched its energy... and now she seemed to be communicating with it on another level. Malcolm had little doubt that whatever gene allowed a person to use the biometals, Chene possessed it. Whether the girl realized it herself was another matter... but it was far from the top of his priority list at the moment.

Energy readings from the biometal had grown stronger the moment Chene came into contact with it, but they were still fluctuating. Worse, Chene was now connected to Kiriyama in the same way. If they lost the fight...

"She's linked to the biometal, Aile. She must be trying to help it get through to Kiriyama's mind."

"Grah, everything is... Just snowballing..." Kiriyama said in regards to the situation. "And I hate snow..." "Distractions..." echoed in Kiriyama's mind. He wasn't sure what was real in his head.

He listened in to what was said. He knew that the second presence wasn't something he had to worry about. It was merely smoke and mirrors. Not of Model W, but of his own mind trying to eject the foreign minds from his mind... And if he let the fears take him, Model W would take him.

"Believe in others who haven't given up on me... Not a bad plan..." Kiriyama said through his teeth as he attempted to resist what Model W was doing. The current visualization of what Model W was doing disgusted him but it was different from what was going to happen if Model W won. "Dammit... What would Model R do...?" Kiriyama asked as he thought about his Biometal. Kiriyama then felt sick to his stomach and he felt a large object coming out of his mouth. He spit it out revealing it was the Model R's visualization in his head... Or was it? Model R was infected as well, so he must also be experiencing the same thing... He looked at it.

"Hey, I know I nearly turned you against everybody, and that now everybody thinks you suck, but seriously, it's like my job. To reverse the situations. Call it a 'Role Reversal'. In this case, why don't you do it. Why? I'm a sentient floating rock unable to do anything right now. I did what Model W is doing... Influencing, and taking over your mind. You've done this before except I wasn't as vengeful." Kiriyama said.

The memories of receiving Model R he had before ... Triggered this. The realization that Kiriyama did this before with Model R... And that unlike Model R, EVERYBODY hates Model W instead of just most. Kiriyama shook his head as he looked at the manifestations of his mind that was Vent and Vince and down at the ground...

"This is my head you stupid rock. It's my body, it's my conscious... It's my life... My supposed 'Destiny' that you're shoving into me by giving me this so called power? I don't want any of it!" Kiriyama said as he struggled once more, no longer being bothered by the second memory set he had.

Model R vanished as Kiriyama was no longer thinking about Model R. He looked at the ground. He dropped to his hands and knees and faced the ground.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Kiriyama shouted at the ground as he was now ignoring the words Vent and Vince's manifestations brought.

OOC: After all Walker and I went through to help Kiriyama, an imaginary vision of Model R takes the credit...

------

Aile widened her eyes at Chêne in surprise; the girl never made a secret of her despise for Biometals, but now she had just linked with one to help a boy she did not even like. This made her realize how much she might have underestimated the older girl.

Kiriyama's physical arm shined; the barbs retracted, a hand grew back from what was the barrel of a buster. Cold silver metal reverted to an arm enveloped by translucent green armor. The hold of Model W on Kiriyama's body had weakened.

"That's it!" Aile grinned as the sight filled her heart with hope. Model W was almost defeated; all it took was that extra push... but wait! What was that red tint on Chêne's eyes?!

------

Chêne nodded with satisfaction as Kiriyama was finally breaking through Model W's influence. "That's it, runt! Break through it!"

"Do you think you, of all people can help someone overcome the power of Biometals?"

The male voice coming from behind Kiriyama drew Chêne's attention like a bee attracted by honey; she widened her eyes in shock as she instantly recognized the figure standing behind the Watchman.

It was a tall, physically fit man in civilian clothes, with fair complexion and short brown hair. He had a mature look on his eyes, but his gaze reflected nothing short of contempt and pity.

"You're not as strong as you believe, Chêne." The man said to her.

"You...! How--no, you can't be here!" Chêne's eyes shifted from shock to a hateful glare; she let go of Kiriyama to confront the figure... the one she knew could not be real and yet, it was. With the same appearance from ten years ago.

"You're a liability, just like your mother was." The man made a step forward.

"Don't you dare speak about my mother!!" Chêne clenched her fists in confrontation. "She died because of you!!"

"You're right. My enemies in the Game of Destiny attacked you and your mother because of me." The man responded nonchalantly. "They exploited my weakness, reminding me of my true destiny."

The man's body suddenly shined as black and blue armor formed around his body. Model K would recognize it as a facsimile of Strike, and yet it was not Strike. This was still a different person from the Reploid that Model K once knew.

"So I discarded you along with that weakness. You can face me now or run away... either way, your soul will become nourishment, just like your mother's."

That did it. Chêne had recently relived the grief of her past for the first time in years, but she had never felt so much anger since that dreadful night from a decade ago. Even though her consciousness had expanded beyond the confines of her physical body, she could practically feel the blood in her veins boiling as rage built up to the point of eruption.

"... I'll never run away. Especially from you." Chêne cracked her knuckles as she made another step forward. "I don't care if you're real or not. You're not taking over this kid and I'm not gonna let you and the Biometals harm anyone else."

"If you think you have the guts to stop me, Chêne, bring it on." The man reached out to a pair of knuckle weapons attached to both sides of his belt and took a fighting stance. "Bring out your rage!"

Chêne let out a battle cry as she rushed forward...

It was with no small measure of horror that Model K realized what was going on. The virus had used him as a bridge, jumping over from Kiriyama to Chene. He'd just saved Kiriyama by endangering someone else.

How the hell had it known? Viruses were just malicious programs. The thing shouldn't have had a survival instinct. Clearly, he'd underestimated this Model W thing, whatever it truly was.

On the other hand, Chene wasn't doped up on sedatives and delusional. Perhaps he could get through to her more easily than he had Kiriyama. He cut the connection to the young man immediately; the green light enveloping Kiriyama's body flickered and reappeared over Chene's body instead. Model K followed it, moving up to position himself at the center of her chest.

Chene, don't do this! It tried to get to me the same way!

------

Malcolm blinked at Model K for a moment, then did a double-take when he saw the readouts. "Oh, hell."

OOC: fasjdfhaskjfhsa No no, Model R was just the final nail.

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

Kiriyama was freed of the Virus... But he still remained unconcious. He wasn't able to check if his injured hand was affected at all. He was burning up a storm as if he gained a fever. Kiriyama in his daze was unsure if it was his injury affecting him badly or it was just the after effects.

OOC: Sigh.

------

"Mal?! Don't tell me--!" Aile's eyes snapped to Malcolm, then shifted back to Chêne's immobile body. The redhead's seemingly empty irises were still blind to her physical surroundings, but it was evident that something was causing her facial muscles to widen her eyes, frown deeply and expose her gritted teeth; in physical terms, there could be no more literal reflection of "blind rage".

------

Chêne's rage deafened her to the Biometal. As the connection with Kiriyama was severed, the landscape where the Guardian's mental self stood warped, quickly morphing into a reflection of her current state of mind; her influx of memories brought her back to the ground floor of the building where she had lost everything she had loved. The flames in the distance, the frozen victims in the vicinity, her mind had recreated that evening with frightening detail, with the exception that only one other person stood in front of her: the target of her hate.

There was a flash, followed by the cracking sound of lightning. Chêne stumbled backwards when her right fist was parried by the knuckle weapon and a jolt coursed through her body, forcing her to her knees. She eyed her hand to see the scorched glove and her fingers twitching from the pain... and she rose her glare in a mix of anger and shock.

"I told you. You're not strong enough." The man stood upright as he looked down on the girl. And lifted his visor, once again revealing his condescending gaze. "You'll never be strong enough. Do you know why?"

Chêne did not bother to respond with words; she simply screamed again as a left uppercut did the talking.

"Alright," Malcolm said grimly. "I won't tell you."

He was sure he didn't have to spell it out for Aile anyway. The teenager was smart enough to realize what had just happened.

There wasn't a whole lot anybody else could do at the moment. He approached Chene, staying outside arm's reach. "Listen to me, Model K. Model W is empowered by negative emotions. Terror in particular, but rage and hatred are also big ones. I can't imagine this virus being any different. It's jumped over to Chene because she has a temper like a force-five hurricane. You have got to calm her down, or we're going to lose her."

"Great," the biometal managed to mumble. "No pressure or anything."

------

It took Model K more work to materialize as a physical presence in Chene's mind. She wasn't drugged and having nightmares like Kiriyama had been. That had made his mind easy to work with, but Chene's was another matter. Worse, the same stubbornness and sheer force of will that had empowered Model K when she added herself to the link was now fueling Model W. Getting her to calm down was not going to be an easy task.

With effort, the biometal was finally able to appear alongside her. He tried to stop her from attacking the Model W illusion any further, halfway putting himself between her and the armored man. Model K felt his own sparks of anger flaring up when he looked at the guy--that armor was too familiar--but if he could fight off his anger once, he could do it again.

"Chene, listen! Malcolm says this thing is just feeding on your temper! You keep letting it and there's gonna be nothing any of us can do! Stand down!"

OOC: Since Kiriyama is down for the count, I may as well proceed.

------

The man seemed to ignore Model K's sudden appearance at first. He swiftly avoided Chêne's punch and delivered one of his own to the Guardian's gut.

Even if it was not a truly physical hit, it was impossible for Chêne to tell the difference. The pain and the lack of air felt very real... as well as the jolt that came with it. She dropped again, her body inert from the electrical charge. However, the voltage was deliberately contained to allow her to remain conscious... aware of her helplessness.

The visor closed down again, and the man turned his attention to Model K.

"You can't save her, 'Brit-boy'." He said with a different voice... a voice that was not his own. It was the same voice as Strike's. "She can't even help herself, and neither can you."

In a flash, he delivered a punch into Model K's face. A punch fueled by Chêne's overwhelming hatred.

Actual, physical pain hadn't been something Model K expected. But the Model W illusion's knuckle weapon smashing into his face fucking hurt.

He sprawled backward, landing on his back and skidding past Chene by over a meter. He felt like he'd just been in a head-on with a tanker. Malcolm hadn't been kidding about Chene's temper. It was a force to be reckoned with, and Model W was siphoning it off like a jet engine hooked up to a fuel truck. The thing hadn't been much of a direct threat inside Kiriyama's mind. He'd been too loopy to really feel any anger.

This was something else entirely.

Model K was in trouble. He'd been far more powerful with a cooperative mind linked with him. But Chene was practically in a mindless rage at this point, and while he couldn't say for sure, he was pretty sure he wasn't designed to maintain a half-connection like this. He was going to run out of power sooner or later, probably sooner if Model W kept pounding on him the way it had been.

With a Herculean effort, he dragged himself to his feet and took a step forward, putting himself between Chene and Model W's illusion. "Chene, you're stronger than this thing. I can feel it. You've got to come to your senses and stop letting it manipulate you!"

His head snapped back in the direction of ...whatever the hell form Model W had taken. It was as familiar to Chene as Model K, some combination of her bad memories and Modek K's own. He stared it down, defiance in his eyes.

"I'm not gonna lie down and die. I've spent my entire life fighting things like you. You don't scare me. You don't intimidate me. All you do is remind me of things bigger than you that I've already beaten."

"Pretty words and the actual reality are two different things, Brit-boy. Or did you suddenly forget the feeling of lightning coursing through your servos, short-circuiting your sensorial inputs, burning your processor and overloading your power core?"

Another rage-fueled punch was made at Model K's torso, as if to force him to relive the experience. The punch was given with enough force to knock him out of his way. Chêne was still grounded, feeling the pain from the electricity. She saw Model K making a stand in front of her, she heard his words of encouragement... just before his figure was knocked aside and the source of her anger became again visible.

The man lifted his visor again to stare down at Chêne with his own eyes. And found a stream of tears coursing from hers. She could not move. She could not fight. Her anger is what pushed her to fight in the first place. It was the source of her willpower. Without that... she had nothing. She had for the first time faced the power she strived to fight against, and all her years of training had been proven useless with a single hit.

"It's tough to face the reality, isn't it Chêne? No... the fact that everything you strived for was worthless isn't simply tough; it's frightening". The man kneeled by Chêne's side. "The power of Biometal that you despise so much is the power that allows one to fulfill their dreams. To settle their scores and change the world. Take this power, and you can have your revenge against me. You can destroy the one who took your mother from you. And you can make a world where no one will have to suffer the same way. You can forge your destiny."

The words struck Chêne harder than the punch. She did not want to accept those arguments as true, but she hated that man. She hated her own weakness. And the fact that she was helpless against any of it now also scared her. She could not do this by herself. And she did not want to fall here. She needed strength... power...!

"Wrong! You can't use the power of Biometal to change your destiny."

The voice of another girl came from behind, surprising even the black armored man. He stood up with a visibly aggravated expression as he turned around to face a defiant Aile. "You...!"

Aile knew the danger Chêne was in, and concluded she could help Chêne as the latter had helped Kiriyama. She understood the risk and embraced it along with the girl's body, not hesitating to interface with Model K in order to break Model W's hold for good.

The rush of Aile's will connecting to the link was like an immense swell of life flooding back into Model K. He pushed himself back to his feet and stood beside her. A question halted on the tip of his tongue, and he held it back; of course Aile knew what she was doing. She wouldn't be here otherwise.

He felt her mind as clearly as his own. With Kiriyama, the connection had been forced and unstable. Chene was reluctant, and it was difficult to link with her. Aile was different. She'd willingly established the connection, and she was open to Model K. The power of her determination was intense. Chene was strong, but she let her anger drive her, using it as her sole focus. It lent her brute strength, but in situations like what she faced now... it was far too easy to use that anger against her. She hadn't learned yet that fury wasn't the only strength she could possess.

Aile had been that way once, and it had nearly destroyed her. She and her brother. But in the final moments, Aile had found a wellspring of strength within herself, driven by her love for her family--not just Vent, but Giro, Chene, even Prairie and the other Guardians. Her determination to help them, her courage in the face of overwhelming odds, her hope that if she kept going, she would be able to make a difference in the world, to prevent more people like herself from losing their families. Aile's power was in everything she was.

Her spirit was as frightening and sad as it was glorious and awe-inspiring. Aile and Vent had gone through hell, and they had both emerged with horrible scars, both emotional and physical. But as much as the ordeal had hurt them, it had also forged them into a force of nature. Model K knew that anything foolish enough to stand against Aile would be utterly beaten, be it with her terrible strength or her beautiful, unshakable courage. The biometals Z and X had chosen well.

In that moment of intimate connection with Aile, Model K understood a lot that he hadn't known before. The conflict surrounding the biometals became clear to him, the stakes had taken on a whole new meaning, and he knew through Aile what kind of world he had returned to. Through that connection though, Aile was getting the same measure of Model K. What he was, the world he had come from. He felt small next to her, lesser in spirit. He was more like Chene. More often than not he let his emotions drive him for better or worse, and it had cost him in the past. It would probably cost him in the future.

None of that mattered in the immediate sense. The only thing that mattered now, the only thing he knew with 100% certainty, was that this Model W virus or whatever the hell it really was had no chance against Aile. It would fall before her, as countless opponents had. He stood with Aile, drawing on her strength even as he lent her his own.

OOC: Due to the text length, I'm breaking it in two posts.

------

Aile could not help but take a second to check herself out, taking notice of the sleek green armor that had taken over her body. She kind of liked the look, but that was not the time to dwell in it.

She also took a moment to check the surroundings. She had never actually been in this place before, but the meaning of it was painfully obvious. And her connection with Model K helped her realize that Model W was using Chêne's past to afflict her, mine her willpower, cause her to fall in despair.

She was confident that Model W could not take her over. She had long overcome the negative emotions that once made her vulnerable to Model W. And she would use her experience to help Chêne do the same.

"You recognize me, Model W? I'm flattered." She said as she walked towards the man and Chêne.

The man displayed an unexpected feeling of outrage, lunging at Aile and punching her face, causing a flash of light followed by the sound of thunder.

Aile felt she could have dodged this attack... if she wanted to. But she had to feel it... how much Chêne's emotions were empowering this portion of Model W. Her link with Model K gave her the feeling the situation was dire, and she knew it was true. But the punch did not sting as much as she had expected. She stumbled back a couple of steps, but managed to keep her footing.

"... Okay, that hurt a little. Chêne!" She called out as she walked towards the girl again, rubbing her chin. She deliberately ignored the man.

"A... Aile...?" Chêne was not entirely sure that the girl was real or not, but she rose to her knees in response to the call. She still could not stand, but seeing Aile gave her a strange sensation... as if a beacon of light was lit in the darkness. And yet, her mind was still in turmoil; she did not know what to believe anymore.

"I know you're scared Chêne, but I'm here to help you through this." Aile saw the man rush at her again, but she was unphazed. She dodged the fist, grabbed the arm and did an overhead throw. She was not interested in slaying mockeries of Chêne's memories. Keeping them at bay was enough.

"I know what it's like to be angry after losing someone you love." She continued as she extended her hand to Chêne. "But you can't win a fight with hate... that only causes more fighting. That's not what you're working so hard for, is it?"

"... I... I don't know anything anymore." Chêne lowered her face with shame. "That hate... that's what kept me going... But I'm not even strong enough to protect myself...!"

"That doesn't sound like the Chêne I know." Aile insisted. "The Chêne I know is a proud girl who isn't afraid of speaking her mind, even if no one agrees with you. She's a girl who trained enough to put grown-ups to shame with her moves. She's the girl who stepped up to help a boy she didn't even like. And she's the girl who inspires me to fight harder to protect those I care about, including her. You can fight it! You just have to do it the right way."

Chêne reflected on those words for a long moment of silence. She basically had just put her life on the line to help someone else... and somehow, she did help. That had to count for something. And Aile had just done the same to help her... and her words reminded her of who she was. She was not sure if she could leave the hate behind. But with Aile here, another emotion emerged from within... hope.

"Model W is goading you to make it stronger." Aile continued. "Think about what makes you strong. It's not your hate, Chêne. Look in yourself and what really got you where you are now. And where you'll go from here. A Biometal can give you strength, but it can't give you the power to make your own destiny. You have to do that with your own power, and I know you have plenty to spare."

Chêne finally held onto Aile's hand, causing the environment to warp into the place where she met Aile and Vent: the Giro Express office. She remembered how they were kindred spirits before she allowed the Biometals to break that bond... or so she thought. Despite the way she treated Aile over the last several months, the girl still came for her in a moment of desperation.

She recalled her master. One of the very few who managed to draw respect from her. Her master's fervent discipline managed to suppress even her irreverent attitude, and she became stronger with the training. She was one of the few who endured more than a few months of training at the dojo, and thus had earned her master's respect as well. The day she was acknowledged as a prize student is a memory she treasured dearly.

She thought about Commander Prairie. Chêne had been a real pain on her neck since she had joined the Guardians. And yet Prairie had never given up on her no matter what trouble she had gotten into. She had just recently started to make amends with her commander, who had the constant weight of responsibility on her shoulders.

She remembered her recent encounter with Kaira, and how she felt when they bonded after a somewhat rough start. How she felt happy for meeting someone who quickly came to treat her like a sister.

As her memories manifested in the form of environmental changes, Chêne wondered: what would they all say at her weakness now? What would they think if she succumbed here, in a battle for her own body, her very sense of self?

"... You can't overcome this, Chêne...!" The figure of the black armored man persisted, but now could not hide his own distress and weakness as the source of its power was supplanted by something it could not draw strength from. "Where you succeed, others will fall and give strength to the Biometals... and one of them will become your undoing! I promise that!!"

"... If that's going to happen, at least it's the path I'm choosing. Not the one you're choosing for me." Chêne rubbed her eyes, drying the tears. "I still have a score to settle with the man you're stealing his look from. But at least I'm going to deal with it my way. I've already lost my mother. You're not going to take away what little I have left. So, like the runt said: 'Get out of my head!'"

The man made a last ditch effort to strike down Chêne, but his movements were not as swift anymore. Chêne felt like the movement was in slow motion, and was quite eager to reciprocrate the earlier treatment. With the landscape taking the shape of the dojo where she trained, she landed a punch straight at the man's gut. The blow caused the armor and skin to crack and crumble, briefly revealing the figure of a brittle old man underneath that almost immediately crumbled to dust.

"... This is it? Is it over?" Chêne paused for a moment afterwards, reflecting on this final scene before looking at where Aile was. The girl was gone. And before she could make anything of it, the landscape blackened.

The next thing to come into view was the ceilling of the emergency room. Her body was laying on Aile's arms, and she was suddenly too dazed to say a word right away.

Malcolm knelt next to Chene, putting a hand to her shoulder. "You alright? I thought we were in trouble when you collapsed, but..." He looked up at Aile. "That was brave of you. Good job, both of you."

Model K had come to rest on the floor beside Aile. Malcolm glanced down at it for a moment before picking it up. "And you... thanks. I doubt we could've pulled that off without your help."

"It's fine," the biometal replied quietly. Malcolm set it back down and stood up, walking over to the medical bed. "How's Kiriyama doing, Muguet?"

"Let's see..." Muguet promptly checked on the Watchman's condition, starting with his pulse and then the temperature. "... He still has a fever..." The doctor said with concern. "Are you sure the threat was dealt with?"

"It has to! I just know it!" Aile responded. "I know I'm not a doctor, but trust me on that one!"

"... Then I'll try to stabilize his condition." Muguet said as she kept her attention on the boy. "Rose, can you check on Chêne?"

"... I... I'm fine." Chêne sat up slowly as her senses returned, eventually mustering the strength to rise back to her feet. For a moment, she wondered if what she just went through was all a dream. But her experience still felt too real for even a nightmare.

"Are you sure...?" Rose asked as she approached slowly. "I'm... not sure of what really happened to you, but if you need some rest..."

"... I've gone through worse." Chêne shook her head, then eyed Aile. She started to open her mouth to say something more, but stopped short of making a sound. The girl instead looked at her surroundings... "... Where is the Biometal?"