Chêne was frozen by the answer. It seemed that the more she learned about her parents conversely revealed how little she knew about them, and this realization briefly halted the girl before she could speak again. "... He was... a Guardian...?"

"Yes." The commander nodded with a curious look. She expected Chêne to be more unnerved... upset. "He volunteered not long after I became the commanding officer. He was around your age... at first, I didn't want to accept him because he was young. But he claimed that he would fight the Mavericks by himself if he had to. I was worried about the fate he would meet with that mindset, so I took him in with hopes of changing that. He was energetic and reckless... come to think of it, he was a lot like you."

Chêne's gaze turned into a glare with the last remark. "I'm not like him. At all."

The commander took note of the tone. That was more in line from what she expected of Chêne; which was fitting of what she would say next. "... Above everything else, he was angry. Angry at the Mavericks that orphaned him... and angry at the world that did nothing to stop it. This changed when he met your mother. They crossed paths a few times and despite their issues, they grew closer with each encounter. And he finally left his hate behind."

The young Guardian would not admit it to herself, but the similarities between her story and the man she rejected did not escape her mind. As a matter of fact, it frightened her; she always made a point of being different from 'that man', and the thought that the apple did not fall far from the tree was sickening. She did not want to think about that for another second; it was fortunate though that her commander had not yet addressed an important matter.

"... What about the Biometal?"

The commander sighed, knowing the matter would come up eventually. Though she tried to keep the data away from Chêne, the girl was not stupid and had figured out the Biometal as soon as she learned what they were. The commander had already decided to be honest, which was, in all fairness, the approach she was more comfortable with regardless of the consequences. "... It was found by Alon during an investigation in the Outlands. The team was ambushed and nearly overwhelmed by Mavericks... but when Giro arrived to help, the Mavericks were already taken care of by Alon after he transformed with the Biometal. It identified itself as 'Biometal Model S, the Fist Mega Man'... or alternately, the 'Anti Mega Man'".

"'Anti Mega Man'...?" Chêne blinked at the puzzling concept.

"The Biometal was created as a countermeasure to any Mega Men who misused the power of Biometals." The commander responded. "It can override the M.E.G.A. System and cancel a transformation by force."

The answer intrigued Chêne further. A Biometal created to counter Biometals other than Model W...? "... Was it the first commander who made it too?"

"... We don't know for sure." Prairie answered. "We didn't find any data and the Biometal itself had no memory of its creation. Either way, Alon put its power to good use, helping us in stopping a number of Maverick incidents before he decided to retire. We respected his decision, but since he was the only one compatible with the Biometal, we decided to leave it under his care. We were on the other side of the world when the attack happened..."

"... If he didn't have the Biometal, that would've never happened." Chêne responded as the reminder immediately reignited her anger. "That's what that Pandora girl said when she attacked my mother!"

This time, Prairie decided to confront the rage. She approached the girl again and gently placed her hands on the strong shoulders of the taller girl. The gesture surprised the girl, who had grown used to a more stern tone. Despite her current anger, the Reploid's stare into her eyes paralyzed her completely. "If Alon didn't have the Biometal, they would've gone after anybody else who kept it. And destroying the Biometals won't guarantee that the Maverick attacks will stop since Model W is still out there, and the Biometals are our only way to fight it. But more importantly, the Biometals have souls. Despite their appearance, they are as human as you and I. And the ones we know are good souls, even if you can't see it."

The commander had more to say, but paused briefly to let her words sink in before continuing.

"... Chêne, I understand how you feel." Prairie spoke with a more gentle tone. "I'm a Reploid who was born in an era of war. I lost many close people before Sis over the years, and I know the grief and anger that comes from that. I know how you want to blame somebody and punish the target of your anger. One day, we'll bring justice to your mother... but you cant let your feelings consume you and cloud your judgement. That's what scares me about you, and why I hesitate to send you in missions; I fear your feelings will make you do something you'll regret, or worse. You're a good person and I want to trust you. You're already stronger than your father was at your age... but you shouldn't be afraid of counting on others. Nobody can do everything alone, no matter how powerful they are. Vent and Aile understand this, and it's time you understand it, too."

Before Chêne could respond, the words of her commander triggered another memory in her mind. One that she somehow registered during the traumatic loss:

"... I simply can't apologize enough, Alon."

The voice she did not recognize now echoed strongly in her mind. She did not know if she was remembering the exact tone, but what she recalled was a distinct expression of guilt and regret... and it caused her to reflect deeply before finally delivering a response with a conflicted expression:

"... If after Model W is destroyed, the Maverick attacks keep up... I'll destroy every single Biometal myself."

"Chêne..."

"Until then... I'll try to be a better Guardian. I'm sorry for all the trouble and worry I caused you, Commander Prairie."

"... Thank you. I'm counting on you, Chêne." The commander nodded with a smile, feeling a newfound hope on the young Guardian. Satisfied, she calmly returned to her seat. "Is there anything else you want to ask me about?"

"... I'll get back to you on that, commander. Right now... I'd like some time to myself, if you'll excuse me..." The girl responded as she made her way out of the bridge. Though she continued to address her commanding officer in a formal tone, she still felt something different... as if their relationship had become more than just a soldier and her superior. It was enough to give her a warm feeling... at least a little.

[Continued in Corridors]

[Continued from Corridors]

At least half an hour must have passed since Chêne had left; a relatively short time, but with her multiple concerns, Prairie felt it was an eternity. Aside from the emergency with Kiriyama, she had lost contact with Vent and Vince in Giga City; Model W's energy was no doubt interfering with communications. She could only have faith that Vent and Vince would destroy the Biometal and return safely. But she did not know what to make of Chiba: a war survivor like herself, corrupted and driven insane by Model W. What could she expect from a Reploid even older than herself?

But her more immediate concern was the situation in Speranza. As the Guardian Base neared its destination, the Operators began to detect energy signals that indicated heavy artillery; undoubtedly unusual for a backwater town. This confirmed the distress signal they had intercepted earlier, much to her dismay. She was not interested in a confrontation, but would only be able to decide on a course of action after seeing the situation with her own eyes.

Prairie's musings were eventually interrupted as the door slid open to make way for Aile, Malcolm and Model K. The commander had a tense expression on her face, but retained her composure. "How is Kiriyama?"

"We did it!" Aile responded with enthusiasm. "Thanks to some help from Model K and Chêne, Kiriyama's going to be fine. I don't know how he got Model W in his head, but I'm sure it was totally deleted."

The commander smiled at the good news, rising from her seat "That's wonderful--wait, did you say Chêne helped?"

"Yeah... it's kind of complicated though. Maybe Mal can explain better." The Chosen One eyed Malcolm on cue.

"It's... complicated," Malcolm finally parroted. "Model K partially megamerged with Kiriyama, and when he didn't have much success, Chene grabbed Kiriyama to try to shake some sense into him and inadvertently got connected to Model K in the process."

"And then Aile did the same thing," Model K pointed out.

"It was the weirdest trip I ever did, and I know weird." Aile remarked. "Anyway... we fought Model W in our heads and finally got rid of it with our... willpower? It's kinda corny, but that's probably the best way to put it."

"I... see." Prairie responded with a thoughtful expression. "Model W feeds on negative emotions, so perhaps positive thoughts are a poison to it... but that leaves one question: how was Kiriyama infected by Model W? I don't recall him being in proximity of any fragments..."

Aile paused, then shrugged. "... You got me there."

"I determined that Model R was the cause of Kiriyama's infection," Malcolm explained, "but I have no idea how the biometal got it. Had to have been recently though, likely within the last twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

Prairie worriedly pondered the notion. "... Our last scans of Model R before Kiriyama received it didn't show any ailments... but all we can do about it now is hope that Vent and Vincent can bring the Biometal back safely. Model W is once again interfering with communications, so there isn't much else we can do..."

"It'll be sad if Vent can't get Model R back after taking all of our Biometals with him." Aile eyed Model K. "Well... almost all of them."

The door slid open as Chêne entered again with Vitesse in tow. The girl figured that Aile and Malcolm were simply informing her of Kiriyama's situation and paid it no mind. "Am I interrupting?" She asked as she stepped closer.

"Not really... Aile and Malcolm had just informed me about you and Kiriyama." The commander responded. "Are you all right, Chêne?"

"... Yes. I'll live." Chêne answered after a brief pause. "... But I'm here for something else. Fleuve said I need your permission to view his data on Model S."

Aile snapped her fingers as Chêne reminded her of the subject. "... That's the black Biometal, right? Actually, I was meaning to ask about it myself."

"Model S," the green biometal muttered to himself. He'd seen flashes of it during his encounter with Chene, and he was pretty sure the resemblance wasn't a coincidence. He knew that biometal--or at least, the reploid it had once been.

"I'd like to know a thing or two about that one now that we're on the subject."

Malcolm, for his part, blinked as Model K drifted into the air from his hand. "How do you even know about that?"

"I'm psychic," Model K responded. Malcolm frowned at the answer. He was having a really hard time telling if the biometal was joking.

Prairie sighed after a second of pause. "... I suppose there is no reason to hide it at this point."

The commander returned to her seat and started to type it in the console. "Fleuve has data on the technical specifications of the Biometal, but I have a copy of a message left to the Chosen One for Model S. It's from my Sis... the one who made the Biometal."

A holographic screen displayed an image somewhat fuzzy and pixelated, perhaps as a result of file corruption. But the fragmented picture of a blonde with a black artifact in her hands could be distinguished.

"Biometal Report Classification #556020 * Anti Mega Man *

'This message is intended for the Chosen One for the Biometal Model S.

The Chosen Ones who can transform with the Biometals were given the power to change the world. Such a power should never fall in wrong hands, since it could lead to our world's destruction. Unfortunately, there is still so much I need to learn about the Biometals, so I can't guarantee their safety. That's why I created this special Biometal. Instead of the consciousness of a legendary hero, I used the soul of an ancient soldier... one with the resolve to protect the other Biometals from the enemy. By using this Biometal, you're accepting the mission to stop those who would use the Biometals for evil. I hope you'll never need to use this power, but if you do... I wish you the best of luck, Mega Man Model S, the Anti Mega Man.'"

Prairie closed the file and turned back to the others with a look of dismay.

"If the enemy discovered the true purpose of Model S, it would have automatically made it a target... that's why we Guardians kept this data secret after its disappearance. Only Fleuve, Malcolm, Giro and I knew the truth... and we spent the last decade searching for it along with its Chosen One, but as you can see... we haven't succeeded."

Model K had to admit that for the purpose described in the message, the reploid whose soul was presumably at the core of Model S was a perfect fit. He was pretty sure he recognized the Guardian commander's voice though, and if she was who Model K thought, the irony of her choice was staggering.

Though, he thought, no more than that of Models, X, H, L, P, and F. If he was indeed right about the woman's identity, Model Z was the only one that made the slightest damn bit of sense.

Model K was forced to conclude that the former Guardian commander was not the type who held grudges.

"Interesting choice," he said aloud after a moment.

"... The Chosen One for Model S is Chêne's dad, right?"

Not a second had passed after Aile pronounced the words before Chêne had averted her gaze and started to walk away silently, keeping a grim face to herself.

"Chêne...?" The Chosen One called with uncertainty; she did not know whether to try stopping the girl or just leave her be. After her recent glimpse at Chêne's mind, she had an idea of just how tormented her fellow Guardian still was. With similar thoughts in mind, Prairie found herself unable to say anything at the moment.

"Best leave her be," Model K stated after a moment. "She'll come back if she wants to talk about it."

Malcolm watched the biometal for a moment, then shook his head. "What do you know about it? You've been around her for all of five minutes."

"Psychic," Model K repeated. "Though to be honest I didn't get as good a sense of her as I might have."

Well, that certainly didn't seem to be a joke. "We are going to have a proper discussion about your abilities as soon as everybody gets a few minutes to sit down and talk," demanded Malcolm.

"Well then, no time like the present." The Chosen One remarked.

"... Aile, how do you...?"

"When I said I was in Chêne's head, I meant it." Aile responded to a perplexed Prairie. "I saw things. I couldn't make sense of it all, but it was enough to get an idea of what she's going through. Kinda like how I had a look at Model K's memories... But in its case, I can't remember anything I've seen there. Like it was all a trippy dream."

"It? Come on, I didn't think I was that androgynous."

There was a brief pause.

"I'm being facetious, aren't I?" Model K asked after a moment. "There's no call for it. Okay, in all seriousness. An organic brain probably can't handle all that information on its own. It might be different if I linked with a reploid, but I don't know for sure."

"So what exactly do you mean by 'psychic?'" Malcolm asked.

The biometal twisted in the air and floated backward a bit, facing both Prairie and Malcolm as he spoke. "I can sense emotions and stray thoughts. If someone merges with me, we share a mental connection and our minds function as one. Chene and Aile partially merged with me while we were trying to save Kiriyama and like Aile said, we got an idea of what's going through her head. Spirited girl, but very angry. Model W took to her temper like a starving Alsatian in a deli cooler."

Malcolm shook his head in bewilderment, glancing at Prairie in the process. He really had no idea what to say about this. None of the other biometals worked the way Model K was describing, and Malcolm wasn't sure if it was an intended feature of the biometal or because of the primitive nature of its Mega System hardware.

Upon considering it however, he decided that the latter was more likely the case. The way Model K apparently worked seemed like it could be dangerous to its user in one way or another. If this biometal were a prototype as he and Fleuve had hypothesized, undoubtedly that mechanism had been refined to be less invasive.

"... So... what you're saying is that you know what we're thinking? Like, right now?"

Aile could not help but wonder if Model K's power would allow her to fire "mind bullets".

"Only in a vague way," Model K explained. "I can mostly just sense emotions and intent."

"Aw, so you can't fire mind bullets?" Aile pouted. "Sorry, but that's pretty lame. I mean, it's not like you can't tell those things just by looking at the other person... at least, I like to think I'm pretty good at it." The girl folded her arms with disappointment.

"Oh well... so, what else can you do?"

"There's a difference between being able to read body language and knowing instinctively what anybody near you is feeling and planning to do in the next few seconds," Model K argued. He turned to face Aile. "And mind bullets? Come on, that is so Tenacious-D."

Malcolm quirked an eyebrow. "What is Tenacious-D?"

"Before your time, my boy," the biometal said, intentionally thickening his accent. "Anyway, my powers used to be more potent. I could actually pick up more than just surface thoughts. But it seems that being made into a... biometal has diminished them somewhat." His tone gained a touch of bitterness. "I might be able to knock a gun out of somebody's hand if I really concentrate, but I wouldn't count on that in the middle of a fight."

"That's fair," Malcolm mused aloud. He had to admit that waking up as a biometal, unable to do anything on one's own, probably wouldn't be the most pleasant experience for a mind that still had perfect recollection of its former self. "Anything else relating to this psychic ability of yours?"

The biometal stayed silent for a moment, as though considering his words before he spoke. "Judging from what happened in medical, I'd say that my user's state of mind has a significant impact on my biolink system. I can't say for sure right now, but my connection to Chene felt flimsy and I couldn't really function as well as I was expecting. We'll need to experiment some more and figure that out."

"Agreed." Malcolm nodded in response.

"Well, Chêne always had this thing against Biometals, and I think I know why now..." Aile scratched her head. "If I knew that a Biometal was the reason my mom was taken away from me back then, I don't know if I'd act any different. But I think she'll understand one day that not all Biometals are evil... oh, by the way: maybe after Vent and Vince come back with the other Biometals, we can try to combine Model K with Model X for a power boost... but I think Model K could use a break right now."

Prairie nodded in response. "I agree. You all seem to have gone through quite the ordeal to help Kiriyama, and you earned it. Besides, there is another matter we need to take care of..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Commander, but we have an incoming transmission." Gardenia spoke suddenly. It seems to be an airship from the invading forces, identified as... the 'Dragon'."

Surprised, the commander almost immediately spun around in her seat to respond to this sudden development. "Put it through."

"We are not hostile, I repeat Hostilities have been ceased."

"We intercepted a distress signal reporting a siege." Prairie responded with her eyes on the holographic screens. "Who are you? Why were you attacking a small town in the middle of nowhere?"

"Something doesn't seem right here," Model K murmured.

Malcolm had to agree with the biometal, but he held up a hand to signal for silence. Prairie would be getting to the bottom of this particular problem momentarily, he was sure. Speculation wasn't going to be of any help right this second.