Rockman.EXE: Torrent (PG13- AA/Su)- Ch. 8: No Games

[Frost.EXE]

I found joo! ^_^

Wow... I love your fic! I just can't believe I didn't notice it on DA! It's not short, it's not thin, but thick with detail and plot, and it's not short. :D You even got Nexus in there! *applauds you* I really didn't expect her. The way she came into the story was really creative.
OMGbluesinapinkbed O.O
XD

Hope to see the next chapter soon!
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Jack-in! Frost.EXE! Execute!

[Featherdust]

I think this chapter is my favorite so far out of the ones I’ve written—a lot of action, a lot of dialogue, etc. I’m actually a little proud of it. So yuup… enjoy chapter six. Oh yeah, and violence warning. Didn’t I already warn you guys about that? Maybe I didn’t. Hmm. I’m a little forgetful. o.o -shuts up-

Oh, and a little language too. Just a little.

-shuts up for real-

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Red and gold flames reached up like fiery hands, clawing at the clouded sky and engulfing everything in their vicinity as glowing ashes and embers whirled through the air. Net City was in a panic; navis were running every way trying to escape the barrage of attacks flying from the sky, charged up cores of energy slamming into the ground with such powerful impacts that they left craters in their wake. Malevolent silver eyes searched the grounds below thoroughly, but there was still no remote detection of the object he was almost desperately looking for-- the chip. He didn’t know who’d taken it, but he’d be able to sense the chip’s power itself if it was close enough. But up to this point, there was still no sign. He cursed under his breath and shot another core of energy in a random direction, the same sound of an explosion reaching his ears for the hundredth time. He heard the loading of several guns and looked down to see a reasonably large squad of Net Police.

“Hold off your attack and give up, Vyrus!”

A maddened grin parted his lips and he hissed, “Or what? You’ll shoot me? I assure you, Net Police scum, I am anything but afraid of death.” He slowly unsheathed a curved, chipped sword from his back and pointed the tip at them, the silver blade gleaming brilliantly in the light of the various fires that had ignited within the city. “So the insolent Net Police force won’t give up, will they? Very well—if it is your decision to die, then I will be more than happy to grant it.”

The entire group was dead before they even had time to realize where Vyrus had gone—the speed of his attack was so inconceivable that it would have been impossible to parry. The group fell simultaneously, each with a fairly large slash through their midsection. One simple dash through the group had been enough to kill them all—it seemed that the navi was not only dangerous, but conservative with his energy during battle. He turned suddenly to block an attack from an approaching Net Police group, quickly disposing of the first and slashing his way through the rest.

“Honestly, I expected more of a fight from you—this is ridiculous,” he muttered, throwing the last into a wall and grabbing him by his throat. “Why do you insist on meddling in my affairs? My intentions are none of your business… and frankly never will be.”

The other’s hands shot up to his throat, trying to release himself from the insane navi’s steel grip. Vyrus’ grip only tightened and he snarled, “You and every other member of the Net Savior force know you have no hope of defeating me-- Your determination disgusts me. Hope is nonexistent when it comes to beings such as myself.”

Despite his near-death situation, the other navi smiled. “Maybe so, Vyrus; but I wouldn’t let my pride get the best of me. All evil is eventually eradicated—and so will you, in time.”

Vyrus threw back his head and laughed, throwing the navi to the side. “I’d like to see you try.” He turned foot to walk away, and as he did so, he called back, “The Cybernet’s shining era has come to an end. It is time that the Darkness finally takes its rightful reign over this pathetic world.”

“Many a malign soul have said the same thing; but they are all gone. What makes you think you’re any better?”

Vyrus stopped, fists clenching at his sides. “You… have no idea what I am capable of. You have no idea how I became this, and you have no idea what I have gone through to reach such a position of power. Don’t make assumptions about your enemies—I was thinking of sparing you, but perhaps killing you isn’t such a bad idea anymore.”

And yet, somehow, the insane navi couldn’t find the will to kill this one navi. Was it the way the other was speaking to him—was it the way that it felt as if he knew him? He turned around to face him just as the other took his visored helmet off—and for the first time in awhile, reasonable shock crossed his hardened features.

“…S-Spire…” he could hardly get the words out, staring at his former friend. Then she came to mind. “Where is she?” he asked, stumbling towards him, but stopping a few feet away, is if afraid to know the truth, afraid to step any closer to the truth he feared yet so relentlessly sought. “Where is Mockingbird?” His silver eyes were slowly fading back into dark crimson, like another side of him was suddenly emerging. The insane look in his eyes was nearly gone, replaced with something similar to sorrow yet not quite there. It was hard to decipher.

Spire simply smiled and shook his head, pumpkin-orange eyes looking out through silvery locks. “That is for you to find out, Vyrus.”

“You know where she is!”

“Perhaps. But, as stated previously, it is your job to uncover the truth. It was her trust you betrayed, after all, now wasn’t it?”

Vyrus backed away, holding the sides of his head and closing his eyes tightly. “No… I didn’t mean to do it! I never… wanted to hurt anyone…”

“But you did. Take a look around you—you’ve destroyed so many innocent lives, corrupted so many souls. It was your decision. And you chose darkness, power, over light.”

“No… no! You’re lying! You don’t exist; I killed you!” he opened his eyes to look at Spire, and there was no one there. He blinked once, staring at the empty spot against the wall, his mind racing. The heavy crackling of the fire around him pulsed in his ears dully, mixed in with the panicked cries of the navis running amok. Had it been a hallucination? Had it all been just a hallucination? He’d had plenty before… but it looked so real. He shook his head again and let out a cry of anger into the burning air. It was impossible. Spire was dead—he had killed him.

If it was a hallucination… what about Mockingbird?

No… I killed her too. I killed everyone. There is no one left from my previous life. But why… do I still feel them there?

The red in his irises had been replaced with silver as quickly as it had appeared. He snarled and stalked away from the spot where he’d supposedly seen his former ally, pacing a bit before pushing the scene to the back of his mind, where it would eventually be swallowed by the darkness in his conscious and forgotten entirely.

Raising a bloodied hand, he prepared to unleash another charged attack upon Net City, but a sharp voice interrupted the charred surroundings.

“Vyrus! We are the true strength of the Net Savior force, and I demand that you stop your attack upon our city!”

Vyrus turned, silver eyes catching the gaze of bright green. The determination in the stranger’s eyes was disgusting.

“How nice of you to join me, gentlemen,” Vyrus said, a sweet but deadly smile forming upon his lips. He noticed the other two and corrected himself. “…And ladies. It seems apparent that you’ve all come to stop me; I would suggest you take a moment to observe the casualties of your teammates.”

The sense was so sudden—it was the chip. It was definitely the chip. As he turned around, he confirmed it. The cobalt navi before him had it stored somewhere; he could feel the energy practically flooding out from it.

Rock paused briefly to take a sorrowed glance at the fallen comrades, but he knew there was nothing he could do to help them now. Eyes narrowing, he turned back to the crazed navi. “You think this all just fun and games, don’t you?” he asked, an undertone of anger slightly audible in his voice.

“Quite an intelligent observation,” said Vyrus, smile widening. “I doubted you’d figure that one out.” The sarcasm was obvious in his tone.

“Stop fooling around! We’ve come here to stop you, and we’re not backing out now! Have at you!” Rock dashed towards him, sword arm outstretched, while Blues suddenly jumped from above to attack from behind. Vyrus saw this and darted out of the way, flatly kicking Rock in the back and sending both him and Blues sprawling to the ground. It was an embarrassing slip-up, certainly not the kind an ideal Net Savior would have. It was unmistakably caused by the tension and hesitation of entering a battle with such an unpredictable being.

“Get off of me!” Blues snapped, rolling out from under Rockman and parrying another heavy blow from Vyrus, more than likely saving the cobalt navi from being dismembered.

Rock laughed a little uneasily at the fall, but his expression quickly reformed to all seriousness as he, too, quickly blocked a swing of the jagged sword. Vyrus was swinging at them with one hand—it seemed that his core strength was channeled best through that single weapon, and though the steel looked reasonably heavy, he could handle it quite well. In addition, he was also taking on both at once without any signs of letting up.

Rock was knocked backwards by the sheer strength of the blow, and he darted behind a wall to regain his breath.

“Netto-kun, this is more difficult than I thought it would be. I believe we’ve underestimated him—we may need to plug out and rethink our strategy if it gets worse.”

“Don’t sweat it, Rockman—Koryu’s got a plan,” Netto said with a grin.

“Speaking of which, where are Nexus and Roll? Are they okay?” Rock asked.

“Don’t worry; like I said, we’ve got a plan. Nexus is waiting for the right moment to jump in… Roll just now joined the fight since you ducked out.”

Concerned, Rock peered out from behind the wall at the fight. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Alright, I’m going to try shooting at him from afar. We could use Searchman and Laika’s help right about now, but for now I’m all we’ve got.”

Nodding, Netto activated the SearchSoul chip. “Good luck.”

Rock’s armor design had significantly changed from cobalt to a green camouflage, a heavy sniper in one hand, and Searchman’s trademark square monocle over one eye. He darted behind several buildings before he found a clear view of the fight.

Now all he needed was for them to keep still.

He tried to get Blues’ attention, but he couldn’t do too much; he would end up getting Vyrus’ attention as well. Frustrated, he brought up the sniper and tried to take aim at the crazed navi, but his movement was simply too swift. Sniping obviously wasn’t going to be a good approach. As he let his arm drop, he then noticed that the group had completely disappeared. They were definitely moving fast. Turning, he ran back down the alleyway, looking down each turn to see if he could spot them. Nothing.

“Netto, where are they?” he asked.

“They’re back near the original spot where we plugged in—hurry up, Rock, Vyrus just jumped out of the battle and vanished; I don’t see him anywhere. Be careful.”

“Roger.” He continued down the alleyway and was nearly to the end when Netto’s alarmed voice piped up again.

“Rock, look ou-“

Rock’s scream interrupted all that was left of Netto’s warning. He felt the cold steel impale his spine and just barely part the navi icon on the other side. Rock’s SearchSoul immediately collapsed from the damage as he tried to pry himself out of the sword’s hold, but to no avail.

Grinning like a maniac, Vyrus whispered, “When fighting for your life, you don’t have time to stop and think… Rockman.” He yanked the sword out and pushed him to the ground, pointing the blade at his throat. “Now give me the chip.”

Shaking from shock, Rock couldn’t get the words out, nor could he think properly. “W-what chip…?”

Netto had slotted in several recovery chips at this point, but they didn’t seem to be helping at all. Something was negating the recovery effects completely—as to what it was, Netto had no idea.

“Don’t lie to me, you dolt. You know very well what I’m talking about. Give it to me.”

Despite his wound, Rock managed to muster a small grin as he lay there, looking up at Net City’s illuminated sky. “N-no chance, Vyrus. Looks like… you’ve got a visitor…”

An identical look-alike of Vyrus himself jumped down from above, pointing an exact replica of his sword straight at him. Vyrus’ eyes widened as he witnessed the sudden arrival, backing away in an apparently confused manner.

For being so intelligent, he didn’t seem to handle the appearance of himself too well.

Rock knew that the Vyrus copy was Nexus; she had needed time to take in Vyrus’ appearance and copy it into her own shapeshifting program, but she would not be able to obtain his exact strength level until they came into contact. This would be difficult, it seemed, as he looked more afraid of her than anything. But there was one thing she was concerned about that made her indecisive about the battle she was about to begin. If she was able to copy his appearance, and soon his strength, she was worried that she may just contract his insanity as well. But there was no time for thinking—only actions. Quickly, she leaped at him, aiming directly for the icon on his chest. The blow was swiftly blocked, and this time there was only pure anger visible upon his expression.

“You imposter! Worthless copy! Can you find no way to defeat me but pit me against myself!” He swung at her wildly, both swords clanging together horribly. With each block, Nexus was copying more of his power.

C’mon Vyrus, just keep swinging, she thought as she felt her speed increase dramatically. He was right—maybe copying him wasn’t the most honorable way to fight, but it did the job.

Meanwhile, Roll and Blues were helping Rock up, supporting either of his arms over their shoulders. Rock cringed with each movement, crimson dangerously running from the wound in his back.

“Netto, Meiru-chan,” Roll said, looking worriedly at Rock. He seemed to be slipping unconscious. “I think it’s time to plug out now.”

Netto sighed, rubbing his temples. “Roger. We’ll plug two of you out—one of you needs to stay behind and help Nexus.”

“I’ll stay,” Blues muttered, nodding to Netto. “If me and Nexus can’t defeat him on our own, we will have no choice but to plug out as well.”

Nodding, Netto and Meiru plugged the two out. “Good luck Blues,” said Netto. As an added comment, he muttered, “This is the time when Enzan needs to be around… it isn’t like him not to help the Nat Savior force out.”

“He probably doesn’t know this is going on, Netto; Meijin is unable to make any calls, and he’s one of the only people Enzan will take orders from. He will be informed as soon as this is over.” Blues turned and leapt back into battle, helping Nexus fight off the enraged navi. Nexus didn’t seem to need any help, however; as he studied her movements, he realized her speed matched Vyrus’ in velocity, and she was parrying almost every attack with the same amount of strength.

This wouldn’t do. She was as strong as Vyrus, but could not go over that limit—the match would end in tie after tie, and Nexus would eventually tire out before the other. Her sword replica was knocked into the air as Vyrus’ sword pierced the base of her hand, disabling her ability to fight with a sword at all. Holding her forearm, Nexus growled and shot towards him, fighting with her bare hands.

Blues’ eyes widened in surprise. Shaking it off quickly, he also went after Vyrus, Muramasa clutched tightly in hand. Nexus delivered punch after punch, and several powerful kicks, before Vyrus was finally caught off-guard and was sent crashing to the ground. Blues immediately held Muramasa to the delinquent’s throat and stopped there, demanding surrender. Vyrus looked intent on doing no such thing. A maddened grin was still held on his face.

Nexus was relieved at the sudden pause in battle, and she leaned over to catch her breath, glaring venomously at the silver-eyed navi. Still grinning like a madman, an undertone chuckle barely audible over the roaring fires. He really did think it was all fun and games. Nexus didn’t hold much respect for people like him. Right now all that mattered was that he was at a temporary stop. He would attack within a moment’s wait; she knew he was unpredictable, but taking on his form also gave her an idea of what his attack pattern was. Then she saw something—not in reality, but in her own mind, a flash of some piece of memory, of something she was sure that she’d never seen. Another one, of someone else she didn’t know; and she began to realize that someone else’s memories were flooding into her conscious.

Vyrus’ memories.

She suddenly dropped to the ground screaming, holding her head as if the worst headache imaginable had suddenly overcome her completely. Her shapeshifting program went into complete failure, and her mimicked disguise disappeared, leaving only the original Nexus. It was an emergency action her system had taken to get rid of the problems the form taken on had caused; but this didn’t seem to solve the problem.

Blues, panicked, looked over at Nexus—he hesitated, thinking whether he should keep the blade pointed at Vyrus or help his comrade. His eyes narrowed as Vyrus let out a laugh. “Better go see what’s wrong with your little friend.”

Blues growled under his breath, pulling away from Vyrus and running over to Nexus. “Nexus, what is it? What’s wrong?” he asked, flinching as she let out an even louder shriek. Blues turned back to Vyrus, who still, surprisingly, remained in the same spot. “What did you do to her?” Blues snarled, grip on Muramasa tightening.

“Oh, come now, blame everything on me.”

“I’ll ask you again—what did you do to her?”

“I did nothing to her. It is her own fault for absorbing my programming structure.”

Blues tensed, feeling as if he could tear the navi to pieces right there, but instead he grabbed Nexus’ arm and plugged out. As their bodies began to pixelate and disappear, the last thing the red navi saw was the silver-eyed navi glaring at him.

With a smile on his face.

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Deep crimson eyes, hardened and made emotionless by ghosts of the past, looked down upon the burning city with interest. Some new madman was here to claim his title of strongest in the Net—the red-eyed navi would simply not accept this. The tips of his black and gold boots touched the edge of the building, drafts of embers and ash whirling up from below and causing the tattered cape to billow out behind him. Defined purple stripes ran down from each eye, ending just below the jawline and giving him a more menacing look than originally intended; but, nonetheless, any remotely bright navi in the Cybernet would be able to identify him almost immediately.

Forte.EXE, the Black Shadow, first terror of Net society.

Gloved hands clenched into fists as he finally saw the last two of the Net Savior force plug out in the streets below him. It was time he found out who this crazed navi really was. He jumped from the top of the skyscraper, floating to the concrete below and landing lightly. Long strides led him slowly, deliberately, to the silver-eyed madman standing just slightly hunched over in the distance, a slacked posture that only made him seem more completely insane. Forte stopped several yards away, cloak still fluttering lazily in the dry, ashy drafts.

Vyrus pulled himself around, silver eyes locking on the cloaked navi. The familiarity within that madness sent such a shock through him that he couldn’t help but take a step back. It was like Forte had met the crazed navi before; but he was sure that no such encounter had ever taken place. Wordlessly, he activated his two dark-arm blades and readied himself. Vyrus saw this as a challenge without any trouble and lifted his sword with a grin.

The fight commenced quickly. Sword to sword, hand to hand—their strength was matched in unusual equality, which only increased Forte’s feeling of déjà vu. He aimed a good blow to Vyrus’ shoulder and caught a moment’s time to prepare himself for the next set of attacks. Vyrus flew up into the air, releasing a flurry of charged cores of energy, silver-purple in hue, from the palms of his hand. Forte dodged effortlessly, gliding up and blocking excess attacks with one of the blades. Even Vyrus’ attacks seemed familiar; he realized that the energy cores being unleashed looked a lot like his own Earthbreakers, which made him terribly suspicious. With an exceptional burst of strength, he managed to shove Vyrus back to earth, and the fight once again resumed with blows from either’s deadly blades.

“Who are you?” Forte snarled, blocking and then lashing out again.

“I am whatever you assume me to be—and yet something else entirely,” Vyrus replied simply, eyes half-lidded to allow a smug look to cross his face.

“That’s not a good enough answer!”

“Well then—what would you like me to say? I could very well tell you a lie and you would believe it like the oblivious fool you are.”

Forte’s dark blade pierced the other’s arm, pinning him against the wall temporarily. Crimson irises narrowing, Forte asked again, “Who are you?”

Vyrus grinned. “You’d know if you found the right people. Why don’t you ask that cobalt navi—Rockman, was it?—and his copycat comrade. I’m sure she might know something. A little more than something, even. Pity she’s in such… agony.”

Forte’s breath caught. So Rockman did have something more to do with this. He remembered the shapeshifting navi and how he’d seen her collapse a few moments after absorbing Vyrus’ programming. That had to have something to do with it.

“It’s sad,” Vyrus began, silver eyes locking with crimson. “That you can’t realize who I am. Look past the exterior. You know me better than you think you do.”

Forte froze, thin pupils studying the familiarity within the silver eyes. Then he felt it—his opponent’s blade pierced the icon on his chest so suddenly that the shock remained long before he finally felt the pain. At that moment, he fell to the ground shuddering violently, clutching at the wound wildly. The pain wasn’t as bad as the freezing chills that sent themselves up his spine. Vyrus’ weapon was definitely different.

“Too bad,” said Vyrus, giving one last look to his red-eyed enemy. “I was so sure you’d be a more worthy opponent.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Always so lost in thought. Focus on reality, Black Shadow. Maybe next time you’ll at least have a chance.”

The words stung him. Forte didn’t take defeat easily. He tried to rise, shaking as if he were freezing to death, and he fell again, falling to the ground in a crumpled collapse. To his dismay, he realized what a sad sight he was. One of the strongest navis in the Cyberworld, now nothing but a bleeding mess at the feet of…Someone stronger.

His teeth gritted in rage at the thought. No. No one was stronger than him. But even as the thought ran through his mind, he could do nothing but shiver uncontrollably as he watched the cruel being take his leave. He would be back. And when he returned, Forte would be ready. The vow was made silently within his mind. To think that one mistake had led to his immediate downfall… the fact that the old scar lay across his chest only intensified the pain and brought haunting memories back into remembrance, burning his mind with regret and hatred. His icy glare strengthened until Vyrus finally disappeared into the fire and smoke, jagged sword flashing in the angry orange glow.

He didn’t know how long he was laying there.

It wasn’t until he felt cold rain sting his face that he realized he was still conscious. His vision was whirling, but somehow he remained awake. Awake to withstand more of his reality’s taunting. Each raindrop brought a painful sting to his already freezing body. Blood was now a pool around him, steadily leaking from the wound on his chest. He wondered if he could get up—if he even wanted to. He tried to move his stiff limbs, but to no avail. He couldn’t feel anything. Or could he? Had his mind been so shocked, so paralyzed that he had tricked himself into believing that he could not move? The downpour began to extinguish more of the fires, lightning streaking across the sky in vivid blue-white flashes.

He heard footsteps. Light, but still audible.

Neck strained to allow him to see over the ground, pain shooting through his muscles like fire. He didn’t have to look far before he saw the approaching figure. The silhouette was easy to make out. A stout katana laid sheathed at the figure’s back, emerald eyes staring out from beneath a purple hood adorned by a gleaming shuriken.

Forte visibly relaxed. He and the purple-clad ninja had become decent friends two years ago after practice fighting viruses side by side in the UraNet. Forte wouldn’t have let him live if the ninja had had a human operator. It had happened that Shadowman’s operator had died only a few weeks before they met up in the dark depths of the UraNet—both only there to wonder aimlessly, if not to take out their rage.

“What are you doing here?” Forte muttered, staring forward at the brick wall of a building somewhere in front of him.

Shadow chuckled, a faint smile appearing beneath the dark violet cloth over his face. “I would say you need to pick your fights more wisely.”

Forte growled under his breath. “Shut up and help me.”

Shadow offered a gloved hand. Forte grudgingly took it, clearly not pleased by having to ask for help. Slowly he forced himself upward, stumbling as another bite of pain shot through his limbs. He hissed out a string of curses and grabbed at the wound on his chest, a fresh trail of crimson slipping through his fingers.

Green eyes studied the gash closely, almost concerned. “…It seems he made short work of you.”

Forte shot him a venomous glare. “He did no such thing. I was merely caught off guard, nothing more.” He limped forward and followed as Shadow began to make his way down the road, then continued, more quietly, “He says I know him.”

Shadow looked thoughtful. “I didn’t see his face. I came up from the UraNet after catching word that the city was under attack. I thought it might be you and one of your little episodes…” he ignored the fierce glare from the other and continued, “But apparently not. What do you mean he says you know him?”

“He said some shit like ‘You know me better than you think you do.’ He has similar attacks to mine—he throws energy much like I throw Earthbreakers.”

“A clone?” Shadow tried.

“No. He has markings under his eyes like mine, yes—only they are red, and one side of his face has two stripes. Silver eyes, black hair; and he does not wear a helmet.”

“A corrupted clone?”

“No. He is not a clone. I would be able to tell. Even a corrupted clone would still have my personality; and I can tell he has far more cruel intentions than I would even think of.” Forte looked up, cold rain still stinging his face. “Shadow, where are we going?”

“To heal you. I have an acquaintance who lives here in the city. She has various healing powers. It should not be a problem to fix your wound up,” he replied, voice steady.

Forte scowled. “I will not allow anyone to heal me. I can deal with this on my own.”

“Stubborn fool. You can’t, and you know this. Stop trying to push others away—all they want to do is help. And yet because you’re so bent on revenge that you know can never be relinquished, you will never find contentment.”

“I never was content from the moment I opened my eyes, Shadow.”

Both fell silent, allowing the sound of the falling rain to envelop their minds.

---

“Meijin… how could this happen?”

The scientist lay almost motionless in the hospital bed, white bandages covering most of his body. The burns underneath ranged from second to third-degree burns, mostly on the upper part of his body from the explosion. His breathing was slow and peaceful, but one would still be able to see him recoil slightly with each breath he took.

Netto was stressed, worried, and had so many questions to ask. But he couldn’t wake Meijin when he was in such pain—he couldn’t bear to do anything to make it worse. Koryu and Meiru were at home, with a concerned Rock, Blues, and Roll trying to keep Nexus under control. She had been shrieking wildly, throwing attacks blindly, as if she hadn’t even recognized them. What had Vyrus done to put her in such a condition? And would it only get worse? The brunette sighed, closing his chocolate-brown eyes. Everything was spiraling downward again. And this time it wasn’t even a human that was causing the trouble—it was a single navi, apparently bent on only causing those around him to suffer. Netto’s eyes opened again, only to narrow in anger at the thought. His gaze softened as he patted Meijin on the shoulder before walking out of the room, stepping out of the hospital into the downpour of rain. He couldn’t do anything for Meijin at this point.

All he could do now was help those who needed it. And so he headed home, trudging, defeated, down the slick streets, feet dragging through the puddles on the edge of the road.

It had begun. And so it would begin, again and again, until the day he closed his eyes for eternity.

---

Author’s Notes:

This is, by far, my longest chapter in Torrent yet. Ten pages, yay. xD Hope you all liked it. I’m starting to get the feel of the story now, so I think it’ll take much less time this swing around to finish the next chapter.

People keep saying I should make this a manga. I dunno. I’m not too proud of my drawing skills, but… who knows? Maybe it’ll happen. We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?

As always, critique and reviews always appreciated. Thank you for reading! n.n
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[JH24]

I really enjoy reading your fanfic, Featherdust. It is very well written and I really like Vyrus as a character, I find him very interesting.


Awesome job! I am looking forward to your next update.

[Midnight]

I...I...

(First off, I apologize for being so tardy on reviewing this. That being said,)

I'm at a loss for words.

You have most definitely made your mark here as one of REO's premier authors, and this chapter solidifies it. The plot was rich and delectable, deep in many points while retaining its sense of flow--it doesn't stall at any point. The few flashbacks that you used in preparing this chapter do quite a lot for backstory--and it gets richer then.

I am a bit concerned about Vyrus's power levels...if it is handled the wrong way, he'll just become one of those villains with absolute power that'll be defeated by a single flaw. In addition, I am also concerned about Nexus's role--even though I know innately taht she is important to the plot, I don't know much about her yet. You haven't spent a whole lot of time going into her character, and I feel that she stands out a lot less that any of the other allies.

Other than that, this was a marvelous read.
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Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Cyril]

This fic is unbelieveable to me. The plot is rich, as Midnight said, and the characters are wonderful. Vyrus makes me want to read more. His past must have been something pretty bad to make him do that...

I find myself having urges much like Forte, for my fanfiction PALES in comparison to this, from any standpoint... (except maybe musical XD) I must work to improve my own writing. Unlike Forte, I'm not going to try and fight you... XD

Good work, cannot wait for further chapters.
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Though some would contest the point that the words I have spoken mean naught, I choose to believe that the words I do speak will reach the souls of all those who choose to internalize their message. Such is with my music, my voice and my own heart.
~Connor Pelkey (Cyril Ookami)~

[Featherdust]

OH DEAR GOD. The lateness of this chapter is just… augh. Been dealing with a lot of bull lately, mostly personal crap, and with all of this school stuff, it’s been a bit difficult to find time to get this typed. Terribly sorry. So here it is! Please review if you can-- I know it’s been awhile, but because of that, I want to make sure no one’s lost interest in my story. So please review if you read! I would seriously appreciate it. Thank youu.

A quick overview of the last chapter, since it’s been awhile: Generally, Rock and the gang picked a fight with Vyrus. Nexus tried to copy Vyrus’ programming structure to mask her identity with his, but something went wrong, and the team was forced to plug out. Forte then made his appearance and did poorly in a battle with Vyrus, ending up with a rather large gash in his chest. Shadow appeared to lead Forte to someone who could heal him. And that’s about it.

Thanks very much for the reviews everyone! ^^ I hope your patience is worth it in this chapter. o_o;

Enjoy chapter seven!

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deviantArt

---

“So, where is she?”

They stood within a well-furnished apartment, walls adorned with paper lanterns and intricate paintings depicting legends of which the average navi had never heard whisper of. Intricate mats lay spread across the floors, and incense smelling strongly of lotus burned on a small table by the doorway. The apartment was small, but bore an air that was strange and foreign, almost as if it were beckoning its occupants to uncover the secrets hidden within. Rain pounded outside and upon the curtained windows, piercing the silence in a dull rhythm.

“Well?” Forte inquired.

Shadow grunted and stepped forward, emerald eyes surveying the apartment briefly. Then he pulled his purple hood back, obsidian hair falling gently in front of his face. “She is here.”

“How do you know?” The cloaked navi’s own red eyes swiveled to and fro, but found no sign of anyone other than Shadow. He winced suddenly as another sharp pain ran up through his chest, and he staggered towards a low chair, collapsing into it and finding himself staring up towards the ceiling. It came to him only then that the ceiling was made of some sort of one-way window—from the outside, the roof had looked perfectly solid, and certainly not of any transparent material—yet from the inside, he could clearly watch the rain droplets patter against the roof. He almost pleaded he wasn’t going delusional. He wearily removed his helmet, allowing violet-purple hair to obscure his vision. He heard a soft laugh, clearly not his own nor Shadow’s, and he jerked upwards out of the chair impulsively.

“No need to be alarmed, Scarred One. I’d rather you not drip blood all over my carpet.”

The voice was feminine, resounding with a slightly amused tone. Forte scowled, but did not make any move to lower his guard. Instead, he went on to find the source of her voice, looking around suspiciously.

“That won’t do you much good.” Suddenly, bright forest-green eyes were staring right back at him, and he gave a start. She was dressed in deep purple, much like Shadow, and her hood was down to reveal shoulder-length black hair. If Forte hadn’t known any better, he would have labeled her as a female version of Shadow. He swayed, confused, then sank back into the chair, his bewildered expression apparent on his complexion.

“Well now, that wasn’t very difficult. And you said he was as mad as a rabid bull,” said the female, folding her arms.

Forte shot a glare in Shadow’s direction. “Thanks for that,” he muttered sardonically.

Shadow ignored him. “He was wounded severely in a fight with Vyrus.”

“Yes, I know—the city’s been under lockdown since nightfall. Is he able to move freely?” she asked, gesturing towards the wounded navi.

“Not necessarily,” said Shadow, “He-“

“Would you kindly stop speaking as if I weren’t here? I’d greatly appreciate it,” Forte hissed, crimson eyes darkly narrowed. “Vyrus caught me in the chest—the blow paralyzed me for quite some time before Shadow happened to stumble upon me.”

The female looked thoughtful. “I see. Do you have any idea why Vyrus was attacking Net City, by any chance?”

“Because he’s a goddamn psycho.”

She sighed and said, “Besides his mental impairment.”

“No. Had something to do with Rockman, I know that much. I’m fairly confident you’ve heard of him. Everyone has,” he muttered glumly.

The other looked at Shadow for a moment’s worth, then turned back to Forte. “Well, maybe you’ll remember more later when you’ve had some rest. Mind letting me see that wound?”

“Actually, yes, I do mind,” said Forte simply, covering his chest with his cloak and crossing his arms.

She looked at Shadow and raised an eyebrow, but the ninja merely smiled and shrugged. “I told you he was stubborn, Trance, did I not?”

Trance turned back to Forte and looked at him sternly, as if trying to compromise with a stubborn toddler. “You’re only going to hurt more if you delay medical attention. If Vyrus’ sword paralyzed you, who knows what lasting effect it could’ve left?”

Forte stared at her for a moment before shifting painfully. “Maybe it was because of the fact that he opened an old scar,” he snarled.

The trio fell unbearably quiet, silenced by the deathly dangerous tone in the cloaked navi’s voice. Crimson eyes searched some lnely corner of the room, and he seemed to distance himself from reality for a moment. “That time… it was never healed.” His next breath seemed to shudder, then he snapped back to the present, eyes focusing once again on Trance. “I think I can heal on my own just fine.”

Trance cleared her throat almost uneasily, but otherwise didn’t seem very phased by his snarling undertone. “This is important.”

The cloaked navi suddenly felt very weak in his limbs. A twinge of panic invaded his nearly impenetrable wall of pride, but he would go through hell over again before he’d let it show. Even so, his vision began to swim, and the world around him became distorted. “There are… far more important things than… just an insignificant scratch…” He felt the ground tilt beneath him, and heard himself curse obscenely before everything blackened out.

Shadow stepped forward, but Trance promptly waved him away. “Don’t worry about it. He only collapsed due to blood loss,” she said, moving the red-eyed navi’s cloak away from his wound. Her tone didn’t sound very convincing, as she wasn’t sure of the exact cause herself, but Shadow considered it good enough a reason not to be concerned. He watched intently as the female ninja’s hands began to glow, and she closed her eyes in concentration. It seemed to take her a good bit of effort just to stop the bleeding, and by the time she managed to seal the wound, she looked exhausted. She had nearly reached her limit before she opened her eyes and gasped sharply, flinching away from Forte. She began to shudder, either from fatigue or pain—or both. Shadow knelt down to support her as she clutched at her head, taken a long moment to calm herself and control her movements.

“Trance… what did you see?” Shadow asked softly.

Trance stepped forward silently, tremors still running through her body. “It’s not what I saw… it’s what I felt.” She looked up at Shadow and searched his eyes; uncanny yet comforting, as they always had been. She sighed and looked away, swallowing hard. “Vyrus is starting another epidemic,” she whispered, hands clenching into fists.

“The infection?”

“The infection, Shadow.” Her thoughts flew back to memories of a darker self, soul warped by the infection the insane silver-eyed navi had spread. She remembered killing without remorse, tampering with the delicate minds of those who had been inferior to herself, weaker. It had been a violent three months of succumbing to the darkness, acting as a mere puppet at some points and suddenly lapsing into episodes of complete insanity, slaughtering those unfortunate to come too close.

Until Shadow came.

Then, with much coaxing, and intolerable pain, she had been pulled from the darkness. It had been said that no cure could be found for the sickness Vyrus had spread; and yet, Trance had become a living miracle, living proof that the plague could be stopped. Even so, those left with the infection had slowly decayed, both mentally and physically—and Trance wondered what could have saved her from such a fate.

Slowly, she pushed the horrifying memories to the back of her mind, and she pulled herself closer to Shadow, resting her head on his chest. “I don’t want it to spread again. I don’t want any of it to happen again.”

“If Vyrus has returned, I’m afraid it will,” said Shadow, feeling her tense against him. He embraced her tightly, and then, pulling backward, he lifted her chin up to look at him. “But you will not suffer a second time. I will not allow it.”

Trance smiled and relaxed a bit, but her features still expressed worry. Shadow stood. “Come, let us talk where we cannot be bothered.” He helped her up, and Trance, knowing he was referring to Forte, gently moved the wounded navi to a comfortable mat in the corner of the room. Then they left the apartment and stood in the main hallway of the complex, looking out at the rainy city through the long, narrow windows running the length of the front wall.

“We have much to discuss,” said Shadow in a low tone, leaning against the wall. “First of which—we need to figure out Vyrus’ motives.”

“He never had motives in the first place,” said Trance bitterly, “He merely enjoyed the chaos he wrought upon all of us.”

“He will have motives this time. He knows what can destroy him, and he knows who can stop him. Once he has those factors out of the way, then he will have intention only to make our lives hell. From what I’ve seen and heard, he will go after the remaining Herufaia members.”

Trance’s eyes widened. “Mockingbird.”

Shadow nodded grimly. “Yes. She damn well better be in a safe place, or she’s already dead. It depends on where she is; I don’t know if the syndicate has even gotten word of Vyrus’ escape.” He looked up. “The chip Silith made. Where is it?”

“She gave it to that dumb beast to guard. I doubt that thing lasted long, even with forty eyes.”

Shadow nodded. “Argauth wasn’t the smartest creature in the world. Brawn over brains, if anything. Even so… Forte mentioned something about Vyrus going after Rockman. But… why? He has nothing to do with this…” He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. “Unless Rockman has one of two things—the location of the Herufaia members, or the chip.”

Trance looked at him. “Rockman doesn’t even know the chip’s function. It could activate at any time, depending on who he is fighting. If he had the chip, wouldn’t Vyrus had avoided him?”

“If Vyrus knew he had the chip, he would avoid physical contact, but fight him for the chip nonetheless. He takes his chances. We’ll go to Argauth tomorrow. If the beast is dead, then I’m assuming Rockman has it. It’s the only likely reason; Rockman doesn’t even know about Herufaia, so I doubt Vyrus would be chasing him for information of their whereabouts. But why would Rockman have the chip? How did he even find Argauth?”

“I think the best measure is to speak with Rockman ourselves,” Trance suggested.

“Yes, I think you’re right. We will go as soon as we hear word of his location. Until then…” he looked back at the apartment, silently switching the topic to Forte.

“Have you told him?” asked Trance.

“Told him…?”

“Have told him about Vyrus?”

Shadow shook his head. “No. To tell Forte now would cause all hell to break loose. He will find out soon enough. He may figure it out on his own, even.”

“Figure out what?” asked a voice behind the door.

Shadow tensed for a moment in alarm, then rolled his eyes. “Forte, go back to sleep.”

Forte opened the apartment door and came out into the hallway, looking rightly pissed off. “If I have something to do with Vyrus, I have the right to know.”

“What makes you think it has anything to do with you?” Shadow muttered.

“Because you won’t tell me, obviously! Might I remind you that eavesdropping does have its advantages.”

“Just because we refuse to tell you something about him doesn’t mean it relates to you. If I choose not to tell you, then find another way to figure it out. You’re smart. And you’re not hearing it from me.”

“What if it becomes something you should’ve told me when I suddenly enter a life-or-death situation during a battle with Vyrus, hmm? What are you going to think when you see me lying dead on the ground?”

“Stop being dramatic. Go back inside.”

Forte snarled, and suddenly his fist came inches away from Shadow’s jaw before the swift navi caught it and pushed him away.

“I said stop being dramatic. You don’t need to waste your energy on me, anyway. Save it for someone who deserves the beating.”

Green eyes glared back at red, and finally, shaking with anger, Forte went back into the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Shadow visibly relaxed, sighing in irritation. “Spirits above, I swear sometimes I mistake him for a moody adolescent human.”

Trance shrugged. “He does have the right to know.”

“He has every right to know, but I’m not going to be the one who tells him. Do you think I want to be the target when he decides to vent his rage? The boy needs some goddamn therapy.”

“Well,” said Trance, chuckling, “Don’t let it rub off on you.”

“Unfortunately, it’s beginning to,” he muttered. He listened intently for any sounds behind the door, then eyes the shadow blocking out half the crack of light that shined out from beneath the door.

“Forte, go to sleep!”

A groan of frustration made itself known from behind the door. Shadow heard him flop down on the mat and said, “We don’t have time to find Argauth tomorrow, Trance. We need to talk to Rockman, and quickly. Then we need to find the location of Herufaia. We have much to do, and the clock is ticking dangerously close.”

Trance nodded. “I understand.”

“And most importantly… we need to find Mockingbird. Vyrus will go after her as soon as he has the chip out of his way.”

“What about Halo? He could serve as a great help to us.”

Shadow fell silent. The question flipped about in his mind for some time, a cold shudder running through his spine before he answered quietly, “I don’t want to talk about him right now. He has his own matters to attend to—if anyone knows where he is, it’s Mockingbird, and if she’s killed, that possibility is out of the question.”

“How come no one from Herufaia likes mentioning him? What did he do?” Trance asked.

“I told you I’d rather not talk about it. Ask him yourself.”

“Very well.”

Shadow nodded, having drawn an end to the conversation. “We need rest for tomorrow’s events. We will discuss this no further, lest we may still have others listening.” He turned and re-entered the apartment. Trance followed.

Forte had finally returned to his mat in the corner, crimson eyes boring into the wall in front of him, tattered cloak wrapped about his arms. He glanced over at them and muttered fiercely, “I’m going after him tomorrow. I’m going to get some answers.”

Trance ran a hand through her hair. “You’re not going anywhere, not until you’re fully healed.”

“Well, you two are clearly going to be gone tomorrow. You think you can trust me to stay here anyway?” Forte asked smugly.

Trance opened her mouth to say something before Shadow interrupted her. “Don’t try to argue with him. He won’t change his mind.”

“So the ninja finally says something right for once. I’m simply amazed,” Forte said with a snicker.

“Don’t get too smart with me, Forte. You’re in my debt right now—keep that in mind before you say something that could get you kicked back out into the rain.”

“I am in no one’s debt,” Forte retorted, but inside his prideful mind, he secretly accepted the fact that Shadow had probably pulled him from some agonizing fate—or the Net Police. He looked back at the wall and sighed, closing his eyes. Visions of Vyrus flashed before him, glowing silver eyes taunting him, laughing at him. And yet, in the cloaked navi’s anger, he could only ask one question.

Who are you?

---

Wild shrieks of rage echoed across the darkness, followed by several cries of panic. Explosions burst from the ground, ashes and debris flying across the server like helpless birds in a storm.

“Get away! GET AWAY!”

“Nexus, calm down! Please! We can’t help you if you don’t let us get near you!”

The wild navi’s mind didn’t seem to register the words as she continued to throw attacks, screaming in a bloodcurdling combination of agony, fear, and anger. Rock, Blues, and Roll were circling around her, continually dodging her attacks and trying to reach her so they could calm her down. It wasn’t turning out to be a very successful strategy. Nexus fell to her knees, gripping the sides of her head. Her breath came in ragged, exhausted gasps, pupils contracted in some manner of insanity.

“Make them stop… make them go away…” she whispered, rocking back and forth. Her eyes wrenched shut as a quiet sob escaped her, limbs shaking.

Rock took a hesitant step forward, eyes locked on her form in preparation to protect himself from a sudden attack. “Nexus…” he said quietly, taking another step. The footstep echoed in the vastness of the empty server, one that the group had transported themselves into in order to prevent the suffering navi from causing damage anywhere else. “I need you to tell us what’s wrong, Nexus.”

Nexus looked up at him, fear-stricken and trembling. “The voices… the memories… make them stop,” she pleaded, reaching a hand towards him in a desperate attempt to find solace. Yet, as she did so, she suddenly slowed. Her hand dropped. Her head tilted downward. Her entire body sank to the floor.

The server was dipped in icy silence.

No one spoke. No navi—nor operator—moved, watching the motionless navi anxiously. Then Koryu spoke. Her voice shattered the silence, echoing across the server.

“Nexus…?”

Silence.

“Nexus!”

The motionless navi’s body suddenly shook gently. She slowly slid upward again, still kneeling upon her knees, face veiled in shadows as her shoulders began to shake was silent laugher. The gleeful chuckling soon became audible, and she stood as if being dragged by puppet strings, hunched over slightly, arms hanging limply. Her laughter stopped, and for one excruciating moment, silence enveloped them once again; and she looked up.

Koryu was the only one to glimpse Nexus’ eye color.

Silver.

The server suddenly exploded in bright light. A surge of power flew from the center of the server where Nexus stood, her laughter becoming ever more maniacal as the server itself began to fall apart. The surge grew, pushing Rockman and the others backwards, and Netto quickly activated a Fan chip to clear the smokescreen. Slowly it cleared, and in the center of a fairly large crater, Nexus stood. Lavender hair fell to her mid-back, and her armor had turned a foreboding black and purple; the v-shape on her helmet had extended to form demonic horns, and two vast dragon-like wings protruded from her shoulder blades, spread to their full extent. Ivory fangs curved over her bottom lip, and claws extended from her fingers. Her silver eyes, shining with inward madness, completed the terrifying transformation. She was an entirely different being, and by the looks of it, had no intent at that moment but to kill. She threw her head back and laughed, looking back at the three navis in the server with a grin. “So who wants to die first?”

Koryu’s eyes widened in shock. “No…. no! Netto! Get Rockman out of there! Get everyone out!”

“It won’t let me plug out!” Netto cried urgently. “There’s a block, a wall… something!”

Another surge of power tore a path along the server, rushing towards Rock and the others. Rock pulled Roll behind him, crossed his arms in front of his face, and braced himself. “Hold on, Roll!”

Netto slotted-in a Barrier chip, but it didn’t do much good. The barrier broke, and Rock and Roll were sent sailing backwards into the ground. Nexus rushed towards them, but Blues leapt in front of her. His sword and her claws met, and Nexus jumped backwards again, sending another surge of energy hurtling his way. Blues jumped to the side, but the range of the blast was far too wide—he was damaged by the attack as well.

The three warriors lay fallen on the battleground. Rock attempted to get up, but the trio had already been exhausted by their fight with Vyrus, and their Health chips were entirely used up. Slowly, he stood, shaking with fatigue, and he faced Nexus with a fierce look.

Nexus giggled, shaking her head. “You are pathetic.”

Another surge of energy was flying at him again. Rock did not move. He held up his sword and braced himself again, squeezing his eyes shut, ready to take as much damage as he could for his comrades. The attack never hit, however. He opened his eyes and saw another winged being standing in front of him, completely blocking the attack with her bare hands. Black feathered wings folded at her back, hip-length black hair trailing out behind her as the force of the attack pushed her backwards. Then the surge of energy completely vaporized, and the new navi pulled out two hand-held guns, shooting rapidly as Nexus darted from crater to crater in the server. The fight commenced swiftly, and it was difficult to keep up with what was going on. Rock was too weakened to concentrate. The black-haired navi was just as fast, finally catching up with Nexus and throwing a kick to the side of her face. Nexus stumbled backwards but recovered almost instantly, slashing at the new navi with her claws. Her opponent dodged each one, keeping up with her agility. Gunshots rang out continuously through the server. Both jumped backwards again, breathing heavily.

“Leave,” the new navi muttered fiercely, pointing the gun at Nexus’ head.

Silver eyes glared, and finally, hissing in rage, Nexus teleported out to find fun elsewhere.

The black-haired navi sighed in relief, holstering her guns and taking a minute to catch her breath. “Damn infection.” She took another deep breath and turned around, her purple eyes catching Rockman and the other two. “What a mess. That bastard better have a good reason for coming back.”

Rock blinked, tilting his head in confusion. “And… Who are you again?”

“My name is Mockingbird.”

---

Author’s Notes:

I love making cliffhangers. xD

Uh, yeah. So. A few things I’d like to address. First of all, in my EXE universe, navis do bleed, so please don’t give me crap about how navis don’t bleed. Also, things may be a bit confusing in this chapter; Herufaia, a chip, an infection, Mockingbird, etc. Don’t worry, all will be explained and connected as the story goes on. Just gotta be patient. And for those who are worried about Vyrus’ power levels, specifically over him being too powerful, he’s a got a few major weaknesses. They will be explained in due time.
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[Midnight]

I'll have to keep that in mind, then.

Well, let me say that I was again quite impressed with how this panned out. The plot is very deliberate--and the breaks in the action smooth and well-placed; nothing seemed out of place or introduced at the wrong time. Do not worry about the times that the chapters come out--I can honestly say that this was worth the wait.

With this chapter more of the plot is revealed, as if the fog of war on an RTS game map were slowly being lifted in places, allowing the reader to link events with seemingly unexplained ones previous encountered in the plot. If that is any indication of how you plan to reveal the upcoming characters, I think that any faithful reader need not worry about the introduction of the new characters and their backgrounds.

Aww, poor Nexus. My only gripe goes with her--I really hate to think that she was only introduced as a vector for Vyrus's infectious desires. I hope that you will eventually at least set aside some portion of the prose to her actual character--one when she is at equilibrium and not under the influence of a foreign being against her will.

This was a marvelous job. Cheers to you!
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Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Featherdust]

School’s out, I got my inspiration back, and the fic’s been taken off hiatus.

…Okay, so most of you probably didn’t know I discontinued Torrent for awhile, but I put so much work into it that I just couldn’t let it die. So, here I am with the next chapter. A quick summary of the last chapter for your convenience:

Forte is taken to Shadow’s apartment to heal and meets up with Trance, a female ninja-like navi with close ties to Shadow himself. The trio discusses matters involving Vyrus and eventually Forte insists to go after the insane navi the very next day, despite Trance’s urgency for his own physical health. In addition, Rock and the rest of the gang are trying to calm the wild Nexus down, but they fail miserably, and she goes completely insane, resulting in a battle that could have been fatal to the trio of warriors. However, a mysterious winged navi appears at the last moment and forces Nexus to retreat.

Still, I would advise most of you to re-read some of the previous chapters. Since it’s summer, Torrent chapters will be coming a lot more quickly, and I’ll be making quite a few references to earlier chapters. I don’t want people to be asking what the hell I’m talking about. xD

Aaand that’s about it. Reviews, comments, critiques, etc appreciated as always.

FF.net - Reviews appreciated here as well. ^^;

Oh yes—language warning, particularly towards the end. F-bomb. All that good stuff. I'm not raising the rating though, I don't think one word used one time is really gonna change anything. Warning you just in case, though. Enjoy! 8D

---

“Mockingbird—nice to meet you,” Rock said with a smile, glancing back with concern at Roll and Blues. “Thanks a lot for helping us out back there, I appreciate it… I’m pretty sure we would have been goners without you.”

“It’s not a first,” the winged navi replied with a sigh, a mixture of worry and fear whirling about in her purple eyes. “Already spreading the infection… damn.” She looked back over at Rock. “Did you happen to be around her when she first started acting this way?”

Rock nodded, though debated on whether to tell her or not. She didn’t seem like a foe, but looks could be deceiving. Hesitating a moment, he replied, “Yes… she’s capable of copying an enemy’s coding in order to warp her appearance and her own coding; basically she can appear as an exact copy of any code makeup she’s absorbed. She tried to use this ability on Vyrus—I’m sure you’ve heard of him by now— but something went wrong. She just… went into this bizarre mental breakdown. Started screaming about memories, voices…” he trailed off and sighed, looking up at Koryu on the screen, who remained chillingly silent.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Mockingbird muttered, eyes narrowing. “I’m inclined to believe he’s got a fair share of memories no one would want to have stuck in their minds.”

“You know him?” Rock asked, taking a step back.

“Better than you ever will.”

Netto looked over at Koryu on the screen, her complexion downcast. Her eyes looked more distant now, deprived of hope. Frowning, he asked, “Are you alright, Koryu?”

She remained ever silent.

Sighing, Netto turned back to the screen. “Mockingbird, what’s this you said about an infection? Is that what changed Nexus?”

“I can’t be sure,” she replied, “The infection doesn’t usually change physical appearance, with the exception of eye color. Hence silver.” She realized everyone—namely the operators—looked tense. “I assume you’ve all just suffered a loss, then. The infection can’t be reversed.”

“What infection? What are you talking about?” Netto asked urgently.

“The Taint Infection, correct?” Koryu asked, breaking her silence.

Mockingbird looked up, deep-violet gaze slightly bewildered. “Y-yes… how did you know? Officials mostly kept it on the low... even though the effects of the infections were fairly obvious in public."

"I've only heard it underground sometimes. As an Official of Mobile City and CEO at Denton Tech, I can pass through protocols such as that easily. But I was only cleanup, so I didn't actually have to fight against it..."

“I see.” Mockingbird paused and studied the group a bit, biting her lip. Telling them everything she knew about the infection wasn’t a wise idea. “Its overall history is extensive, and I’m not even sure if I’m permitted to tell complete strangers about it. I could take you to Herufaia… but I’m not sure if they’ll allow me to do that, either…”

“Herufaia?” Blues spoke up. “That’s a lead I got from two convicts in the Net City prison. They said it had something to do with Vyrus.”

“Convicts?” Her eyes widened a bit. They’re still in prison? She looked away thoughtfully, then turned back. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take you there…”

“The convicts said Herufaia had something to do with Vyrus, though. What?” Blues asked.

“…A lot.” She glared at him. “You’re an official, aren’t you?”

“Why is that important?”

She fell silent, moving away from him. Blues drew Muramasa and took a few steps forward. “This is all sounding very suspicious, Mockingbird. First you claim you know Vyrus—apparently better than any of us—and then you say he has relations to Herufaia, when you have relations to Herufaia as well. What’s worse is the fact that convicts are involved. There’s something you’re not telling us.”

“I’m not entitled to tell you anything!” she snapped, pulling out a pistol in one swift movement just as Muramasa’s pointed end reached her throat. They stood there in a draw for a moment, both of them refusing to move.

“Will you two please stop bickering? We don’t have time for your suspicions! We’ve got to find Nexus and we’ve got to find out how to resolve this!” Meiru cried.

Blues glared icily, though his expression was invisible behind the shades of his helmet. “You’re not leaving this server alive unless you help us out—and tell us the truth.”

“I’ve been honest with you since the moment I spoke,” she muttered, “Now get your ridiculous metal piece of shit out of my face before I pound your face full of bullets.”

Blues pulled away, sheathing Muramasa once again. He looked up at Meiru and then to Netto, accepting their nods of agreement and backing away from the black-winged navi. Mockingbird glared back at him and brushed herself off as Netto’s voice followed her own. “Meiru’s right, you two; we don’t have time to argue or raise suspicions. Nexus is our first priority right now. Any idea where she might’ve gone, Mockingbird?”

Mockingbird shrugged. “Beats me. Probably to Vyrus. Then again, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had the infection.” She turned to Koryu. “You’re her operator, correct? You have any ideas?”

Koryu remained silent for a moment, staring at the desk rather than the screen. “She always loved high places.”

“Well then, we’ll go look at high buildings. Sound good?” Netto suggested.

“Are you really that thick in the head?” said Mockingbird, throwing her hands up. “There are countless buildings in Net City. What makes you think you’re going to make good use of your time searching several hundred tall buildings for a navi of a much smaller scale?”

“Must you make everything ten times more difficult than it should be? This isn’t even any of your business,” Blues retorted.

“You know what, you can go shove that goddamn sword up your—“

“Oooookay, that’s enough,” Netto interrupted, rubbing his temples. “I thought both me and Meiru made it quite clear that bickering will get us nowhere. Perhaps searching several hundred buildings will take a long time, Mockingbird, yes—but since Nexus is our first priority, that time is not being wasted.”

“You’re Net Officials,” she replied bluntly. “Net Officials are supposed to be focused on larger matters at hand; not just one individual. Am I right? I think sunglasses-boy over here seems to know that better than any of you.”

Blues wasn’t sure whether to handle that as an insult or not.

Netto hesitated. “Well… yes. But Blues is Blues. There are certain limits to being a Net Official, for me at least. I will not ignore a suffering friend to shift my attention to other matters. Nexus is just as important.”

Mockingbird nodded. “Very well.”

Netto sighed, relieved. “Alright then. So we’ll head into Net City to see if we can’t get any leads on Nexus’ whereabouts. Our next priority is finding out more about Herufaia and how the infection relates to all of this. Would you be willing to help, Mockingbird? Perhaps you could come with us and lead us to Herufaia later on.”

The raven-haired navi hesitated, averting her gaze to the floor as she replied, “I suppose. I really have other things to do, but if you insist…” she seemed to be avoiding the cause altogether, but eventually relented. “..I’ll come with you.”

“Good.” Netto turned to the others. “Take note that we need to be cautious at all times. I don’t think any of us have a good idea of what Vyrus is planning next. Stay on your feet and be wary of your surroundings. Stay together—if a fight should arise, we can’t afford to have anyone singled out. The effects of this were clear after our last fight—Rock had a gaping hole in his back. Are we clear?”

Both navis and operators alike nodded solemnly.

---

“I think it’s safe to say he’s dead.”

“I can see that,” Trance muttered, walking a large circle around the massive, decaying form of the once mighty 40-eyed beast. The monstrosity was bigger than when it had first been created; back then it had only been a bouncing little baby, with tiny stubs for wings and two simple eyes overlooking his tiny, toothy snout. He could have only been called adorable back then… now he was a vicious, short-tempered killing machine. Rather, had been. Of course, he’d been built for such a purpose. He was meant to be a guardian, something to protect a vital piece of the Net’s survival.

And now he lay at their feet, lifeless—and without the chip.

Shadow shook his head as he knelt down, tracing his finger around the area where the beast’s vital eye had been stabbed. His expression brightened, if only a bit. “Trance, this can’t be a stab wound from Vyrus’ sword.”

Trance looked over curiously. “What do you mean? Vyrus is the only one who knows of the chip’s whereabouts besides us. How could anyone else have gotten in?”

“Vyrus’ sword has devastating effects and leaves very distinctive marks because of the chips carved into the steel. This one is clean… and there’s no outward sign that any infection tried to invade the wound.”

“Alright, I see that—but the question still remains. Who else could know about this place?”

Shadow looked up at the vast hole in the cave’s ceiling above them, exposing the morning’s cloudless sky. Sunlight shone down through the crater and brightly illuminated their surroundings, driving the many reptilian-like viruses back into darker holes within the cave. “Obviously someone did,” he replied, gesturing towards the whole. “Someone blew the ceiling up just to get in. That’s not Vyrus’ style, either. No… it wasn’t him.” He turned back to Trance. “Remember the gate in the human world?”

Trance’s eyes widened.

Shadow smirked faintly and nodded, confirming her thoughts. “Someone found it—someone a little too curious for their own good. Now, who do we know that Vyrus has been pursuing since he escaped the Net City prison?”

“Rockman.”

“Correct. Forte told us Vyrus seemed very intent on catching up with Rockman. As we discussed previously, Vyrus would normally pay no mind to Rockman. I think we both know who has the chip.”

Trance sighed, folding her arms. “But if they were fighting, how come the chip hasn’t activated yet? And your theory still doesn’t explain the giant hole in the ceiling.”

“As also discussed previously, Vyrus was likely to avoid physical contact. In addition…” he gestured towards the open ceiling, “Rock entered through the human gate—but how was he to exit? There is no portal. The best way to explain it? He blew a hole in the ceiling.”

“Sounds reasonable enough.”

But Shadow’s expression turned grave. “However, we face an imminent danger if we don’t act quickly. Rock has no idea what this chip is used for… and if he comes in contact with someone we don’t want him coming in contact with… we could lose this chip forever. Vyrus may be closer to victory than he thinks he is.”

“So we find him, then.”

Shadow nodded. “So we find him.”

---

Net City was quiet.

Normally this would be considered as strange, unnatural—but it was just as Rockman had anticipated. The silence had doubled since the prison breakout; now there were hardly any navis brave—or mad—enough to walk the streets since Vyrus’ recent attack. Even so, it was a rather eerie sight to behold. Rock took a step forward, surveying the streets carefully. A chill ran down his spine as he quickly spotted the collapsed and burnt buildings further down the street. A few meager spouts of flame burned faintly within the ashen remains of that sector of the city, blocked off by vivid yellow tape, but for the most part it looked completely decimated. Rock shook his head sadly, sighing heavily. Vyrus was going to bring this entire city down if something wasn’t done soon. Glancing about a bit more, he waved to the rest of the group to follow him. They made their way down a street to the left, eyes focused heavenwards where the skyscrapers towered above their small forms.

Morning sunlight seemed to brighten the desolate city laid out before them as it reflected off of every window in sight, half-blinding the four navis as they made their way down the street. It wasn’t difficult to develop a bizarre feeling of being watched—someone else was here, obviously, but their location was anyone’s guess. The mission itself soon became a bit of a bore, and eventually, Rock irritably pulled around the corner of an alleyway for the group to recollect itself.

“We aren’t getting anywhere,” he breathed.

Mockingbird rolled her eyes. “I told you it was absolutely ridiculous.”

“I don’t see you coming up with any brilliant ideas,” Blues muttered, folding his arms. “You know, you could just fly over the city. You’ve got wings.”

Mockingbird looked away, wings tightening behind her back. Blues had noticed she hadn’t unfurled them since the moment they’d met. “I don’t fly,” she replied quietly. The group fell silent before she spoke up not a moment after. “We could just let them find us instead of trying to find them. Draw them in—bait, loud noise, something.”

Blues snorted. “They’re not animals, Mockingbird.”

“They’re as close to vicious beasts as one could possibly get,” she murmured, pulling out a pistol and stepping out of the alleyway. She strode to the middle of the road, looked around idly, gave the group another glance, and pointed the pistol towards the skies.

Rock’s eyes widened. “W-wait! I don’t know if—“

A gunshot rang out through the city, easily echoing through the lifeless streets. Rock flinched, startled, before instantly readying his buster for battle. “I hope you have something in mind before we’re all infected,” he muttered. An intense wait followed his words, the anticipation of death, the gripping fear of an attack one could not fully predict. Mockingbird’s hand dropped, her conscience finally managing to pull some manner of panic out from within the confines of her mind. Silence was a powerful tormentor and seemed to only heighten her insecurities.

Of course, in the end, there wasn’t much time to react.

Pain; it appeared quickly and without warning in the form of several gashes down her back. “How nice of you to pay a visit!” Nexus’ cold voice rang out, followed by a cackle. Mockingbird fell, temporarily frozen by whatever strange effects the maddened navi’s claws seemed to retain.

Rock ran to her side to protect her during the brief paralysis as Netto slotted in a Barrier chip. “Nexus, get a grip—you can’t do this! Don’t you remember anything?” he cried as she slashed at the barrier furiously. It broke under the pressure of her strength, increased tenfold by the infection.

“Why don’t you get a grip?!” she snapped, grabbing his throat with one hand and lifting him into the air. Rock kicked helplessly as he tried to pry her fingers away, but he didn’t have to struggle for long. Two gunshots forced Nexus to throw Rock to the side just in time to escape the barrage, but by this time Mockingbird had stood up and began to fire at her rapidly. Nexus darted through the air, managing to narrowly avoid the onslaught.

“It’s no use, Nexus! Bullets are faster than your goddamn claws ever will be!” she shouted over the roar of the gunfire, purple eyes narrowed viciously.

“Looks like someone’s having a temper tantrum… if it’s a fight with guns, it’s a fight you’ll get. Fury Vulcan!” she rushed towards the group as she let loose her own set of gunfire, but not before a crimson blur darted towards her and landed a slash across her collarbone. Blues landed swiftly and leapt upwards once again, but something kicked him square in the chest and sent him flying backwards. As he looked up, he realized the culprit was Mockingbird. “What the hell was that for?!”

“You’ve got to be more careful!” she snapped, “You don’t know if these bullets retain the infection or not—it’s written into her system.” She jumped backwards and avoided another barrage of bullets, landing next to him. “Anything she throws at us could spell infection. You can’t just rush at her expecting to land a safe hit.”

“And what makes you so special? Shouldn’t you be careful, too?”

Another barrage of bullets sped towards them, and Rock landed near them, another barrier temporarily shielding them from Nexus’ attacks. “What’s the hold up?” he asked breathlessly.

Blues ignored him, awaiting a reply from Mockingbird. Her glare told him none would come. Turning to Rock, he said, “Nothing—she was just mentioning that any one of Nexus’ attacks could infect us. We’ve got to be careful.” His tone seemed to mock her in a way, but it was slight, and it went unnoticed. As the barrier began to crack, Mockingbird quickly pulled out three other pistols—now four in total—and within seconds had merged them together like vorpal swords. The barrier shattered and the leapt out into the open as she released a new wave of machinegun-like destruction at the maddened navi darting through the sky a good distance above her. Rock left the barrier to help, but as Blues and Roll were not skilled in that area of combat, they remained within another Barrier. The strenuous gunfire continued for several minutes before a bullet finally caught Mockingbird in the shoulder, causing the gun to fly several feet away.

“Mockingbird!” Rock shouted, running towards her.

“Stay back!” she urged, holding her bleeding shoulder. “Focus on the target! You’ve never faced something with the Infection—you don’t know how difficult this could get!”

“….Drama, drama.”

The gunfire ceased immediately at the cold voice that suddenly invaded the scene entirely. All eyes turned to lay sight upon the being that had started it all, silver eyes staring with unnerving glee at the perfectly chaotic situation laid out before him. He approached them slowly, with monotone, almost timed strides. Sharp gaze turned first to Rock; then to Nexus, interest piqued; then finally to Mockingbird. At this a chilling grin flickered across his pale complexion, but words failed to escape him.

Rockman stepped forward, pointing his buster at the silver-eyed madman. “You started all of this, and you will show us how to fix this!”

“Vyrus,” Mockingbird uttered, voice ridden by quiet contempt, “Why are you starting this again? You know it will lead you nowhere—it’s unfolding the same as last time and I doubt it will end any differently.”

Vyrus waved a finger, smirking. “Last time was different. Last time won’t happen again, and I doubt you will get in my way.” Silver eyes flickered over to Nexus with another grin. "That, and I find it so interesting to see how people change with the infection," he hissed, voice like tainted silk. "Some change for the worse..." he said, running a finger under Nexus' chin, "Some change for the better."

Koryu’s fists clenched protectively. “Stop that! Leave her alone!”

Nexus spun around, shooting her a malicious glare, and snapped, “You leave me alone! I’m my own being now! I don’t follow your orders anymore!”

Koryu’s eyes widened as she froze, shocked—hit with the crushing realization that Nexus wasn’t Nexus any longer. Her hands gripped the table to keep herself from collapsing, her eyes beginning to stare distantly, emotionlessly, is if she were in a trance.

Nexus laughed proudly at this. “You actually loved me that much? And here I was thinking you’d simply get over it—but I see now. You and your ridiculously ignorant human race get too carried away with your pitiful little emotions. Fools, the whole lot of you.”

Vyrus strode to the middle of the outspread group, glancing at Mockingbird and reveling in the tinge of jealousy within her purple eyes. He turned away from her, then slowly began to applaud—of course, no one was sure why. Laughing, his voice rose so all could hear. “Oh, what an accomplishment you’ve made. You’ve come all this way—but for what? A solution that does not even exist. You are truly ignorant,” he addressed the rest of the group, still chuckling. “I honestly expected some manner of a challenge, but instead I receive an unorganized band of dainty little Net Officials out to exterminate me. Am I supposed to be terrified?”

“Cut the bullshit, Vyrus,” Mockingbird snapped, holding up the gun with the arm that hadn’t been shot. “Get the hell out of here.”

“Oooh, demanding, are we?”

“Stop it!” cried Rockman. He turned to Vyrus, but truthfully, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. No one had tried to attack the insane navi yet—were they just too afraid? Was that all that was stopping them? Fear? He realized it was amazing how such a simple emotion could delay them delivering justice to the Cybernet. This wasn’t right.

“Rock, Rock, Rock…” Nexus sighed, shaking her head. “You don’t get it, do you? Your fate is inevitable—I hope you realize there is no use fighting it. The Infection will spread, and soon you—this world—will finally fall to Darkness. And what a day that will be…” she said with a cheery smile, gazing up at the sky.

Vyrus chuckled darkly, lifting his hand to form something shockingly similar to an earthbreaker. “What a day indeed.” With that the earthbreaker was flung into a nearby building, and chaos instantly ensued as navis poured out of the structure in panic. Nexus grinned gleefully, every inch of bloodlust in her memory-ravaged mind enveloping every other thought as she rushed off towards the escaping navis. As Rock, Roll, and Blues followed to busy themselves defending the helpless bystanders, Vyrus turned back to Mockingbird, fingers curling into fists. “My little Birdy,” he purred, strolling towards her with chillingly smooth movements. "Where ever have you been? You know I don't like it when I don't have control," he whispered in her ear.

“Get… away… from me,” she hissed, but making no effort to move away. She had the gun pressed up against his chest, yet made no move to pull the trigger. Her hand shook violently but it seemed to disobey her entirely; she could not pull the trigger no matter how much her mind willed it, and realizing this, she quickly avoided his triumphant gaze.

“Poor, poor little Birdy. Can’t even muster the strength to kill me.”

“Why don’t you just kill me instead of toying with me like I’m some pathetic source of entertainment?” she snapped, pushing him away.

“Oh, but you are.”

“Shut the hell up!” Mockingbird held up the gun again, trying to force herself to shoot him. “Why don’t you go to your toy Nexus, since you’re obviously so fucking infatuated with her?”

“Ooooh, I’m shivering. Is poor little Birdy jealous?”

“No,” she snapped, “'Poor little Birdy' is pissed off.”

Vyrus broke into laughter, stopping short as his gaze narrowed sharply. “You’re pathetic,” he hissed cruelly, pulling away. “You’re pathetic, you’re worthless, you’re not worthy of the position you retain. You can’t even shoot me.” A sadistic grin crossed his pale complexion as he spotted her downcast expression. “Tsk, tsk. Go run home to Herufaia, Mockingbird, where you belong.”

He turned and departed, and Nexus seemed to instantly appear behind him, unsure of whether to follow or not. “That wasn’t fun at all—I hope you’ll have something clever up your sleeves when I come back,” she said to Mockingbird, not turning to face her.

“The infection is spreading!” Vyrus called back gleefully to the others, smiling. “Your time runs so very short.” With a wave of his hand he opened up a temporary portal, stepping inside, Nexus following. “Say hello to Spire for me, will you Mockingbird?”

They were gone.

“Netto!” Rock shouted, “The building’s about to collapse… we’ve got to get the others out of there.”

“I…” Netto stuttered, looking over at Meiru, who was desperately shouting at the screen for Koryu to wake up.

Netto sighed and put his face in his hands. This was going to be a long night. Slowly his deep-chocolate gaze rested upon Koryu. “Look—we can’t dwell on this. Think. Is there anything that could possibly change Nexus back? We know it was the infection; not just that, but something happened when Vyrus’ memories transferred to her. So what do we do?” He wasn’t sure whether to expect a reply from the stunned Koryu.

“Netto-kun!” came Rock’s panicked voice.

“Hold on, Rock—get some more Net Officials over there, the police, something. You can’t do this with just three people,” he replied, focusing back on Koryu.

Koryu breathed out to show that she had calmed down, her eyes slowly refocusing on reality after she blinked slowly. “Possibly… I don’t think you’ll like it, though,” she said in a monotone voice.

“What is it?”

She looked up, her gaze solemn. “He has to try to make a cross with Nexus.”

Netto sighed and looked away, folding his arms. “How would that work? How would it fix anything?”

“The Infection found its way into her Pure Program, which is like Rock’s Ultimate Program—it controls everything about her. If he tries a cross, it will activate the program, and it may fix itself and thus the problem too with some extra power to back up it. See?”

Blues spoke up. “And if it fails?”

“…We’re doomed, pretty much,” she admitted, lowering her head.

Netto sighed again, feeling rather distraught and confused. “Well, until he attempts a cross—if he attempts one at all—we’re going to have a lot on our hands.” He ran a hand through his hair, stressed. “And Koryu. If Nexus does return to her normal self… she’s still going to retain Vyrus’ memories, isn’t she?” his voice was grave, but there seemed to be a tinge of hope behind it. “If we can get her back soon enough and that happens to be the situation, it could prove useful as to finding out where Herufaia is. Since, obviously—“ he gestured towards the screen, indicating Mockingbird had vanished, “We’re left with no leads again.”

Koryu lifted her head. “It’s not like I was dead or anything, I heard. And most likely, she'll keep the memories. If the navi wasn't too important, she could delete them herself; but it would be hard with these ones, what with the reaction we saw from her..."

Netto sat back and thought for a moment.

“Netto, we’ve got backup. They said they can handle it from here—Blues will stay behind and give them a full report.”

“Good,” he replied, a bit relieved. “Okay… what to do. There’s nothing we can do at the moment… we’ve been up all night—we might as well get some sleep. It’s morning already. I’ll call you both later tonight and we’ll have to figure something out. And goddamn it Blues, go find your operator—I think he’s spent enough time with Jasmine, don’t you think?”

Blues nodded. “I’d like to think so as well.”

“I’ll see you all later, then. Look out for yourselves.” Netto grabbed his coat, plugged Rockman out, and left the room. Meiru gave Koryu a quick goodbye and plugged out also, following Netto.

Blues looked up at Koryu, feeling a tinge of pity for the navi-less operator. “We’ll do everything we can,” he muttered, nodding a goodbye to her as well and approaching the Net Police to report.

It felt strange not having a navi to plug out. Koryu merely sat there as she shut the screen off, staring at the blank monitor. Her eyes darted about the room hopelessly, before her silence suddenly shattered and she slammed her fist against the desk, her hand trembling. “Damn it… you can’t do this to me, Nexus...”

She’d been like a sister, and now she was lost in the clutches of some ridiculous infection that didn’t even have a cure, more or less accompanying some psychopath with the intent of showering the Cybernet in utter darkness.

Koryu didn’t know what to do.

---
Eh, I don't like how the chapter turned out as soon as Vyrus and Mockingbird's little dispute took over. I think I screwed up somewhere. Ah well. Please please PLEASE review if you read! I'll love you forever! I spend a hell of a lot of time on these chapters-- I don't write them for nothing. I like to have feedback.

Actually, I'm kinda disappointed with how this turned out as a whole-- I dunno why, but it just... doesn't seem as good as previous chapters. Eh. =| Maybe it's just me, whatever.

Next chapter should arrive sooner than usual. Keep your eyes peeled.
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[Midnight]

Perhaps, but I actually think to the contrary. And it's good that you decided to get back to the fic, since it inspires me to go back to things that I have left for dead.

The initial part of the chapter seemed to be quite good, but it seemed to stagnate a bit. I don't know what to think of it; perhaps I have not read it as thoroughly or as attentively as I had the last part, but from my initial impression of the chapter, the first half kinda stagnated, but the other half of the chapter certainly picked up the pace.

And now you finally introduce Vyrus himself to the protagonists. Perhaps it's because I have been tempered by reading many fics like these with antagonists, but I'm finding him to be rather shallow. His goals seem to be stereotypical and rather simplistic--nothing seems to make him stand out from other antagonists that I have read about. Nevertheless, it's still good to see him in action. I'm hoping that your solution to the problem will be somewhat effective, since it's terrible to think that Nexus only had one purpose in the fic--to act as a mirror reflecting Vyrus's ideals.
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Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Aries the Fire Phoenix]

Forgive me if i never gave a review.....

I love this fic powerfully. Its so.... occult! Ah de suspense is killing me! I must read this over again until the next chapter! I absolutely love occult fics!!!!!(Well.... depending how you put "occult") Oh there are so many good fics and this one is one of them at the top of my list. I am looking foward to the next chapter!!!!

In short....I LOVE UR FIC! XD

Aries XD <3

P.S. Forgive me I'm high on jelly beans XD
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Okay, lets stop abusing sonic now people. XD

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