Overcoming

by Therabidsquirrel

Takes place shortly after Innocense Stolen. Behold the sequel! The team is healing from their last adventure when they come across an abandoned wreckage that holds an evil that may either swallow them whole, or leave Otto to flee for the light.

Overcoming

Prologue

Darkness was his element, the light his enemy. He was master over his element, a 'god' of destruction. He was the one who brought about the end. Life, innocent life, had no meaning to him and as such was worthless. He hated worthless things. Yet he was forced to watch as this worthless thing called life replenished itself over and over, against his mighty will, snuffing out randomly and being replaced. He loathed this replicating weakness, as he was once prone to its downfall and had only mastered it. Life's downfall... no, greatest end; death. After all death was part of his element, part of the darkness, and he thrived in it all.

And the strange little group known as the Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go, was determined to stop his darkness from spreading. After all, the Skeleton King had been one of his greatest achievements. It had taken him years to snare the only one strong enough to withstand his malevolent powers, and then they had to feed his pride to that cursed worm. Nothing was allowed to take the thrill from him. Nothing; not even a being of his own former master! Enraged, he slammed his powerful and mighty fist down upon the armrest of his onyx throne and causing webbed cracks to flee away from the point of impact. A snarl formed in the pit of his throat, his orange eyes glistening in the pitch dark of his home. The monkey team would pay, he'd make sure of it.

The growl ceased, only to be replaced with an unseen smirk as his eyes fell upon the only source of light in his realm of perpetual darkness. There, at the foot of his thrown, lay a small harness with a purple crystal that glowed in a fluctuating rhythm. It was his key to the monkey teams undoing. After all, Chiro really was only human and all humans were easily corrupted. Even ones whose hearts were protected by unseen forces. If he could not have the boys heart, then he could at least have his power. And any power, no matter how strong nor who the wielder may be, could be tainted by the 'god' of destruction.

Chapter 1

Sprx-77 was bored. Not just bored as in he'd lost interest in something, bored as in there was absolutely nothing to do! With a loud groan the red monkey flopped onto his side, only to wince from the pain the action brought. He snorted at this and rolled his eyes. Nearly a month after... after that time, and he still wasn't healed. Nor could he bare to reminisce about the hell they'd all gone through in that prison... He shuddered. It was not a pleasant subject.

He sighed and looked over at the only other occupant in the room with him. Otto was sound asleep on his bed, the two of them still stuck in the infirmary after all that had occurred. Out of the two of them, Sprx had to admit that he was practically better off. Otto had woken up only once, and then he had been delirious from pain and fever, and had screamed as he fought tooth and nail till Gibson was finally forced to sedate him. Since then the little green monkey had always been on the verge of waking but had never opened his eyes or shown that he even recognized anyone's voice. Sprx was afraid that Otto had chosen an easy escape in his mind, rather than face the reality of what he'd been forced to do, and Chiro seemed to agree.

The red robot wasn't positive, but he was sure that Chiro spent more of his time in meditation than could be considered healthy. The teen was bent on bringing Otto back, relying on the skills Antauri had taught him long ago to help him on his quest. Nova would often come to the infirmary to visit and apologize to Sprx for Antauri's lack of visits, as the silver monkey was often helping Chiro in reaching Otto. The little red monkey didn't mind when Nova came alone, in fact he preferred being alone with her, but it still bothered him how long it was taking just to bring one monkey team member back.

Sprx stared at Otto, willing his teammate to awaken, then sighed and stared at the green monkeys hands. Otto's hands were black beneath a layer of bandages Gibson had wrapped around them. According to the blue tech, Otto's hands were broken. This meant that while Otto could still use them, for limited amounts of time if/when he awoke of course, he could no longer turn them into his beloved 'Destructo saws'. Until they got back home to Suggazoom Gibson would be unable to repair Otto's weapons, as most of the parts he needed were found only on their own home world. This was unsettling news, and the worst part was that Otto didn't know nor would he until he finally woke up. Until he finally came back to them. The red robot sighed and shook his head.

"Otto," he called softly. "Come home soon buddy. We miss you." He sighed again and made to turn over, as he expected no response (he and the others had done this many times before), only to pause as Otto stirred. Surprised, Sprx stared as Otto slowly blinked sleepy eyes and took a deep breath before turning his head to look at his red brother.

"Is it time to eat?" he asked wearily, clueless and waiting. Sprx stared at him for only a split second in disbelief before tears came to his eyes and he let out a yell of pure joy, flinging himself off of his bed and onto his brother. Otto grunted as the red robot landed on top of him, hugging him tightly and yelling in his ear.

"Otto! Otto you're awake! You're awake! ALL RIGHT OTTO!! Welcome home buddy!" Seconds later the infirmary doors were open, Gibson rushing in only to pause in shock at the sight before him. An unexpected 'whoop' flew past his lips as he ran to them, leaping onto the bed and clinging to Otto just as tightly as Sprx.

"Otto! Oh Otto!" He couldn't seem to say anything else as he began to cry in joy, and then a gasp filled the air before Nova was standing by his head with tears of her own.

"Otto, you're back!" she whispered, laying a hand on his cheek. The green mechanic stared at her, confused at the all the attention before two more faces came into his view. Antauri was smiling and Chiro was looking as if he were about to collapse even as he grinned down.

"You've been missed Otto," the silver monkey said soothingly. Disbelief filled Otto's eyes before he looked around at each of his teammates. Then his eyes were filled with tears and he sobbed;

"I missed you guys too." A moment later he wondered if he was the only one worried about whether or not the medical bed could actually hold the entire weight of the monkey team.

QQQQQ

It had been a long while before anyone dared to move, Chiro being the first to rise. Unfortunately, when he stood his body finally decided that it could take no more and he collapsed where he was. Antauri, much to everyone's relief, was fast enough to catch the teen before he hit the floor, and placed the teen down on Sprx's now unoccupied bed.

"He's only sleeping," he reassured them, Gibson quickly rushing over to check on the boy. "Nothing to worry about." After a quick scan Gibson nodded in conformation, which caused the other three to sigh in relief.

"Kid actually had me worried there for a sec," said Sprx as he lifted himself up and flung his legs over the side of Otto's bed. He winced from the movement and placed a hand on his side, gaining a concerned look from Antauri and an exasperated look from Nova.

"Sprx, you're supposed to be resting!" the yellow female exclaimed. In response, Sprx gave her a wide grin and nodded at his bed.

"My bed is occupied," he told her. "However if you-"

"If you want to live I suggest that you do not finish that sentence Sprx," Nova growled. Otto gave a sudden shudder, causing his teammates to look at him.

"Otto?" Gibson asked. The green monkey shook his head.

"Sorry. I just... I'm sorry," he said, looking away from them. Antauri stared at him for a long moment before speaking.

"You remember what happened Otto?" Otto's answer was to turn on his side and curl into a ball, his tail curling up with him and twitching in front of his face. It was an action often interpreted as a form of anxiety, and could also be considered a non-verbal form of yes. None of them spoke for a moment, as they had all been silently hoping that Otto had somehow been spared the memories of what he'd been forced to do. For a second Nova looked a little hesitant before she seemed to make up her mind, and she pulled herself up onto the bed and wrapped her arms around their suffering brother. As Otto's shuddering breaths began, Sprx put a hand on the green monkeys shoulder and held on as he began to cry. His howls of pain and sorrow echoed through out the robot for a long time that day.

Chapter 2

The next day Sprx found himself in an interesting position. He and Otto had woken up in the middle of the night, restless and bored, only to decide that they were not going back to sleep and that they should do something till Gibson came in the morning with breakfast. So of course Sprx had gotten up, as he was really the only one able to, and had turned on the light to the infirmary before searching around for something to do. He had been able to find some kind of board game, and after helping Otto out of bed and onto the floor they had opened it and begun their play.

They had actually been on their fifth game (Otto having won three times) when the door opened to reveal a rather perturbed looking Gibson. The blue monkey had chastised them for being out of bed, and when he had begun to tell them why they should still be in bed Otto had opened his mouth. Now Sprx could only stare in wonder as Otto actually fought back with Gibson about being up. Usually it was he who was doing the fighting while Otto would whine and do as he was told. Now that the roles were reversed, he really wasn't quite sure what to do. So he did the only thing a monkey in his position would do. He sat back and watched in appreciation of the fact that for once somebody else was complaining instead of him. It really was kind of fascinating, and he wondered why he had never noticed how Gibson never turned red in the face in a fight. Instead, the blue monkey turned something of a magenta and raged almost like a volcano threatening to burst. The best part was that Sprx-77 had never seen Otto in any kind of real upset, the green monkey being the easiest going of them all. It was interesting to watch as while Otto's face remained passive and cool, his eyes burned with an intensity that warned that he was not going to back down until he had his way. His way of course being that he did not have to go back to sleep. He'd done enough of that thank you and he'd rather play games and have something to eat instead.

It was a verbal volleyball match of 'go to bed' and 'no, feed me' that had Sprx snickering to himself as he lay back against his bed. After finding a comfortable position he closed his eyes, thinking that he would only rest them for a moment. The moment, however, turned out longer than he'd anticipated, for he found himself waking up to the smell of a warm breakfast and Nova's smiling face. When he stared at her, she blushed and looked away while shoving his breakfast further into his face. He'd had to take the plate quickly, otherwise the food would have been dumped on him, and he thanked her with a blush of his own. There was silence as he began to eat, and he looked up to see that Otto was sitting across from him with three plates piled up beside him and a fourth in front of him. Perfectly happy, he was eating as if he had not had food for a month, which was very nearly true. During that time, none of them had been allowed to...

He wasn't expecting the food to turn sour in his mouth, nor was he able to stop himself from gagging on it. Otto looked up at him, surprised, and Nova patted him on the back in worry as he choked the food down, much to the protest of his stomach. He handed the plate back to her, gaining a shocked look from both of his teammates and he smiled weakly.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I'm not really hungry this morning." Otto stared at him, wide eyed and anxious.

"You sure?" he asked. At Sprx's nod he turned sheepish and put a hand behind his head in embarrassment. "Can I have it then?" His plate in front of him was clean. Sprx smiled and nodded his head weakly.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

"Sprx!" Nova's cry made the two freeze and stare at her, her face showing worry still. "You have to eat! You do this every time!" she exclaimed. Sprx crossed his arms carefully over his chest and did his best to shrug. The best he got was one shoulder going up while the rest of him grimaced.

"I'm just not hungry. Don't make a big deal out of it," he told her. Mentally he could have kicked himself in the head. It was the wrong thing to say to Nova, and as if to prove this point the yellow monkey tensed before silently handing Otto the plate and storming out without another word. It was so unlike her that neither monkey spoke for a long while, Sprx closing his eyes and letting his chin rest on his chest. After the pregnant silence he could hear Otto slowly begin to eat again, only without as must gusto as before.

"Why aren't you eating?" The question came out of the blue and caused Sprx to look up and find that Otto was sitting with the fork resting on the plate. What the red monkey had thought was Otto eating, was actually the sound of the green monkey slowly moving the food around on the plate in disinterest. He sighed and tried to shrug again, with the same results as before.

"Can't," he answered quietly. "First I was worried, now..." he trailed off, causing Otto to frown.

"You can't eat cause of what you remember?" he asked. Well that hit the nail right on the head. Sprx winced and looked away, only to stare as his plate was shoved right under his nose. "Don't think about it," Otto said, his face serious and his tone quiet. "Just eat and get strong. You're going to be needed soon." Sprx stared at his brother in shock before asking;

"What did you say?" Otto blinked at him, confused.

"Don't think about it?" he asked, then he smiled sheepishly. "It's the only way I can eat anyway. I just think about the food when I'm eating and that way I don't have to worry about it," he explained. Sprx took his plate and frowned at him.

"I thought you said something else," he claimed. Otto blinked at him curiously, tilting his head to one side before voicing the negative. Sprx could only sigh and stare at his food. "I must be losing my mind then," he muttered, and doing his best to think of nothing else he began to eat.

QQQQQ

When Chiro finally managed to come back, as he had been moved the night before to his room, Sprx was sound asleep on his bed while Otto lay on his own on his stomach. The green monkey had twisted himself around so that his feet were where his head was supposed to be and vice-versa, so that he could read a book as his feet swung in the air. He was giggling quietly until Chiro came to his side and asked; "What's so funny?"

Otto looked up at him and smiled, closing the book and setting it down beside him.

"Nothing," he claimed, grinning. Chiro rolled his eyes and shook his head before looking down at his feet where four plates were stacked up under Otto's bed. Sprx had a plate under his own, and though it wasn't empty it had been cleared of enough to make any of the others happy.

"So, Sprx finally ate something?" the teen asked. Otto nodded, elbows dug into the mattress as he rested his head in the palms of his wrapped hands.

"Yep!" he said cheerfully. "And then he fell right asleep. I couldn't pick him up so Gibson had to try and lift him on his own." Chiro nodded, an image of Gibson struggling with Sprx-77 as Otto cheered him on from the floor popping into his head. He smirked, then shook his head.

"I can see," he said. At Otto's perplexed look he blushed. "Um... I kinda..."

"Merged with the Super Robot to save everybody from certain doom?" When Chiro stared at him for his quick interruption, Otto blushed. "I uh... kinda heard about it..." he mumbled. Chiro blinked at him, then snickered.

"Yeah, basically. Anyway," he shrugged here and stared at Sprx. "I kinda still have a bit of a connection with the robot," he explained. When Otto tensed he paid it no mind and continued. "So, sometimes I can see things that have happened in the robot, and sometimes I can feel what it's feeling. Weird huh?" He looked back at Otto to see the little green robot staring up at him.

"You... merged with me too. Didn't you?" There was a strained silence before Chiro nodded slowly.

"Yeah. You went... You kinda went... crazy Otto," he said softly. "I was so scared that... I didn't really know what else to do and..." he paused for a second, then looked Otto in the eyes. "It was instinct. I didn't even realize what I had done until I was back at the Super Robot. I mean... it was weird! I was... and you were... the power primate..." he shook his head, hesitant and seemingly at a loss for words before looking at Otto once more. "It was almost like that time with Antauri except that, you were physically there with me. When I got to the robot, I did... something... and suddenly you were in my arms and, well, you know the rest." He blushed as he realized that Otto was staring at him in confusion, and he thought back to what he had said. The blush deepened as Otto sighed and let his feet fall on his pillow.

"I went crazy, we merged, something weird happened and we made it back. Right?" At Chiro's nod he smiled again. "Oh! Okay! That makes a lot more sense than whatever you just said," he told the teen with a wave of his hand as he picked up his book and began reading again. His feet lifted up and began swinging back and forth once more as a smile appeared on his face and Chiro's face faltered. If he had been a cartoon character, Otto would have said he had sweat dropped.

"Um, if you say so," the teen mumbled. They sat in silence for a moment until the Chiro cleared his throat. "So, you're okay now? You're hands aren't bothering you?" Otto looked back at him and gave him a weak smile.

"I'll be all right," he said, and a flexed one of his hands. "They don't hurt too much, just sore." Chiro nodded, then sighed as his comm link went off. Tapping it he answered;

"Chiro here. What is it?"

"Chiro," Antauri's voice echoed over the receiver. "The Super Robot has just received an SOS beacon from a nearby cruiser. We need you on the bridge." Chiro frowned, as if thinking for a moment, then nodded.

"I'm on my way Antauri," he said, then looked at Otto. "Watch over Sprx for me, will you? He hasn't been eating right, so he's kinda weak right now." Otto's answer was a grin and a nod, and the teen stood. When he reached the door, however, he turned with a confused look on his face. "By the way. What's so funny about a book on sprockets?" This time Otto's only answer was a laugh that Chiro could of sworn was echoed by the Super Robot. Confused, he merely shook his head and headed down to the bridge. He'd figure it out later.

Chapter 3

The cruiser that lay before the Super Robot was silent and dark, the bright lights from the robots eyes made it shudder and Chiro couldn't help but shiver at the intense feeling of 'wrong' that he got as they came closer.

"You sure this is where the SOS came from?" he asked. Gibson nodded as Nova shuddered.

"Affirmative Chiro. This is the vessel that called for help," the blue monkey answered. "I'm not reading any life forms, however I am reading two very large power sources. I'm wondering if the SOS was sent out and left unanswered for so long that the crew members... didn't make it." There was silence for a moment until Antauri took a deep, shaking, breath.

"We should check it out anyway," the silver monkey said calmly, though his eyes spoke differently. After what had happened with the last ship they'd come across, none of them were all too eager to set foot on another. Even if it was willingly. Never the less, Chiro nodded his head in agreement.

"Right. We need to find out what those power sources are. If they're dangerous we can shut them down. That way we won't have to worry about something worse getting its hands on them." The others nodded in agreement, and then Nova paused.

"What about Sprx and Otto? They're still weak from..." she trailed off and Chiro smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, they can stay here. We shouldn't be too long," he told her. "In fact, why don't you go tell Otto what we're doing while we dock?" She nodded at him, smiling weakly, before rushing to the tubes. Gibson stared after her in confusion before looking at Chiro who smiled sheepishly. "She's worried about Sprx," he claimed. Gibson shook his head.

"She could have just radioed him," he said, turning to the controls to guide the Super Robot in. Antauri shook his head while Chiro shrugged. They'd explain it to him later.

QQQQQ

She had found Otto curled up on his side on the wrong end of his bed, one arm flung over the side as a book lay fallen on the floor. She smiled and shook her head, grabbing an extra blanket before walking to the green monkey's side and covering him up. For as long as she could remember Otto had never slept in his bed the right way. Apparently it was just another one of his quirks, and she was glad that he was feeling well enough to sleep in his 'normal' fashion. As she finished tucking her little brother in, she let a hand rest on his head affectionately and smiled.

"We've got something to check out Otto. We'll be back soon," she whispered, then turned to look at Sprx. To her surprise he was staring at her.

"Hey Nova." His voice was lethargic, his eyes holding a bleary quality that let her know that he was not totally awake yet. She forced a smile at him, her eyes falling to the plate by his bed before looking back at him.

"I see Otto didn't finish your breakfast," she ground out. A deep inhale answered her before Sprx turned away from her.

"No," he mumbled. "Jerk made me eat it." There was no real malice behind his voice, though she still ended up being surprised. She walked over to her red teammate and sat down on the side of his bed, facing him.

"You okay?" He grunted at her before speaking.

"Brain strain gave me somethin'. Made my head feel funny." She shook her head.

"It's just the sedative. It'll wear off in a little while. You should get some sleep," she told him. A slight snore was her only answer and she shook her head with a sigh. "Idiot's probably not gonna remember we even spoke," she mumbled before pausing. Sprx was flat on his back, his head turned to the side away from her as he slept. Otto was asleep and the others were busy on the bridge so...

She leaned forward, hesitant, before steeling her resolve and planting a kiss on Sprx's cheek. It was quick, and she jerked back immediately as if stung, but it gave her a warm feeling and she smiled.

"I'll be back soon Sprx. Promise," she whispered, and with that she leapt up and left the infirmary. She completely missed the pleased smile that made it's way over the red monkeys face as she went.

QQQQQ

Sprx-77 awoke sometime later to find that the infirmary lights were still on and Otto was up, playing with a flashlight. Said flashlight was on and shining right in his face, which caused the red monkey to growl.

"Otto, what are you doing?" he ground out. Otto laughed sheepishly and turned the light off, leaving Sprx to try and blink away the large spots that now danced in front of his eyes.

"I was making a new flashlight, so when Gibson turned the lights out... we wouldn't have to get up?" Sprx frowned at this answer, rubbing his eyes.

"We'd have to get up anyway to find something to do. Why bother?" Otto didn't reply for a moment, playing with his new flashlight gingerly in his hands. Sprx noticed this and frowned deeper. "Give your hands a rest. Gibson's gonna freak if you mess 'em up," he warned. Otto sighed and did as he was told, placing the flashlight down next to him and laying his hands in his lap. He mumbled something while Sprx was blinking his eyes widely, which caused the red monkey to pause and stare.

"What'd you say?"

"I said... I'm scared of the dark." There was silence for a moment.

"You never used to be," Sprx said slowly, then shook his head. "Well, not totally afraid. Is it because of... you know?" A slow nod answered him and he sighed, rubbing his forehead as the rest of the dots finally went away. "So, you made a super bright flashlight?" he asked. Otto suddenly smiled at him then and nodded vigorously.

"Yep! I made it ultra bright so you can see everything, and I also gave it a replicating energy source so you never have to worry about the battery dying!" Sprx blinked at him for a moment, then said; "What about the bulb?"

"Huh?" The curious look on Otto's face made Sprx hang his head.

"You know. The bulb? How do you plan on keeping the bulb from burning out?" he asked. Otto stared at his new flashlight, confounded, before picking it up and staring at it.

"I don't know," he said, twisting it around before facing the bulb at his face. Then, without thinking, he turned the flashlight on. His cry of shock and surprise would have made Sprx groan and hang his head at the complete stupidity of the action if he had not been laughing hard enough to make his still healing ribs ache. Otto didn't find the situation nearly as funny, and in retribution he shone the light in his brothers eyes again. This gained a cry of shock and surprise from the red monkey, before a well aimed pillow slammed into Otto's face. Thus began the pillow fight to end all pillow fights.

They had been slamming each other with their respective pillows for quite some time when a strange moan echoed through out the Super Robot. Sprx paused, startled at the sound, while Otto dropped his 'weapon' and began shaking violently.

"Sprx..." he whined, afraid, before the Super Robot gave a great lurch. The two robots fell to the floor as entire room suddenly shifted and the lights went out. Only a second later Otto began screaming.

Chapter 4

It took Sprx-77 a moment to not only locate his panicking brother, but to find the flashlight said brother had made as well. Finding Otto was the easy part as not only did his eyes glow in the dark, but he was screaming and calling for Chiro in terror. Once Sprx had grabbed his brothers arm, the green monkey quieted to a whimper and clung to him. Then Sprx had to stumble around till he found the flashlight, as it was hard to wonder around with still tender ribs and a teammate clinging to him as a child would his security blanket. Fortunately the flashlight was found rather quickly and turned on. As Otto had promised, the light filled nearly every corner of the room almost as if it was daylight. Pleased, Sprx smirked.

"Hey Otto, this light of yours worked better than I thought it would!" he said. However, when he turned to see the others reaction, he was startled to find that Otto was visibly shaking with wide terrified eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Chiro," Otto gasped. "Chiro's gone. Chiro's gone!" He looked at Sprx for the first time, panting. "Chiro, we need Chiro!" he cried. Sprx frowned, then nodded.

"Fine. Let me contact Antauri and find out what's going on." Otto nodded at this, still clinging to Sprx's arm. The red monkey shook his head and opened his communicator. "Sprx to Antauri, Antauri come in." He paused for a moment and frowned when no immediate answer came. "Antauri, Nova, Gibson. Anybody there? Chiro?" This time static returned, which immediately changed to a loud piercing sound, like nails on a chalk board, that caused Otto and Sprx to cry out in pain.

"Turn it off!" Otto screamed over the noise, his voice panicked once more. "Turn it off, Turn It Off, TURN IT OFF!!" With each cry, the terror in his voice grew. Sprx cut off his communicator and sighed when silence filled the air, then turned to Otto. He was surprised to find his brother kneeling on the floor, hands over both ears as he rocked himself back and forth, giving a strange sort of keening whimper.

"Otto?" He kneeled next to the little green mechanic and placed a hand on his shoulder. When this gained no reaction he found himself at a loss for what to do. Nova was really the only one who knew how to comfort any of them, he was just her back up. He helped her comfort the others, but he never did it on his own! Heck, Chiro knew what to do better than he did and he was just the kid! That and he wasn't feeling all too comfortable with this situation either. With a sigh, Sprx leaned forward and rested his head atop Otto's and waited as his teammate sobbed incoherently to himself.

"It's gonna be okay little brother. It's gonna be okay." Silently, Sprx prayed that he would not be proven wrong.

QQQQQ

Fifteen minutes and a box of tissues later found Sprx and Otto slowly exiting the now silent Super Robot onto the dead cruiser ship. The flashlight was helpful as it lit up the place and caused the ship to groan as if in protest. Sprx didn't like the sound nor the strange sense of forbidding it gave him, and Otto merely clung tighter to the red monkey's arm. They stood in the massive hallway and shown the light down each end before Sprx-77 sighed.

"Okay, so which way do we go?" he asked. He was startled when a bandaged hand appeared beneath his nose, pointing to his left.

"That way," said Otto, his voice muffled due to his face being buried in Sprx's shoulder. The red monkey sighed and shook his head.

"Otto, you can't hide your face like that," he groaned, jerking himself out of Otto's grasp and walking away. Otto's gasp made him tense and he was not let down, for Otto rushed after him and clung to his arm again.

"Don't do that!"

"Do what? Free my arm?" Otto gave him such a heartbroken look that he quieted and paused. "Sorry," he muttered. Otto sniffled.

"Please don't leave me alone," he whimpered, terrified. Sprx gave him a probing look, then sighed and threw his arm around the green monkey.

"All right then. How about you hold onto the flashlight? Fair trade if I gotta hold on to you, don't you think?" Otto didn't answer, but took the light as they continued down the deserted and crusty hall. There was silence until the green monkey whispered; "Hey. You think we'll find some kind of mutated rat or something?"

"Ugh. You've been watching horror movies with Chiro again haven't you?"

"No!" Silence, then; "Well... there was that one time..." Sprx's laughter echoed back to the Super Robot and died away as they moved further from it. The Super Robot did not move an inch.

QQQQQ

They had been walking for a while, and Sprx felt like he was about to drop. Several times the cruiser had given massive shakes that had thrown he and Otto to the floor, the entire ship screaming in protest, and it had caused Otto to land on top of him more than once. His ribs were aching, his legs felt like jelly, and Otto was practically pulling him along. The green monkeys tail was once again twitching with anxiety, the little mechanic now terrified not only by what he was hearing and what he remembered, but also by what he may or may not find. Sprx-77 wasn't really sure what was bothering Otto anymore, and at this point he couldn't really care. It was starting to hurt to breathe, and he really needed a rest.

"Hey... Otto?" He had to hold his side as he spoke, causing Otto to look at him worriedly. "I've gotta sit down Otto," he said, heading towards a wall and leaning against it. Otto tensed as Sprx moved to sit, only to stop the red robot halfway.

"We can't! We have to find Chiro and the others Sprx!" he exclaimed. Sprx grunted, his eyes closed.

"We'll find them. Just give me a minute," he strained. Otto gave a sound of discontent before turning himself away from the red robot and walking backwards till he was an inch away.

"Climb on. I'll carry you," he ordered. Apparently fear had given way to blind determination, and Sprx found himself doing as he was told. With Otto carrying him, they continued through the ship, the green monkey turning down random halls as if he knew where he was going while Sprx dozed.

It was after Otto had entered a hallway that was littered with debris that Sprx came around enough to realize that there was something very wrong. One side of the hall was covered in twisted and fallen metal while the other was a gaping hole. Sliding off of Otto's back so he could investigate, he found that this gaping hole continued on to what he could only assume was the center of the ship. Not having the light, he couldn't see more than two or three passage ways into the destruction but he could tell that this was very new. A gasp from Otto made him turn, and he saw the green monkey holding the flashlight with his tail as he began digging through the debris with a panicked look back on his face. Curious, Sprx neared the wreckage only to gasp at what he saw. There, underneath the metal, was one of their teammates hands.

"Nova..."

Chapter 5

Despite the pain in his side, Sprx-77 had thrown himself into helping Otto lift away the debris covering Nova, grunting as he lifted away large slabs of wall and refusing to ask for help as Otto skittered around, clearing away pieces here and there. When they were finally able to lift away the mess of wires and wall that had covered her head, they were relieved to find that she was unharmed. They were even more relieved when she opened her eyes and smiled at them saying; "Hey guys. Thanks!" Sprx had managed to give her a happy smile of relief before his body finally had enough and called it quits. He fell, gaining a cry from his two teammates, and was caught by Nova as she leapt up at him. She checked him over as Otto hovered over them both anxiously, before looking up at her green brother.

"He's completely out of energy!" she exclaimed. "What happened?" Otto's lower lip trembled, and he opened and closed his mouth, unable to speak for a moment. Then;

"The ship kept shaking, and we kept falling. I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to fall on him Nova I swear! I even carried him part of the way when he got too tired. I'm sorry Nova, I'm sorry!" He was in a terrible state of upset, and Nova wasn't sure if she was in any kind of condition to deal with such an emotional breakdown. Clutching Sprx to her, she shook her head and gave the little green monkey a weak smile.

"It's okay Otto. Sprx will be fine. Can you do me a favor though?" she asked. Dumbly, he nodded at her. "Take Sprx and sit over there," she pointed to a portion of the wall that was not demolished. "While I dig Antauri and Gibson out of all of this." Otto nodded once more, taking the red monkey from her and dragging him to where she had pointed. She then turned and was about to slam a fist down, when Antauri forced his way out of the wreckage. He spotted her immediately and called out to her.

"Quickly, I cannot reach Gibson and he is panicking. I need your help!" She rushed over to him without hesitation.

"I'm on it!" Together they forced away metal and wires, only to find Gibson huddled over and clutching his head as he whimpered and rocked himself. After calling for him did nothing, Nova ended up having to crawl down to where he was and wrap her arms around him. He did not cry, but his breathing did even out as she soothed him until he was calm once more. Shaking, he allowed Antauri to take his hand and lift him out of the hole he'd been buried in before he spoke.

"I never want to do that again," he muttered, rubbing his arms before his eyes fell on Otto and Sprx. He gasped, rushing over to his teammates as Antauri helped Nova and then followed. "Otto, what happened?" Otto looked at them, a strange sort of fear in his eyes until Nova spoke.

"Sprx ran out of energy, and I'm guessing that when we were attacked they were unable to keep their balance. He must have re-injured himself," she explained. Otto bowed his head.

"I didn't mean to fall on him," he muttered. Gibson stared, opening and closing his mouth in shock before shutting it and taking a deep breath.

"We'll have to take him back to the Super Robot. I cannot repair him here," he said. Otto's head jerked up and his hold tightened on Sprx.

"But what about Chiro? He needs us! We need to find him!" he cried. There was silence for a moment and he felt a shudder run down his spine as Antauri fixed him with a hard stare.

"We will find Chiro Otto," the silver monkey told him. "But we must get the two of you back to the Super Robot, as neither of you are in any shape to help us combat this new foe."

"But..."

"That," the silver monkey interrupted, "and you and I need to have a talk. There's something you haven't been telling us Otto, and I need to know what it is immediately." At that moment Otto remembered why Antauri was second in command. When the silver monkey was in this state of mind, no one could dare to tell him 'no'. Therefore the green monkey found himself unwillingly nodding his head and allowing Nova and Gibson to take Sprx from him. As much as he didn't want to say anything, he really needed to know what was going on, and his red brother really needed help.

QQQQQ

He wasn't really sure how long he'd been sitting in Antauri's room, the silver monkey floating before him with his eyes closed and his hands clutching the sides of the green monkey's head. All Otto knew was that he was becoming very uncomfortable. Some of the discomfort came from his natural inability to stay still for very long, while the rest of it came from a long line of feelings that came with the thoughts and memories Antauri was currently sifting through. Antauri, for his part, was wearing a scowl that threatened permanence and was twitching ever so slightly. Nervous, Otto clenched his fists and began studying his brothers face. To distract himself from what was happening inside of his head, he let the mechanic side of his brain run through lists of what he could perfect on Antauri's new and much shinier form. At the moment, the mechanic was grumbling that the only thing he could really do to make Antauri better would be to shine down the metal and get rid of all the dirt, grime, and scuff marks that had accumulated recently.

'Chiro did a wonderful job putting Antauri together,' he thought. The sudden smirk that appeared on Antauri's face made his mind freeze and he started when the silver monkey opened his eyes.

"I agree Otto. Chiro did a magnificent job on this new body of mine." Otto's reply to this was a rather sheepish grin, which was quickly replaced by a look of worry.

"So... did you find out what you wanted to know?" he asked. Antauri gave a short nod.

"Most of it anyway," he replied. "All though I do find it strange that you would keep a connection to the Super Robot." Otto nodded at this.

"He told me that it was pretty strange too," he said, not noticing the strange look he gained from Antauri due to this comment and continuing. "But he didn't try to get rid of it. He said he liked having someone to talk to."

"He who?" Antauri's question caused Otto to blink.

"The Super Robot of course!" he exclaimed. He paused at the shocked look his silver brother gave him.

"You mean... you can speak with it... I mean him?" At Otto's nod he 'hummed' softly. "I was unable to detect that ability when I was in your mind. However, with the link you have with Chiro I was able to make a brief contact with him."

"What happened to him? Where is he? How is he?" Otto's questions seemed to catch his older brother off guard and caused Antauri to frown in confusion.

"You mean you cannot sense him at all?" he asked. Otto took a breath, a look of concentration on his face, before the breath turned into a forlorn sigh and he shook his head.

"I could, but now... It's like he's too far away," he mumbled. Antauri's look turned dark and inward.

"Chiro is in a dangerous place right now," he said. Otto stared at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Then; "Antauri, you have to tell me what happened! What happened to Chiro? Where is he? Why can't I feel him or sense him or whatever it is you call it? What in Suggazoom is going on?" Surprised by his teammates outburst, it took Antauri a moment to recover and give Otto an answer. The answer, however, was not something he really wanted to share with the recovering monkey.

"Before I tell you anything," the silver monkey said slowly. "I want you to promise me that you will not go back onto that ship and you will remain here until Nova, Gibson and I return with Chiro." He paused, waiting as Otto glared with a perturbed expression. "Promise me Otto."

"You can't make me," Otto all but growled in return. "You can't make me promise to not go after Chiro. He came after me! He didn't leave me, I won't leave him!" His voice had begun to rise and he was all but yelling when he was done speaking. There was a look in his eyes that made Antauri sigh and admit defeat. This Otto was determined and set. Obviously there would be no swaying him.

"Then you must promise to stay with the team and not run off on your own. When I tell you to back down, you will do as I say." There was a pause in which Otto set Antauri with a withering glare, one which the silver monkey returned in kind. "You have no weapon with which to fight Otto, you cannot defend yourself in battle, nor do you have the strength to fight hand to hand. Promise me that you will do as I say once we leave the robot and I will proceed with telling you what happened," he promised. Otto's tail began to twitch nervously and the green monkey replied;

"Only if you promise not to send me back inside the Super Robot once we board the ship."

"I will only do so if it is an emergency or when we retrieve Chiro." When Otto gave him a look, Antauri frowned. "It's the best you're going to get from me Otto, I do not wish to lose you." Otto sighed and nodded.

"Then I promise," he mumbled. Then louder; "Now tell me what happened." Antauri sighed.

"This entire ship, was a set up," he explained. "I do not understand why I did not immediately sense it, it should have been obvious, but never the less I was not truly aware that anything was wrong until we were attacked.

"We had made it as far as the center of the ship, where the darkness seemed to gather as if it had a mind of it's own. It did not like our lights and lashed out as us as if trying to snuff them out. We tried to fight back, but it was futile as none of our attacks caused any kind of damage to our enemy." Antauri seemed to withdraw on himself as he spoke, his eyes growing distant as his memories replayed themselves in his mind.

It had only been shadow that had attacked them, taking out their lights as quickly as it could and plunging them deeper into darkness. His fear had nearly overcome him then and he'd had to fight for breath seconds before he could begin to fight to get nearer to Chiro. The teen had fought well but with the lights out the shadows grew ever more tangible and had begun wrapping themselves around the boys arms and legs. As soon as he became aware of this fact Chiro began fighting to free himself, and as Nova and Gibson fought to push back the shadows that sought to pummel them down Antauri tried to get near his student/leader. He'd been able to free a leg when a strange purple light appeared out of the void around them, leaping over Chiro's head before strapping itself around the boys chest. Chiro's eyes had gone wide and empty the moment this strange light (or crystal as it had turned out to be on a quick inspection) had laid itself upon him before his entire frame shook and the Power Primate sent out a frightening backlash that felled everything close by. Antauri, Nova and Gibson had gone down immediately, unable to stand, and the ship had shook so badly that the silver monkey had wondered if it were going to fall apart. The darkness had reacted almost immediately, rushing with a howling scream into the crystal that was strapped to Chiro's chest by what they realized was some kind of harness and allowing them to see that they were in a domed sort of room with nothing more than a rusted metal throne at the center.

Gibson had been shaking, Nova had been frozen and Antauri... he had been terrified. The Power Primate that flowed through him and spoke with him was... no longer there. It was as if Chiro had reached out and taken it away, into himself. This worried the silver robot, and as he focused his blue eyes on the teen he received a shock. Chiro was floating two feet above the metal floor, his legs dangling down with his back arched and his arms spread eagle. His head was thrown back, his mouth open in the form of a silent scream as his eyes stared out at nothing. He did not move, he did not blink, and when Antauri called out his name he did not answer. It was when Nova had rushed forward with a tear-filled cry that Chiro finally moved, his head jerking up and his eyes glowing a terrifying white. His mouth had changed into a tooth-bared snarl, his entire face contorted and ugly with a look that spoke of no recognition and hatred. He'd brought his hands forward, slowly as if in pain, and formed a ball of purple energy laced with green and black, which he aimed at his teammates. Nova had turned back to Antauri then, a cry from her lips lost to him as the air grew hot and filled with a strange scream of twisting metal. He had turned to Gibson, who's eyes were filled with terror, and had run to the unmoving monkey in order to get him out of the way. Unfortunately, it had been a futile effort as the blast had hit them and sent them soaring. Fortunately, however, the green in the blast had done two things that Antauri had managed to catch before blanking out. Part of the green part of the blast had surrounded them with comforting familiarity, while the rest of it had turned back halfway and slammed into Chiro. The teen had given a bloodcurdling scream as he had been flung back and through a wall behind him. That was the last Antauri had seen of the boy, and the last thing he'd remembered before finding himself buried under pieces of the ship with Gibson curled up in terror nearby and separated from him by debris.

"Through your connection to him, I was able to make contact with Chiro," Antauri explained, coming back to himself after practically reliving what had happened earlier. "He did not notice the contact, nor did he recognize my voice. He is fighting for his sanity Otto, and I'm not sure he is winning." He paused, watching as Otto's eyes suddenly became hard. "He could easily become our enemy."

"Then we need to get to him now," Otto growled. "The sooner we find him, the sooner we can save him!"

"It will not be that easy Otto," Antauri explained, concerned. "This battle is happening in Chiro's mind! I was unable to stay long before the darkness pushed me out."

There came a massive shudder through the Super Robot then, causing both monkeys to cling to the floor and gasp in surprise. The silver monkey stared up and around, unsure of what was happening until a familiar feeling swept over him.

"Chiro!" Otto's eyes suddenly became wild, and as the shaking ceased he leapt up and ran for the door.

"We have to go! The Super Robot said that the cruiser is starting to fall apart!" he cried over his shoulder. Antauri barely had enough time to call for Nova as they ran to one of the tubes before Otto was outside the robot. He was glad the green monkey remembered to wait for his teammates, but was unsure what was driving him. Was it just his own concerns and fears, or that of the Super Robot?

Chapter 6

Chiro was terrified and in pain. He had no idea where he was, but the screams were so loud...

He had his head clenched in his hands as he rocked back and forth, whimpering. His world was made up of the voices that had appeared out of nowhere. One was particularly loud, screaming obscenities and promising death in a hateful and abrasive voice. There was no face to it until he opened his eyes where an intangible form sneered at him with twisted features and horrible yellow eyes. It would stare him in the face, yelling with decayed teeth snapping at his nose. He'd twist away, covering his face and shiver. He didn't know what else to do, for fighting had gotten him no where. The voices... some of them would laugh and mock him, while others would scream and cry in torment. He didn't want to hear any of the voices anymore, he just wanted to be left alone. He wanted to go to sleep and make it all stop. Chiro wanted silence.

QQQQQ

Morgan, a tall robot shaped like a bull with red glowing eyes, walked up to the boy curled up in a ball in a corner of the crumbling cruiser. His feet clanked with each step, and he paused inches away from the teen. Bending down and resting his arms on this knees Morgan watched as the humans skin changed from a healthy peach to a deathly gray, sweat appearing on the areas of skin that were not covered by clothing. A whimper escaped pale lips, and deadened eyes opened slightly to stare without seeing. The breathing became ragged and panicked before the human boy cried out like a scared animal and turned away, withdrawing further into himself. He started rocking then, as Morgan watched and observed, whimpering and mumbling to himself. Morgan snorted, his eyes narrowing.

"The sooner you die little boy, the sooner you can be at peace," he growled. A sob was the only answer he received before he grew impatient and stalked away. As his footsteps disappeared, Chiro gave a loud sobbing cry and shouted; "Somebody help me! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" The crystal on his chest lit up brightly before a wave of black and green power lashed out, causing the ship to shake and part of the ceiling to crumble down in the center of the room. A moment later Chiro looked up, eyes glowing an unearthly purple before his mouth opened and a voice not his own screamed;

"MORGAN! HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME!"

Chiro's eyes returned to normal and he shut them with a scream of fear and pain before he began rocking himself again, unaware of what he'd just done but aware that something was happening to him. Something evil.

QQQQQ

While Nova, Antauri and Otto made their way through the cruiser to find Chiro, Gibson stayed in the infirmary with Sprx-77. The little red monkey was in considerable pain and the blue technician was doing his best to help him. Thus he was so concerned with the fate of his brother that he did not recognize the slow movement of the Super Robot rising and moving back away from the cruiser. The large eyes of the Super Robot seemed to be following something and it moved itself around as if guided by an unseen force.

Inside the ship Otto gave a slight nod of acknowledgment as the Super Robot contacted him before turning to Antauri and saying;

"The Super Robot told me to tell you that he'll be waiting for us and Chiro. He said not to worry about finding a way back!" Nova gave him an odd look as a look of confusion filtered over Antauri's face for a second before being replaced with determination.

"Understood," the silver robot said cooly. "I shall trust in your judgement." Otto frowned, confused, then nodded slowly as the three flew into the hole that Nova, Antauri, and Gibson had been pushed through by Chiro's attack. Nova merely gave her brothers strange looks before shaking her head.

"Does anybody want to explain what's going on to me?" she asked.

"We're going to save Chiro," Otto answered promptly. She glared at him before Antauri spoke up.

"Otto has a connection to the Super Robot through Chiro," he explained. "They can communicate to each other."

"So you can talk to Chiro?" Nova's eyes lit up with such hope that Otto had to turn away and fly ahead quickly to ignore it. He heard Antauri voice the negative to his sister, but it nearly broke his heart that he had no contact with their missing leader.

"Chiro is fallen, and has fallen deeper. We must bring him to the Lightgiver Otto, as I brought you. Otherwise, there will be no saving him," came the calm voice of the Super Robot.

'But how?' Otto asked in reply. 'What if it's too late?'

"As long as he is still alive there is hope. The Maker has plans for him, we must rescue him and bring him to the Lightgiver. Remember the promise Otto. You have no reason to be afraid. 'Remember' the promise." Otto shuddered as they flew through dark rooms in silence, Nova staring forward with a look of determination and sadness in her eyes while Antauri was unreadable.

'I'm afraid of the dark Super Robot,' he admitted.

"Do you have so little faith? You have nothing to fear, the Lightgiver has given His promise to you. He will never break His word. Go and do not fear the dark for you are one who resides in the Light, and in the presence of the Light the Darkness can not stand." Otto 'said' nothing to this, only pressing on in hopes that they would find Chiro soon. Despite what the Super Robot was telling him, he could not shake this terrifying fear that gripped him and he doubted he ever could.

Next to Otto, Antauri gave the green monkey a quick sidelong glance before reaching out and putting a hand on his brothers shoulder. He did not know what was going through Otto's mind, but he knew of the fear that held his brother and felt it himself. When Otto looked at him the silver monkey gave him a comforting smile.

"Do not forget that you are not alone," Antauri said quietly. On the other side of him, Nova echoed his calm words with a comforting smile of her own. Otto could not help but smile weakly in return before taking a deep breath. Then, their engines lit up with a burst of speed and the three monkeys traveled faster towards their goal.

"No Monkey Team member is ever alone," the Super Robot whispered. Otto could only nod in reply.

Chapter 7

Chiro was alone. He was alone in such a way that hope had fled and darkness had completely descended all around him. The voices were still screaming, and the face was still leering, but no longer at him. There was a small green flame tinted with silver burning within him, calling to him and fighting off the darkness within him as best it could as if trying to get to him. But the green flame did not have the strength to banish the evil surrounding Chiro and was therefore unsuccessful at nearing the boy.

Someone is coming.

Chiro drew a sharp breath at the words that had no sound. They came from everywhere and nowhere, a sense of malevolency dripping from them. The green flame was pulsing faster now, pushing out more and ignoring the fact that it was continuously being beaten back. Watching it, Chiro wondered at its determination and began to question his own resolve. Slowly, and fearfully, Chiro began fighting back.

The darkness only laughed.

QQQQQ

Otto's head was beginning to ache as they entered the domed room Antauri had described to him. Across from the hole in the wall they'd just entered through there was another hole that was only slightly smaller. The domed room itself was eerily silent until his ears caught hold of a sound in the distance. Through the hole in the wall across from them he could hear a slight whimper. Apparently, Antauri and Nova had caught the sound too, the monkeys sharing a quick and worried glance before flying forward quickly. The green mechanic followed them, his hands shaking at the cold feeling gripping his chest. Whispered voices screamed in his ears the closer he came to the hole, and when he passed through into a crumbling room he had to force himself to not flee.

Chiro was curled up in a far corner where barely any light could reach him, his skin pale and sickly. He was rocking himself as the purple stone on his chest pulsated wildly. From that purple stone Otto could make out the faint tendrils of darkness that wrapped themselves around Chiro and mockingly waved the three monkeys to come closer. Antauri could see the darkness, Otto knew, for the silver monkey tensed and bore his teeth with a low hiss but did not go closer to the boy. Nova, though not able to actually see what her brothers did, could sense the evil flowing from the stone and glared as she brandished her fists threateningly. Chiro did nothing, save for rocking himself back and forth as he whimpered, unaware of their presence. Other than Antauri's hissing, Nova's faint growling and Chiro's whimpering, Otto knew the darkness was laughing. He knew that it wanted them and he was afraid.

'I don't want to go back to that!' he thought, terror gripping him as he hovered back, shaking. His bandaged hands covered his face, so he missed the worried look Nova sent him as well as the frown Antauri sent his way. 'I don't want to be alone, I don't want to be trapped again, I don't want to hurt my friends!'

"Otto." The Super Robot's 'voice' echoing in his mind caused him to release the breath he'd not realized he'd even been holding. "You are never alone Otto. But Chiro..." There was a worried catch in the robot's 'voice' that caused Otto to sigh. Oh how he wished he had remembered to bring his flashlight. It seemed as if the darkness of the ship was surrounding them. Uncovering his face he shuddered before allowing himself to slowly fly past Antauri and Nova, nearing Chiro slowly and carefully and ignoring his teammates as they tried to warn him off. Maybe it was all in his head that the darkness was coming. Maybe if he could just talk to Chiro...

"OTTO!!"

The Super Robot's cry startled him and he cried out as the darkness slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. He screamed as it covered his vision, the voices laughing in his ears, taunting him as they had done once not so long ago. Over the voices he could hear Antauri and Nova fighting and once again he wished he'd remembered to bring the flashlight.

He is ours. We will not let you have him.

Something was hissing in his ear and he realized suddenly, he was not the victim this time. This time, he wasn't the one being attacked; Chiro was. And Chiro...

He grunted, pulling at the darkness that tried to hold him down, his rocket packs sputtering and whining at the force against him as they worked hard to free the green monkey. It wasn't working though, the darkness was keeping him at bay, and Otto turned his tear filled eyes to Chiro's face, only to see the boy gasping for air as he clawed at his neck where the tendrils of darkness had wrapped themselves tightly.

You will all DIE!!

He was so close! He could almost touch Chiro, and if only he had a few more inches he could grab that horrible purple light pulsating on Chiro's chest...

Otto gasped, his gaze flickering to his bandaged hands before he spared a glance at his teammates. Nova was fighting tooth and nail, Antauri beside her. They were having no more luck with their battles than Otto was, however close to Chiro he may be. Determination gripped him as a lone thought flittered through his mind followed by a gripping fear. Was it worth it? Could he possibly dare to try? Antauri's gaze lifted for the first time and locked onto Otto's for only a moment and the mechanic made up his mind. Turning away from his brother, he flexed his fingers once, twice, then screamed as raw pain tore through his hands and arms when the change finally occurred, his damaged saw blades ripping through the bandages and revealing themselves once more.

Possibly for the last time.

Chiro's eyes opened then, the whites a sickly yellow and the blue a faded gray, and he stared at his teammate blearily as the saw blades came into existence. Shuddering, gasping, the boy took a shaky step forward, his hand reaching up as if to stop the green monkey. His left hand grabbed the tip of the saw just as it whirled to life and he screamed as it tore through the palm of his hand. The other saw, whirling wildly, came down in an arc to slice through the stone and harness, leaving a faint red line across Chiro's chest. The stone split in two, the darkness screamed, and both Chiro and Otto fell to the ground unconscious. Otto's arms were stuck as saws, sparking violently as Nova and Antauri rushed over. As they kneeled beside the two they heard a scream of metal from above and looked up in time to see the Super Robot ripping off the ceiling. Debris fell for only a split second before being sucked into the vacuum of space, and Nova screamed in terror as they were lifted off the floor. A metal hand gently wrapped around them then as a hole appeared in the Super Robot's chest. After depositing them inside and waiting as they regained their bearings, the robot closed the hole and flew away. The ship they left behind collapsing upon itself as whatever power had held it together disappeared. No one spared it a second glance.

QQQQQ

Chiro was once again alone, his broken body floating in a starry sky that wavered like water in an ocean. He'd been to the ocean once before. Antauri had taken him there some months before they'd had to leave Suggazoom for relaxation. Together, Chiro and Sprx-77 had built a towering castle of sand, which Otto had burrowed into and climbed all the way to the tallest tower. When the castle had started to collapse, it was Nova who saved the little green mechanic and it was Gibson who 'knighted' the yellow monkey. The rest of the day was spent defeating 'water dragons' and 'sand zombies'. Of course, Sprx-77 and Otto were usually the 'bad guys', while Nova continued to save the 'poor citizens' (Gibson and Chiro) from total annihilation. Antauri had watched them play for a while, smiling as if pleased by their antics, until finally joining in as the knowledgeable wizard who helped defeat the villains. After a while, he had become bored with that role and had helped Chiro plot a kingdom wide take over. This plan was then thwarted by Otto and Gibson who had decided that the wet sand by the ocean made great mud-missiles, and had begun throwing them at the would be villains. So much for citizens remaining innocent bystanders...

In the end, Nova had claimed to be the rightful ruler of the land and had banished all who did evil from her sight. She had then taken Chiro by the hand and led him back to the Super Robot, claiming that he was going to look like a baked lobster if he didn't get into some shade soon. It didn't matter, he'd ended up with a nice sunburn none the less.

"I remember that Chiro," came a smooth voice to his left. "That was a fun day. I enjoyed watching all of you." Chiro took a deep breath, as if coming out of a dream, and turned his head towards the voice. He stared blearily until the person standing beside him came into focus. Only, it wasn't a person. Standing next to his horizontally floating body was a large silver gorilla, its dark eyes watching him warmly as a smile graced its lips. "We've had many good times together Chiro. Wouldn't you agree Otto?" Chiro blinked at the gorilla until a small green form clambered over its shoulder. The little green mechanic wasn't a robot monkey; he was flesh and bone with green fur. He smiled cheekily, as was his nature, and waved jauntily.

"Hi Chiro! Are you feeling better now?" he asked. Chiro stared at him wearily for a moment before opening his mouth weakly. No words came out and the gorilla merely waved its large hand slowly.

"Never mind speaking right now Chiro," it said soothingly. "You've much to recover from. Let me take you someplace that is warm and safe, and introduce you to a dear friend." Chiro took a shuddering breath, afraid, and Otto smiled knowingly.

"There's plenty of light there Chiro, you don't have to be afraid," he explained. Chiro stared at them for a moment as he thought about it and then, despite his weariness and aches, he managed a nod and was surprised when the gorilla took him in its arms. There was something familiar about this action, only it was... reversed?

"I've done this before Chiro, when we saved Otto. Except this time, it is your turn to be cared for," the gorilla explained lovingly. Chiro sighed, comforted, and rested his head on the large chest as he closed his eyes.

"Thanks," he managed, his voice cracking. "Super... Robot..." The gorilla only smiled as he stepped away from the place Chiro had once been, Otto chattering away about sprockets on the Super Robots shoulder; and even though the large gorilla chuckled in the end, Chiro still didn't get it.

Chapter 8

The inside of the Super Robot had been pure pandemonium once the others had been retrieved. Still unconscious Sprx-77 had to be moved, or levitated by Antauri, so Gibson could free up a bed for Chiro as Otto had been returned to his own in the infirmary. Gibson had taken one look at the green monkey's hands and sighed before shaking his head and directing Antauri to lay Sprx on Chiro's bed as his normal sleeping chamber was not suitable due to his injuries. The blue monkey had turned to Chiro, gaining odd looks until he finally explained that there was nothing he could to for Otto. His hands were stuck until they stopped sparking, and whether or not he managed to shift them out of their saw blade form it didn't really matter as the mechanics hands were broken beyond repair. Otto would never be able to use them again.

There had been silence all around at that statement until Gibson had turned to Nova in panic, ordering her to grab different medicines, utensils for stitches, cooling cloths and blankets. Antauri had left after that, taking his red brother to Chiro's room as ordered as Nova ran around in a desperate attempt to help her blue brother save Chiro. As he gently lay his red brother down, Sprx-77 gave a pained grunt and opened fever filled eyes to look at the silver monkey.

"C-chiro?" he had asked. Antauri had smiled then, it was weak but it was a smile, and explained that Chiro was now safe with them. This had comforted Sprx-77, and he had fallen back into a dreamless sleep that Antauri was almost jealous of. Almost, as he was more willing to help save Chiro than get some well needed rest and he knew he was needed. He had covered his brother with Chiro's blanket and left the room, diving head first into the chaos that was the infirmary.

QQQQQ

Part way through the night Chiro's fever broke and the three were able to sigh in relief before sitting down. Instead of sitting in chairs however, they plopped down where they were and sat on the cool floor wearily. Gibson's choice seating placed him by Otto's left hand, and the blue mechanic took the time to reach up and begin forcing the saw blade back into the green monkey's arm. He was careful, but forceful, and the metal whined as it sparked angrily before finally catching and shifting back into the hand it was supposed to be, a loud shrieking noise accompanying the change. Unfortunately the hand was stained black, the fingers unnaturally limp. When Gibson had stood and managed the same with Otto's right hand, he got the same results. He wanted so desperately to tell himself that the limpness was due to Otto's being unconscious, but he had seen the damage for himself and knew what it meant. The nerve endings were so damaged that they were receiving no signals from Otto's brain and were completely useless. Otto's hands were dead all the way through, and after how Gibson had had to force the saw blades back into place, the blue monkey knew that Otto would never be able to bring his weapons back out again either. It was a bad thing all around. There was silence in the infirmary as Gibson bowed his head over his green brother, his small frame shaking with grief for the mechanic before he sighed, running a hand over his face, and pulled a thick blanket over Otto and up to his chin. Nova sniffled, tears leaking from her eyes. She did not care.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered. Antauri did not answer and Gibson slowly shook his head.

"I do not know," he replied quietly, his hands shaking as his voice wavered. "I guess... I guess I'll just get the parts I need in Suggazoom and..." He did not continue. Instead he shook his head and stood in silence for a long while.

"We will do all we can for him." Antauri's calm voice caused the other two to look up at him, their faces covered with grief. "We will get the metal and the circuitry we need for his hands in Suggazoom and repair his hands as best we can. Even if..." He trailed off here, an uncomfortable look crossing his face before quickly changing back into the serene calm they were all so used to. "Even if he can not perform his duties as he once did, we will do everything we can to return his hands to him. Otto is a member of our team," he told them softly.

"He's a member of our family," Nova corrected, looking over at Chiro who was breathing deeply with sleep. Gibson followed her gaze and smiled softly before looking back down at Otto and placing a hand atop the green monkeys head.

"Yes. He is our little brother, and I will do everything in my power to make him whole again," he promised. Antauri nodded and looked at Nova questioningly before she turned and saw his gaze. She blushed then and turned away before standing up.

"I'm going to check on Sprx," she mumbled, though she stood still for a moment as if torn before turning to Chiro and placing a kiss on his forehead and then turning to Otto and kissing the monkey on the cheek before rushing out the door. There was silence for a moment before Gibson sighed and moved to sit next to Antauri.

"I can easily take his arms apart and put them back together," he explained wearily as he sat beside his silver brother. "However, I cannot make them work. Also, if by some miracle I can cause his hands to function again he will always be in pain." He paused for a moment, then looked at Antauri with a pained expression on his face. "Antauri, I cannot... I cannot fully restore his hands or his saw blades. The electrical short, and then the forced change... The consequences are dire. I do not have the courage to face him and tell him..." he drifted off, causing Antauri to frown.

"Tell him what Gibson?"

"That his hands are no longer capable. That he will never build again."

They fell into uncomfortable silence then, Antauri unsure of how to proceed. For once he was unsure as to how he should comfort Gibson as a cold feeling settled in his stomach. He shook his head and then bowed it. Grabbing Gibson's hand, he held on tightly and began to pray.

QQQQQ

"Sprx?"

The red monkey grunted as he opened his eyes to see Nova sitting next to him. He was in Chiro's room, laying on his back on the teens bed with a cool cloth on his forehead. Nova reached out and brushed her hand soothingly down the side of his face.

"You're fever's up, and I know you need rest but..." she looked away worriedly, and he slowly reached up to take hold of the hand on his face.

"Chiro?" he asked. She smiled at him then, a genuinely happy smile, and shook her head.

"He's back. Gibson said he's going to be okay," she told him. The smile fell then and she took a deep breath. "Sprx... It's Otto," she whispered. At his curious look she explained to him what Gibson had said. In the end he was frowning, holding her hand tightly. There was silence for a moment before he spoke.

"Gibson will fix him," he said, his voice firm in his belief. "Gibson will fix him, and whatever else is left, Otto can fix himself." Nova looked at him, then sighed and looked away.

"I really wish I could believe that Sprx," she whispered. "It's just... you didn't see his hands Sprx. I'm so afraid for him." The silence fell between them again until Sprx sighed and pulled Nova down beside him, painfully hugging her close to him as tears began spilling from her eyes. He held her as she cried and wondered what would happen, or if anything could happen, to make this all better. Silently, he began to pray.

Chapter 9

Suggazoom was in sight on the third day when Chiro opened his eyes for the first time. He was confused when he found himself in the infirmary, Otto curled up the wrong way on his own bed with both arms wrapped tightly in bandages. For a moment he wondered if it were his imagination, then realized that his eyes were not playing with him. Otto's bandages had grown and covered his arms all the way to the elbows. The green mechanic did not seem to notice this at all, however, as he lay with his head where his feet were supposed to be and his feet on his pillow as his blanket covered him crookedly.

"You can always tell when he's feeling better." Sprx-77's voice caught the teens attention and Chiro looked up to see the red robot standing in the doorway with one hand clutching his side. There was no pain on his face, only a relieved smile. "Otto likes to sleep upside down for some reason," the red robot explained, limping over to Chiro's side. "If he's sick he'll let us put him however we want. When he feels better... well." He chuckled then, his gaze drifting over to the green monkey before turning sad.

"What's... what's wrong?" Chiro asked after a moment, his voice cracking and his throat raw. Sprx-77 looked at him, then shook his head.

"It's nothing Gibson can't fix kid," he soothed. "Don't worry about it, just rest." Then he placed a hand on Chiro's head and smiled lovingly. "It's good to have you back kid." Chiro's eyes drooped against his will.

"Did I ever leave?" he mumbled sleepily. Sprx-77's hand running through his hair was the only reply he received before sleep claimed him. Sprx didn't really seem to notice.

"Yeah. You went far away kid," he whispered. "But you were brought back to us. You were brought back." He lapsed into silence then, his hand still running through Chiro's hair until the infirmary doors opened once more. He paused and looked to see Antauri in the doorway, waiting.

"Be glad Gibson is still resting," the silver monkey stated cooly. "He would not be happy to see you up and about, seeing as how your ribs were re-injured." Sprx winced, his face turning towards Otto with worry.

"Don't tell Otto that," he said softly. "You know how guilty he'd feel."

"Indeed." There was silence for a moment until Antauri sighed. "Go back to bed Sprx. I will inform Gibson when he wakes that Chiro has woken up." Sprx shook his head.

"I'm tired of sleeping," he answered, his face tightening in frustration, his hand moving away from Chiro's head. "I need to do something Antauri! At least let me do some of the piloting. I can't stand to be so useless!" Antauri stood in the doorway, silent, before speaking once more.

"You have never been useless Sprx. However, at this time you are needed to rest so that you may be in your top form. You never know when you will be needed." Sprx-77 stiffened when he heard the silver monkeys words, his eyes shooting to Otto before going to Antauri. The older monkey seemed confused at the look before Sprx shook his head and smiled weakly.

"Yeah... yeah, you're right Antauri," he mumbled. He walked towards his brother gingerly, still holding his side. "I'll get strong, quick as I can," he whispered, ignoring the odd look Antauri gave him but accepting the arm offered to him. 'Soon,' he thought as Antauri helped him walk back to Chiro's room. He was still resting there until Chiro was strong enough to be moved, or he was healed enough to sleep in his own bed. Whichever came first. 'You said I'd be needed soon Otto. I promise, I'll be ready then. I mean it.'

QQQQQ

They arrived on Suggazoom the next morning, and by mid-day Gibson had made a large list of parts and divided it between Nova and Antauri. They set out in haste and did not return until late in the evening with everything Gibson had asked for. He began working immediately, Otto waking up halfway through and watching as his brother worked before playfully giving pointers or wild ideas. After four hours and six different pleas of turning his hands into some kind of food making device, Gibson had given up and asked Nova to get the small mechanic some food. Apparently Otto was hungry.

"I'm not hungry," Otto pouted as Nova left to scrounge something from the kitchen. "I just don't want to be useless." He frowned then, staring down at the wires and metal that had once been his hands, the skeletal frame showing itself to be black and scorched. No matter how he tried, there was no making his fingers move. Catching the look on the green monkey's face, Gibson sighed.

"I'll do all I can to make your hands work again Otto, but the saws..."

"Just make sure you put 'em back in will ya?" Otto gave Gibson a weak smile then, the blue monkey staring. "Even if I can't use 'em, I'd miss 'em not being there." Gibson nodded in reply, then sighed before taking a laser and getting back to work.

He worked long into the night, Otto sleeping at times and Chiro sitting up to watch when he felt strong enough. Fortunately the Power Primate caused his body to have accelerated healing, and with his injuries being mostly minor cuts and exhaustion he was able to get up and around sooner than he had the last time. Chiro never said anything as he watched Gibson work, his eyes following the blue monkey's hands and staring at the intricate circuitry in vague recognition, as if remembering a faded memory. He had always claimed to not remember rebuilding Antauri, and they had never questioned him as it had been a very hard time for all of them. Now, however, Gibson could only wonder if Chiro had regained some memory of that time as the teen watched in interest before growing tired and lying back down for sleep. He slept until early afternoon, Gibson continuing to work non-stop. By this time, Sprx-77 had joined them, sitting at the foot of Chiro's bed with a hand wrapped around his still healing ribs and his eyes still fever bright. The blue monkey sighed as Chiro sat up, Otto still sleeping, and shook his head.

"I need a break," he told them wearily before looking at his red brother. "And I need to give you some more medication so you can sleep." Sprx frowned at this and Gibson sighed, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes. "I'll do my best to put Otto's hands back together before-" The sound of a laser drill coming alive and meeting metal caused him to start and open his eyes in shock. Before him, Chiro stood at Otto's side, the laser drill in his hands as he began working on Otto's left arm. The teen didn't look at him, only nodded.

"I'll work on this," he said softly. "Help Sprx." His voice, though quiet, was filled with determination. It left Gibson feeling torn before a sniffle from Sprx made him nod slowly and move to the red monkey's side. The blue monkey helped his brother stand and began leading him away, only to turn back and see that Chiro was bent over, treating the work he was doing with much delicacy and care.

"Kid knows what he's doing," Sprx said after a moment, his voice slightly lethargic. Gibson merely sniffed at the comment.

"Of course he does. Now, let's see to that medicine."

To Be Continued (This one's a definate.)...