In the Washing of the Water
by: Lady Virgo

It was a lonely hill covered with a high breeze. To one side were city lights speckled with fires and thick smoke. On the other side was rubble of a once impressive fortress. Clad in his armor Shadow pulled his scarf a little tighter around himself. Night was falling on and the stars were beginning to come out slowly.

He cast another look down at the fortress before he turned and walked away into the dark line that separated the ruin from the city.

Blues wasn't coming back.

Time index: 20XX, X Month X Day Report:
At approximately 2039 on the X day of X, 20XX, Dr. Albert Wily was brought to the Municipal Hospital, left by an unknown attendant- further investigations suggest it was a bioroid -and quickly categorized in critical condition. After three and two thirds hours in the emergency room, he was placed in intensive care. Among the worst injuries listed were a dislocated left shoulder and elbow, extreme loss of blood, one broken rib, a punctured spleen and pancreas among other bruised organs in the abdominal area and a severed spine that had destroyed many of the lower vertebrae. Dr. Wily is expected to survive his injuries but is permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Further prognosis show that a small brain tumor has slowly been growing over the span of approximately two years. In light of this discovery, Dr. Wily is not expected to survive for much longer.
His legs were crushed, half buried under the rubble, body cinched tight. For days he stayed alive that way, tracing random patterns in the stars, watching the sun climb up and fall off its apex. Sometimes he'd imagine people, friends that would come and talk to him. They never asked why he couldn't sit up or move around and eventually he forgot that he was trapped.

The sky was a faded shade of gray. Despite the brightness of the sun and clean quality of the sky it was always a faded gray recently. The trees, birds, everything. Then, the one person who he longed to have visit, the ones that never would came into view. His skin was still pale but he couldn't see the violet of his eyes. That saddened him somewhat.

"I've been searching for you." Shadow said, kneeling at his shoulder.

Quick smiled gently. "I'm glad."

"You're trapped."

"Am I?" The quizzical look on his face showed he truly didn't realize it.

"Your legs are."

The look became concerned. "I can't run?"

A hand slipped inside Quick's. "I'll try to free you."

Shadow left Quick's gaze and for a long time he didn't return. The world was quiet except for the sound of metal against metal and grunts of exertion. The sun was running low.

There was a voice beyond the edge of his vision, quiet and hopeless. "Why didn't you leave?"

For the first time since he laid there Quick propped himself on his elbows, watching Shadow's bent form that no longer tried to work at the rubble. Turning to look at the older Robot Master he asked again, "Why didn't you leave? When I asked you to?"

Quick realized his throat was barren. "I couldn't," his voice wheezed through the dirt that had settled in his trachea, "abandon them."

"If you were out there now they'd kill you."

"They're my brothers."

The silence stretched and darkened between them. Shadow leaned close to him, noticing the odd way Quick's eyes followed something only the speedster could see. As if something were blocking his vision. Pulling on his eyelids slightly, Shadow frowned down at him.

"Your retinas have been burned away. Weren't you taught not to look directly at the sun?" Quick's face crinkled into a smile. But it lacked a certain warmth, it seemed too empty. Shadow felt a strange urge, wishing Wily wasn't dead so /he/ could kill him for doing this to Quick.

Eventually Shadow got to his feet and said, "It's too big for me to move by myself. I'll come back with better equipment tomorrow."

"I'm useless." Quick said. "I can't even walk."

Shadow's eyes narrowed and it was only the glint of his eyes- like the cold glint of his armor –that kept him from fading into the gray night. "You're not useless. Not to me."

Smiling softly, a part of the warmth back in his face, a part of the light back in his eyes- both dim and both fading –Quick resettled on his back. "I'll wait for you."
Time index: 20XX, X Month X Day Report:
At approximately 0343 on the X day of X, 20XX, a month after he was brought to the Municipal Hospital, Dr. Albert Wily unblocked an encrypted code that was built into the Robot Masters. It disabled the inhibitors inside the bioroids' positronic brains. All rules and orders they had followed until that time were wiped from memory. Locks that held back all of the bioroids' strengths, powers, talents and the enhancing chemical mixture: Surge, was also disabled, making the bioroids stronger, faster and more viscous. They attacked and killed each other within Skull Fortress. Approximately one day, five hours and 36 minutes after the code was released, the first wave of Robot Masters was reported in a nearby town, killing and destroying anything around them.
The code is implanted in each bioroids' circulatory system. If injected into any object with even a primitive AI, the object then becomes infected. No counter-agent has yet been developed to battle this 'virus'. At 2314 three days after the release of the virus the military had tried to barricade the Robot Masters but were soon overpowered. For safety reasons Dr. Thomas Light has been ordered by the government to turn in his own creations for immediate destruction.
Due to the erratic change of the Robot Masters' behaviors- one having even killed its own creator at approximately 0024 on the third night -this virus has been dubbed the Irregular Virus.
Shadow left. He left but Quick felt energy starting to thrum back into his veins. Shadow had left, truly left, but he felt elated because it meant that Shadow had /been/ there at one point.

He wanted to fidget. He wanted to run. Most of all he wanted Shadow to come back. Through the night he waited impatiently, waiting as the hours of the day stretched and frayed and tore until morning was starting to wan.

Quick's nervous energy sat, teetering opposite the dark of loneliness. The larger his energy grew, the greater the need to see Shadow again. The longer the hours, the greater the need grew until he would've cried to see even one dear face. But his mind refused to supply those friendly illusions again because Shadow didn't need someone who couldn't separate that which wasn't real and that which was. But fate took pity and stepped in instead.

The footsteps were quiet, but he knew instinctively it wasn't Shadow coming back for him. They stopped just above his head and he heard the slight clink of armor as they knelt. A helmet was braced against the ground nearby.

The head that dipped above him was familiar. "I've finally found you."

Quick's eye narrowed without conscious effort. "Ring." He said simply.

Ring's expression grew hurt. "Why are you upset at me? I've been looking all over for you."

Quick glared in accusation. "You killed Metal."

"I didn't." Ring defended, betrayal in his eyes. "Metal was dying, you know that! He couldn't survive those wounds. I just ended it quickly for him."

"You killed him."

"Metal isn't dead. Don't you see? I kept him with me. He's right here, like he was never gone."

The older robot didn't seem trusting. "How many other bioroids did you kill?"

"I didn't kill /anyone/, Quick! I would never!" It seemed like he was about to cry. "Unless there was a good reason, I'd never kill any of them. "But they were in so much pain, Cut and Ice and...." he shook his head. "I couldn't leave them like that and I was so lonely without you."

Quick looked at him quietly, his ire bleached in the sun. He, too, understood the soul vacuum loneliness, caught up in his memories once his feelings and tears were sucked dry.

"Come with me."

His eyes flickered to Ring, a bare outline in his sun rotted vision.

"Come with me." Ring repeated, coming to kneel at Quick's head.

"I'm trapped."

"You can still be with me. Just like the others are."

Quick's brow furrowed just slightly. "I can't. I'm waiting for Shadow."

Ring's expression abruptly closed off and he shoved himself to his feet.

"Ring-"

"You're always waiting for him! WHY?" Ring paced about, his rage and frustration boiling out of him. "Every damn day you wait, but he's never come for you- he never will! He knows how much you care about him, but he just leaves you hanging like this day after day! How many years have you waited for him, Quick? How many times in those years has he given you a reason to wait?" Scrunching his hands into fists he stifled a growl into his palm. It came away red and thick. But the pain and the taste let him calm down. "What about me?" He asked quietly, coming to kneel at Quick's side. "I've waited for you all this time. Why won't you look at me?"

"Ring." Quick said, not certain what to say. "I'd wait for Shadow my whole life. You know that."

"I know."

"Then why are you waiting for me?"

"Because I love you." He said. "And I miss you. And I don't want to live without some part of you with me."

Those were the words he'd wanted to hear for so many years. So many years he didn't want to count but everyday of it was ticked off in his mind. Even if they weren't coming from the person he wished was there at that moment, just to know that he was loved so strongly, needed so badly was enough to bring a hitch to Quick's chest.

Slowly a hand crept over atop Ring's.

"Does it hurt?" He asked slowly.

"A little." Ring admitted, bringing Quick's hand to his face. "But Metal, Cut, everyone," he smiled through eyes filled with tears and happiness, "they miss you, too."

And Quick returned that smile though it had grown listless since Shadow had left for the last time. "I think," came his soft reply, "I want to see them again."
Time index: 20XX, X Month X Day Report:
At approximately 1532 on the X day of X, 200XX, studies of several destroyed bioroids have shown disturbing behavioral patterns in the surviving bioroids: many are resorting to a form of cannibalism. Diagnostics show that the neuronets of many destroyed Robot Masters were systematically torn apart. All have a similar section of their neuronet missing: the AI processor.
The AI processor houses the limbic system from which neurotranmitters secrete such biochemical agents as noradrenaline and dopamine that heightens mood, creates mental arousal or euphoric states of mind and suppress depressants such as anygdula. These agents also stimulate the vetromedial pre-frontal cortex, which is closely connected to the limbic system. With the vetromedial pre-frontal cortex receiving more stimuli than it can handle it sends the cannibalistic bioroids into a state of mania similar to humans in a drugged 'high' and inflaming their own AI processors.
Witnesses are reported to have seen Robot Masters attacking another, occasionally in groups, and fighting over the AI processor. Several times the same bioroids were seen to be enacting this cannibalistic behavior. Studies show that in order for the bioroids' system to cope with the sudden changes and the inflamed AI processor, they were forced to consume more and more parts of the other bioroids.
The Robot Masters displaying this behavior have been dubbed AIP Addicts.
Too late, Shadow thought, the early evening light gleaming sluggishly through the clouds and over the splatters that tarnished his dark armor. His trembling hands rested on the dirt he had been packing tightly through the day. His sword, edge dulled and mired with earth, lay forlorn by the brush.

Raising a hand to wipe away the tears that wouldn't come he heaved a sigh.

With all the chances I've been given, he forced his fingers not to dig, to grasp at a broken body they never had the chance to remember, when I've finally made a decision it's always too, too late.
Time index: 20XX, X Month X Day Report:
At approximately 1859 on the X day of X, 20XX, authorities have found the remains of DWN 029, codename Ring, a bioroid stolen from Dr. Cossack. It had suffered 82.362% structural damage, 23.925% internal damage. 5.355% of essential systems are unsalvageable, 36.898% of essential systems are missing. 24.25% of all parts are experience massive systems failures. Inflammation of AI processor indicates DWN 029 as an AIP addict. Cause of destruction: multiple lethal slash wounds caused by a blade from an unknown source. Status: Unsalvageable.
At approximately 1916 on the X day of X, 20XX, authorities have found churned earth near the remains of DWN 029, Ring. Going through the recently disturbed ground they unearthed the remains of DWN 012, codename Quick, Robot Master of the Second War. DWN 012 had suffered 23.856% structural damage, 15.328% internal damage. 25.266% of essential systems are unsalvageable, 85.691% of the neuronet is missing, 93.522% of all parts experiencing massive systems failures. The AI processor is missing. Cause of destruction: attacked by DWN 029, AIP addict, for AI processor. Status: Unsalvageable.

A/N:
I tried to make a point not to have Author's Notes in the HoU Arc, but here I think I have to. See, I had two different versions on how this particular part of the arc would be acted out. And, if you people have been keeping up, you deserve to see how the one that got ruled out was.

So, here it is. In all it's original, unspellchecked glory:

http:www.livejournal.com/users/ajremix/41249.html#cutid1