Tauria: Hi! Here is the next chapter! Sorry it has taken so long, but I was really busy this weekend. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own SRMT.

Chapter One

When the sun arose over Shuggazoom, I put down what I was doing and went to the kitchen. I began cooking. I missed the freedom I had once had in the kitchen, when I used to be able to experiment with the ingredients and make new recipes and things like that. But now I couldn't do that. I was too afraid of thinking that it would taste fine and then it wouldn't. I guess I was paranoid.

I made myself some tea and then woke the others. They sleepily filed down to the table, and started eating. The most conversation that went on was 'Will you please pass the butter?' or something along those lines. It made me sad. I knew that they were just trying to eat before we were attacked, but I missed the conversation that used to go on when we all sat around the table. I had always looked forward to meals because that was our unspoken break. We had an unofficial rule that nothing that had to do with Skeleton King was mentioned when we ate unless it was absolutely mandatory. But now our conversation was limited to passing more food. I held back a sigh.

I stared at my food for the briefest of moments before I started spooning it into my mouth. It was all tasteless to me, since my taste buds were supposed to still work but I had been having several malfunctions with my new body, and not being able to taste anymore was one of them. I need liquid more then anything. My body relies on hydro-power and so tea, and drinks with water bases (or water) are what I need to focus more on anyway. Although my body can take the water from food products, it just takes longer to break down. Once I had consumed enough food, I drank the tea. It was my day to do dishes, so I did them.

"Antauri?" Chiro asked me.

I looked over at him. "Yes?"

"You were awful quiet this morning," he said softly.

"Well, I wanted to get the food gone, since we are usually attacked at this time of day," I smiled a little at him.

Doubt entered his eyes. "Well, you normally at least ask us how we slept . . ."

I smiled. "I do, don't I? And it is little things like that we should maintain. So, how did you sleep, Chiro?"

"I slept good. How was your night?"

"It was alright," I smiled.

Chiro nodded. "Well, a soon as you're done doing the dishes, I would like to have a meeting discussing training."

"Of course." I nodded, and he left to tell the others. I continued washing the dishes and then went to the Command Center. Everyone else was already there as I sat down in my seat. We waited for Chiro to begin.

He cleared his throat and stood. "This is our only day off, and the only day we will have to train if we assume that things are going to continue going the way they have been. But I don't want to force anyone to train when it is our only day off and we may waste what little time we have training. Although it wouldn't really be a waste of time per say."

We nodded.

"Well, what if we each take a turn in the training room, so that way we can still do the things we want, but we can still train too," Sprx suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Gibson agreed.

"Yeah," Nova smiled.

"Then that's what we'll do. Who's going first?" Chiro said.

And for once, Nova did not volunteer. I did. "I will."

They all blinked, because normally Nova always beat me to the punch. I was not surprised. She was quite tired from what I was sensing. Chiro nodded, pretending like he wasn't shocked. I went to the training room and started it up, and went in there. I only meant to stay in there for an hour. But time flew by. My mechanical body regarded fighting as something it could do easily. It was the only time the silver monkey and I were one. By the time I realized I had been there way over an hour, Sprx was standing outside the door. He looked me over.

"I never saw someone able to train so long when we're in the middle of an energy sapping war. Not even Nova. Maybe being mechanical has some benefits."

That remark stung, because he made it sound like he had always thought of it as a curse. Not that I blamed him. It was a bit of a curse sometimes. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"Well, I wanted to tell you that Chiro is in Med Bay right now because he got sick."

I blinked. How had I not realized? Normally I always knew when something was wrong with Chiro. When I looked back through my memories, I realized that Chiro had been a bit paler then usual. And during the meeting his voice had been a bit off key and he had been disinterested . . . he had gotten distracted quite easily. How had I not seen that? I followed Sprx silently to Med Bay where I saw the boy I considered my son cough weakly in his sleep. I assumed that Gibson had told him to sleep.

"How is he?" I asked.

"He's very sick, but he will recover. The Power Primate is on it as we speak. Antauri, why don't you take him to his room and sit with him tonight," Gibson smiled.

I nodded and levitated him to his room where I floated at his bed side. For a while, I soothingly ran my fingers through his hair until he was completely relaxed, and then I entered meditation, believing I would sense changes in his health better then I would in my awakened state. My silver monkey side said that since he was sick there was no point in trying to help him. It is the survival of the strong that matter. I ignored it. The next morning when I opened my eyes, I saw that Chiro had gotten worse. But how had that happened? My senses had been clearly focused on him. My silver monkey side laughed at me. I cursed mentally, even though I did not approve of cursing. I got Gibson and explained what had happened, but I left out the part about the silver monkey being the cause. Then, he treated him and as he was doing that, Sprx approached me.

"Antauri are you sure that you don't need someone to help you watch over Chiro?" He asked me.

I knew he meant well, but I was shocked that he would suggest that in such a blunt manner. He could have used more tact. Even though this was Sprx. But that shock was all that my silver monkey side needed to take control. "No!" I heard myself say rather arrogantly. Was that really what I sounded like when I was in leader mode? "I don't need anyone's help in watching over him!" I knew that the silver monkey just wanted to be alone so he could further his plans.

"Antauri," Sprx said calmly. He had no idea how close the silver monkey was to snapping, "what if you slip up in watching him and the kid dies?"

"I won't slip up in watching him!" My silver monkey counterpart had no idea what it was doing, I realized.

"Antauri, you aren't perfect!" Sprx told me. This struck a blow with my counterpart.

"But I am closer in this mechanical body then you." He was very arrogant about this subject. I had argued with him many times before on this subject.

Sprx blinked. His eyes narrowed. "Mechanical bodies are just as flawed as the organic ones that made them. Mechanical bodies may be stronger, faster, and more powerful then us, but with that comes more room to make mistakes."

"But we also have a brain that if allowed will only think of what is in the best interest of those around it."

"Every brain has some sort of bias."

The silver monkey was beginning to get irritated with Sprx. "Fool!" It cried. It went to attack him but Sprx said, "I am sorry, my friend." And he knocked me out with his magnets. When I came too, I heard them talking.

"He really did that?" Nova whispered.

"Yeah," Sprx and Gibson said.

"He is very unstable right now," Otto admitted.

"Well, what can we do about it? We can't exactly shut him off."

"We may have too . . ." Nova said.

"I don't think so. After all, all he has to do is-" And then they walked past the Med Bay and I could no longer hear them.

They wanted to shut me down? Just for a little loss of control? What was it I had to do? I didn't know. But I would figure something out since they were right. Something had to be done about the way that I have been acting lately. I shakily stood, and bade my adopted son farewell. Then I went to my cruiser and left. I didn't really know where I was going, but I would figure it out as soon as I was far enough away from Shuggazoom.

Tauria: Well, I hope you liked that! I'm sorry if it is a bit rushed, but my brother wants me to play Ocarina of Time, and my laptop is about to die. Anyway, please leave a review!