Author's Notes: Hi guys, and welcome to chapter four of X-Tamers: Upgrade. This chapter will be the last before leading up to the Impulse Arc, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own neither Digimon, nor X-Men: Evolution. I do own the original characters in this story.

Now cue the cool theme music.

Vvvv

Upgrade: A Break in the System

Henry watched the sprinklers come on across the mansion's lawn. He eyes returned to his arm, occasionally shifting it into its armored form; Arsenal, they called him now. In the weeks since he had gained the power, he thought of Terriermon even more; and of Takato.

He had heard nothing from his friend since he had left the summer before, and that worried him. They were only teenagers and the fact that the Professor hadn't been able to locate him using Cerebro made him even more worried. The Professor tried to keep them all calm, people could avoid being detected if they really wanted to, but it was hard on him as well.

Henry looked across the grounds again, catching a glimpse of someone leaping over the fence and into the trees.

Rika. She had been disappearing occasionally after school for the past few weeks, not coming home again till late in the evening. Henry had asked, but the girl refused to say where she was going.

He decided to give Forge a call, to see if he had managed to recover anything from the Upgrade system. He shut the balcony doors and fell back into his desk chair, grabbing his cell phone.

Vvvv

"Kitty will you get out of the bathroom!" shouted Rogue, pounding on the door.

"Rogue, what're you doing?" asked a voice behind her.

"Kitty's been in the bathroom for half-an-hour!" she said, before pounding on the door again.

"…I'm right here," said the voice, and Rogue turned to see that the girl was in fact standing right behind her.

"I'm confused."

"Why?"

"No one else take this long."

"Hey!"

At that moment, the door clicked open and Rika walked out…at least it sort of looked like Rika. The girl in front of them had the same orange hair, but it was straightened and ran halfway down her back, and was wearing a…dress. No matter the appearance, this was not their teammate.

"Sorry I took so long," said the girl in a soft voice, running a hand through her hair, "This took a while."

"Uhh…" Neither of them knew what to say…did the Institute have a new student...

"Oh man," said the girl when she saw the clock on the wall, "I'm gonna be late for my first day!" She rushed off without another word, leaving Rogue and Kitty in a state of shock.

Vvvv

"So who's the new girl?" asked Rogue from the back seat of the convertible.

"What?!" yelled Scott over the wind.

"Who's the new girl?!"

"Oh!" said Scott. "Didn't know we had one!"

"Yeah, we ran into her this morning!" yelled Kitty.

"You'd have to ask the Professor!" he said, before turning to Jean, "It wouldn't be the first time we've had a late-night arrival."

Vvvv

"Ruki," said the orange-haired girl exasperatedly, "Ruki Orikasa."

"I'm sorry," said the secretary, "We have no transfer papers for you."

"Man, this is getting old," thought a man sitting in one of the office's chairs, "I wonder if the readers are bored yet?"

"Cheryl what's going on out here?"

"Oh Principal Kelly," said the secretary, as the man stuck his head out of his office, "This girl says she's new at the Xavier Institute, but they haven't sent any paperwork."

"You know how that place is," said Principal Kelly, "Students in all the time. Just make up a schedule, they'll send the paperwork eventually."

"Right," said the woman with a sigh, printing a paper and handing it to her, "You can adjust it during study hall."

"Thank you," Ruki said.

"Oh Mr. Wilson," the woman said to the man who had been sitting there, "Will you please show her to her first class."

"Fine," he said, "Man substitute teachers have it hard. First they have me teaching, then they say I can't bring in any swords. I was just sharpening them during study hall... I can't wait till this assignment's over; then it's back to hot wings, cable tv, and my new video game."

Vvvv

"Thanks for showing me around," Ruki said.

"No problem," said Kurt, leaning against the locker next to her, "I still can't believe the Institute got a new student and no one told."

"It's fine," she said as they started down the hall, "But I don't think Rogue likes me."

"That's just because you took longer than Kitty in the bathroom this morning," he said with a laugh, "She'll varm up."

"I hope so…" said the girl, before she stumbled and Kurt grabbed her arm. However, her arm tensed up and Kurt heard a different voice.

"Kurt," said the girl and he suddenly found different eyes looking into his own, "…Why are you holding my arm…"

"…Rika…" said Kurt, before she looked down…

"Why am I wearing a dress!" she yelled, drawing every student in the hallway's attention. She glanced around, turning red before running down the hallway toward the bathroom.

"Rika, come back!" yelled Kurt, before spotting some of the others, "Rogue! Henry!"

"What's going on?" asked Henry, looking toward the direction Rika had run.

"Don't ask me how," he said, "but the new girl, Rika, they're the same person!"

"What?" asked Henry.

"I don't know!" said Kurt, before turning to Rogue, "See if you can talk to her."

"I'll give it a try," said Rogue, before disappearing down the hall.

Vvvv

"Rika?" asked Rogue, stepping into the bathroom.

"Go away!" came Rika's voice.

"What's going on?" said Rogue, leaning against the wall. "Look," she said, getting no response she continued, "I'm not some stranger to weird stuff. We want to help you. Now what's going on?"

"I don't know," said Rika, "For the past three days I keep having these little blackouts and then this stuff happens." She waved an arm over her dress to illustrate. "I come to this morning and someone ran my hair through a straightener. I mean, what have I been doing?!"

"Why haven't we noticed?" asked Rogue.

"I've been out a lot," she said, holding her head, "I don't know…But they keep lasting longer. I mean this last one was for hours. What was I doing?"

"You were acting like someone else," said Rogue, "Everyone thought you were a new student or something. I mean you even had a different name."

"Oh man," she said, "What was that, Annie Summers?"

"It was Ruki, I think," she said, "Ruki Orikasa…" The look in Rika's eye had changed, become softer and full of confusion.

"What am I doing in here; where'd Kurt go?"

"Oh man," thought Rogue, this might get difficult.

Vvvv

Henry and Kurt were waiting in the hallway, when the sound of students whispering caught their attention.

"Ve have trouble," said Kurt, looking over Henry's shoulder.

Walking down the hallway was a man in a brown suit that barely covered his muscular frame. His long hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the look on his face made it clear that if any of the students got in his way, he would have no problem with knocking them over. Despite his "cleaned up" appearance though, the two could recognize him from a mile away…

Sabertooth.

"Vat's he doing here?" asked Kurt, leaning against the locker. There was no point in hiding, since he would be able to smell them anyway.

"I don't know," said Henry, "But we can't fight him right now, there are too many people around."

"Vell vat do ve do?"

"We wait," said Henry as the man nodded at them both, before leaning against the wall next to them, flexing his clawed hands.

Suddenly, a commotion from the bathroom drew their attention.

"Get away from me!" Rika came running out of the bathroom and stared at the two, before she spotted the man, and her expression changed.

"Mr. Creed!" she said, wrapping her arms around him, causing Henry and Kurt to stand frozen in shock.

"Something's happened," she said to the man, "Something's wrong with me."

"I know," said the man, in a soft tone they didn't think he was capable of.

"I have to get out of here," said 'Ruki,' "I'm scared."

"I know someone who can help with that," said the man, "That's why I'm here."

"She isn't going anywhere with you!" said Henry.

"Will you people just leave me alone!" said the girl.

"That's the problem with you X-men," said Sabertooth, "You could try to stop me, but you won't, not here." Henry looked around at the students still in the hallway; they couldn't use their powers in public.

"Tell Logan I'll be seeing him real soon," said the man, before he placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and began to walk out of the school.

"I'll tell the others," said Henry, "You follow him."

"Right," said Kurt, running after them. Henry sent out a panic message through his communicator, before he remembered that Rogue still hadn't come out yet.

"Rogue," he said, opening the door slightly, "Rogue!" The girl was sitting on the floor, holding her head.

"I'm…I'm fine," she said, holding her head, "Where's Rika?"

"Sabertooth took her," said Henry, helping the girl to her feet, "I guess Magneto's back."

"Henry, something is seriously wrong here," said Rogue.

"What?"

"She switched personalities again and I tried to calm her down. Then her eyes started glowing and our communicators, phones, everything started going off."

"That's not Rika's ability," said Henry.

"I know," said Rogue, "She freaked out, knocked me over, and bolted. It was like she was seeing her powers for the first time."

"Well that's one part of the mystery solved," said Henry, remembering the panic in her voice, when she had told 'Mr. Creed' about her problem. But if this girl wasn't Rika, and even had a different set of powers, who was she; and what exactly was going on?

Vvvv

Several X-men had packed into Scott's car while the rest stayed on standby at the school. The only one who hadn't shown up was Ryu, and no one seemed to have a clue where he was. Of course, that could be expected occasionally, but he would usually show up for an emergency like this.

"I still can't figure out why Rika would go with Sabertooth," said Scott.

"'Rika,' didn't," said Henry, "The 'other' personality did. She acted like she knew him."

"Rika said this started happening a few days ago," said Rogue, "How could she get to know him in that short a time?"

"I don't know," said Henry, "But the Professor's going to want to see Rika as soon as this is over."

The Professor currently was using Cerebro to try and locate Rika and Sabertooth, but he hadn't responded back with any information.

Vvvv

In the Institute, the lower facility was eerily quiet, except for the sound of circuitry sparking. Something had been shoved through the door control to Cerebro, sealing the room shut and preventing the Professor from getting out.

Inside the Institute's central database a figure stood alone in the darkness, warming up the main computer. They placed a hand on the mainframe and information began to rapidly fill the screen at blinding speed. The computer was the most powerful one he had access to, the only one that could allow him to crack through a security mainframe half the world away. Red eyes scanned the information displayed quickly, before selecting and breaking through the security to reveal: HYPNOS Program – Level 5 Clearance Accepted.

"Good," thought the figure, "Now if that…Magneto…can keep them busy a few more seconds."

It had been simple to send a corrupting file to the girl, just as he had done to the other one. This time it happened to awake some hidden memories, the connection to Magneto's accomplice had made creating a distraction far too easy.

The files on screen shifted quickly, accessing the available data from four years before, but he could feel the system try to prevent his efforts. They were too simple. Already he had reached close enough for the data he was looking for recognize him; it tore through the security measures like they were paper and the screen emptied, displaying blackness and a glowing red symbol…three triangles surrounding a fourth one. This symbol soon covered every computer screen in the room, casting it in an eerie light.

The symbols began to flash as the figure uploaded the data.

"More," as the data flowed into the figure, changing him. "Soon I will have my true form back."

Suddenly, the image on screen was replaced with another one. It was a monkey, waving a finger at the screen like it was scolding a small child. Then the entire system shut down around him. The figure tried to reactivate the computer, but the entire power supply had been severed by an outside source.

The figure let out a roar and smashed a fist through the screen, breathing heavily as he pulled it back. The arm wasn't injured, now covered with thick armor, a "y"-shaped blade emerging from it.

"Interesting," said the figure, as he looked himself over. The only light in the room was now provided by the glowing red symbols on his shoulders, the light reflecting dully on the blades.

Vvvv

"What is that?" asked Ruki, looking at the massive machine in the center of the warehouse.

"That is what we came for," said Sabertooth, before a man in red armor appeared, sitting down across from them.

"Good work Sabertooth," said the man, "You may go now." Sabertooth growled slightly before disappearing into a different area of the warehouse, already undoing his tie.

"Who are you?" asked the girl.

"You may call me Magneto," he said, seeming to watch for a reaction.

"…Mr. Creed said you could help me," she said.

"What seems to be wrong?" he asked.

She looked around for a second before reaching in her pocket and pulling out a cell phone. She opened it and her voice emerged from its speakers.

"What is this?" she said, her fear audible.

"That is your gift," said Magneto, holding out his hand and causing the phone to levitate toward him, "The power to protect yourself; to excel far past those around you."

"You can do it too?"

"As can Mr. Creed, as can your father," said Magneto, "Both powerful, just like you could be."

"Father?" said Ruki.

"Yes," said Magneto, "Sabertooth told me about his time working for him and about all his dreams for you and your abilities."

"He knew about this?" said Ruki.

"Oh yes," he said, "Your abilities manifested very young. But then they made you forget. Made you forget it all. What you did just now is only a fraction of your power. I'm going to help you reach its peak."

"What do I do?"

"Concentrate," he said, dialing a number and handing her the phone, "Tell me what you see."

She closed her eyes and held the phone tightly. Her vision was filled with glowing numbers, forming pathways that she could navigate with ease. Unsure how she was doing it, Ruki found her way to the information. When she opened her eyes again, they were glowing.

"The phone you're calling is a pay phone at a gas station in Vermont," she said.

"Good," said Magneto, "However I've heard you're capable of far more than this."

"I don't know how," she said, "I don't know how I even did that."

"That is where I can help," he said, emphasizing the large machine, "My enhancer will help you to reach your full potential."

"What do I do?" she said, looking at the massive enhancer.

"Simply step inside." A large door on the machine opened, exposing a blue light inside.

"Is it safe?" asked Ruki.

"It is," said Magneto. "In fact it will do far more than boost your abilities. It will clear your mind and enable you to see things as you will need to in order to survive."

She stepped nervously into the machine and the door closed, the enhancer whirring as it powered up.

"There is a battle coming," said Magneto, "And with your abilities, we will be one step closer to victory…"

Vvvv

"Nightcrawler, you get her out of there," said Cyclops, from the team's vantage point, "Jean, you circle around with Arsenal, Spike and I will take the front.

"Right," they said, before a crate flew at their location and the group dove to the ground to avoid being hit. There was a roar and Sabertooth rushed at them out of the dark, knocking Spike to the ground.

"Kurt, go!" shouted Cyclops, before a metal beam crashed into the blue mutant from the side, knocking him out cold.

"You will not interfere this time!" said Magneto, raising his hands. Metal cables and beam from the roof came down at the X-men and they had to move quickly to dodge or blast them out of the way.

Spike sprouted several sharp pieces of bone from his body, which caused Sabertooth to reel back and before Spike kicked him into a beam. The man quickly recovered and grabbed the large beam, swinging it like a bat. Spike ducked and Arsenal blasted Sabertooth with a barrage of green energy from the side.

There was an explosion from inside of the enhancer that drew their attention from the fight.

"Jean?" called Cyclops, "What's going on in there?"

"It's hard to tell," she said. "It's like there's two people inside. One is panicking pretty badly."

"Try to calm her down," said Cyclops. "We're getting her out as soon as we…" One of the discarded beams interrupted him as it sent him flying into a stack of boxes.

"I'm doing this for us all," said Magneto, "If our kind is to survive the war we need power like her's. Imagine knowing all the information about their attacks, the ability to find all their secrets, to shut down an entire force with a few thoughts. We could end it before any blood is spilt."

"What about Rika?!" demanded Henry, "That machine will wipe out every trace of her. What kind of future do you really think is going to occur?"

"Some sacrifices must be made," he said, "There are those who may not be able to see as clearly as I do. Those who think that there will be peace, when there will be war first, terrible war. It is how humankind works."

"Guys look!" shouted Spike, pointing to the machine. It was reacting strangely, and they could hear explosions from the inside, before it suddenly shut down. Another explosion and the door tore off and flew across the room.

Rika stood in the dim interior, lit by a pink glow that surrounded her. There was a flash of electricity behind her that covered her body, before she disappeared.

"Rika!"

"Get away from them!" Rika reappeared behind Sabertooth, blasting him with enough energy to send him flying into the darkness.

"Rika?" said Arsenal, noticing the glow and the silver streaks that ran down her hair, "Are you…okay?"

"I feel good," she said and turned, firing another two blades of pink energy into the machine, causing an explosion within that ripped through the now weakened walls.

"My machine!" said Magneto, raising his hands and causing the entire building to groan around them.

"Stop," said Rika, teleporting in front of him.

"I will save our kind," said Magneto, "If there must be a war, I will be there. But what would you all know about war, about the evil that will come?"

"I've seen far more war and death than you can imagine," she said, "And there's still hope. We fought and we'll fight again, but we won't start it."

"Rest," she said, putting his head in her hands, "And heal." The glow left her body and the man collapsed to the ground.

"Rika!" said Henry, as she walked toward him, the silver gone from her hair. What had she just done? Her partner had the capacity to heal in her mega-form. Had Rika reached that power level?

The girl smirked and then stumbled, looking more exhausted than he had ever seen her.

"What do we do with Magneto?" asked Spike as he grabbed Kurt under the arm to support.

"We'll take him back to the Institute," said Cyclops, "See what the Professor says." He turned to where the man had been lying, but he was now gone.

"Where'd he go?" asked Cyclops…

Vvvv

Later that night…

Tabitha walked through the city streets, following Pietro's directions. She was beginning to guess that there was a lot more going on in Laura's life than she would say and as her friend she wanted to make sure everything was okay. Especially if she made herself so hard to follow that Pietro had trouble.

She finally found the convenience store he had tracked her to and looked it over; it was a small place, nothing fancy, just a brightly lit place with a flat roof. It fit Laura just fine, Tabitha thought, it didn't stand out much.

She spotted her friend as she emerged from the back, carrying a tray and with white powder covering her shirt. She handed the tray to the man working the front desk and he said something that made her smile…and then laugh. Tabitha saw her look toward the window and she ducked.

That was what she was hiding? Working at a convenience store was nothing to be embarrassed about. But the Tabitha thought back, remembering when she had had to work while her father was in prison. Laura still never talked about her parents, so maybe she hid it for the same reason Tabitha once did. Not the job, but what it meant.

Tabitha turned and crossed the street again, heading back to the Boarding House. She'd keep this to herself and let Laura tell her when she was ready…

Vvvv

Rika sat in the infirmary underneath the Institute, glad to have some alone time. Henry had just left, after filling her in on what had happened. She definitely wanted, and needed, to talk to Professor Xavier, but he said that she needed to recover first.

Her father. She couldn't remember very much of him, maybe she didn't want to. But according to Henry, Magneto had talked about him knowing she was a mutant before the Digital World. But why couldn't she remember that?

Why did this strange personality erupt now, and how could it use the abilities she hadn't even known she had?

She grabbed her phone to message Toad, see if he could remember anything about his "step-father", when it went off, displaying "Ruki" as the contact. It was an annoying ringtone too, one she never would have put on her phone in the first place.

"Hello."

"Hello," said a soft female voice, "You may not believe this, but my name is Ruki…Ruki Orikasa."

"Is this some kind of joke?" she demanded. Now she was getting calls from a split personality.

"It's not a joke," said "Ruki," "We need to talk."

Vvvv

End of Chapter

What occurred in Rika's past, and why can't she remember? Who is this figure who wants the power of the Hazard? And who is trying to stop him?

Tune in to the next chapter of X-Tamers: Upgrade, a little longer and we will begin the "Impulse Arc."

Please Read and Review…No Flames.