Authors Notes: Warning! There are some character deaths in this chapter. However its no one that wasn't going to die in the first place. We all knew they died. One more chapter left! Their will be a new story though that shows the training of the ninja. 'Shadows.'


Twisted Cogs

Chapter 9

Secrets

Echo kept waking up in the night. He tried to get some sleep as his father instructed, but all he could really do was lay against him. If he did drift off he had nightmares. His leg hurt him too, his father did what he could without any tools, but it wasn't much since he couldn't put the wires back together properly. Just twist them together. He really wanted his brother right now. He however sat in another cell with the femme who looked so weak right now. He watched his brother move her hair from her forehead as she rested. He could see it in Zanes optics. He really liked that femme. Echo smiled despite everything. He wanted to see his brother happy, and he was sure that femme could make him happy. Maybe when this was all over with she could go to school with them too?

"Pixal?" He heard Zanes voice from across the room. Her head had lollied to her chest, her green optics flickered on and off for a moment. Borg leaned in and adjusted his glasses since he was looking down at her.

"Pixal?" Their wasn't much of a response now. "Please Guard she needs power or she'll stop functioning!"

"Still...not my problem." He said turning back around looking at Echo who was leaned against the bars trying to see his brother better over Borg. Julien appeared next to him. The side of his face was bruised from the punishment he received yesterday. Probably when he was shoved to the ground. His glasses were cracked and bent.

"Zane…" Julien gasped when he saw his son open his own power source. He looked up at his father a little scared at what he planned to do. He reached into his chestplate and pulled half of his power source out and placed it into Pixals chest. She jerked forward at the sudden power within her. She looked down at his hand in hers. She looked up at Zane and then at his chest plate.

"You...gave me half of your power source?" She asked. Zane softly smiled at her.

"You are vital to me." He whispered. Pixal reached up putting her hand on his chest plate and closed her eyes. Zanes hand rested on hers and he scooted down so he was laying next to her. He found sleep was immediate. He jerked awake when he was pulled into a standing position.

"Dr. Christopher wants a good look at you." The guard growled. He turned to see Pixal in Borgs arms protectively.

"Zane!" She called reaching out for him. He held his arm out for her and shook his head.

"I'll be fine Pixal." Zane yelled out trying to comfort her. He was placed down on a tin table. A huge light overhung him and shined into his optics causing him to blink and rub them.

"Hello there Zane." Dr. Christopher smiled down at him, He had scrubs on, a face mask, and his greasy hair was all he could see. His hand went up to look over his optics with a scrutinizing eye. Zane shook his head to get his hand off.

"I see...so you still don't like me hum? Well that doesn't matter anyways. I think its about time I did what I promised right?" Zane couldn't see under his mask but he could have sworn he was smiling. Zane gasped as his chest was opened. Christopher picked something up out of view all Zane could see was a metal plate.

"Its smaller…" Christopher touched the power source sending a shock right through Zane. He gasped shuddering feeling the creepy hand moving his parts around. Zane gagged and tried his best to move the hand away from his chest.

"Stop...don't touch me." Zane cried out.

"Dr. Christopher stop! He asked you to stop!" Julien yelled pushing on the bars trying to get out. Echo picked up a piece of metal that fell from the ceiling. He ran over to the door and threw it at Christopher. It lodged into Christophers back. His yells echoed within the room.

"Zane run!" He heard someone yell. Something crashed through the ceiling. Zanes shaky hand closed his chestplate. He turned to see a large white mech. The ice symbol on a flag.

"G...Ganki?" Zanes words were very weak sounding.

"Zane...run." Pixal yelled from where she was. He slowly rolled off the table running over and opened the cell with Borg and Pixal. Borg wheeled out of the cell moving toward the back of the building away from the battle.

Zane stumbled over to his father and brothers cell. He put the key into the lock.

"You...this is all your fault!" Zane gasped jumping out of the way as Dr. Christopher swung a pole down. Zane cringed hearing the pole his the cell bars.

"Don't! You've already injured him enough Dr. Christopher. You have apparently dislodged something important."

"Dislodged...don't you mean I broke something in him?" Dr. Christopher held something up. "If someone hadn't of shoved a piece of metal in me I probably wouldn't have." Dr. Christopher held up a small piece of piping. Julien gasped turning the key and ran out. He pulled open Zanes chest plate. Within was a large pool of oil. The piping was to his pump box that acted as his heart allowing for oil to distribute throughout his body. Julien looked around and spotted something.

"Echo give me that straw…" He called out to his son. Echo grabbed the straw which was still inside of someones drink. He glared at Christopher as he went by.

"You can't fix him with that Julien…" Christopher laughed.

"Who asked you!" Echo ran up and kicked his shins. He gasped jumping around.

"You little shit!" He kicked at Echo. The kick never connected, something jumped onto his back and pulled at his greasy hair.

"Do not harm him!" Pixals voice echoed. Zane smiled through the fog and looked up at his father.

"Thats my girl." He whispered. Julien just chuckled.

Another loud rumble signalled the arrival of the blue mech. Its owner swung it around colliding with a few other of the skelebone brothers mechs.

"This has turned into a war zone." Julien said picking up Zane. Zane felt his oil pumping again, but it wasn't as much as he would have liked.

"Borg will you be alright following us?" Julien asked Borg picked up Echo and put him on his lap. Pixal was next to him. This was the first time Echo could actually look at her properly. She smiled kindly at him, and he blushed. She was pretty.

"Hurry up and get out of here. This place will not stay standing." Ganki yelled to them.

"Looks like we have no choice." Borg said wheeling himself toward the back where they saw a door. Once in the alleyway they were able to get onto the sidewalk which was a lot easier on Borg.

"What do we do now?" Echo asked looking down at his hurt leg. "We don't have a home anymore. They burned it down." Echo said

"Don't worry Echo. You can stay with me till you get back on your f…"

"I don't think I told you that you could leave." Samukais voice called out to them. Borg only had seconds to react. He back wheeled back into the alleyway. Zane gasped seeing white armor spray the road. Samukais laugh echoed down the alleyway.

"Ganki!" Zane yelled seeing his friend fall from his shattered mech. The man who carelessly gave him is elemental ability as if he were family. He lay on his side bleeding on the sidewalk. Julien ran forward turning him over. Zane climbed out of his fathers arms so he could look him over better.

"Zane…" Ganki coughed, blood spray the side of his mouth.

"Internal bleeding…" Julien said using his sleeve to wipe up the blood from his face.

"You are going to be very important to this city. A ninja like me. Its your destiny please…" Ganki coughed again. Zane leaned forward putting his forehead against the other mans.

"I'm scared."

"Who isn't? Zane you were designed to protect those who can't protect themselves. You were made...to protect them all." Ganki Whispered

"Ganki!" The blue ninja mech turned a corner and rushed at Samukai. Zane looked back down at the white ninja. His eyes were closed, to Zane he looked rather peaceful. He even had a smile on his face.

"Zane we must go." Julien picked Zane back up and ran back down another alleyway. Zane looked around wondering where Echo was

"Father?" He whispered. Julien interrupted him.

"I know...I don't know where they are either. Are you functioning properly? I saw that you gave that femme half our heart?"

"Yes...she...well she…" Zane sighed looking up at his father not really sure how to explain things to him.

"I know…" Julien chuckled and spotted Borg wheeling the nindroids forward.

"Dad!" Echos panicked voice echoed. The blue ninja was just behind them running in their direction.

"Keep going!" She yelled. Samukai was just behind her. Most of his mech was in pieces but still running. Julien gasped being thrown to the ground after Samukai threw a piece of wall at them. The blue mech shielded them mostly, but the hand of the mech that had the weapon in it was crushed.

"Go!" She yelled. A few seconds later a large explosion shook the city. Zane pushed his father into Borg which wheeled them away from the metal that flew. Pixal could see the pieces every one of them knowing where they would all end up. Her processor however showed her in slow motion it would seem. For the piece of blue metal lodged itself into Zanes stomach plating. It wasn't very big, but it still did major damage to his systems. The blue mech had hold of Samukai, she pushed him back a few steps and motioned for them to get Zane out of there. Julien didn't waste any time, and picked up his unconscious son.

"Zane!" Echo looked around Borgs shoulder to see his brother was leaking oil faster now then ever.

"He'll be fine…"

"We have fifteen minutes to get him to Borg industries or he will stop functioning. At our current pase...we will not make it." Pixal said stopping her father. "You will have to use me for parts…" Pixal said. Borg gasped looking down at her. "Are you sure?" He asked. Pixal nodded her head.

"He saved me...its the least I can do to save him. We are...compatible." She said. Borg sighed and looked at Julien. Julien gulped not wanting to take something so precious from Borg as his daughter.

"It is what she wants." Borg told him.

Zane opened his optics sometime later. His hand went right up to his midsection, he gasped looking around at himself and then the room. He was in a brand new building. He looked at himself again. Everything looked brand new. He even had skin. His eyes locked onto a face on the computer.

"Greetings Zane. Did you sleep well?" Zane looked at himself in the mirror. He was brand new.

"What...happened?" He asked his voice didn't sound robotic anymore either.

"You were damaged. Borg and Julien used my body to fix you. But they went beyond fixing once you got to Borg industries."

"What…?" He looked at himself and then her. "Your in...in the computer now? No body?" He asked her.

"That is correct." Zane looked at her.

"I...I'm sorry." He whispered.

"For what? It was my choice. I saved you." Zane closed his eyes balling up his fists and reached out plucking Pixals microprocessor unit and plugging it into the back of his helm.

"There...now you'll never be alone." Zane said.

"You...are a genius." She said allowed. Zane chuckled.

"No...just upgraded." She giggled, to Zane her giggle sounded like a song. A beautiful song.