Track 14: Re - Sync
Project Kagamine/Len – Status Report
Nota –
Extensive Damage
Power: 53%
"Come on." Len grumbled as he banged himself against the wall of his cage once more. It didn't budge or scratch meanwhile the metal in his arm dented a bit – not that it mattered, the Viruses had ripped open his left arm as soon as they brought him here.
Did they know about me before they brought me? Or was this cage designed Rin? Len took a break from his fruitless ramming and stared at his prison – it looked like a glass box wrapped in chains. One chain at the top was attached to the cavern ceiling and held him above. It was definitely made to hold an android at least…
From how high he was and how little of the glass he could see through, everything looked like black dots squirming below to Len. Yet, he did notice two slightly longer, bigger dots that the others encircled. The two large shaped even looked vaguely human. He peered at them.
The figure on the right looked up at him, it had golden eyes.
Len flinched. Don't those look like –
Before he could finish the thought, the gold-eyed figure made something appear in its arms. The object glowed smoky pink – and when it did Len could tell it was a book. The pink smoke flowed in the air and formed a circle. The gold-eyed humanoid stepped into the hole but it pointed at the second figure and then at Len before disappearing in it. The pink smoke faded soon after.
A blue screen on his glass wall blocked all the dots from view. Len fell back. Kanji letters popped up:
Nice to see you're up, Kagamine – san.
"Where's Rin?!" Len hollered. The kanji disappeared, soon replaced by more dialogue.
If I know her like I know I do, she's coming here for you soon, even if that means asking her enemy, and our enemy, for help.
I'm bait! Len realized. "Why do you want my sister? Anything you want with her, I'll let you use me instead! Just leave her alone!"
She's not the one we want anyways, neither of you are our targets in reality.Confusion and shock painted Len's face. I asked for them to go after the blonde haired, blue eyed girl Vocaloid – forgive my younger siblings for being so reckless and not paying more attention to any other specifics. He sighed in relief. But you will bring that pretty little doll right into our hands. His smile flipped. There's no need to worry Lenka, when we finally dismantle that troublesome hunter you and your precious sister will be too useful to destroy. You two will even be rewarded, in a sense.
It doesn't sound like any 'reward' I want –for me or Rin! Len thought. He continued ramming himself against the glass but only saw his damage go from 'extensive' to 'very extensive' for his efforts. Rin I'm sorry! He thought miserably. Because of me you'll get hurt!
"Give me my brother back!" Rin screeched.
The blue screen shimmered out of existence and Len couldn't find the humanoid dot again. Yet his eyes locked on a yellow stream roller. Rin knocked and ran over the too slow Viruses while a trail of golden notes finished them off. Any ink - like creature that dared to attack the Vocaloids from the side was shot back or hacked through.
"I found him!" Ryuto's cheerful voice from above made Len glance upward. The green haired boy waved at him from the top of his glass cage. "Hi - yah!" He hit the glass with his microphone and didn't even manage at dent in it. Instead the poor child stumbled himself.
"Easy now," Mosh caught Ryuto before he began plummeting to the rocky ground. "Let me try." He hopped of the glassy roof and held onto a chain. The radio speakers on his chest began to shake.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM! At the third air blast made one wall shatter like falling stars. Ryuto and Mosh pulled Len out of the wreckage and chains. The Cryptonloid gave them a tired smile. "I owe you a 'thanks' this time, Mosh – san right?"
"Yup, and I owed you a save." Mosh looked down and shook his head. Rin chased a Virus into a wall and flattened it, and flattened it, and flattened it again until the wall finally crumbled. "No offense, but your sister's kinda scary with that thing."
"None taken," He watched as Lily's note chucked one Virus through the cavern's roof. "I bet your partner can be trouble sometimes too."
"That's a sucker's bet."
Hey! Stop!" Rin cried. Len's attention moved back to her. She pressed buttons and pulled on the emergency break. The road roller still sped - faster than he had thought it ever could. Lily and Rin both tugged the wheel to the right but it stayed straight on course for Gakupo and Gumi. The machine only turned when they did, and it was closing the gap between road roller and the androids.
"The Viruses can control technology can't they?" Len asked.
Mosh nodded. "Some of them anyways, we only figured out a few days ago too. The ones that could screw with tech were supposed to be dead, but that's life, I guess."
Gumi split from Gakupo and shot at the road roller. She diversion worked and the road roller chased her to the other side of the room.
"Alright, enough of this," Lily pushed Rin out of the driver's seat. She (and unbeknownst to her Len) was about to yell at the older looking blonde when Lily sent her notes through the control panel. They wore at it till she could pierce her microphone straight through it. After she did she poured more golden light inside the road roller.
Lily jumped out of the road roller herself and huddled herself over Rin. The machine exploded and the Virus Hunter shielded his sister from the blast.
Len let out a sigh before he began climbing down the chain. He then frowned. "Did you guys get their nii-san or nee-san too?" Mosh's bemused face told him no. "That Virus and someone with gold eyes were leading the rest of them."
"Probably why so many took off when we first started out attack. Usually they stay to fight us and get there tendrils handed to them." Mosh groaned. "Today really is the worst!"
Lily picked up Rin off the ground. Len's twin patted the dust off her shorts before she looked at Len in the rocky sky. She grinned and waved.
Len waved back. "I don't know about that."
Lily had never more wanted to go into sleep mode than now, or at least that's what she told herself while conveniently forgetting all the other times she'd been dog tired following a wicked Virus hunt. After trashing the road roller she still had to battle it out other Viruses. It took most of her energy, much like the one Virus in Taiwan. Even with the help of her partner, her coworkers, and the Kagamine Twins the fights continued for agonizingly sluggish minutes. Most of the Viruses were slew or had escaped.
At this point she merely wanted to fall into the nearest mattress, even if it meant staying with the Cryptonloids. The Internet Co. Vocaloids offered to walk Len and Rin home just in case anymore murky - shaded monsters came after them. When Rin protested, saying that they weren't children who needed to be babysat, Lily quipped that she whined like a child who needed to be babysat. A verbal spat ensued but thankfully didn't last long since both parties were drained. Another sleepover, woo – ho. Lily thought with a mental groan. At least Miku – chan will be ecstatic.
The entrance to the Crypton house swung open before they even neared the verdana. Luka Megurine had tears brimming in her eyes.
"Luka – nee – chan?" Rin didn't have time to say anything more before the pink – haired android scooped her in an embrace.
"Aye, Luka – chin." Meiko ruffled Len's blond head. "I told you, you were worried for nothing." She grinned at Lily. "We've got a top – notch Virus Hunter to help us out."
"Some help!" A woman shrieked. Also from out the front door of the Cryptonloid's home came a human in a black suit. Her hair was unkempt and her suit was less crisp than the producers normally wore. However, it took Lily a mere second to recognize that the woman was the same from her "Blindfold Love" photo shoot.
"Miss, they were –"
"Look at them!" The producer ignored Gumi's words and clutched at Rin's left arm for only a moment, Luka pulled Rin away and glared at the woman. "Lily, you and your damn Viruses got the Kagamines damaged. Do you realize how much it'll cost to fix them – and we have to get a Tuner to Rin for the second time in one night!" The producer glowered at her. "Lily, I won't let this happen again! You're no longer a Vocaloid."
"W-What?" Lily cried. "What do mean I'm not a Vocaloid?!"
"I'll have you fired!" The woman howled. "You're a menace, a danger to every one of these androids! Take out everything from your Internet Co. room and never darker our doorstep again!"
"But –"
She pointed to the rest of the Internet Co. Vocaloids. "You all stay away from her! Stay away from that other android she always hangs around too! We can't have you risking yourselves again!"
"But I don't want to leave Lily – nee – chan alone!" Ryuto spoke.
"Gachapoid, she isn't your sister, you have none!" The green eyed boy looked floored. As if his world decided to tear at the seams. Lily wanted to console the boy but when she stepped closer the woman continued her barking. "Leave!"
Lily found herself shaking. She looked down at the ground. I wasn't supposed to care… She griped inwardly. I wasn't supposed to want to be a Vocaloid, or like any of them… She blinked back her tears but refused to look at her former coworkers, if she looked at them she might not stop crying till she reached the Junk Lab. I wasn't supposed to lose anyone else…
"Hey lady!" Rin had pried herself away from Luka's hold and kicked at the woman's ankle. The black – suited lady winced in pain. "What do you think you're doing?! Lily didn't bring the Viruses to us! She protects us!"
Lily gaped at the little girl android. "Rin – chan?"
"That's right!" Len piped up. "She didn't have to rescue me before!"
"Or me." Meiko told her. "She saved my ass and got me a bottle of sake in the same night! You can't fire a girl like that!"
Len blinked. "When did that happen Meiko – nee – chan?"
"Shut up!" The producer exclaimed. "It doesn't matter what any of you say! If I want her fired then Lily will be fired!"
"Well, what if I quit singing?" Miku skipped out of the house, small teal laptop in tow.
She lifted the monitor and showed it to the woman, who turned ghost – white at the sight of it. "That's what's going on according to a current rumor: I'm so heartbroken at the thought of my new friend Lily – chan being sacked. I might not be able to sing for my fans anymore. I haven't the slightest clue that started it but if you couldn't tell by the 150 pages of angry post from my fans and Lily's alike, the idea isn't sitting well at all with our patrons." Miku smiled, it broadcasted such innocence that the emotion almost seemed sincere. "For some reason your boss, who says he's my biggest fan oddly enough, called me and told me to tell you it'll cost a lot less in the long run to keep Lily – chan around."
"Y-Y-You!" The woman seethed, turning from Miku to Lily and back again. "You too! The both of you!" Her irate, incoherent mutterings switched from the two androids before she finally cried out. She stormed back into the house.
"Lily! You can stay!" Gumi hugged Lily from behind and she tipped over. "Er, sorry."
"It's… it's fine." Lily said, and meant it. They both got up. "Miku – chan, you didn't have to do that for me."
"Do what for you?" Miku patted her blonde locks. "You guys are staying over right? I'll start building the tent!" She skipped back inside. Luka and Len trailed her. Meiko winked before going back inside.
"Rin – chan…" Lily began. Rin smiled when Lily called her. "Tha…Than…you're not such a menace after all, I guess."
Rin pouted. "That's all I get? Really?"
Gakupo nudged Lily and she grumbled. "Fine, fine." Her growling face softened. "Thanks for sticking up for me, Rin – chan. You didn't have to either."
"You're welcome." Rin turned her back on Lily. "But don't get any ideas." She said cheekily. Lily's mouth opened wide.
"You little –"
Gakupo shoved Rin towards the house. "Hey I heard Kaito managed to get some orange sherbet after all! Let's go have some!"
"Sweet!" Rin took off. Only the Internet Co. Vocaloids were left.
"That was too close." Lily said.
"I'm surprised." Gakupo started, "I didn't think you cared either way unless…" She expected the surprise hug this time and was able to leap back from Gakupo's embrace it time. "You don't have to be so 'tsun' Lily!"
"You don't have to be so…" Lily's legs crashed. "Shoot! The battery's less than 20 % now."
"Come on. Let's help her Ryuto – kun." Although Gumi said that, it was mostly her who carried the blonde android towards the door.
"Lily ne, Lily – san…" Ryuto frowned. "Are you glad you can stay?"
"Well it's a lot less trouble if I do." Lily said. The answer hadn't removed the grimace from the boy android's face. So she tried again. "I mean, we still need to play the rolling game again right?" His green eyes lit up. "And don't be so impertinent. You didn't call me 'nee – chan'!"
"Sorry Lily nee – chan!" Ryuto cheered. His happiness put a smile on her face. "I'm going to ask Miku – chan if she wants to play with us!" He ran into the house.
"We'll catch up soon." Gumi said. "Watch out for him please." Gakupo beamed at Gumi before running in tandem with the youngest Internet Co. Vocaloid.
"Gumi." The girl haired girl android blinked. "You remember what you said that day when Ryuto - kun tried to fight a Virus alone?" Gumi nodded, sniffling a bit. "Well then I want you to forget it."
"Huh?"
"I'm a Virus Hunter. If Yuriko's notes are right then this won't be the last time I get beat up and tired out after a fight." Lily started. "I don't want you to end up crying at some airport, blaming yourself about stuff you couldn't see coming and you couldn't stop. If I get myself kidnapped or torn apart and you can't save me, it's not your fault."
Gumi was silent for a moment. It wasn't till they reached the veranda until she spoke again: "I can't do that…" she began. "…unless you can forgive yourself for Kaiganone – san's death." Lily froze. "You didn't force the Viruses to kill her. There's no reason for you to feel guilty at all."
Lily stared, but then sighed at the girl. They walked inside the house, unable to promise each other anything.