Project: VOCALOID

by ChiioUnicorn

COMPLETE/Sequel is available to read on profile/ A cyborg, Rin, is created as the key to answering to a madman's wish: her father's. However, she escapes to Japan, in hindrance. Now on a mission to regain her lost past, Rin finds herself helplessly drawn to teenage life, drama, and Len Kagamine.

21. VoIce

"OMG CHIIO LIVES!"... is probably what you're thinking right now. D:

I swear I'm like the turtle of this site (super slow and endearing... gahhh!). I know it's been so long since I've written anything for P:V, but I've been undergoing heavy inspiration issues and story development skills. I'm still feeling pretty insecure about my action scenes, but I've given you guys nothing but my personal best. Mwaha. Still, I'm going to finish P:V no matter what it takes. P:V has come a long way, and it's harnessed my imagination to the fullest. I'd like to thank every single one of you for partaking in P:V. It couldn't be a great story without you all. You guys have made me jump for the moon in ecstasy whenever you give feedback! Ha. This story is like.. two and a half years old? Such youthful days I've missed... not really, middle school sucked.

Moreover, the new poll votes have been cast in like CRAZEH. Rin Kagamine is still the lead winner. OMG, like wow. Many of you apparently love Rin-chan to the point where you don't have enough room in your hearts to gloat on the others? GaSP. How selfish! JK. I have to tell you Teto Kasane has given Kaito the boot. That's right, she's taken third place overall... I bet you already know who's second place coughlencough.

Anyway...

I won't use First POVS in this chapter because of the unconvinience of switching them back and forth; all the voices of the characters should be defined in one view for multiple thought processes. Expect this, guys, I'm ambitious to make this a basically humane story where anyone can knew what's going on without continous thoughts flooding the main point of each chapter.

Mind you, there were technical difficulties I had to deal with when working when first POVs; they were extremely liable and limited during action scenes. First POVS were good for emotional feedback in one person, but it's inaccurate to tell how others feel during a certain situation. First POV limits to only one person's thoughts. Basically, I'm going to work with Third omniscent POV.

To answer some of the reviewers' questions on my opinion regarding Project: VOCALOID...

MIKUUUUS A BITCH! D: Why is she such an antagonist in the story? Do you hate her? I DON'T hate Miku, and she's not really a villian here. I like some of her music, yes, but that's irrelevant: Miku likes Len and only DISLIKES Rin because of it. They're not exactly friends, but their relationship is still deep in a more confrontal way.

Where is Len's father? This wasn't mentioned in the story, but Len's biological father upped and divorced Nami when Len was only five. *ish secreto*

Holy hell, is this idea based off "Elfen Lied"? That story's waaay more graphic and weird. Totally emotional, I liked the pain expressed in a beautiful, raw way. Still, I don't get how people connected "Project: VOCALOID" to Elfen Lied.

Why isn't this a canon manga/anime? This story rocks! Like the Harry/Hermione pairing... it's popular, but it'll (probably) never happen. It would be an insult to other fans who don't like "Project: VOCALOID" to make it "real". sigh... :D I don't think non-fans of this story would like it to be an official anime, as flattering as the idea is. :) Out of respect, other works should freely conspire at my story's level. If this were to be an official anime, it might spark protests out of how this story ruins the freedom of manipulating Vocaloids in their own stories. Therefore, I'd hope the Vocaloids won't become an actual anime: Vocaloids are already expressed freely without awkwardness of what's "canon".

people who voluteered to do those doujinshis? honestly I have no idea. D: Either they died or just lost interest without informing me.

Lastly, OCC doesn't exist in fanfiction, especially mine. People, the actual Vocaloids don't actually have base personalities. It's hinted, but not entirely canon.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy what I've written once again.

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2:59 AM

The knife went hurling through the air before clattering off the train and to the railroad. Giant steel wheels obliterated it.

A war whoop roared over the wind. The powerful, unstoppable rage heard in the enemy's tone was enough to evoke a familiar sense of terror and hopelessness in Rin's heart. Yes, seeing her face reawakened a fear she once thought was dead. It was like a child's monster in the closet coming to life. Panic overrode her as she leaped across the train roofs in attempt to elude her pursuer Her face, fingers, nose, and even her toes were frozen stiff. Frost fell in torrents like a white waterfall on the city.

"RIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" A scream ripped at the back of Lily's throat, making Rin shudder in fear. She looked back, regretting her action the moment she saw Lily's face full of dark rage. "FIGHT ME!" She screamed and sent something flying towards her. A glowing whip darted forward. It missed her neck by a few inches. Loud cracks pierced the atmosphere as another battle cry sounded. It was at this time Rin felt relieved to be superhuman. Minutes ago, her throat would've been slit. Icy blasts affected her body every time the whip slammed against the train.

Towering and powerful, she was once a bitter child. A cold, demeaning green gaze replaced her once painful blue eyes that pleaded for love and acceptance. An intimidating, vengeful woman, all that grew from a bitter seed of a once neglected orphan: Lily, her sister.

"WAAAAH!" Seven-year-old Rin screamed and cried as she was dragged away. Turning to the cages, she wailed at her friends to save her. They only watched, horribly relieved to know they weren't the ones in trouble for once. To Rin, their silence was an act of betrayal. Through the metal corridor, she continued crying.

"I told you father would be mad." Lily snapped, paying no mind to her delicacy as she yanked her forward by the arm, pulling with enough force to retract the limb from the socket. "You skipped testing just to see those pathetic wastes?" Rin only howled. She let her legs go limp and allowing her ankles to be dragged across the floor.

"They're my friends, not wastes! 'Sides, I don't wanna test! It hurts!" There was no way she was gonna let them stick needles in her again! Yes. Thanks to Mikuo, she was able to sneak out. She had a big plan: run away into the tropics, bring her friends and have them buy all the oranges in the world.

But thanks to Lily, her vision was shattered.

If Rin was thinking at the time, she would've noticed the dangerous glare her sister sent her: a warning that if she pushed too far, she'd be sorry. Instead, Rin sat on her butt, howling and having Lily practically drag her across the floor, earning disapproving looks from scientists and ambassadors from the sister companies. Face flushed, Lily reared and slapped her sister across the face.

Immediately, Rin went silent. She clutched her throbbing cheek, shocked that Lily struck her. The pain didn't come until she realized what just happened, then her face crumpled. The pitiful, tortured cry traveled through the corridor, reaching through locked doors and tender ears. Rin was now on the floor, sobbing and rolling around.

Oh jeez!

If anyone could break sound barriers, it had to be Rin. Lily resisted the urge to cover her crying ears, which were throbbing under the influence of the sonic scream. She instead focused on her anger and clenched fists, immensely aware of her thinly evaporating temper.

"I don't have time for this," she ground out, teeth clenched, "you little...!"

Just as her hand raised to smack Rin again, something grabbed her wrist. Enraged at this action, Lily turned and met the face of the Crypton CEO himself. Her blue eyes widened. He looked positively displeased, demeaning eyes scanning her clenched fist to the sight of his biological daughter on the floor. Behind him was the VOCALOID prototype, trying to shield himself from Lily's view.

"F-Fath-"

SMACK.

This time, it was Lily's turn to clutch her cheek. But this time, the force of her father's slap sent her tumbling to the ground.

BLAM. The whip shot out on her left.

SHLICK POP!

It grazed where her left foot was, snapping against the metal.

Rin nearly sobbed. She was so scared. The cracking of the whip and the fury in her sister's voice made her wish she could be invisible. The icy weather was at the back of Rin's mind. It was the ice queen after her she was trying to escape.

Swinging it around and around, Lily mustered all her strength into quick, powerful hits. Instead of relying on anger, she fueled herself with disciplined patience. Years of training made her tough and agile. Her body felt light and staying on the trembling train was no harder than walking on a beam. Her physical skills rivaled Rin's. She was proud to discover this and soon took the upper hand.

Though graceful, instinctive, and gifted with superhuman abilities, Rin lacked confidence and tact. She couldn't rely on brute strength in her state. Fear overrode her mind, screaming for her to run. She leaped from cart to cart, feet slipping and sliding. Like a frantic deer escaping the lion, her legs worked to avoid the oncoming threat: she had to get far away.

BA-THUMP. BA-THUMP. BA-THUMP.

Oh mercy, why did it have to be Lily?

A high-pitched scream rippled from her throat as the whip cracked centimeters away from the small of her back, unknowingly forcing a pressure wave onto Lily. Shocked and blinded, the elder sister cautiously fought through.

"Go away, go away, go away...!" Rin whispered shakily, fearing for her life. Her breaths became gulping gasps. Her legs moved faster, but Lily pursued her in heated rage.

"Coward." Lily hissed icily. Taking out a plasma gun, she aimed and fired five rounds. A tremor shook Rin in mid-jump. Her senses heightened. Gasping, she spun and saw green blasts approaching. She landed, twisted into a backbend and saw the slime whizzing above right above her vision. She released her feet in the air and landed backwards, panting and shaking. On her knees, she looked at her hands, terrified.

The haze cleared to reveal the scantily clad woman. Her lips set in a firm line. Her face appeared calm, but her movements were quick and aggressive as she thundered towards her, jerking her arm back and delivering a punch. Rin dodged and slid around her. Lily grabbed her jacket sleeves, controlling her movements and striking her heel. Rin, grunted and sank towards the ground.

Quickly recovering, she slithered out of her coat and delivered a hard jab to her liver.

"URGH..!"

Biting back a hiss, Lily pulled an uppercut. Avoiding this, Rin twirled above her arm and kicked her in the face. Lily resisted clutching her forehead, though she felt a bruise coming on. Both panted wildly. Adrenaline rushing and hearts pounding, they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Lily's hawk eyes trained carefully on her, watching her every move. As for Rin, she was somewhat hesitant and clumsy when attacking. Instead, she relied on defense. They circled each other now. Both lowering into stances with both hands loose and shoulders brought close together.

Once again, Lily made the first move.

Grabbing her arm, she twisted it as hard as she could. Her arm looked like a twig, but Lily was fully aware of the difficult resistance retracted. Rin quickly kicked her abdominal, following up with an elbow strike landing against the side of her head.

Lily had to grunt when Rin's foot connected with her side, forcing her to bend down. Her rib cracked, and she quickly let go, defensively retreating.

"Rrrgh!" Rin grunted, advancing with her arm curled back. Lily quickly stepped aside. Rin advanced again. Lily moved back. The smaller blonde gained enough frustration to come at her with both fists lowered at her chest. Immediately, Lily knew she was aiming for her jaw and spun, grabbing her shoulders, and driving her knee up her stomach, delivering her own body weight against her. A metallic taste exploded in her mouth. Choking, Rin bent over, giving Lily the opportunity to kick the back of heel and swing her down.

Rin fell, and her head dangled over the moving railroad. Before she could get up, Lily quickly sat on her lower back, locking and pulling her legs towards her to the point where Rin, yelping like a tortured puppy, threw her head back and slammed her fists against the roof, feeling her tendons stretch uncomfortably.

The assault was brutal. Lily didn't think twice before slamming Rin's head against a window, shattering the glass. Not even giving her time to cry out, she remorselessly threw her back on the roof.

To Rin, each blow felt like rocks shattering her skull. Lily slammed a fist against her liver, and she suddenly forgot how to breathe. Then she was yanked to her feet. Lily, stone-faced, snapped a kick to her inner thigh, forcing her forward and delivering a hard jab to her jaw and followed up with a brutal strike to her right shoulder and finished with a hard knee against her stomach, sending her crashing to the surface.

Rin gasped sharply as her head met metal, and a painful, pulsing white washed over her.

BA-THUMP. BA-THUMP...

Green slowly pooled her eyes.

"NO!"

She couldn't give in. She just couldn't.

Snapping back into reality, Rin staggered to her feet. Her breathing came in harsh gasps as she struggled to clear her mind. A gash formed right above her right eye. Blood gushed from her broken nose, staining her cracked lips red. She felt bruised, battered, and extremely exhausted. She could barely stand. Her stomach suddenly contracted, and bile exploded in her mouth. Choking and swallowing, she immediately covered her mouth. Her eyes watered and nausea reeled in her head.

The wind roared, and the roof shook. Lily watched Rin double over in a violent coughing fit. Everything suddenly clicked. Her lips twitched into a smile.

Haku, that manipulative bitch.

Saliva flooded her mouth, dribbling past Rin's lips. The sick girl touched her aching temple. Her body felt feverishly hot all of a sudden. Heavy perspiration shone on her face and dripped down the back of her neck.

What's happening?

Everything suddenly looked obscured. It felt like she was inside a dream. With shaking hands, she found her medicine and pushed open the cork. Trembling, she raised the bottle to her lips and was about to swallow the entire thing until something sharply knocked it out of her grasp. Rin, ignoring her throbbing red fingers watched in horror as the bottle spilled off the train.

"NOO!" she shrieked and furiously turned on Lily, who guiltlessly caressed her long whip.

"Stand up. Fight." Lily ordered, challenging her with an accusing finger.

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Project: VOCALOID

Chapter 21

VoIce

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"Attention all passengers. Attention. All subway stops have closed. Please evacuate immediately. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. Evacuate immediately."

"Miss, I'm ordering you to get back in line-HEY!"
"Sergeant, are you so weak that you can't handle a little girl?"

"She's stronger than she looks! OOF!"

Roughly shoving past the police, Miku Hatsune booted up her hyper boots and took off after the train. Angry shouts warned her to stop, and it took all her courage to ignore them, hoping they wouldn't come after her. Thirty minutes ago, one of the trains heading northeast was hijacked by terrorists (according to the news). Other people say the system blew up.

Roaring engines blasted above her, and hot air exploded. She glanced up, mouth gaping open slightly. Sleek white machines shot through the air, humming. Their engines flared with blue lights. The machines had no wings, it seemed. To Miku, they looked like flying boxes. They seemed futuristic aircrafts from the sci-fi novel she read during English class, she observed before noticing the lettering across the tails.

CFM

Crypton Future Media.

A hijacked train with freaky occurrences and Crypton being involved?

That could only mean one thing.

It was Miku's job to put a stop to this problem.

A small hologram of the train systems operated on Miku's electronic gauntlet. Zooming into the runaway train, she scanned its path. It was headed straight for Tokyo. She caught up with the train and launched her grapple hook. Its rippling line caught the railing. She cut through the air, controlling her swinging. Once she rounded with her feet poised, she crashed through the back windows and landed swiftly on the ground.

---

Whispers circulated the tense atmosphere as a nurse pushed a little girl's wheelchair through the white hall. Her teal hair was neatly split in teal pigtails, falling around her face. She was looking down; her injuries looked disturbing for her age: her arm was slung in a cast and multiple scars and bruises imprinted her face and chest.

Poor thing, people had said, to see such a young thing wrecked in a terrible crash.

Miku was unconscious when the ambulance arrived. When waking up, she realized she was in a hospital. Her doctor gently informed her of the situation. A local truck driver spotted our wreckage and called the ambulance. She was out for hours, and her parents were lucky to survive, but not as lucky as she was.

Doctors assured her that Mikuo was no longer in pain. He was in a happier place now. But Miku knew what death was. Those silly words did little to console her. She wasn't in a good state of mind to realize what had happened. She had just lost her brother. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes as the truth finally sunk in.

Miku trembled, fingers closing around the tea cup.

She should honor Mikuo's sacrifice. If it weren't for him, she'd be dead.

But why was she so angry at him?

Her uncle, Kiyoteru, sat across on a stool across her bed, observing her. Miku was reluctant to tear my eyes away from Mikuo's body (covered in sheets) being rolled away. A warm hand touched her forehead, and she finally turned my gaze. A tall man built for his job, he looked like someone reliable and intelligent. Dark eyes regarded her kindly, sadly. His face was young and compassionate.

"Do you remember me, Miku?" He asked gently. "I'm Hiyama Kiyoteru, your uncle." Hearing him for the first time, Miku blinked slowly. Her eyes shifted wearily to him, and she struggled to speak. Her body felt glued to the bed. "Don't speak, you're still very weak now. The doctors said Miku-chan needs to rest up before her body is responsive, okay? Oh. Blink three times if you understand."

She did as he asked.

"Here..." He pulled something out from behind him; it was a thick box with a golden M engraved at the top. "I thought you might've wanted this." He gave it to her. Miku gazed at it, silent. It was the music box she and Mikuo shared; the special box which stored their precious memories. Her vision started to blur as she, sniffling, hugged it to her chest. Then she started crying.

Envisioning his limp corpse, she knew they wouldn't be able to do that anymore.

"Mikuo." she finally choked out, tiny shoulders wracking with soundless sobs.

Kiyoteru gazed down her, eyes full of sadness. Hesitantly he reached out, pausing before gripping her shoulder comfortingly.

It would another two weeks until Miku could speak again. Kiyoteru never left her side.

Uncle visited the singer at least three times a week, depending on his busy schedule. Auntie and 3-year-old Yuki would visit too, looking for ways to entertain her. Miku's parents often rested; the accident left them even more worn. For her mother, it was worse. Her injuries made it difficult for her to do simple tasks such as walking or cooking. She smiled whenever their relatives visited, and graciously thanked them for taking care of Miku.

The Hatsunes were no longer a functioning car; four wheels; four family members.

Mikuo was dead, Mommy lost her strength, and Daddy was in a coma.

Despite that, Miku found solace in Kiyoteru's family. She looked forward to their visits. She sang for them, and her voice greatly influenced Yuki, the future child singer. They also played puzzles, walked around the hospital garden, and even befriended some of the other patients. Auntie taught her how to bake melon bread from scratch, and little Yuki was always on her lap whenever they played.

Kiyo-oji, of course, proved to be generous company. Her favorite out of all the Hiyamas, it was the gentle and stern officer. On the days she could speak and walk, he took her to the neighboring islands and taught her how to enjoy the simplest ways of nature: life in its purest form. They went birdwatching to fishing. She still remembered the first birdcall he taught her and how thrilled she was to hear a distant bluebird answer her melody.

Conversations between them were one-sided and awkward, but he made her happy. He never forced her to speak, rather, he brought gifts like stuffed animals and flowers on his visits.

One day, however, he brought up a topic which demanded Miku's feedback, whether she liked it or not.

"I know the people responsible for your brother's death, Miku-chan." The book in her hands was long forgotten as she stared at Kiyo-oji. Birds fluttered past her window where sunlight streamed in the room. He wore a serious face, one that told her to pay attention to what he needed to say. She was already listening once he mentioned Mikuo, much to her distaste. "They need to be brought to justice... and you're the only one who can do so."

Miku crawled to her knees, "How?" Her little voice sounded hoarse with interest, "How could Kiyo-oji know?"

"Because I'm your uncle, and uncle Kiyoteru is a major snoop." he answered warmly, yet his expression remained serious, "Due to findings, I found several projectiles around your crash site: everything was a set-up. This was no accident." The little diva's eyes widened, not completely comprehending his words. "What I mean is..." he bit his lip, averting his gaze before seriously grasping her shoulders.

Kiyoteru wasn't sure how to explain to an eight-year-old girl that the greatest electronic company in Japan had hired a hitman to kill her, masking the accident as an assination due to his position and explosives targeting her window). He had already suspected his brother's family weren't involved in an accident. His suspicions were confirmed when several bystanders reported seeing a suspicious man scavenge and quickly leave the site. Kiyoteru then deduced the suspect was trying to cover his trail; he had meant to kill his niece, but Mikuo had somehow perceived the threat and took the bullet meant for her.

Afterwards Kiyoteru hunted him down to Tokyo bridge. The man committed suicide. Before shooting himself, he uttered only thing.

"Haku made me do it."

"Haku" was the name of a very manipulative woman: Yowane Haku. She worked in the same company his brother worked for: Crypton Media Future. She was feared in the psychological field, and evidently her previous patients reported feeling uneasy with her. Conveniently, the man's profile matched his line of work: one of many bodyguards of Leon Takashi, the ambitious CEO. He filed the case against them but to no avail; lack of evidence and government corruption prevented Leon's jailtime. Not to mention her ex-husband refused to acknowledge her existence, and the government prevented interviews with him.

Even so, after connecting the problem there was still one matter he wanted to know.

Why had Crypton's prestigous CEO, Takashi Leon, targeted his niece?

Kiyoteru gazed at the confused child clutching her book. His heart softened.

Hatsune Miku, a child beauty could not only sing, but she could also dance and participated in leadership activities. She was also very smart for her age, as her teachers often tell her parents. She loved music and science, subjects she did extremely well at.

Perhaps that's what grabbed Leon's attention.

Kiyoteru had spent days in the private affairs of Crypton Media Future, following their updates and scandals with sister companies. Apparently, the man had recently proposed a plan to create a 'perfect' creature, combined with a human base with technology. "To build a future by improving the environmental thinking of mankind," Takashi had stated.

In theory, Leon must've wanted her for something, but knowing her father he refused to getting her involved.

Gripping her shoulders tight enough to confirm his seriousness but not enough to hurt her, the grown man looked directly into her confused eyes.

"You're capable of doing many things; other people don't meet your standards like they should, even grown-ups." he chuckled, shaking his head, "That's why I need your help." Teal orbs widened in slight surprise. Her mouth parted slightly.

"M-...me?" she stammered in a slow, curious voice. Blinking, she slowly pointed to herself for confirmation.

He nodded.

"There's something only Miku-chan can do."

The other patients wheeled past her door, waving to Miku and exclaiming at the sight of her uncle. The roses on her nightstand began to wilt, petals falling to the floor. The girl hesitated, basking the tense silence. She couldn't fathom why her normally sweet and playful uncle looked so serious, especially with his dark eyes glowering slightly, as if he were recalling a bad dream. Still, the girl concluded with an anxious gulp, him becoming seriously usually led to strange occurrences. She felt a strange premonition as she finally asked.

"What do I need to do?"

Little did she know what trouble she'd get herself into.

---

The hospital released Miku shortly Kiyoteru taught her everything he knew: that went from combat fighting to criminal psychology.

For years, she's handled long-range weapons and intense discipline training. She could make deductions at a crime scene and take down grown men in fair fights. Technology has been at her side for the longest time like a personal toolbox. Gadgets, traps, medicines, and spy cameras: everything was provided at hand.

Miku's boots crunched against glass bits. She walked past a whirring engine and shouldered her suitcase. A hologram of the train's structure popped up from her wrist. She analyzed the data, thinking. The train was heading southwest Tokyo. Its next stop would arrive in approximately 42 minutes. According to research, she was on one of the fastest bullet trains in Japan. It was even faster than a cheetah.

The secret to bullet trains' speeds are the tracks; these trains run on straight and even tracks which prevent slowing or stopping.

Miku tapped her chin thoughtfully, biting her lower lip.

"Well, what to do..."

Her pager immediately rang, and she snapped out of her thoughts. With a flick of her wrist, she quickly opened it and reported.

"Kiyo-ojii, I'm inside the hijacked train. I suspect Crypton threats holding hostages by using firearms; I've heard gunshots. I'm currently residing in the caboose."

"What's the situation?" Like a karate specialist, she kicked open the exit with brute force. A blast of cold air rushed in, making her pigtails resemble snapping ribbons. She squinted through hail and the thick haze of fog.

"Honestly, I have no idea what's going on." She quickly answered. Ice coated the entire train, forming a barricade of icicles. Taking out ice axes, she chipped away the ice on the draw bar before carefully proceeding to the next cart. Miku inched across the rumbling train.

She held her phone with her shoulder, "Something's not right here, Uncle. I have a strange premonition-AH!" she shrieked and nearly slipped, gasping. Luckily for her, she managed to grab onto the door handle before toppling off. "OOOMPF...!"

"Miku! Are you okay?" Uncle asked worriedly.

"Fine! Just fine!" She replied quickly, sighing in relief. Her eyes became slits, resembling a cat's focused gaze. No, She couldn't afford to be clumsy or distracted. She turned the handle and practically collapsed into the cart. She grunted as my body hit the floor, knocking the wind out of me. Gasps erupted as passengers crawled away from her like frightened animals.

Miku cocked her head confusedly. She was unaware of the pair of gray eyes glowing above her. By the time she realized something was dreadfully wrong, a wrathful whirring shattered her thoughts. Her head snapped up just in time to witness something shiny and heavy plunging down.

Out of pure instinct, Miku expertly rolled moved away and narrowly avoided a giant metal fist crushing her skull. It was a robot. Mechanically, it cocked its head before charging at her again. She sidestepped and tripped it, and it went crashing to the ground. Before it had time to recover, she stomped on its neck, blades spiking beneath the heel and decapitating the armor.

Miku pulled out two pistols and fired. The robot jerked before collapsing in a heap. Snow rushed in the cart as two more robots appeared. relentless, they staggered towards her, moving with animistic ferocity. She aimed and fired.

BANG BANG BANG. BANG.

Used bullets fell to the rugged ground, followed by two heavy thuds. Soft cries broke the silence. Miku rose and met the gaze of a shaking woman and children, who buried their faces in her chest. She raised a finger to her lips, asking for their cooperation. The woman nodded, hushing her children. She continued looking around, but everyone seemed too petrified to even look at her.

Miku spoke into her phone, "Uncle. I've met with passengers; they're scared stiff. My suspicions are confirmed about Crypton being present," Her eyes shifted over the inscribed lettering over the robots' shoulders, "Project Rin is definitely nearby."

"Find her!" Her uncle's voice crackled unsteadily through the pager, "If 'terrorists' are hijacking a train because of her, the last thing we need is getting civilians involved," Miku agreed. She kicked open the next door, snow plowing in. Her uncle's voice sounded fainter now, "signal... getting weak..." words crackled, "hurry... investig... f-find out... r-report when poss-"

Miku held her phone over her ear, "Hello? Uncle, hello? I can't hear you."

"Don't... activate her m-mode... kill you without hesit-..." Static began to corrupt the surrounding noise.

"Uncle!"

"Safe... Takashi-! Don't provoke-"

The signal went dead.

Miku pulled her phone back, nervously chewing her bottom lip as she stared at the blank screen. She anxiously wondered what he was trying to tell her. She guessed it was about Rin, but what specifically? She moved through the hail, keeping her body sturdy. She switched her boots to gravity mode and zipped from cart to cart.

The train was moving almost five times faster than its regular running speed. At this pace, it would probably crash unless the rail paths switched. She was inside an empty passenger cart. Shadows crept across the room like dark shapes. The chairs looked like still creatures. Peering her eyes towards the rattling cart in front of her. She heard muffled screaming, blasting noises, and shouting cutting through the moaning wind. She witnessed people throwing themselves at the windows with their faces contorted with fear and grief, slamming their fists against the glass and shouting.

Miku gasped and immediately started running towards the door to help. Just then a flash of purple replaced the door and a voice whispered.

"Turn back."

Before she realized what was happening, something hard and spiky rammed against her stomach, forcing a breathless cry. She didn't have time to react as she started falling, only to witness more flashes zip around her. Painful jabs and hard hits drove up her sides.

Miku crashed onto the floor, trying to recollect. Ignoring her pain, she shakily stood.

Panting, her eyes scanned the dark area. Senses heightening, she unsheathed her daggers out in a flash. She cautiously moved around, never allowing her back to remain unguarded.

"You shouldn't be here." Miku tensed at the underlying disgust in that quiet voice. It sounded like a girl. Then she saw something move in the corner, reacting too late. That first punch was a hard shot. She realized this too late when the second uppercut doubled her over and expelled the last of bit of choked air.

Fortunately she was used to it all. Her battles weren't always clean. A veteran of dirty fights on numerous grounds with many opponents, she knew what to expect. Even so, she hated it when someone winded her. She threw several daggers towards her attacker's direction, only to have it slice through empty air before clattering against the window.

In a flash, someone materialized before her. Miku had to hide her shock. Legs enclosed in black tights led up to a grimacing girl with her arms crossed. Her hair glowed a sleek purple, even shinier than Gakupo's. Miku briefly imagined amethysts glittering in a cave as she found herself looking into violet orbs. What interested her most of all was the Crypton lettering encoded on her neck.

The girl simply ran her eyes up and down Miku's figure, then disappeared. Miku didn't have time to gape as she was thrown back. Her shoulders jerked, and she briefly screamed as her pigtails were brutally yanked, jerking her entire body backwards. Warm breath hit her ear.

"Die."

All at once, a sharp, agonizing object knifed through her skin, sending fresh ripples of pain through her torso. Blood seeped and stained her attire. Her body roughly met the metal door. She gasped seeing a long knife whizzing towards her, rolling away just in time. She staggered, hand closing over her wound. The cut wasn't deep, but it was enough to slow her down.

The knife snapped at her again and again, moving like a snake. Miku dodged and swerved its cutting hits, dancing down the aisle with eyes memorizing its jerky movement patterns.

Quickly craning her neck, the blade missed her head by inches. Sucking in breath, she yelled and struck the handle, eliciting a gasp as it clattered to the floor. For a moment she saw the girl's angry face before quickly vanishing. Rapid footsteps rounded her body. The tealette blinked.

Teleportation!

Rats, why didn't she realize sooner?

Ducking, she powered her headset and activated it to heat vision. Through goggles she witnessed a human shape hovered just above her, arms crossed and gripping her knives, she was ready to slice her.

Not.

Huffing, Miku snapped her leg up. A choked gasp escaped as her opponent was sent soaring just seconds before pummeling to the ground. Miku heard a banging noise and winced, knowing her head hit the ground first. A groan sounded as a curled, trembling form slowly materialized. The teleporter was whimpering in pain, clutching her head. Violet eyes cracked open, only to widen as a shadow moved above her.

Miku towered over her threateningly, scowling darkly. Blood wept through her cut, which only added fuel to her anger. She slammed a foot against her bleeding head, eliciting a choked scream.

"A-agaaah!"

"Now then," she started in a smooth, nurturing voice, though the look on her murderous face made the situation ironic. She then growled, digging her heel into her fractured skull, whimpers increasing. "You better start answering some questions before I bash your head in." The girl writhed helplessly but rebelliously. Miku stomped on her bleeding scalp. "Firstly, tell me who you and what your plans are!"

The girl remained silent, quaking like an animal.

"Answer me!" Miku snapped, temper flaring. She used nearly all her weight standing on her head now. Pain surfaced, breaking away other thoughts. The teleporter hissed, and angry tears burned her face. Blood seeped from her head, and waves of excruciating pain hit her whenever she tried moving. Miku's foot poised upwards before slamming against her head.

Pain contorted the girl's face she finally let out a choked cry.

"D-Defoko, Crypton product. Ranking 3rd. P-promoted from... failure." She spat out, head pulsing, and Miku finally paused interestedly. The girl continued gasping hoarsely, "L-Lily! Revenge!" Miku stared down at Defoko, processing the information.

Lily? Revenge?

Her eyes hardened, and she yanked her hair, giving her the same treatment and knocking off the beret.

"Tell me more." she pressed, hardening when Defoko hesitated, "Tell me! Spit it out now! Who's Lily? What are your plans? Is she your leader responsible for putting these people's lives in peril?" She had her answer when Defoko involuntarily tensed, not out of pain but terrified realization. Miku growled, grinding her boot against her scarred scalp while muttering, "Neither of us are getting anywhere. Just tell me. Is this some kind of ploy against Project Rin?"

Pain disappeared from Defoko's face. A dark grin split her features, and she chuckled hollowly before licking her hand, which oozed with blood. She looked at Miku sardonically, "You're smarter than you look, government dog." And with that, she disappeared. Miku gasped before tensing in disbelief and anger.

No! That coward was her only lead!

Ringing broke her thoughts. Kiyoteru was calling again. Just as she was about to answer it, loud creaking erupted from outside, followed by ear-splitting screams that made her flinch. She snapped her head back to the door. Another wave of frightened screams shook her bones, and she grabbed her suitcase, running again. Shoving the doors open, she sprang into the storm. Cold gusts roared in her ears as she climbed across.

Miku took a deep breath, gripping the handle. No matter what she saw she had to be ready. She steeled her resolve and taking a deep breath, she slid the doors open.

SLAM.

Bang. Hiss. BANG.

Miku couldn't stop herself from gaping at the scene before her.

"Decapitate them before they fire!"

Four teenagers fought against a small band of Crypton robots. A woman, clad in red, moved in front of her with a crowbar in hand. Grunting, she roared and swung it like a baseball bat, decapitating a robot. Her eyes widened as the metal head landed at her feet. She continued eying the teens in shock and disbelief.

Miku mentally screamed. If anything, she felt like fainting dead on the spot.

What is going on?

Most of all, what are they doing here?

A blue haired boy landed beside Meiko, grinning. "Nice one!" Then a towering robot thundering down the aisle, firing plasma blasts.

"Kaito, take cover!" The said boy stepped aside, allowing Meiko to charge forward. Roaring, she attacked. Another appeared at her back. Hearing heavy footsteps rumble behind, she crouched, spun, and sent a flying kick into its metal torso. It went down with a crash. Trembling and whirring, it tried to get up, only to have its chest impaled by the brunette. Wires split, and sparks parading from its open chest. It shut down.

"N-no! D-don't touch me!" Miku saw Luka being cornered by two robots approached. They stomped towards her. She whimpered and shrank back. "No..." Miku was already moving. Luka, however, screamed fearfully before throwing her arms out and pushing them aside. "STAY BACK! DON'T TOUCH ME!" They stumbled backwards, falling over Teto's crouched back.

Grinning, the impersonating plumber shot up. She slammed her giant hammer against the robots, shattering their heads to pieces.

"I always knew our cosplay company uses the finest weapon material!" Teto announced with a cheery grin, spinning her body around with the hammer and crashing down the aisle. Laughing, her silly, laid-back classmate then started humming the super Mario theme, practically bouncing up and down.

Amongst the violence between robots and brave teenagers, Miku wasn't sure to be appalled or awed by their rebellion. The passengers, even the men, were hiding and clutching their families. People eyed this spectacle in horror and wonder.

Across the aisle, two robots surrounded a blond. He crouched low, he tore his skirt and flung it to the side. Seeing his face, Miku nearly fainted. She pulled herself together and screamed.

"LEN-KUN NO! GET BACK!"

Not hearing her, Len shuffled his feet into a wide position. He rotated his entire body before executing a tornado kick. The other robot reacted by shoving him into the chairs, making him trip. He grimaced and pulled back before kicking against the wall. Then six robots started charging towards him, firing plasma bolts. Len's jaw dropped.

"SHIT!" he screamed before diving under the seats. Miku gritted her teeth and ran to help him.

"Len-ku-!" Len thundered past her, cursing. Six robots pursued him in hot pursuit. Realizing this, Miku stepped aside and squatted before sweeping her leg, tripping two of them. Quickly she rose and stabbed them through the chests, metal bits flying. The other four were still hot on his heels. Plasma bolts whizzed just past his head, barely missing his head.

Either he was a lucky bastard or all those years of athletic training had actually done him some good, Len mentally tittered.

A green-hot blast shot past his head again, grazing his earlobe. He tensed and cursed, scrambling over chairs. Metal feet clanged against the shaking floor, which added to Len's panic. He tripped over a hand trying to retrieve an umbrella. The lady and Len gasped. Her open purse was knocked away, scattering her items. The threat of looming robots mattered more than retrieving her fallen stuff. Screaming, she ducked back under the seats, leaving Len to stare at the cosmetics.

Len grabbed the lighter and a can of hairspray. He suddenly rose with a new confidence. Smirking, he suddenly felt like a hero.

The robots were hot on his heels though.

He vigorously shook the can before spraying it over the lighter's small flame.

Roaring blasts seared through the air. Hungry fire swept over like a red-orange cloud, burning whatever it touched. Finger-like flames consumed the four robots. Len broke into a sweat when he saw them emerging, appearing unaffected. The combustion increased as he sprayed harder.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" he muttered.

The air became thick with heart. Everything felt dry. Screeching sounded, reminding him of vultures. Len broke into a victorious grin seeing the robots crouch and slow, their circuits burning. He laughed before breaking into a coughing fit, the nasty smell of burnt metal filling his nostrils. Robotic armor grew shiny and soft, melting off their now emancipated bodies.

Staggering towards him, their melted arms slowly rose, charging their gun wrist barrels.

HISS. SNAP. BANG BANG!

Heads turned to find a teal-haired girl firing at the remaining robots, attracting their attention. She cocked her pistols before rushing across the room like a wildcat. She slid across the floor, shooting at robots lingering above the ceiling. Sparks flew from gaping holes before falling below.

"Holy hell..." Kaito said aloud, gaping like a fish. "PIGTAILS?"

Rotating her body sideways, she flipped over a section of chairs and shot at a horizontal row of robots. Bullets whizzed past. Each shot went clean into the robots. Time seemed to slow around them. Ammunition landed on the floor. Yelling, she spun and whacked a robot with the gun barrel, denting its head. It stumbled.

"HYAH!" she sliced her daggers into its thick chest, and wires frayed. She pulled out and kicked its dead weight to the ground.

"BEHIND YOU!" Someone screamed, and she gasped.

She reacted too late.

Immediately she felt the impact against her head. She didn't feel anything at first. Then a blinding, searing pain rippled through her shoulder, knocking her back. She grit her teeth, trying to stay on her feet. Blood dripped, and she was beginning to feel woozy. Nuclear blasts hit straight onto thighs, melting into her bones. Her eyes widened before she screamed.

Suddenly, she was on her knees, gasping in pain. Grinding gears echoed in her ears, and she heard the robots approaching her. Holes gaped where the blasts landed, tearing her suit and inflicting wounds. Her pistols clattered to the ground. She groaned, not seeing plasma raining towards her.

"MIKU!" Len and Meiko screamed at the same time. Len was closest, and he knocked her away before either of them could get eradicated. Meiko grabbed the pistols, angrily aiming at the robots.

POP POP POP POP.

Bullets exploded from the barrel.

The robots twitched, motors sputtering until they finally dropped dead.

"No one messes with my friends! " Meiko shouted, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Panting, she kicked the last robot, its wires springing. The situation had calmed. Miku gasped slightly on hearing those words. Did that mean Meiko had finally forgiven her? Did that mean... they were friends again?

"Meiko..." she whispered before something shifted above her. She then realized Len was lying on top of her, groaning. He had locked her in a tight, protective embrace with their bodies pressed together. He slowly got up to face her, blinking. Then his face went pink. She blushed as well, relishing this close moment. "L-Len-kun. Could you get off me, please?"

Len immediately did so, muttering embarrassingly. "Ah, sorry. Um..." Miku flashed him a forgiving smile, assuring him it was fine.

"Don't worry. Thanks for saving me."

"Hatsune, you're hurt!" Luka exclaimed in worry, unzipping her backpack and removing a first aid kit. "Let me help you." She started bandaging her wounds.

The other teenagers crowded them, eying Miku up and down. Anxious, the girl bit her lip and lowered her gaze in shame, knowing she'd just blown her cover. The train was quiet, save for the rumbling and whimpering people surrounding them. No one said anything for a few seconds, eying the destruction. Finally, Meiko got tired of the silence.

"I'll get right to the point. Why on earth are you here, and what's with that slinky getup?" Meiko demanded, wrinkling her nose. She glanced at her black suit and thick boots. Her belt consisted of tools and two pistols. She noticed the weird goggles on her head, along with the suitcase she'd been carrying the entire time.

"Er..." Miku tensed, turning to Len. He was looking at her expectantly. She sighed dejectedly, shakily pulling out her ID. "Primarily, I'm involved in espionage." The teens oogled her picture and unit number, mouths gaping open.

Teto's eyes widened, "Whoa, wait... you're a spy? But..." she looked at Meiko, who blinked in surprise before frowning indignantly.

"Since when?" The brunette demanded angrily. Meiko felt a little bitter not knowing that part of Miku. They'd been friends in middle school after all. Then she tensed, blushing.

Wait, t-that didn't even matter anymore! It's not like they were still friends!

"S-Since Mikuo died..." Miku sighed, cringing as she tried to move, only to be stopped by a scolding Luka. Then upon realizing what she just said, she gasped and covered her mouth. The other teens gaped at her even further.

Len stared at her in total disbelief. "Mikuo died? W-w-what are you sayi-!" he sputtered before shaking his head, "Wonderful, now I'm really confused. You better explain later. More importantly, why are you here?" Miku clenched her fists, unable to meet his gaze. Len frowned. "Miku?"

"You lied to me, Len-kun!"

Len looked taken aback, "...Uh? What?" Was his intelligent reply.

"How could you've said Rin was your sister? You know she's not, but you lied to me!" Miku shook her head fiercely, "I thought we were friends. Friends trust each other!" Len looked hurt. He hung his head guiltily. Then he snapped upright and indignantly crossed his arms.

"Wait a minute, just look at you! Are you seriously attacking me while dressed like that?"

Miku flinched but replied just as saucily, "You haven't answered my question! Why did you lie about Rin?"

"What? I don't know what you know, but I had to protect her-"

"From what? Her father?" Miku finished sassily, eyes narrowing, "She doesn't need protection considering she's a bionic weapon." Miku said, "Or maybe considering she's the top product of Crypton Future Media, we shouldn't even be near her! After all, she's an unstable, isolated, naive, cyborg who confuses emotions with facts. She acts like the whole world is on her shoulders! Who does she think she is... constantly victimizing herself and expecting to babied... this is inexcusable!" She shook her head, "More else, she's the project that was never supposed to exist, right? The government rejected those plans, but no! Leon brought her to life anyway, and look what's happened!"

Len, Meiko, and Kaito turned white. They looked at Miku in pure shock and disbelief. Meiko dropped her crow bar, hands flying to her mouth in shock. Len and Kaito exchanged terrified glances, aghast Rin's identity had been discovered. Miku, of all people. They hesitantly glanced back at her, who in turn, glared at them questionably. They immediately averted their eyes.

"I suspected Kaito-senpai already knew... but so did you, Meiko," Miku stated flatly. The said girl refused to look at her. She then turned on Teto and Luka. "What about you two?"

Luka confusedly pushed a pink tendril behind her ear, "I-I honestly have no idea what's going on."

"I do." Teto nodded brusquely, earning a surprised look from Luka, Kaito, and Meiko. The redhead looked straight into Miku's eyes without an ounce of shame, regret, or disgust. "I know what Rin is."

"But I know everything about her." Miku stated, her doll-like face contorting in unyielding anger. She looked at Len again.

"E-everything?" Len practically sputtered, arms falling to his sides. He clenched the hairspray in his hand, involuntarily crushing the aluminum. He was still in shock, unable to look away from her. "How do you know everything?" he practically cried, his facial expressions twisted in indignance and amazement. "How? How could you know about any of this?" He glared at his coiling fists, trembling, "I tried everything to keep this a secret..." This wasn't fair. Len knew how hard he worked to keep Rin under the waters, and yet one person still managed to find out?

"H-Hey, Len..." Kaito, seeing his brother's discomfort, frowned and attempted to touch his shoulder. Len quickly shrugged him away, cocking his head towards Miku in an awfully challenging manner.

"Fine! Just how much do you know, Miku?"

Miku flinched, surprised his aggression was being directed towards her. Nonetheless she answered, "T-That agent who wanted to talk to you at the amusement park, Hiyama Kiyoteru? He's my uncle! He's in the hospital because of her!" Len's eyes widened in recognition.

"You mean...?"

"So you're his niece." Kaito piped up helpfully.

Miku nodded, "Yes. Occasionally I help him with his investigations, including the matter of Project: VOCALOID."

Everyone did a double take. Meiko gaped like a fish, "You've been spying on Rin?"

"The government assigned me to gather information about her and send it to the military." Miku explained, "The main reason you haven't seen me around in school is because during that time, I was being informed me of my assignment: to track Project Rin's affairs."

Miku looked around, eying the wrecked train, "I saw Crypton robots swarming this train, so I assumed Rin would be on here," she then rubbed her aching head, "Clearly she brings disastrous results," she then looked at Len, "Get this through your head, Len-kun. Rin doesn't need to be protected. If anything, we need to protect ourselves from her."

A stupified Luka looked at Teto, exasperated and baffled. "Please! Can someone please tell me what's going on? What's all this about Crypton and robots? Moreover, why does Rin-san keep being brought up?" she then bit her lip in frustration, "This is too much for me to take in."

Teto smirked at her cousin, "You don't even know the biggest surprise!" Wickedly, she immediately thinking of the purple-haired professor. "Gakupo's involved with this fiasco. Fun, right?" She guffawed at her cousin's alarmed face.

Len's eyes bulged. "KASANE!"

Meanwhile, Meiko was twitching in anger at Miku's bitter words. True, Rin didn't exactly come off as independent, but that didn't mean this teal-haired princess could just say whatever she pleased! Especially when it came to her friends. What's worse is that Miku could say these things so nonchalantly behind Rin's back. Well, not that she'd have a problem saying it directly to Rin, but just the nerve of her!

Meiko's ferocious temper overrode her mind like a building volacano. Bad thoughts collided against her strictly fair judgement like an ocean torrent crashing against rocks. Anger denied logic. Justice canceled out dignity, and her face bloomed like a rose.

Miku really had changed.

"You spoiled, inconsiderate little...!" The angry brunette stomped towards her ex-friend with her hand raised, hoping to knock some sense into the stupid girl. Miku gasped, recoiling at the sight of her raised fist. Before Meiko could lash out, Kaito and Len immediately came between them.

"Wait, wait," Len said, narrowing his eyes at Meiko and Miku, "I don't believe this." he muttered and lowered his head in disappointment. He never knew his crush was capable of being so coldly direct, even it what she said was true, Len still couldn't perceive how she said those words so easily... or maybe she'd been suppressing this unpleasant side of her for quite some time. Then again, the situation didn't exactly call for anyone's good sides. Len thought as he lowered his eyes.

And maybe she was right about Rin...

Then he quickly looked at an angry Meiko, who was almost thrashing against Kaito's restraining arms. She glared daggers at Miku, gritting her teeth and snuffing like a challenged bull. Then he looked at his stepbrother, eying Miku in slight irritation before shaking his head and muttering under his breath. Finally, his eyes fell on Teto, who was trying to give insight to her cousin.

No... Len hardened his resolve, snapping back to Miku.

There was absolutely no exceptions!

"You didn't come here to argue, I bet. Don't lose sight of your goal," Len said, surprising Miku, "First things first, we need to get everyone off this train." He then turned to Kaito hurriedly, "How's mom?"

"Still unconscious." Kaito answered stiffly, referring to the woman lying on the row of seats, "Len, we've got to get her out of here soon." Her head looked badly bruised as she breathed unsteadily. Len quickly ran to her side, eyes full of pain and worry as he cradled her head to his chest. Earlier when the robots crashed in, she hit her head during the frightened stampede. Luckily, Luka had dragged her to a nearby bathroom, guarding her until the danger cleared.

Len turned back to face his friends, fire burning inside him. No matter what, he decided while narrowing his eyes, he would at least bring his mom home safe and sound. He sat down, stroking his chin in deep concentration. The teens circled around him, appearing attentive.

"We've already contacted Iroha and the rest. They're already on this train, but we've got to find them before more Crypton goons show up." Len spoke clearly, making sure they were listening. The train rumbled above them. They looked up, momentarily distracted by the flickering lights. "We haven't got much time." Len grit out, regaining their attention. He then grabbed his head in frustration, "Aren't there any responsible adults around here?"

"Kagamine-kun, what do you think we should do?" Luka asked slowly, fearing the worst case scenario. The others looked at him apprehensively. Len bit the inside of his cheek at this sudden pressure. They were all relying on him, even Kaito and Meiko didn't look like they had a clue where to begin. If he gave them bad instructions, it would all be on him. He hesitated before looking at Miku.

"I've got a plan, but everyone needs to help."

---

Two groups and two missions.

"Me, Miku, and Luka are going to find the NND. They should be in the control room... Kaito, you're the one who phoned Iroha. What did she tell you?"

"You mean before I got drop kicked by a robot? Hm, let's see..."

"Kaito, just spit it out!"

"Hmph, since you're more worried about a stupid phone call than your precious brother, fine." Kaito grumbled bitterly, zipping up a thick leather jacket. "She said the conductor is dead, the controls are busted, and there's no way to stop this train. We're evacuating once Dad and professor Gakupo sends in choppers."

Inside the bathroom, the girls were chattering. Meiko, Luka, and Teto were changing into Miku's spare jumpsuits. The boys were outside already dressed in overcoats they found in crates.

"That's all?" Len asked.

Kaito kicked a pebble, shaking his head. "I told her our location, and she wants us to stay together and not move. All the passengers will need to be evacuated, including us." he looked at Len dead in the eye, "Sadly, that goes against your 'plan'. You sure we should stick to it?"

Len grimaced, nodding, "If I'm right, we're the real targets considering we're involved with Rin. If we divide and keep moving, the robots will have a harder time tracking us and we'll be able to protect the civilians." He gestured towards the huddled passengers, continuing, "Iroha should've thought of that."

Kaito whistled in agreement, "Wow, Shota. You really do think things through." He smiled, shaking his head. Then his expression became serious.

The door swung open. Meiko, Teto, and Luka were now dressed in thick jumpsuits, accenting their bodies. Using Miku's spare weapons, Meiko and Teto were armed and ready. Kaito and Len oogled the girls' slim forms, fighting back nosebleeds before snapping back into action. Len cleared his throat, dusting his dark shorts off. He looked very serious. He snatched out a whiteboard, drawing a diagram of the train and their current position.

"Kaito, Teto, Meiko-nee: you'll need to clear the roofs to protect the civilians and prepare an evacuation site." he said, gesturing to Miku. She unpacked her suitcase. "To do that, you'll need to hack into those aircrafts using Miku's circuit scanners..." then he hesitated, "I've seen you guys in action, but do any of you know about computer hacking?"

Teto's hand shot up, "I'm your man!"

Len nodded approvingly before turning to Miku, "You got circuit scanners with you?" She blinked, surprised. Then she nodded. "Yeah, give some to Teto." He turned to the said girl again, "Dell told me about Crypton combat: their airforce machines are manipulated by a mother computer on the biggest plane. Find it, hack into it, and if possible, control the other machines. If you can't, then just clear the robots and shut down the rest of the planes."

Teto nodded seriously before giving him a single digit salute, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Just stick to the system and you'll be fine." Len grinned slightly. His face suddenly became tight with concern, "Promise me you'll be okay."

Teto blinked, startled at his open worry. It was flattering, but somehow it felt weird coming from him. To hide her embarassment, she punched his shoulder, "Trust me: I've been in more awkward and crazy adventures than you'll ever know." Len rubbed his collarbone and looked at her interestedly. Trying not to be distracted, he snapped his head at Kaito and Meiko.

"You guys. Protect Kasane until she hacks the mother ship." Len then grabbed guns from Miku's open suitcase, handing them over, "use these." Kaito uncomfortably tampered with his gun, turning it over and examining the structure. Meiko simply tucked hers under her belt. "Megurine..." Len finally looked at the pink-haired girl, frowning in concern, "I know you don't really get what's going on, so I understand how uncomfortable this is for you..."

Luka nodded hesitantly, gulping, "But... you still need my help, don't you?"

Len smiled uncomfortably, "You got it. You'll know what's going on along the way, but until then, will you assist in any way you can?" A big smile lit up Luka's face. It felt nice to hear those words, especially since she came off as a wallflower to other people. Now was her chance to prove she could be strong when needed. In a crisis like this, she could prove to herself she can remain in control.

Luka nodded, "Of course, Kagamine-kun. You can rely on me," then she quickly asked, "Will I be needing a gun?" Len noticed her disheartened tone, despite her trying to remain cooperative. He appreciated this.

"I won't make you," Len said, offering a railgun, "but it would help."

Luka looked hesitantly at the weapon in his hands. As a nonviolent, nurturing young lady, she preferred solving her problems by negotiating. She immensely disliked violence and stayed cleared of trouble. She bit her lower lip, glancing at everyone else who was staring at her. Sweating, she suddenly felt self-conscious for being on the spot. She hated this. Suddenly, she regretted even agreeing to this in the first place.

"Megurine-chan," Kaito called and grinned, lightly tussling her head, "it's your choice. No one's making you shoot heads off..." he flashed a grin that was positively goofy yet comforting in a oddly charming manner, "We all know that's Kasane's thing." Her cousin whooped in agreement. Luka would've smiled if the situation weren't so serious.

Teto and her shooting games... sigh.

Luka turned to Len, hesitating slightly before taking the gun from him and hugging it against her chest. She tried not to make her fear too obvious.

Len, grinning gratefully, turned to the others and pounded a fist against his palm, "Anyway, questions before we move out?"

"Oh god. Guys. Do these leggings make my thighs look big?" Teto asked frantically, scrunching her face as she looked down at herself. Meiko rolled her eyes, and Luka shook her head indignantly.

"Teto!"

"You look like a picture of the evening," Len sighed sarcastically, rubbing his temple, "Seriously. Does anyone have relevant questions?"

Meiko hesitated before finally clearing her throat, "Do we really have to work like this? Isn't sticking together... y'know, safer?"

Len smiled before shaking his head, "Not in this case. Moving in a large group will make mobilization harder, and people will get hurt easily. Plus, it would slow progress down."

"But fighting robots would be easier." Meiko argued reasonably.

"In a way, but not necessarily." Len answered, "We'd be easier to target, plus, it wouldn't be hard to locate us either. We're not bringing battles to us."

"Um... what about Rin-san?" Luka spoke up once more, her face full of worry. "Kagamine-kun... this entire time we've been discussing plans and everything, but you haven't mentioned her once. Aren't you... worried?" Len blinked, looking taken off guard. Then he looked down, hair falling into his eyes.

"I don't have to say the obvious, do I?" he responded miserably before groaning, "Just thinking about her in danger makes me sick. I feel like I'm going to explode. Worst of all, I'm not even sure where she is." Everyone could see his jaw set in a tight line, and his fists were twitching at his sides. Meiko and Kaito looked at each other, frowning sadly. Len then looked up, his expression firm. "But sitting here and worrying won't change anything. I can only hope she can hang on a bit longer until we find her." he looked at his friends, "You all know Rin is stronger than she gives herself credit for." he then sighed, finally showing his concern, "I just wish she realized it herself."

A silence ensued before Kaito finally cleared his throat, trying to hide his discomfort.

"Can we just get this over with?"

After wishing good luck to one another, the teens split up and took flight to their missions.

Luka, Miku, and Len crossed from cart to cart. Whenever robots crossed their path, Miku shot them dead using her silencer. Most of the robots were basically wandering around in the hangars. Some of them were loitering in passenger carts, but Miku informed her friends they were actually very alert. The teens used shadows to their advantages, hiding behind chairs and under tables allowed them to sneak past a majority of the androids.

Apparently, the Crypton robots weren't very efficient after all.

"I'm surprised their interior armor is composed of aluminum. No wonder Meiko didn't have much trouble decapitating them." Len snorted quietly as he flicked a pebble at the opposite corner, the sound drawing the robots near. When their backs were turned, the teens immediately snuck across the corridor and escaped through the open exit. Climbing across the connector, Miku sighed slightly as the frosty wind stung their faces. She and Len climbed on the next platform, trying to unlock the door.

Miku let out frustrated sigh, turning to ask Luka if she could borrow a melter. Her eyes then widened, and she screamed, "Megurine, watch out!"

A swinging piece of metal came flying from above, just meters above where Luka was. The said girl stopped crawling across the connector and instinctively looked up, eyes widening in horror. Stepping forward quickly, she barely managed to avoid the crashing weight landing against the connector. Distracted by her paranoia that another one would drop, she moved forward too quickly and immediately lost her footing.

"KYAAAAA!"

Luka's panicked scream was all it took for Miku to move, but Len got to her first. Reacting quickly, the boy used his gun as a lever, yelling for her to take it. She quickly grabbed the barrel, and Len yanked her onto the shaking platform just before she fell completely.

BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM.

BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM!

The teenagers yelped. Len's gun went flying out of their hands, tumbling below into the river.

Intense pounding rumbled above. It was like rhinos were stomping across the roof, grating the metal with harsh, impacting footsteps. Zapping noises rebounded, and blue-white streaks zapped the air, followed by a burning incense. The teens stiffened as they heard harsh, screaming words foreign to their ears.

"Das verstehe ich nicht! Hasst du mich so sehr, dass Sie mich zu ermorden wollen? Warum? Wir sind Schwestern!"

("I don't understand! Do you hate me so much that you want to murder me?! Why?! We're sisters!")

Out of nowhere, fast moving shapes materialized between the two roofs, shadowing the sun and connecting with heavy, violent blows. Len caught sight of a fluttering white bow, eyes widening in pure panic and shock.

"ICH WERDE DICH IN DIE HOLLE ZU SCHICKEEEEEEN!"

(I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL!)

The larger shape violently dealt with an enormous, bone-cracking kick, sending her opponent spiraling towards the metal grate of the cart's platform. Shoving the girls apart, Len ran and stretched his arms out like an guardian angel spreading his wings. A blur landed against Len, sending them both tumbling through mid-air. For protecting the girl in his arms, Len paid the price, and his head violently collided against the door.

Miku and Luka shrieked, throwing themselves onto the railing.

The dust cleared to reveal a panting Len with his back against the cracked wall. His arms wrapped Rin in a fierce, almost crushing embrace. Winded and barely conscious, Rin was sprawled out in his open lap. Len's bangs fell over his eyes as he bent his head, gritting his teeth. He felt his lungs collapse from the devastating impact; it hurt to breathe; he knew he'd broken at least two ribs surrounding his lungs. A bruise formed where he'd hit his head, and blood oozed from his scalp. His mouth clenched unbearably as he held in pained, muffled grunts.

Luka and Miku screamed in unison.

"RIN-SAN?!"

"RIN!?"

An agonized, horrified gasp sounded as something suddenly moved from his lap, touching his cheek with unbearably soft fingers, belonging to the only girl that could dramatically effect him.

"Len! Len!" Rin's terrified face came into view, stricken with grief and worry. Her tiny, shaky hands ran through his tangled hair, pleasantly numbing his headache. Her adoring blue hues cut through Len's pain, sending him to space. Her bruised face and bleeding lips brought him back to earth, and his eyes widened in shock before narrowing. His hands quickly found hers, achingly caressing her fingers. Anger froze in his blue eyes like icy shales at the sight of large, multiple bruises covering her arms and face. He painstakingly cradled her battered face like a fragile treasure, inhaling sharply.

Each injury he found made him angrier. He grit his teeth, "Who did this to you?"

The answer he received was a cold, heartless snarl.

Standing above them was a scantily-clad woman with rapturous yellow hair. In her left hand, there was a long, snake-like whip that grew twice her height. Firearms were strapped to her holster, and pieces of armor covered her torso and shoulders. Her canine teeth bore a grim, terrifying snarl closely resembling a wolf's.

"Step aside now." She empathized the last word with a disgusted hiss, demeaning his friends with a scary glare, causing them to involuntarily shiver. Her towering stance appeared murderous and threatening, cocking her head in an intimidating manner. Luka and Miku instinctively backed away, but Len stood his ground; his arms wound Rin in a tight, protective cage, guarding her and preventing her from leaving. He shot Lily a challenging stare.

"No." Beneath the softness of his voice was unyielding fury. His eyes became sharp daggers, knowing she was the one who had hurt Rin. Lily scowled deeply, clenching her whip.

"Freeze!" Miku sprang to action, cocking her railgun. She glared at Lily with an authoritative air, "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air." Lily's eyes narrowed before she scoffed. Flinging her arms up, she tossed something at their positions. It exploded into thick smoke, causing them but Rin to cough erratically. Gasping, Miku rubbed her burning eyes, and her vision became watery. A loud crack of a whip sounded as something sharp came in contact with her hand, slapping the gun out of her swelling fingers. Miku was suddenly flung backwards as handcuffs latched onto her, locking her wrists and ankles. Gasping, she ended up on the ground, struggling against the metal binds.

Luka, trembling, spun around frantically, trying to locate Lily. Just then, something sharp coiled around her ankle, yanking her into submission. With a scream, her back met the ground. Her left wrist was cuffed to the railing.

Rin's eyes widened, "Miku... Luka! No!" She tried to move, only to collapse into Len's lap again. Her arms desperately tried to steady her injured body but to no avail.

The smoke eventually cleared to reveal a very angry Lily.

"You don't know who you're dealing with," she hissed, green eyes sparking in flames, "I don't care what your relations are with Project Rin; I won't ask twice, move out of the way or I'll throw you off this train!" Luka frantically scooted back, gulping soundly. Normally for Miku, facing destructive and easily provoked enemies were weak, mindless threats. However, just looking at this woman's face made her blood freeze to ice. There was something about her expression; behind her intense rage, Miku could sense her pain and bitterness built from years of toil. Power and confidence radiated from her lofty prescence. Behind her cold mask was thirst for vengeance, pinpointing at the blonde cyborg cowering in Len's arms.

Indeed, this woman shouldn't be taken lightly.

"Why should I let you take her?" Len snapped, moving in front of Rin and shielding her body with his own, arms apart and knees firm on the floor. "You've hurt her enough. The last thing I'm gonna do is hand her over to the likes of you!" he then craned his neck slightly, "Get out of here while you still can, Rin. I'll distract her!"

Rin stared at him in horror, "You can't ask me to do that, Len!"

Len scowled slightly, "I'm not! I'm ordering you! Go!" Astounded by his heroic stupidity, Lily passingly lowered her whip. Her anger disappeared, replaced with confusion. This boy, knowing she'd tear to him to shreds in an instant, is still trying to protect her with his lithe, lazy body?

Rin stubbornly shook her head, safeguarding his body by moving in front of him. An annoyed Len pried her off and huffed.

"Leave. I'm doing this for your own good."

Rin sniffed, "N-No..."

"Oh, for crying out loud...!" Len's patience was started to thin. Rin's stubbornness was equal to a bull's. Once pride rooted within her decision, it was almost impossible to change her mind. He forcibly sighed, trying to remain composed as he practically glared at Rin, using an affective threat (that he himself disliked), "If you're not out of my sight within two seconds, I'll hate you forever. That, and when I go to the grave, I'll haunt you for the rest of my life."

That last statement struck Rin like a slap across the face. She shakily stared at him in hurt astonishment. Her eyes watered, and her entire face crumbled. Then she tried to speak, unable to stop herself from quaking. She desperately tried not to cry but to no avail. The thought of Len dying and hating her at the same time completely undid her.

Did he really mean that? Was he actually telling the truth or was he just trying to get her to leave?

Rin, gullible as she was, finally believed him. Still, his poison-laced words weren't enough to keep her at bay as she furiously flung her arms around his neck in attempt to make him take his words back.

"Haunt me! H-Hate me!" Rin hiccuped between furious gasps, burying her face in his chest, "But it's not fair to just leave everyone! Do you think I'm that selfish?!" Unbeknownst to her, Len's angry face softened somewhat. He gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes, but he still couldn't find the heart to stay completely mad at her for being so difficult. Just as he sighed, a sudden noise interrupted him.

"Why?" Lily asked Len, her tone sounding strangely bitter, "You have no weapon, and yet you still protect that thing?" she pointed to Rin, disgust and venom dripping from her voice. "How can you stand to touch her, let alone sacrifice so much for a violent existence?"

"She's nothing like that!" Len answered sharply, much to Miku's incredulity, "Rin means a lot to me, and I've already decided to be responsible for her!" He then scowled, "Don't mess with my friends!" Rin internally gasped, eyes shining with astonishment. Suddenly, he became her princely savior guarding her with strong, lean arms. Hearing him state her existence was important to him, her chest constricted with pride and gratitude.

"Len..." she whispered into his shirt, her voice barely loud enough for Len to hear.

Lily's lips thinned, "Friend? Need I tell you that she's murdered countless people with her bare hands?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed at a desperate Rin, shaking her head as if trying to dispose of those memories, "Including her own mother?" At the last words, Len straightened in surprise, eyes wide and mouth agape in pure disbelief. Without even thinking, he turned and looked at an aghast Rin.

"Her... mother..." he managed thickly, rendered speechless. His eyebrows knitted, and his face tightened. "Miriam?..." He still heard Kaiko's words clear in his head.

"Rin is looking for her mother."

"I...I..." Rin weakly tried, trying to form words. Pain and self-loathing at his realization made her wish she was never born. That look in his eyes... if only she knew what he was thinking. Then again, tears formed in her burning eyes as she looked down, maybe she already knew he was now revolted and horrified by Lily's testimony. She imagined he couldn't stand even looking at her but couldn't tear his eyes away. To be so afraid as to make eye contact of a brutal bionic creation, it surely changed the fact he ever saw her as human. He would no longer look at her like he used too.

Even Rin couldn't blame him.

Miku and Luka exchanged bewildered, horrified glances before eyeing the scene again.

"What? You... you..." Len could only stammer, thoughts battling in his head. He wasn't completely at a lost, however. Rin's anguish and never-ending tears told him the event described by Lily wasn't accurately portrayed, and knowing that comforted him. Still, the fact Rin wasn't even defending herself really freaked him out. In short, he really didn't know what to make of the situation. All eyes were on him, and he felt extremely pressured. He hurriedly tried to decide between comforting or questioning Rin. But he didn't know every time he spoke, her mind slowly neared a cliff.

"You killed your mother?" Len finally blurted out his main thought, and immediately, he wanted to slap himself as soon as those words left his mouth. Seeing Rin's tears flow faster, he willed himself to jump into a giant frying pan and burn for eternity.

Rin shakily lifted her head, trying to smile but failing miserably, "I-I never dreamed of doing so. She... I loved her too! I loved her so, so much that it hurt...! But... she..." her voice broke into sobs as she shook her head again, "I-I wish you didn't have to know...! I wish I didn't have to know!" She shielded her eyes, ashamedly sobbing into her hands, "S-Selfish of me, isn't it? Why? WHY? If I loved her, why would I m-murder her? I should burn in hell for this... shouldn't I." Grieving, she sank to the floor, much to everyone's chagrin.

Frustrated and devastated, Len instead gritted his teeth and turned on Lily.

"I'm so sick of this! Why're you Crypton people always barging in our lives?! Can't you guys just forget your ambitions and recognize humanity when you see it?" he demanded, gesturing at Rin.

"My sister," Lily seethed, surprising Len, "is the glory of our father's company, though ironically, she has no pride in her position," she snorted, adding, "But I'm not acting out of Crypton affairs. I'm only interested in her as the executioner."

"Executioner..." Len repeated slowly before he stumbled in shock, "SISTER?!"

The teal agent quickly assumed her plans and groaned, "You... are an accomplice of illegality. Your rights have been revoked..." she managed hazily, "L-Leon is guilty of illegal weapon trade in Sapporo, but returning Project to Germany is an act of further treason."

Lily stared at Miku. "Rights? Treason? Do I look like a citizen to you?" she sneered, "This has nothing to do with father. I came here for personal reasons."

"Lily... I'm sorry." Rin whispered, causing everyone to look at her in shock. Empathy and solitude mixed her in eyes. Rin then stood straight, unnerving the rest of them, especially Lily. The sisters locked gazes, neither looking away. "I'm so sorry. Father hurt you all this time, and I was left unaware... for that, I'm deeply sorry for your suffering..." she then smiled bitterly, "All this time... you're still working for something you've craved for: father's love."

"You think I'm..!" Lily exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows before snarling and snapping like a dog in heat, "HOW DARE YOU! Should I retrieve you like a stick to the man who's used me this entire time? Disgusting!"

Rin shook her head, sadly and knowingly, "You're no one's puppet, I know."

Lily's fury peaked, misinterpreting her compliment, "You lazily misuse your talents, so you have no right to mock me! Are you so better than me that you think you can also laugh at my challenge? Maybe you're confident enough that you can break me?! No, Rin..." Lily's eyes flashed as she cracked her knuckles, "I will break you."

"R-Rin-san..." Luka stammered, reaching for her friend's arm. Len's eyes widened as Rin slowly edged around him, gently shrugging his hands away. She stared up at her sister with an unfathomable gaze. Relief didn't sweep him off his feet like it should have. Instead, he was deeply confused. If Lily wasn't going to bring Rin back to her father, why was she here? He swallowed thickly, and his veins suddenly throbbed in aching realization.

Lily wasn't planning on taking Rin back to Germany.

She was going to kill her!

"NO!" Len screamed, throwing himself in front of Rin just as the whip went flying. Miku's throat closed in, unable to move as she witnessed the boy taking a violent blow. His head met the railing as his body went flying. Rin froze, hearing a sickening pop and watching Len, moaning, clutched his broken wrist. Luka's terrified scream rebounded, echoing in Rin's ears as she stared at the blood seeping through the open cut on his head.

"LEN-KUN!" Miku's agonized shriek jolted Rin into movement.

Traumatized, Rin slowly reached out to him with both arms, her hands shaking. Just as she touched his head, he immediately groaned. Eyes wide, she quickly withdrew as if touching a hot griddle.

Tears gathered in her lower lashes, and she staggered back, gasping and stumbling over her own feet. She frantically turned to Miku and Luka, who instinstively shrank away from the wild look in her eyes. Rin choked, her throat closing up. A roaring pain rippled through her mind, pulsing furiously. She nearly fell to her knees, trembling and gasping for breath. In the midst of her unstable mind, Rin began to hallucinate.

Suddenly, the wire platform became tiled floor, sterile and stagnant. A gas smoldered the room, and lights crashed onto the floor, scattering glass bits like snow. Len's body morphed into a woman, lying in her own bloodbath.

"Mo...mmy..." Pupils shrank in terror, and Rin clutched the sides of her head, whimpering loudly. Her stability crushed, and her sanity crumbled, Rin's entire body began shaking as if she were having a nightmare. Electricity crackled at the base of her scalp. The girls eyed the spectacle in bewilderment, unable to truly comprehend what was happening.

Meanwhile with Len, his eyes shot open in realization and horror. Due to the aftershock of his slight concussion, he couldn't will his muscles to move.

"Rin...! NO STOP!"

Rin vomited on the lab floor, shaking and crying. Whimpering desperate apologies, she shrank away from her mother's mutilated corpse, shaking her head rapidly as if willing the image away. Grieving, guilty tears burned her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" On her knees, she hysterically begged for forgiveness. Miriam looked ahead with lifeless eyes, silent, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!"

"Is it because she hated you?" A sad, childish voice inquired softly. Spinning around, Rin came face to face with the little origin herself: Rin Takashi. Her hospital dress was dirtied, murky, and discolored from mud. Her face was red and purple, possibly from her death. Several limbs were missing, and her left foot was completely amputated.

"N..." Rin desperately shook her head multiple times, tearing up even further.

Her child self merely laughed disappointingly, bitterly, "Playing pretend is done. You bad, bad girl," she then tilted her head, her tiny hands writhing towards her, "All you do is hurt people, even the ones who're really, really nice."

Rin desperately shook her head, unable to form words.

Her child self laughed again, giggling, "Moooonster," Her eyes then darkened as blood gushed from her battered head, "How can anyone love you now?"

Another painful jolt shot up Rin's spine, delivering traumatizing memories. Desperately, she tried to force them back but to no avail. Images of dead bodies, her ambitious father announcing his plans over approving scientists, angry protesters, and the Crypton products burned into her eyes. Gunfire, heavy machinery, and bloodcurdling screams echoed in her ears. Steel walls fielded her vision, and vengeful ghosts of her past haunted her, whispering angry threats.

Pupils shrank in terror, and her face twisted and paled, "UNH...!" She burst into uncontrollable tears, clenching her swollen fists against the sides of her head and parting her trembling red lips. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGHAAAAAAA!" The thunderous shriek rebounded into impacting waves, distorting and bending the metal carts into gruesome shapes. Miku and Luka were thrown back against the railing, covering their ears and their faces twisted in pain. Snow exploded off the train as Rin continued crying, tears running down her face. Lily, gritting her teeth, felt her ears ringing horrendously. She covered her ears, hissing in agony and surprise.

"W...What is this?"

"Aaa! AAAA! HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAGH!" The pitch of her wailing cry climbed higher and higher, surpassing human vocal chords. Lily broke into a cold sweat, dropping her whip. She... She couldn't even hear Rin's voice! All she heard was a painful, screeching siren invading her mind. Painful memories surfaced, making her muscles tense up involuntarily.

Miku gasped inaudibly. Neither she or Luka could cover her ears, so it made listening excruciating. Both girls were paralyzed. This horrible, painful screeching...! It sounded like it belonged to a tortured creature undergoing unimaginable nightmares. It violently shook their insides. It was like millions of knives were driving into their ears; their eardrums were bleeding. Unexpectedly, images of Mikuo's body flashed before her eyes. She tensed. No! Why was she remembering this now? Looking back at Rin, she tried desperately to smother her ears against the floor.

Stop... make it STOP!

Rin jerked, her back hitting the wall. Suddenly, she stopped screaming long enough for Miku to get a good look at her. Panting, Rin trembled as her knees starting wobbling tremendously. Whimpers escaped from her as she writhed against the door, clawing into her skin. She let a short scream, her back slamming into the wall. Her face was unnaturally flushed, and perspiration shone on her face. She looked like she was having a fever.

"RRRRRRRRHHH!" Momentarily, Rin's eyes flashed green. Her face went uncharacteristically pale and dead.

Miku gasped, terrified, "R-Rin-!"

A loud crack sounded, startling the girls. A whip went flying, coiling around Rin's ankle. She violently stiffened and glanced at her sister, who reeled her in and sent her flying into the snowy haze. Immediately, Lily took off into pursuit. Len was already on his feet, grunting and trying to climb up the cart where the girls shot off.

"L-Len-kun, aren't you forgetting somethi-?!" Luka dazedly shouted, gesturing to her binds. "Oogh... my ears..." she gasped, panting furiously.

Miku weakly cried, "C'mon, we still need to find your friends, then there's treating your injuri-"

BOBBOM!

An muffled explosion caused everyone to stop arguing. Len jolted and instinctively backed into the railing.

"Argh. That shout just now... ow. OOF! There's no end to these metal heads!" An annoyed voice shouted, which sounded all too familiar. A heavy clang sounded, "HIYAH! TAKE THAT!"

A robot went flying through the metal door, the one Luka stood next to, and was sent flying onto the rails. She immediately screamed in shock as the wheels crushed the machine, gnashing it to pieces and causing a tremor. Everyone jumped, clinging to the nearest comfort... just then, they jolted seeing two shadows emerging from the dust-ridden doorway.

"Geez," Another voice complained, "where's Dell and Gakupo? They should be here by now."

Len's eyes widened, "Lola! Iroha!"

"Huh?" The smoke cleared to reveal a woman with an android. Lola carried darts between her fingers, and Iroha banged her speakers together. They were clad in their usual outfits, but the huge difference was their grim expressions.

"Kagamine!" Iroha gasped, her face suddenly full of panic. Without a second thought, she leaped across the air and landed in front of Len, "W-W-What are you doing here?! I told Kaito-san you weren't supposed to be wandering around like this!" Then, she noticed the girls handcuffed and writhing. Her expression suddenly became uncharacteristically stern. "... Lola, please go unlock them."

Lola, sensing the angry aura from her partner, made haste to the girls.

"Iroha..." Len started confusedly, clutching his broken wrist, "Why're you looking at me like that?" The young android silenced him with a violent clang of her speakers, glaring.

"You'd better have a good reason to be out here," her voice was rigid and uneven, "Where's the rest of you?..." then she noticed his injuries, "Oh my g- you're injured?! Tell me what happened! Now!" Len became uncomfortable under her intense questioning, wilting under her barely contained temper.

"W-We split up..." he then explained the plan they were walking through, including why they were going through with it. He also stiffly introduced Miku... and revealed her identity. Finally, he told her how they met Lily, and how she ended up brawling Rin. Needless to say, Iroha wasn't very happy.

"EEEHHHHHH?" Everyone cringed at the volume of Iroha's disbelieving shriek. She looked positively stricken with grief and horror. Her entire face went pale with fury, and her speakers began trembling at her sides furiously. She clenched her teeth, and frustrated tears built up in her eyes, "LEN! DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW?! YOU'RE ALL IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"

Luka groaned, clutching her ears, "P-Please... not so loud... my ears..."

"So noisy... your voice is echoing..." Miku gasped as well. Lola had to assist both girls, sighing back at her partner. She looked incredibly stressed.

"Iroha, we've got another problem on our hands."

Len immediately tensed, "P-Problem? Problems?" he whipped to Iroha, "What's happened?"

"You don't say," Iroha sarcastically replied to Lola, ignoring Len. She flipped out her phone, "To-chan, have you located all the bombs?... What, no! I've been busy taking care of Crypton units, but there's no end to them! Yes, I know there's Crypton jets in our position!" she sighed exasperatedly before furrowing her brows in concentration. She then nodded, "...alright, I'll do it."

After treating the girls, Lola jogged up to Len and began to bandage his head. He pushed her back slightly, staring at Iroha.

"W-What do you mean 'bombs?" he asked fearfully. He protested slightly when Lola forced him into wearing a cast.

"By the way, can you send Al to sector two? We've got some sheep to round up..." Iroha's gaze flickered briefly to Len, making him stiffen. She sighed, "Yeah, I'll send them over," she snapped to the taller boy, furiously rapping her helmet, "Me and Lola already cleared the path ahead, so you won't have much trouble dealing with robots. Meet Al at the end, and please don't interfere any further." she then looked at the teenage girls, "Can you walk?"

Miku and Luka stumbled slightly from the medicine but nodded firmly.

Iroha sighed, "Next time, stay clear of Rin's soundwaves. Hearing them can result in dementia and permanent brain damage." she sighed again, "Lucky thing she didn't scream too long. If she did..." Her sentence trailed off with a tremendous shudder, "Ouch."

Miku squinted her eyes dazedly, swaying slightly, "S-So... we'll be alright then?"

Iroha nodded before turning to Lola. "C'mon, we've got to find the rest." Just as they were about to leave, Len quickly grabbed her arm, tugging insistently. She gave him an exasperated pout, "What now? I just told you to get going."

"You said something about bombs on the train." Len interrupted, prying further. Great, Iroha twitched thoughtfully, he was going to argue again.

Iroha pushed him back, hurriedly explaining, "Me and Lola captured one of Lily's accomplices. We interrogated him, and it just so happens there's twenty bombs on this train. He says there's a trigger attached to Lily's pulse. If her heart stops, then all the bombs on this train will immediately detonate." she then scowled, "Damn maniac, that Lily... she thought everything through! Coming here to openly antagonize Rin! Of all the..."

Len's eyes widened, "You don't mean...!"

Miku furrowed her eyebrows, swaying slightly. She didn't completely comprehend what the two teens were getting at, but she still felt a heavy burden resting on her shoulders. Iroha and Lola exchanged grim looks before nodding.

"Len," Iroha started firmly yet patiently, "whatever happens, we can't let Lily die. Even if Rin's VOCALOID mode doesn't even matter to her, we still need to separate them."

"If Rin kills Lily, the train blows up. If Lily kills Rin, the train still blows up." Lola dryly informed. Len mentally cringed at her blatant tone when she mentioned death. She sounded like she was describing tomorrow's weather. "Tonio has already deactivated some of them, but there's still more."

Then Len remembered something, asking, "And... you're clearing the paths for an evacuation site?" Iroha rose a brow, silently praising the boy for being sharp.

"Yeah. But now, Tonio's asking for help."

"Which is completely stupid since there's obviously not enough time to deactivate them all...," Lola grimly stated, looking overhead, "I still think we should be intervening in Rin's and Lily's fight." She sighed before snapping to attention, "Anyway, leave. Al will get you evacuated as soon as Gakupo and Dell arrive. We can't afford any more delays."

Iroha and Lola hunched over and lifted Len into their arms (much to his alarm) and practically tossed him across the connector, landing in a heap next to his friends. As Lola tossed them their weapons, cartridges, along with a pistol for Len, Iroha quickly tugged her along, and they crashed through the opposite end.

"Iroha, wait!" Len shouted over the wind, causing Luka and Miku to cringe. His expression was etched with high-strung worry and realization, "What about Kaito and the others!?"

---

Damn blizzard. Damn robots. Damn train.

Kaito inadvertently scraped snow off his boot with his gun before moving on. His stark white clothes, intimidating height, and childish stomping scowl made him look like an abominable snowman. He shook his head viciously, snow flying off his hair as he glared up at the snowing sky. Up until now, winter had always been his favorite season. Memories of playing in the snow with his kindergarten class, celebrating Christmas, and waiting for Santa with friends replayed in his head, making him smile slightly before scowling again. Glaring at the snow, he knew why people hated it: it made moving so damn difficult.

Trudging through the snow reaching to his thighs, Kaito felt his mood matching the cloudy atmosphere, and Kasane's cheerful rambling certainly wasn't warming him up.

"-So I've been thinking, are Len's fangirls secretly bisexual? Like, I swear they must have some kind of girly boy complex since no one seems to like any other guy in our grade other than Kagamine-kun? After all, he does come off as the wife guy who'll wear a pink apron and make sandwiches-"

"Teto, please be quiet!" Meiko snapped, trying to keep her voice under control, "Now isn't the time for..." her voice trailed off as giant shadows cast over them, causing three heads to look up.

Hovercrafts zipped through the sky. Hot air from the engines blasted below, melting the snow and lighting the teens' faces on fire. Suddenly, the setting shifted; they were knights from an ancient fairytale, facing fire-breathing dragons.

"Whoa." Kaito thought aloud.

Tremors shook the train as a multitude of giant metal feet landed, raining down and forcing the group to divide. Several robots stomped towards Teto, forcing her back at brute arms. Struggling to evade them, she lost her footing and slid down the aisle, screaming.

"Teto!" Meiko shouted, reaching out to the fallen redhead. The robots turned on her, whirring viciously. Kaito panicked and quickly reeled Meiko back by the arm as snapping guns blocked their path. "Let me go, Kaito!" she struggled, trying to wrench her arm free. Angry and pleading, she begged, "Please! We can't let them hurt her!"

Kaito refused, "Runing into the fire won't help her!" he then scowled, tightening his grip, "I'm not risking you!"

Just then, a flash of magenta sprang out of the army of robots, and the deafening roar of a chainsaw was heard. Vicious revving fired up, and thick slices were heard. A backline of robots fell in pieces.

"WOO HOO!"

Meiko and Kaito nearly stumbled back in surprise. Their jaws hit the roof.

"DO RE MII~~~~~~! AAAALAAAAAAAAA~~~!" Teto sang, throwing her head back and holding the last note an impossibly high octave. Swinging her chainsaw around and slicing up metal, she struck a dramatic pose. "Ooooh baby, baby~! YEAAAAH!" Standing several feet ahead, there were more robots. They leaned down, cocking their wrist guns and firing. A grin lit her entire face as she dodged the plasma blasts. Revving her chainsaw, she leaped forward and swung it down, its blade cutting through the grinding metal. She kicked one in the face, sending it tumbling off the train. Vocalizing from a random opera, she belted out a serenade.

"Atta girl, Kasane!" Kaito shouted boisterously, swinging his ice machetes with an enormous grin.

"Behold my fruits of violent video games!" Teto laughed shortly, eyes darkening into a strange maroon, "You, seniors, aren't the only ones with ass-kicking skills." She brandished her chainsaw like an arrogant warrior, gloating shamelessly as no one else stood a chance. "TO ARMS!"

"Us and what army, Teto?! RUN!" Meiko screamed, yanking Kaito forward into a mad sprint. Blinking, Teto looked back and saw the massive army of robots heading their way. Despite the fact they had guns, even Teto knew they'd be hugely outdone. That, and it would be completely stupid to take on an entire fleet of robots with only three teenagers.

"Ah," Quickly, the redhead charged after her friends, "WAIT FOR ME!"

From a bird's eye view, one could see three frantic teenagers running from the massive flood of robots heading their direction. They stumbled and clumsily carried along their weapons, barely dodging the searing laser blasts.

Green lasers carbonated the atmosphere, grazing their body parts. A certain robot with deadly accuracy made his target unfortunate.

BOMPOM!

Kaito's brain went haywire once something hit his leg. At first he felt nothing and was able to keep running. Then his left leg exploded with a mind-boggling pain once he leaped onto another cart. Once he landed, it was too much weight on his leg.

"AGGGH!" Kaito's scream jolted Meiko to a halt. His body hit the roof, and he grabbed his bleeding, burning leg. Pain twisted his face as he struggled to clear his head. Teto was several yards away, trying to distract the robots by throwing flash grenades.

Meiko rushed to his aid, "C'mon, get up!" Kaito tried to stand, only to fall back down with a pained gasp. He tried again, sweating profusely. Meiko cringed at his ankle's disturbing angle. He fell again, his gun hitting the floor.

"Go... I'll catch up." Kaito hissed through his teeth, motioning her to move, panting.

Worry and hurt flashed in Meiko's brown eyes. She shook her head, gritting her teeth, "Like hell I'm leaving you." Grabbing him around the waist and slinging his arm around her shoulder, she hoisted him up. Kaito looked at her in awe and annoyance as they started moving.

"Of all the..!? Can't you listen to me just this once?!" he protested angrily over the explosions, "I'll slow us down!" Meiko forced him to lean against her.

"Just walk!"

Meiko's stubbornness wasn't easy to break. Kaito knew she wasn't going to take no as his answer, seeing her irritated look. He relented and started hopping as fast as he could, trying to ignore the throbbing in his foot each time he moved. There was no way he was going to let Meiko get hurt because of him.

The robots were already thirty yards away, barely short of range as they continued firing.

"No good...! They're gonna catch us!" Kaito rasped, nearly swallowing his tongue. Meiko refused to argue any further and kept dragging him. But even her headstrong strength wouldn't be enough to outrun automated killers. Hovercrafts continued breezing above them, the wind pounding against their clothes and hair. He suddenly stopped, looking up with an odd expression.

Meiko paused, "What are you doing?! We've got to at least-!" Her voice trailed when Kaito suddenly grinned at her, mirth dancing in his eyes. She tensed, wondering if he had gone crazy. "... Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I've got an idea," Kaito responded happily, then his smile dimmed slightly, "Sorry, Meiko."

"Sorry for wha-AAGAAHHH!" The tall brunette was cut off when Kaito pushed her, tumbling onto the lower platform near the door and landing on her back. With a groan, she clutched her head. The landing shocked her but not as much as seeing her best friend getting on his knees in complete submission.

"What the hell...!" Meiko gasped, angry and terrified. She was already on her feet, "YOU MORON! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

"Look, I didn't want to push you! I already apologized beforehand!"

Meiko's jaw dropped. Unbelievable. Pushing her? Was he seriously worrying about that now? Did he take her for an idiot?

"I don't care about that!" Meiko screamed over the wind, stomping her boot into the snow and wishing she had something to throw at him, "Get down here right now!"

"I can't!" Kaito shouted back. Meiko stopped glaring and instead backed up against the railing, worriedly watching him.

"W-Why? Are you too injured? Can't you jump?" She then brought her arms up, wincing as a chilly breeze slapped her sharply. "Here, I'll catch you!"

Kaito couldn't help chuckling sarcastically, "I knew you'd say something like that. You're so heroic, Meiko... macho even," Seeing her blush ferociously, he laughed before she could retort, "I wouldn't want you any other way." Meiko froze on the spot, unable to form words. He only grinned, appearing like the class clown he normally was. Then his expression morphed into utmost, almost scary seriousness. He whipped his head, shouting.

"KASAAAAANE!"

Mountain boots tore up the snowy roof as the red-headed owner charged forward. Her gaze momentarily flickered to the mother ship right above her, its ladder dangling helplessly above her by several feet. Then she looked at her crouching senior.

Ah, her cherry eyes sparkled with mischief knowing, I get it now.

"KAITO!" She shouted back in confirmation, becoming a speedy sprinter as she zipped towards him. Her chainsaw banging against her swelling back, she had to keep herself from stopping. The lasers hit where her feet once where, grazing her hair and shoulders. She was momentarily thrown off guard when two blasts hit her left side, stumbling when cold liquid oozed down her lower back.

Still, she kept running.

Suddenly she was on the school track, outrunning her rivals, who were puffing like crazy to keep up with her. The sun scorched her back, and she immediately knew she was going to get that gross, uneven tan despite all the sunscreen lathered on. Short bursts of adrenaline kept her going as her feet flew across the soft pavement.

Teto was on the last lap, her ears filled with insane cheering. She briefly caught her (usually composed and well-mannered) mother, standing on the bleachers and screaming her name like a victory battle cry.

"Go, Teto, go...," Teto breathed, her sunny hallucination fading back into her snowy predicament. Suddenly grinning, she moved even faster, inspired by her hard work and determination. Screw the people who call her lazy! She knew better than anyone that she herself worked hard for those damn accomplishments!

Painful, enduring moments like these... always lead her to the finish line!

"Yup," Teto whispered, panting as sweat poured down her face, "This'll be worth it!" Snow dramatically pounded against her body, sprinkling her hair white. She raced against time, and the mother ship was her rival. Most of all, she was racing against herself. Focusing her gaze ahead, she worked her knees and surged forward faster than lightning. Sensing a robot on her heels, she spun around and drove her chainsaw into its gears before taking off into flight again.

Kaito balanced himself on one knee, struggling to keep his wits about him. Bringing his palms together, he cupped his hands into a foothold. He gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles, readying himself for the redhead.

With an determined cry, Teto leaped like a lion, closing the last few feet between them.

Everything happened in slow motion.

On one foot, Teto landed in Kaito's cupped hands. Her senior, mustering his bicep strength, inhaled sharply before launching her off like a rocket. At the same time, the mother ship had flown right above them. As soon as Teto was in the air, she grabbed the ladder, all the while avoiding plasma blasts. Then she was beyond the horizon.

Meanwhile, Kaito had collapsed on his knees, bent over and barely supporting himself with aching arms, trying to recuperate. He broke into heavy gasps, blinking to retain vision. That had to be the first time he lifted something over 100 lbs. Then he clutched his throbbing foot, inhaling sharply at the puddle of blood below him. Robots continued firing at him, and he couldn't move.

Someone grabbed him from behind, yanking his scarf and forcing him to tumble below. Shocked, he screamed before hitting the ground. Rubbing his head, he groaned and met a pair of indignant brown eyes.

"Nice going, hotshot." Meiko sarcastically said before softening her voice, "Idiot..." She looked regrettably at his foot, biting her lower lip. "Can't you be more careful?" Kaito blinked in surprise, but before he could reply, multiple robots appeared above her and aimed their ready wristguns. His eyes widened.

"MEIKO!" Without a second thought, he shoved her out of the way just as their guns clicked. Meiko gasped in surprise when her back met the cold door, safely hidden by the roof. Kaito, retrieving his fallen gun, landed in the snow and fired. The robots quickly moved aside, making Kaito curse. Jeez, killing robots definitely wasn't one of his perks. Meiko was a lot better at fighting than he was. Not to say he was a wimp, but Meiko had her bigger share of brawls.

Meiko's arm immediately shot out and pulled Kaito underneath the roof as well. Startled, he grunted once his back hit the wall. He hissed when his ankle banged against the door's sharp crevice. He growled, turning on his friend.

"Stop with the yanking alre-!"

Meiko pushed past him with a crate of vodkas in her arms. Popping the corks open, she replaced them with napkins. Using a lighter she found from the back, she ignited the napkins. The liquid sploshed against glass, and a heavy smell burned her nostrils, stinging her eyes. Kaito's eyes widened in realization, and he immediately went for cover, plugging his ears. Meiko, rushing out into the open, yelled and with all her strength, flung the entire crate towards the robots.

KABOOOOOOOOMF!

Scrap metal and gears went flying. Meiko, bracing her head, ducked under just as the flames spewed. The roaring of explosions and robotic screeching echoed. Meiko slowly rose, lurching up the ladder and examining the mess once the smoke cleared. Evidence of heavy combustion was the burnt stains and lingering odor of oil. Charred bodies slid around restlessly.

Meiko clutched her chest, sighing heavily in relief as she slid back down. A long groan reached her ears, and she raced into the shadows where Kaito was. The boy sat against the battered door with his head strained skywards and eyebrows knitted painfully. Sweat ran down his face as he groaned again. Without hesitation, Meiko lifted the hem of his pant leg and grimaced at his injury.

"D...Does it look bad?"

"Not really." She immediately regretted her answer the moment Kaito started to get up. A painful jolt up his leg was all it took for him drop back to the ground, hissing.

"I can't, no. It hurts... I can't walk anymore." he spat grimly. He looked incredibly grave. Snowflakes littered his hair and clothes, and he sneezed. Meiko's heart thrummed painfully as she handed him her jacket. She then looked at her lap, guiltily chewing her bottom lip. Kaito looked up, noticing how her face adopted a pale color and her brows pinching together. "Oh no, don't go making that look." he scolded, "This isn't your fault."

Meiko flinched, "Yes, it is. If I hadn't rushed you, none of this would've happened. Now you're hurt, and Teto is gone. I should've known this would've happened!"

"That's not true. Neither of us can believe foreseeing the future is possible."

"Well, I can!" Meiko stubbornly insisted, trying to ignore the fact she'd already lost in the argument. She looked as if she were trying not to explode. Her lips gave the slightest tremble. "Maybe if I'd known we'd be in this mess, I would've prevented us from being here! No- this wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for that Piko boy!" she then adopted a seething tone, "Jesus Louise, why'd he have to go and interfere with today's plans? I wanted to bring Rin to the aquarium!"

Kaito shifted his gaze uncomfortably, adjusting his bad leg. He watched his friend pace across the grate; well, stomping was more accurate. She was freaking out.

"And why did Len have to be leader? He shouldn't have let Miku tag along; God knows what's up her sleeve!" Meiko fumed, steam blowing out of her ears, "Now everyone's separated and we're being attacked by robots armed with laser guns! On top of that, I'm stuck on a frozen cart with a cripple!" she then snapped to him, "We have no plan, no backup, and no Teto. We're officially doomed."

Kaito kept quiet.

"This is Len's fault too! Being so sure of himself and all-ARGH!" Meiko shook her head, face flushed and breathing heavily. She then closed her eyes, gritting her teeth, "This just can't be happening." Passion is in Meiko's blood, and you'd see her inner fire just radiating. Kaito knew this since they first met, but it took him a while to realize her passion could also be a mask.

When Meiko's feelings were hurt, she'd brashly act like nothing bothered her (until later when he'd find her sniffling in an empty room). When she become insecure, she'd toughen up and ignore her appearance (until he caught her frowning and hovering near mirrors). When she became scared, she'd lose her temper more easily.

Kaito peered at Meiko through his dark bangs, finally whispering her name. That was enough to stop her in mid-sentence, freezing up and immediately, her eyes were on him. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Kaito kept looking at her with an unusually serious look, one that bore deep into her soul, silently beckoning her to be honest with herself.

Bitter tears finally welled up in her eyes as she then shamefully lowered her gaze, suppressing an angry sob. Kaito gallantly looked away, knowing how she hated it when people saw her cry.

"Kaito, I'm scared."

Those timid words made him look back to see her curled in a ball, shoulders quaking. Kaito's heart reached out for her, and he smiled slightly. His hand reached out to pat her shoulder-

Violent tremors frightened the seniors, making them grab onto whatever possible as the entire platform vibrated. Pebbles rained down on them, and a loud gust swept over them. Meiko screamed and immediately scooted towards Kaito. Crashing noises and intense shouting reached their ears. A sharp, high-pitched wail momentarily shocked them until it passed.

Gasping and recovering their senses, the teens looked overhead and witnessed bright flashes of light coming from the other roof. Worry and suspicion plagued Meiko's mind. Turning to Kaito, she told him, "Don't move, I'm gonna check this out." Without even giving him a chance to reply, she readied her gun and climbed the ladder.

A harsh blast of wind nearly knocked Meiko off her feet. Shuddering, she looked around to find Crypton robots soaring from aircrafts before landing heavily on the selected roofs, then they would climb through the windows like spiders; it was a nasty infestation, and she shivered at the thought.

Trudging through the thigh-high snow, Meiko braved the winter with her trusty railgun. Looking ahead, she saw two figures wildly thrashing in the wind. Growing cautious, she ducked and approached slowly, trying not to give herself away. Her heart beat faster than a drum, and her arms were tingling like crazy. She nearly shrieked when she started slipping all over the ice.

"URRFF!"

The brunette fell to her knees as soon as a heavy object, wearing yellow and white, went flying right above her head, making her hair stand. Meiko's eyes quickly followed and witnessed a body crashing onto the roof with a strangled gasp, landing several feet away. Blinking twice, she got to her feet and cautiously stepped forward. A bob of blonde hair was all it took for the senior to shriek.

"RIN?!" Scrambling to her friend's side, she knelt down and painstakingly gathered her head into her lap. She was horrified at the sight of her injuries; battered head, large cuts, deformed bruises, and fractured ribs. Her eyes were shut, and she was panting horribly. Every intake of breath was like crushing her lungs, and she could barely make out who was above her, squinting her eyes.

"Munh... M-Mei...k..."

Oh god, she sounded terrible. The girl couldn't even speak!

Meiko's face crumpled. Before she could do anything, however, a long rope suddenly shot out of nowhere and coiled around Rin's ankle.

KACHAK!

Rin's body was sent flying again, crashing onto the metal none too gently. Her head hit a sharp edge, causing a ruckus in her nerves. Meiko screeched in horror. A taller girl approached, caressing her brass knuckles. Rin coughed, blood spewing from her mouth. Her vision was getting hazier, but she could still recognize the stark arrival of her stepsister.

"How does it feel, Project Rin?" Lily sneered, cocking her head as she watched her sister crawl away like a frightened mouse. A dark grimace contorted her face as she grabbed her by the leg, yanking her forward and driving her heel into her neck.

A choked whine immediately escaped the smaller girl as she involuntarily curled into a ball, shielding her face. Her eyes were screwed shut with renewed pain.

"Childish attire, feigned affections, and timidity: your foolproof facade," Lily hissed icily, stomping onto her head, "This won't trick me!" Retracting her whip, she immediately started lashing out.

"Aren't you supposed to be the best? EVEN BETTER THAN ME?" she furiously demanded, snapping repeatedly at her. "That's why Father and Mother loved you! You were already the best of us! EVEN ME! You didn't have to lift a finger to be talented! Not like me!" She cracked her whip again and again, aiming for her head each time, rewarded with her screams of pain. With each hit, Rin's cries grew weaker and softer. Blood went everywhere.

Nearby, Meiko's eyes widened in fury and disbelief. Clenching her fists, she charged towards them with a vengeful roar, throwing herself onto Lily. Caught off-guard, the older blonde barely had time to process the situation as the furious brunette yanked her back by the hair, a short shriek escaping her lips.

Forcing Lily into a mid-fall, Meiko harshly connected her knee with the small of Lily's back before yanking her upwards and driving her elbow deep into her solar plexus, eliciting a strangled cry.

The whip clattered onto the railing as a coughing Lily fell to her knees and grasped her throat with both hands, struggling to recuperate. Meiko took this opportunity to hoist Rin on piggy-back and run for their lives.

Scared to death, Meiko hardly thought as she sprinted across the roof. Fights didn't thrill her like they used to; in fact, this was one she wanted-no, needed to avoid. She had to get Rin and herself to safety, away from that psychotic black widow. She was more panicky when it came to running across the ice.

Rin's battered body bounced against her back, and the girl was hardly functioning as her head leaned into the space between Meiko's shoulders. Her breathing broke into short, erratic patterns; she sounded like she was swallowing nails.

"I got you, Honey. I got you." Meiko whispered, trying to reassure them both. She caught a glimpse of blood in Rin's scalp and became even more anxious. Dammit, she should've moved sooner! She couldn't let her die. Never. Silver aircrafts rocketed above her, their engines roaring. She hardly paid attention to the mother ship, its lights flashing erratically.

Vaguely, she wondered if Teto had managed to hack into the hard drive.

A violent crash behind them sent a jolt down Meiko's spine. Barely turning her head, she was horrified to see Lily firing a laser rifle. The fire-red blasts seared past her head and incinerated the snow in front of her. Meiko, gasping, quickly escaped into the fog.

The hail interfered with Lily's range. And annoyingly enough, her aim was getting rusty. Close combat was her forte. Eyes narrowing, she still quietly pursued the girls. Cocking her rifle, she readied it against her side and silently approached. She arrived at the end of the train with no one in sight. Puzzled, she cautiously approached the edge and peered down at the lower platform.

No one was there.

Meanwhile, meters away, Meiko was pulling herself up from another side of the train, having stood on the window railing and holding onto the roof's railing. Grunting in effort, she wrapped a tight arm around Rin, all the while hanging on.

Watching Lily from behind, she gritted her teeth in effort as she silently snuck away. One could only dread the possibilities if she were to turn around. Meiko broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it and quickly focused on the task at hand. She started climbing towards the nearest open window. Moving proved to be very difficult, considering she was holding onto a fourteen-year-old girl weighing around ninety pounds, not to mention they were hundreds of feet above ground. Also, the fact that a woman just above them was trying to kill them both...

No pressure or anything, right?

A hollow chuckle escaped Meiko's lips, though she honestly didn't find anything funny about the situation. She slowly edged across the side of train. The wind kept running through her hair, and everything moved past in a blur. Suddenly, the train escalated to a higher platform, much to her horror. They were now even higher than before, soaring above buildings.

The windows reflected the dark sky, and Meiko dreaded seeing the clouds coming in. The hail rained against her back, and it only made things worse. She wasn't sure if she would be able to hang on much longer; her arms were becoming pudding.

The sight of a rattling window instantly revived Meiko's hopes. It was left wide open as if it had been waiting for her. Her face lit up, and she eagerly started for it.

Red-painted fingers reached for the windowsill, and she grunted in effort. Sweat dripping down her back, she mustered her aching arms to stretch across the small space and-!

The entire train vibrated on the escalating tracks, soaring over twin highways stretching across Bar River. Miles away, she could see Riverwalk, and the Tokyo port stood just beyond the horizon. The people moved like busy ants below, blissfully unaware of what was happening just above them. The buildings suddenly looked like blocks, small enough for Meiko to just reach out and pluck from the ground.

Meiko inhaled sharply, forcing herself to look away, "Don't look down... don't look down... don't look-!" She nearly screamed as the entire train convulsed, sputtering on the tracks. She lost her footing and slipped, forcing her grip to loosen. She was now clinging to the window, and Rin was quickly slipping from under her arm. Terror racked her senses into action as she impulsively grabbed her friend's shirt collar. Her body was in full motion, swinging from side to side and clinging to the roof with one arm.

Below, she thought she saw strange devices blinking green. They were fairly small in size, big as tennis balls. Wires connected them to form a dark chain on the spinning wheels. Her dangerous situation distracted her from this strange discovery. Dread and panic overwhelmed her as she desperately fought to keep her grip on the window, all the while trying to shake Rin awake. As the train rumbled, she screamed shortly and broke into a cold sweat.

"Oh my god... Oh my god...!"

No. There's no way she can do this alone..!

As if answering her thoughts, something heavy and cold rested against Meiko's head. An unnerving click sent her brain haywire. Her mind screamed danger and sent multiple signals to her body, making her freeze on the spot entirely (like a statue). Her eyes barely shifted to find a gun barrel pinpointed against her temple, and its owner was a kneeling Lily.

"Not another inch."

Heavy footsteps echoed in mechanical sync, and furious whirring noises resounded in the entire area. Multiple cartridges were emptied and reloaded, and robotic voices hummed in perfect rhythm.

Lily smirked victoriously, staring down at her prey like a falcon; in a sense, the dangling girls were the helpless mice. Hunger burned in her green eyes as she licked her lips. Behind her stood a swarm of trial robots at her disposal. Sharp buzzing met their eardrums, and laser targets aimed at the brunette's arms, legs, and head. The robots readied the guns, remaining still as statues.

All Lily had to do was give the order to open fire.

Knowing she had this authority, Lily's eyes sparkled. Meiko, sensing a sneer knifing into her neck, could only dangle from the roof and listen Lily's harsh snickers, relishing her victory like a hyena.

"Mmm...," A long sigh escaped from the blonde woman as she sneered again, "You're smarter than you look. At least my sister keeps good company. Even better, she fights better than other trainees," Her face then grew grim as she looked down at her in disgust, "Yet somehow, I'm not satisfied. Beating her was all I ever wanted; it was my drive... overshadowing her glory," Meiko noticed how oddly disappointed she sounded but listened further, "Battling every challenger and obstacle, is it all truly over? The blood and the fearful looks in their eyes... is it really going to end here?"

Meiko's eye twitched. Clearly, this woman had violence issues. She suddenly gasped in pain as her arm trembled violently under the heavy weights of both herself and Rin. Seeing this, Lily frowned and nudged her barrel even further into her forehead, evoking a panicked yelp from Meiko. Shaking her head, Lily stood up and sheathed her gun.

Meiko's arm shook furiously, unable to support her any longer. With a terrified yelp, her fingers let go, and she started falling. Immediately, her arms wounded around Rin. Just as things started spinning, multiple coils locked around her back, jerking her to a stop.

Meiko shockingly saw the robots holding onto thick cords supplied from their arsenals, supporting her existence. Lily stared down at her like a warden, unsmiling and cocking her head.

"But now it's time to end this. Even someone like you has limits..."

With a snap of her fingers, the cords supporting Meiko came tumbling loose. She immediately began falling. Screaming, she latched onto Rin. Just as her head was about to fly into the spinning wheels, she was immediately yanked up. The cords had tightened around her again, squeezing her like a bottle of ketchup.

Lily's malicious laughter rang in her ears, and red colored her vision.

This woman was toying with her!

Meiko gritted her teeth, instinctively reaching for her gun and aimed it at Lily, who immediately stopped laughing. Her other arm kept Rin in a tight hug. The robots immediately reacted, drawing their guns until Lily stopped them, looking calm as ever.

"You're frightened." She stated simply, eying her trembling gun. Tilting her head, she then asked, "You've never aimed a gun at someone, have you?"

"...I have," Meiko inhaled sharply before continuing, "I just never wanted to do it again." Lily looked amused and a little surprised. So, she had carried a weapon all this time but held back?

Green eyes glittered with interest, "Have you killed that person?" As expected, Meiko's face hardened. She glared at the blonde hatefully as a bitter taste exploded in her mouth.

"That's none of your business!"

Lily chuckled darkly. With a flick of her wrist, her whip came flying out. She rounded it above her head, forming a spinning circle. It whooshed against the wind, humming. Then she thrashed it downwards. Meiko cried out when the steel tip met her skin, forcing the gun out of her hand. It tumbled below where a local neighborhood was, disappearing into the distance. Horrified, she then stared up into Lily's burning eyes and was immediately swallowed in fire.

"Look here," Lily spoke icily as she pulled up her sleeve, revealing a timed device wired into her arm. The numbers read 1:31, which only kept dropping.

Meiko's eyes widened in horrified realization. Her violent past taught her many things, including bomb usage. She knew a detonator when she saw one, even regrettably participating in an event like this. The nightmarish memory made Meiko shake her head multiple times, blinking rapidly as if what she were hallucinating. Those blinking devices armed on the windows and wheels, along with the trigger needled into Lily's veins. It could only mean one thing.

"YOU'RE INSANE!" She screamed, clutching Rin even tighter, "And you wanted to accomplish... whatever you're after, by blowing things people up? There's kids on this train!"

"So you understand," Lily chuckled, eyes flashing, "If my heart stops beating, then everything will become nothing but scrap." She then cocked her head, "I think I just saved lives, stopping you from shooting me. Do you still feel in charge?" Meiko snarled hatefully, struggling to keep her own body in the shape of a tight ball, using her feet as a leverage. Rin was aligned between her arms and lower torso, barely contained.

Rin's head hung loosely, hair falling into her eyes. Her hair matted with sweat and blood, and her bruises darkening, life was slowly leaving her. Every faint breath she took sounded painful; it sounded like her lungs were being crushed. What sounded like her internal struggle finally came to a halt as she suddenly jerked before melting bonelessly into Meiko, cold and motionless.

Meiko gasped, eyes dropping to Rin.

"R... Rin?"

There was no answer. Not even a breath. Sweat shone on Meiko's face as she now grabbed Rin's shoulder, trying to shake her awake. She shouted at her friend to wake up, please wake up! Distress and desperation etched on her stricken face, she even tried slapping her. Nothing worked. Rin's head slumped to the side, limp and beaten to a bloody pulp.

"RIN! RIN!"

The robots stirred confusedly as the brunette continued grieving, turning to their mistress. Lily's lips tightened, cramming her boot into Meiko's fingers, evoking a pained yelp. Lily then grit her teeth, twitching furiously at the sight of her sister. She casually aimed her rifle directly at her head.

The smell of sweat, blood, and fumes irritated Meiko's lungs, who coughed profusely. Tears of rage and helplessness burned her eyes as she clenched her jaw. With an angry cry, she defiantly threw herself between Rin and the offending weapon.

"I expected more out of her." Lily murmured, ignoring the brunette's actions and moved her muzzle closer. Past the brunette's quivering body, she stared at Rin's dangling head and wondered if she was truly dead. The faint, almost unnoticeable rising of her chest proved she wasn't. Lily would soon change that.

Dammit...

Goddammit!

Meiko wanted to scream her lungs out and thrash like a baby. Angrily, she held Rin against her body, silently raging into her shoulder. Was it impossible for her to even protect this little girl she called her friend? With an anguished cry, she squeezed her eyes shut.

No... she knew she was never truly strong. Pretending to be tough and threatening, all the while knowing it was all just a façade... it was only a matter of time until her true weakness bared its ugly head. Self-hatred and anger at her own helplessness convinced her into believing she should die. It was what she deserved for lying all this time, to herself and others. Clenching her jaw, she swallowed a bitter sob. Pushing Rin's head against her chest, she dreadfully awaited their fates.

Still... at least, she would die knowing she'd tried defending someone she cared about. She only regretted one thing. A grinning Kaito flashed right before her eyes.

"I should've told you about my feelings." Her sob was muffled in Rin's shoulder.

"It's over." Lily breathed, relishing her glorious moment before frowning coldly down on the girls, especially Rin. The robotic henchmen formed tight quarters, closing in. They aimed their guns quietly, barrels hovering right above the girls. Eyes narrowing, Lily then ordered, "Open fire." She too, released the trigger.

The lights of gunfire lit the entire area. The moment a hiss escaped from the muzzle, Rin's eyes barely moved, her glassy pupils reflecting the bullets whizzing towards her head. Her vision became strangely clear as Meiko's petrified screams pierced her eardrums and the previous events replayed in her head.

"BLAME ME!" Meiko grieved as she hugged her tightly, screaming furiously at the top of her lungs, "KAAITOOOOO!"

That piercing echo traveled through Rin's eardrums, triggering her muscles to life and brain into instant activation.

Blue eyes snapped opened.

"EMERGENCY MODE TRIGGERED. INITIATE CODE RED."

No one expected the screeching twist of events. The tables were immediately turned when a blinding light enclosed the train. The robots continued to fire as a silhouette emerged, unaffected. Blinded, Lily hissed, dropping her gun and shielding her eyes while peeping between her fingers in bewilderment. She squinted, trying to see through the brilliance. When the light and smoke finally vaporized, her eyes enlarged disbelievingly.

Wrenching free from the brunette's hold, the blonde shot up and just before the bullets could touch her, an electrified shield immediately engulfed her, vaporizing the bullets right before creating contact.

Death wasn't an option.

Rin's clothes immediately started morphing, and her skin became harder and shinier. Her bruises slowly disappeared, and her bones replenished quickly. Adrenaline drowned her head of previous thoughts. Lime pooled into her corneas, erasing any trace of blue. It was like storm clouds ravaging a sunny day. A sailor uniform now fitted her body, shorts allowed her durable movement, and a headset attached with a microphone.

Even as her headed pulsed and pinched every nerve in her brain, micro tears were eating her skin alive like leeches, and even though her legs barely gave balance, escaping was no longer an option. Not anymore. Raw energy burned inside like a hungry, ravaging fire. Her head burned with fervor, and soon, something rapturous and powerful replaced the pain in her body. Her arms tingled, and her mind sharpened. Her mind created a barrier around her sudden drive for violent compensation, shutting out pain and memories.

The cyborg snapped upright, rising and craning her neck erratically. She quickly scanned her surroundings, processing information in her head. The weather was below 40 degrees, the electric train was running southwest at 240 miles/hour, and there were enemy signals everywhere on her mental chart.

Specially, there was one right in front of her.

Her computerized voice mechanically informed her brain of the situation, scanning Lily with lasers, "TARGET: TAKASHI LILY. 19 YEARS... PROCESSING... PROCESSING," The gears in her computerized mind worked quickly, gathering information and scanning her body and pinpointing her weakest points, exploiting them with horrendous tactics. She then analyzed her weapons; its quality and approximate impact. "THREAT LEVEL: HIGH." Her pupils shrank in calculated awareness before widening once more, locking on her target. "OBSERVATION COMPLETE. COMMENCE ATTACK."

A crackling explosion forced everyone, including Lily back onto the next cart. The impact caused Meiko to slam against the train. Screaming, she shortly witnessed sparks ravaging above as her cords came tumbling loose. The robots that supported her existence were already deactivated. A screaming Meiko watched the newly turned cyborg rush towards the enemy line, hands reaching out.

Then she started falling.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!"

"MEIKO!"

Eyes snapping open at the familiar voice, she shortly witnessed someone grabbing her wrists with a loud grunt, jerking her fall to a halt. She nearly screamed out of pure shock.

Kaito?!

Meiko could only utter a strangled cry, clinging onto Kaito as the train shook them. Her entire body was dangling helplessly like a hook line. The thing she could do was grab Kaito's wrists tightly and hope he wasn't planning on letting go. Kaito's eyes flared in desperation, and he sprawled even further across the edge, trying to pull her up using all his weight.

Kaito's strenuous labor on his leg immediately took its toll. Two tendons ripped apart, and a violent scream ripped from his throat when fire consumed his left leg in lasting agony. Meiko immediately went down again, dangling once more.

"KAITO!" Meiko was terrified to see torment etching his now red face, his blood vessels nearly popping. He swore loudly, grinding his teeth as he tightened his grip around Meiko's wrists. Hail furiously rained on them, impounding their backs.

"RRRGGGHHH..." Kaito tried again, using his entire weight again and ignoring the excruciating pulsation in his leg. Due to the slippery conditions and the fact he'd further crippled himself earlier when he tailed Meiko left him nearly immobilized. Not to mention the fact Meiko was wearing heavy armor certainly didn't make anything easier.

Bolts flashed across the sky, causing the teens to jolt. The cart roared and rumbled, causing their bodies to shake. Both teens shouted in terrified surprise as their hands suddenly let go, making horror explode in Meiko's mind like a time bomb.

"AAAGGHH!" Meiko screamed, making Kaito react at once. In a split second, he hurled his scarf towards her like a lifeline, relieved when she immediately grabbed it. But to their horror, the scarf wasn't strong enough to hold Meiko's weight and started to tear.

Tears finally formed in her brown eyes as she finally realized the unavoidable. She didn't want to die! Not when she hadn't truly lived! Her entire life flashed before her eyes.

This wasn't fair...

NO! There was still so much she wanted to do!

She wanted to graduate and go to college! Earn a master's degree in aikido and jiujutsu! And she at least wanted to try drinking all those alcoholic beverages when she became a legal adult!

She wanted to watch her friends grow up and raise families. She wanted to prove to her own blood she wasn't a violent, bad-tempered failure! She wanted to laugh, cry, and live through brute pain! She wanted to have kids! She wanted to-...!

The scarf was already stretching at its limit, tearing halfway.

"MEIKO I WON'T LET YOU FALL! I WON'T!" Kaito shrieked, trying to pulley her up without tearing the fabric even further. Angry curses escaped him in a single breath as he now threw more than half his body over the edge, frantically trying to reach her while slipping as well.

Meiko then realized at this rate, Kaito would fall too. And she'd never forgive herself if she allowed him to die on her part. She'd much rather have him alive and livid than sleeping in a grave.

A sad smile broke her face as she watched her friend screaming and reaching out for her, terror and desperation filling his eyes. Suddenly, he was reduced to the sweet, gentle boy who had cried when his mother left him. A stinging sensation gathered in her eyes as her fingers continuously slipped. Terror and desperation left her as she breathed, finally, reluctantly accepting her fate.

Looking up into his eyes, she smiled waveringly at him, tears glistening her eyes, "Let go."

Kaito's eyes widened at her statement, angrily demanding, "What are you saying?!" He shouted, hoping to yell her back into common sense. At the same, he was trembling ferociously, not because he was furious, but because the thought of losing her would end him. No... he didn't want to lose another woman important in his life!

No, she didn't mean those words! This couldn't be happening!

The scarf ripped another half inch.

Meiko closed her eyes, "We argued and did stupid things, like the time we climbed into the rhino den in third grade? Oh god!" she laughed hollowly, her voice dropping to a whisper, "Still, you have no idea how much those moments meant to me... I'm glad they happened."

"Stop sermonizing and grab my hand!" Kaito shouted, gasping furiously. The scarf continued to tear, intensifying his panic. Screaming with effort, he shot out his hand towards hers but no avail. They were merely inches away from touching.

Meiko merely grinned, "You saved me so many times before, and I never even thanked you for it! Telling me my life had meaning, risking your butt standing up to my family, even rescuing from that gang... you were always there for me!" Tears gathered in her eyes as she breathed slowly, "I didn't know what kindness was... until I met you." Kaito stared at her, unwilling to let her slip any further. The fabric kept tearing, and it sounded like alarms going off in his ears.

His arms went rigid as he now grabbed the scarf with both hands, itching to pull her up and onto the train.

"People believed you were just a hopeless, caustic moron at one point, but you're more than that. You're willing enough to throw away your own happiness and dignity just to make others laugh. But you're much more than that! You're...!" Tears finally bubbled down Meiko's cheeks as she breathed slowly, brown strands getting into her eyes as she blinked up at him with a strange resolve, inhaling before finally admitting the words she'd wanted to say since middle school, "You're the guy I fell in love with."

That sentence was all it time for Kaito to suddenly stop. Time froze. Anger and fractiousness melted away from his face as he now stared at Meiko, wondering if he heard right. The turning wheels roared in their ears, and the cart rattled.

The violent motion caused the lifeline to rip inch by inch.

Meiko's face crumpled into tears, "I... I thought we'd be together forever. Even when you changed... but..."

Kaito shook his head rapidly, cutting off her next sentence in a pleading voice, "No, Meiko, don't! Everything's going to be fine! Nothing's gonna happen between us, nothing-!" His voice immediately trailed when he noticed they were over the river now, and Meiko's life was hanging by a single thread. A strangled noise escaped his throat, eyes widening with disbelief and desperation. "NO! NO!" He kept reaching for her, straining his abdomen.

NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!

Meiko gazed overhead, her senses numbing. She was vaguely aware of the snow falling in torrents, making her final moments a beautiful scene. She would've snorted at the dramatic effects if not for what was happening right now. Finally, she gave her best friend one last, loving smile. The smile she'd given him for so long when he wasn't looking.

"I'll always love you... okay?" She whispered just before the scarf ripped in two.

Kaito's mind went into a blank as his friend's body started falling right before his eyes. She was falling faster than the snowflakes, and her eyes were closing as she kept smiling at him.

No...

"I'M NOT GIVING UP ON US!" Screaming with effort and determination, he flung himself off the train and grabbed Meiko in a mid-air embrace.

Meiko's eyes widened, "Kaito...?"

They were falling, falling fast. Their bodies were streaming objects hurling towards the river. The screeching of the tires and people's screams fell deaf on their ears. All at once, a soft sigh and milky arms enveloped them in an ethereal embrace.

Kaito's face barely lifted to see a white woman hunching over them with a smile, her presence barely visible to the eye. Warmth soothed his aching body as her arms supported their weight. Somehow, time was slowing around them, and the fall didn't seem as fast or frightening anymore. As for the woman, she offered an assuring smile.

Electric blue eyes widened as he stared at the woman, "You're..."

A loud whoop echoed as engines roared in his ears, suddenly causing the lady to vanish. Out of the corner of his eye, a dark object zipped and suddenly appeared beneath him. Someone gave a shout between joy and elation as he craned his neck before his jaw dropped in shock.

Hovering beneath was a rectangular jet similar to the ones he saw passing earlier. Crypton lettering encoded on the side, and inside, sitting in the pilot seat was none other than Teto.

"HEEEY GUYS!" she hollered excitedly through her mic, waving like a madman. Immediately, a ladder ejected from the bottom, and both teenagers wasted no time grabbing on. A giant grin ate Meiko's face as she stared at her friend in elated amazement.

"Teto! Oh my god!" she laughed disbelievingly, "You're alright?!"

"You hacked into the hard drive?!" Kaito piped up eagerly.

A scoff was heard through the speakers, "But, of course! A computer geek isn't worth her components if she can't even override a cheap fire wall!" she hummed in self-satisfaction, earning the awe of her seniors. "The mother ship's main computer is at a standstill, ready to evacuate. Most of those annoying aircrafts are now under my control~. I even managed to hike this sweet baby. Good thing I saw you guys tumbling in the wind."

Gratitude welled up in their chests as they grinned up at Teto, "You're the best." They replied in unison. The redhead only laughed.

"What are friends for?"

Meiko and Kaito hung onto the ladder, smiling expectantly up at the pilot. Teto grinned back. As the wind blew, the seniors' happy expressions dissipated after thirty seconds; they shared odd glances before clearing their throats impatiently. Teto finally noticed their obvious discomfort and arched her brow, "Uhhhh, what?"

"We're hanging four hundred feet above a river, we're injured, and freezing our asses off," Kaito clarified, arching his brow at her silence, "Wanna do something about that?"

Meiko's eyes narrowed into dark slits, "Teto?"

A nervous chuckle escaped the redhead, "Ahaha... yeah, about that. Um, I may have overused the circuits when I hacked into this jet. The doors are malfunctioning."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Meiko broke the silence, her voice on edge, "So you locked yourself in."

"And we're locked out." Kaito finished blandly, sounding just as irate.

Teto hesitated before sighing in defeat, "Yeah." The previously warm and fluffy atmosphere froze into cold tension as she anxiously looked through the glass, gulping at the sight of her annoyed friends. They looked like they wanted to strangle her.

"SHIT ON MY DICK!" Meiko screamed to the sky, nearly throwing her arms up and scaring her friends.

"Sakine Meiko!" Kaito exclaimed with surprise and revolt in his voice. Her swear words were getting even more creative each day. Seeing as she was about to unleash her temper on the world, he averted his eyes and saw the train moving quickly into the horizon. Sparks and robotic screeching drove her up the wall as she suddenly remembered the previous events.

Recalling Rin's stark transformation, she then gasped. Sailor attire, perfunctory behavior, durability surpassing human standards.

A flash of light erupted as several figures went flying through the air, including a white and yellow girl cutting through the clouds. Lighting exploded across the dark sky, spiraling around the pack of robots, electrocuting the area with a deafening roar.

"No w... a thunder storm?" Teto muttered disbelievingly, shifting her controls and the jet following suit. Peering through her visor, she zoomed in and gasped. "Wha... RIN!"

Kaito gaped, "Is that... VOCALOID mode?"

If the action up there wasn't enough, other robots were shooting at Rin from the roofs, which she easily evaded and fired projectiles at them. Meiko suddenly recalled the blinking devices on the carts. Turning to her friends, she nervously cleared her throat.

"Guys," Unexpectedly, they immediately gave her their full attention, "Don't panic at what I'm about to tell you, but..." she inhaled, "there's bombs on the train." Their reactions were nothing like Meiko hoped for. Teto screamed in dismay and shock, almost making Kaito fumble off the ladder, shouting incoherently before grabbing the rungs.

"WHAT THE HELL? B-B-BOMBS?!" Teto screamed intelligently, eyes popping out of her sockets as she sat up from her seat, "WHY? HOW-?!"

"There's no time to explain!" Meiko barked, silencing her friends' bantering. Gritting her teeth, she wished she could've broken the news differently and glared overhead. "We have less than an hour to rescue the others, help Rin, and get everyone the hell off that train." Noticing Kaito's intense stare, she suddenly recalled the memory of confessing her love to him prior. Blushing furiously, she yelled, "WELL? ANY IDEAS?"

Something in Kaito's phone went off. Blinking at the collar ID, he immediately answered.

"What's up, Len?... yeah, yeah. I know already." Confused questions was heard over the other line. Kaito rubbed his ear, "I'm fine... we're all okay, save for the injuries. I think I sprained my leg though."

Meiko motioned for Teto to fly towards the train, which she immediately did. Yanking the phone away from his ear, Kaito glared at the receiver with an irritated hiss.

"Well sorry! Me and Meiko were too busy falling to our deaths at that time to call back! Anyway, what have you been doing all this time?" he shouted back, seeming angrier at his brother's response, "Wha..." His expression became annoyed, "Oh shut up! At least I'm not the one who-!"

"Give me that!" Meiko snatched the phone from his hand, trying to ignore the burning tingle in her palm when their fingers brushed. Putting the phone on speaker, she quickly explained everything in a single breath. "LEN! Rin's crazy stepsister is trying to kill her out of jealousy issues, and there's a trigger attached to her pulse! She almost tried to kill me and Rin, and I saw the numbers on her timer! It's set to blow in less than an hour, so we've got to start evacuating now!"

"Wha... I..." Surprise was evident in Len's voice as he swallowed thickly, clearly overwhelmed, "A...Al's already rounding up the passengers, but the NND is trying to deactivate the bombs-"

"There's no time!" Meiko hissed, "I found a lot of bombs attached to the wheels, and Rin's already in VOCALOID mode! She'll wreck the train!"

"V-VOCALOID MODE?! You're sure?!" A clamor of voices buzzed on the other line, making Meiko wince. Indignant protests and yells rang, and she raised a brow.

"What is VOCALOID mode? What's going on with Rin?" It was Miku.

Eyebrows twitching, Meiko glared through the speakers, "I'm not giving out personal information for free. Especially not to spies or traitors!"

"M-Meiko..."

Meiko refused to acknowledge the hurt astonishment. Like she'd give in to her that easily. There was more shuffling and whispering until Len finally spoke up again.

"S-Sorry, Meiko-nee." He said, clearing his throat, "We only have an hour, huh? We're changing tactics." his voice sounded serious now, "If we can't convince the others to join our side, we have no choice but to do this ourselves... first, does Kasane have control over the mother ship?"

"The entire fleet."

A disappointed sigh, "I didn't think- wait, really?" Clearly, he hadn't expected this. He then cleared his throat, "Okay. Great. Anyway, we can't let Lily die. If she goes..."

Kaito cringed, just grasping the situation, "You don't have to say it, Len." he then gritted his teeth, "Damn it. How are we gonna stop them?"

"Hey!" It was Teto who'd apparently overheard their conversation, "I'm controlling an air fleet here! Most of the jets I'm manipulating, including the mother ship has passenger seats. Can't we just evacuate everyone ourselves?" Everyone went silent. "Also, I can help Rin out with her fight..."

Meiko scowled, knowing Teto's intentions. "Explain how charging into the battle will solve anything!" she grumped before admitting, "I already tried that."

Kaito frowned, "What about the evacuation site? And the robots? Aren't they still a problem?"

"Rin and her sister are fighting towards the front. All the passengers are in the back carts." Miku said, sounding agreeable, "Land your jets on a clear site, Kasane-san. Me, Len-kun, and Megurine will handle the rest."

"Roger!"

"Not a bad plan..." Len murmured thoughtfully over the phone before gasping, "Wait, I-I'm getting a call. It's from D-!" Static corrupted his voice. His sentences erupted in syllables. It was hard to distinguish his words.

The signal went dead.

---

Lily raced away from the site, evading the lightning blasts splicing the tiles where each footstep landed.

The cyborg stomped towards Lily, using jerky, erratic movements. Hair flew around her stoic, menacing gaze as green eyes peered at the enemy. Each crackling step lit up the roof like firecrackers.

Robots came out of windows to assist Lily, stepping in front of her and firing their guns. Bullets whizzed toward the target, whose eyes immediately widened. Calculating the speed and range, she immediately reacted.

Electricity shot out from the base of her forehead and smoldered the bullets with a sharp hiss. Lily covered her head as another gust interrupted her stance. Staring past the perimeter, she saw the VOCALOID firing rounds of bolts at her robots, discharging them.

"Incredible..."

Eyes widening, Lily gaped at the sight and took a few steps back. Of all things, this raw power was the last she expected out of this girl. She inhaled slowly, trying to convince herself she wasn't hallucinating. Watching as the metal girl electrocuted the last of her troop, she finally drew her weapon.

The VOCALOID finally turned on Lily, palms charging.

Rocket flares roared in their ears as more robots arrived on jet packs, hovering right near Lily. The said girl immediately regained her confidence. With a haughty grin, she pointed an accusing finger at her sister.

Robotic screeching broke out as the aviators immediately engaged, firing rockets from their chests. Swinging her feet, the VOCALOID charged her fists and blasted off into flight, leaving a trail of sparks. The first missile came in contact with her fists as she deflected it towards two robot, triggering a explosion that affected the others, thrusting them back.

Electric bolts disintegrated the other missiles right before they came two feet within reach. The largest robot charged towards her with a gun retracted, hitting her with such speed and power she didn't have time to block and was sent flying into the forest.

Fifteen robots remained, cocking their laser rifles and waiting anxiously. The train had already left her landing site, but Lily couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. A loud grunt was heard and something appeared in the air, it looked like a tiny star.

The object dramatically grew in size as it rapidly approached. Lily's eyes widened and realized it was a 6' tree. And it was about to crush them.

Several robots were quick enough to fly away, the rest kept firing until the branches crunched against their titanic bodies. Behind the tree, the VOCALOID added to the impact by delivering a powerful kick against the bark, sending the tree and robots crashing down the bridge.

A rocket exploded in the place where Rin was, who was already hurling towards the attacker. Charging her palms, she landed on the robot's chest and punched straight through its head, electrifying it before blasting off again. She leaped just as it exploded into bolts and ashes.

Adrenaline drowned in Lily's head as she witnessed the glorious fight, amazed at the speed and action. The city was below them, and they were fast approaching another dark tunnel. This only heightened the danger, overwhelming the situation once more.

Leaping, the cyborg engaged in a short fight with a robot, quickly disarming it and slamming a fist through its chest. Using inhuman leg strength, she kicked the corpse flying into the others and sent them crashing into the perimeter. Crypton jets came flying from the clouds, and more robots came springing out from the train, aiming its guns directly at her.

She was surrounded.

The first jet came flying towards her, firing its guns. She ran and rolled out of the way, activating wrist lasers from her gauntlets and shooting at the nearby robots before charging towards the large fleet. The jets hotly pursuing her, she suddenly ran up a robot's body before flipping in the air.

The jets behind her crashed into the fleet, triggering multiple explosions. Catching a laser gun in mid-air, Rin landed heavily and fired her weapons.

Encircled by firing robots and jets, The VOCALOID calculated its landing hits and blasted off into flight again, swinging her feet like a battering ram against the robots while firing at the jets. A laser barely grazed her shoulder as she instantly reacted and executed a handspring.

A collapsed robot looked up and shakily operated a button on its chest before firing its head like a cannon. The flying head cut through the air and hit the VOCALOID's back, throwing her off and exploding into fire.

The cyborg went down, falling and crashing through the roof. An eerie silence filled the air, along with smoke and crumbling rubble. Lily cautiously approached the site, peering through the dust and started to look down into the darkness of the room.

WHOOOSH!

A colorful blur burst from the pile of rubble.

The VOCALOID twitched. Liquid fire shot through her spine, and tantalizing sparks endorsed her palms, which quickly burst into electricity. Lily, stepping away, finally broke into a mad sprint towards the other direction. Bolts crackled at the base of the cyborg's forehead before exploding into splitting shockwaves.

Numerous robots fell by the second, instantly deactivating.

The jets fired.

The largest robot charged before slamming its fists towards Rin. She leaped about twelve feet in the air, hurling above the pack. Leaping from jet to jet, she slammed her fists against the glass like an angry gorilla, not stopping until she sent currents into the turbines before leaping.

From afar, Lily's eyes shot wide open as she witnessed the triggered explosions, sending hundreds of dollars of equipment down the drain as the aircrafts went down in flames. Hot air roared in her face, and she ducked to avoid flying metal.

Suddenly, they were in the tunnel. Shadows dashed across the metal roof like elusive creatures, silhouetting the action around them. Lily witnessed her sister's face turning on hers within a flash of light, and then darkness blinded everything.

Robot bodies scraped and moved against the metal, followed up with heavy footsteps. Lily panted and lowered into a stance as she shakily tip-toed away, planting mines while trying to remain as quiet as possible. She could hardly see, and with the wind blowing in her ears, it was harder to pinpoint Rin's exact position. Still, at least neither of them could spot each other.

Just as she planted another mine, the light flashed before her eyes before witnessing Rin's face jumped right in her face. Shrieking, Lily broke into a furious sprint and ran like a bat out of hell. Zapping bolts disintegrated every spot she stepped, barely missing her by a few inches. As another jolting ray grazed her head, she nearly stumbled from the powerful impact.

A roaring explosion went off, and Lily had the courage to glance over her shoulder, sweating even further at what she saw.

The cyborg approached with dead eyes piercing right into her soul, walking right into her mines and setting them off. Every explosion left her unscratched as she walked through fire, not even gagging in the thick smog.

The only thing she could see was the unhesitating cyborg.

Something exploded right in front of her and erupted in flames, burning Lily and causing her to fall. With a shriek, she went tumbling from side to side on the moaning train, jerking her head to witness Rin charging another round of lightning in her position.

"YOU WON'T WIN!" Within a flash, she fired a rocket launcher from her belt and jerked at the trigger response. The projectiles met with a searing blazing backfire, lighting up the tunnel. The cyborg's stoic face was highlighted during the detonation, clashing with Lily's furious expression.

Lily took advantage of the darkness once more to fire rounds of rockets, only to be destroyed by Rin's bolts. Each rapid backfire lit up the area, and the only thing that was progressing was Rin's steady approach. Each attack Lily initiated was counterbalanced, quickly fueling her temper and fear.

For the first time in years, Lily broke into a heavy sweat.

Lily constantly switched her weapons, switching from every submachine and mini gun she had, desperately firing bursts to stop Rin. Seeing her weapons had no affect on a bionic weapon itself, she finally gritted her teeth. A string of Russian curses escaped her lips in a single breath.

No use... none of her military guns affected her, and she could easily deflect use of heavy firearms. If only there was a way to stop her from accessing electricity.

Then an idea hit her.

A rain of bolts came zapping towards her, brightening the area within a heartbeat. Lily impulsively ran away, jumping and dodging the incinerating fire with incredible speed she obtained from a lifetime's military training. She swept her legs and spun all at once, aiming a giant rocket launcher and firing.

An outburst of rockets rippled into the air and charged at Rin, who slowly raised a hand.

Each bolt met with another projectile. Multiple rockets spun like a spider's web met with the crackling impact of shockwaves. Within a flash, multiple explosions set off and smoke immediately dispersed. The heat of the aftermath roared in the cyborg's face, and dust corrupted the air. Unfazed, her eyes flitted across the area.

A sharp hiss met her ears, and her head immediately turn to witness a small object flying towards her. Lightning zapped it with a snap of her fingers, setting it off with a blinding flash, ruining her vision. With a harsh shriek, she immediately rubbed her throbbing eyes.

A long, thick whip sliced through the air and coiled around Rin's ankles. Unexpectedly, the whip extended and continued tangling around her from head to toe, trapping her effectively.

Squirming and kicking, the VOCALOID was forced to her knees. The lines squeezed her body almost like snakes would to helpless mice. Sparks emitted from her body. Clenching her teeth, she glared up at her captor and released everything she had.

"My whip is specially designed to withstand over 5.5 billion electric volts. Transmitting sparks won't work if these my trapping coils are containing you." Lily curtly explained with a grin, "Is this all you can do...?" She exploded into laughter before scowling darkly, "DON'T JOKE WITH ME!" Rage fueling her senses, she yanked Rin upward into the air. Sweat shone on Lily's face as she gasped furiously. Pivoting her foot, her whip kept Rin trapped as her body rammed against the tunnel's sides and train itself.

BAMF!

THUMPP!

WHAAAM!

Each time Rin's body met with rubble or metal, the smirk on Lily's face grew wider. She laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes.

"Stupid! The fact you're so limited to a few abilities... what kind of weapon are you supposed to be?! Shouldn't I be dead by now, huh?! You're so weak!" Yanking her forward, she harshly connected her foot against Rin's head with brute force and retracted her whip. The cyborg immediately went flailing into the railroad, vanishing from sight.

Lily panted, wiping her mouth with a grin. Hands on her knees, she listened and waited for the grinding of metal, screaming, anything that resembled a violent fall.

To her utter dismay, all she heard was silence.

"What the-" A loud, bloodcurdling scream traveled through the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and painfully resonating in her ears. Lily immediately clutched her ears, teeth grinding to distract her from the pain screaming in her eardrums. The entire train trembled at the wrathful wail.

"NRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

A large, shiny projectile came pummeling towards her, electrified at top speed. With a barely contained gasp, her legs instantly started moving. The hissing wind current signified that its approach was extremely close, and she would soon be crushed.

Desperate enough to avoid death, she jumped off the train just in time to avoid a painful collusion. With her legs cramping and muscles straining, she threw in a last ditch effort to summon her whip and latch onto the window bar, swinging like Tarzan. Combat boots landed evenly on the roof.

Panting, Lily clutched her chest and wildly looked around. Right as she turned, she caught a glimpse of yellow before a channeled force powerfully dealt with her stomach, instantly winding her. At first she didn't feel anything, and time seemed to slow down when she witnessed the VOCALOID digging her heel into her gut.

Then the pain came at her like rocks crushing her abdomen, and she especially felt it when several more ribs cracked. Unfortunately, the blow was accompanied with electricity.

Instantly, her body was on fire.

Lily hadn't even realized she'd been flying over three hundred feet until her head collided with the grating metal, her limbs burning from the friction.

"AGAH!" White pulsed her vision as she threw her head back, her hands shakily kneading her aching temple. Suddenly, she found herself looking up at the sky with wind rolling through her hair. Gasping, she tried getting on her feet, ignoring the sharp pains stabbing her sides. "Fuck..." she gritted out when she realized the blow had completely left her writhing on the ground.

Lily barely managed to sit up, only to witness the VOCALOID charging towards her like a rocket, trailing electricity behind her. Pride and anger burned in her veins, prompting her to ripple her whip towards her at the last second, successfully latching onto her ankles and disrupting her flight pattern.

Quickly reeling in her catch, Lily then grabbed unsheathed a laser pistol and aimed. The click of the cartridge immediately reached the cyborg's ears, and she jerked to the side, making Lily accidentally shoot and miss, much to her frustration and mortification.

Lily screamed in mortification. The lash ended up striking an unstable signpost, its weight immediately crashing onto Rin with a heavy crash, sending her smashing right through the roof and creating a gaping hole.

At the last moment before falling, Rin immediately yanked down on the whip with both hands...

...pulling Lily along into her fall.

---

Len's ears burned from frostbite he'd recently obtained. Out in the cold and hanging onto the connector, he strapped the last of his tape around the hook. Looking back, he saw his friends firing rounds at swaggering robots. Their numbers were decreasing, and the windows they crawled through were nailed shut.

Empty shells hit the floor as Big Al reloaded another cartridge, eyes narrowing.

"Oi, ponyboy!" he shouted to Len, "You done yet?"

"Yeah!"

Tonio, rising from behind a chair, carefully approached Len with a small explosive.

"Be extremely careful." he told him, anxiously watching as one of his "babies" was taped to the connector. After properly stabilizing it, the teenager jumped back onto the platform.

"So you're a bomb expert?" Len asked as they took cover behind the chairs, bracing his ears against the gunfire.

Tonio tipped his hat slightly, "I was a demolitions expert before working with Dell," Snapping open his suitcase, he took out an igniter and connected the trail of tape, smirking slightly. "You're pretty clever. Detonating the connector between the passenger carts and our position will safely put the civilians out of harm's way. We can properly evacuate without waiting on Dell."

Len nodded in reply before looking over his shoulder.

"Okay, guys! Take cover!"

On cue, the group dispersed and took cover just before Tonio launched ceramic explosives, destroying the robots. Len lit the fuse and almost immediately, a trail of sparks flew. Plugging their ears, a deafening boom shook the train, along with heavy clinking.

They witnessed the carts being left behind from the windows, tempted to wave goodbye. Almost immediately, the impact lurched everything forward into motion.

"Nice one, kiddo! Your idea went off without a hitch! You're smarter than you look." Al roared with laughter, practically slapping his back.

"GUNH!"

Of course, Len made a simple plan.

The trail of electric tape served as the fuse leading to the small explosive strapped onto the couple part. When igniting the fuse, an explosion strong enough to destroy the connector would divide the train. The passenger carts would be left ten miles from Tokyo so Teto, using her air fleet, could evacuate the passengers.

Of course, Len had yet to tell her of his plan because the line was cut off. Frowning slightly, the only problem remaining was how he'd contact her again. It would probably take several minutes before he could operate his phone again.

"I'm only surprised how most of the bombs were planted on the empty carts." Len coughed while rubbing back, glancing at the chart on Tonio's laptop, "It's almost convenient."

"It's a good thing your brunette friend informed me of their location." Tonio added, "Or we wouldn't have managed to deactivate the ones where the civilians are."

"You're amazing, Kagamine-kun!" Luka exclaimed with shining eyes, clasping her hands, "I can see why professor Kamui thinks so highly of you... both of you," she said, eyes flickering over to Miku. Pink spread across her cheeks as her smile broadened, "I'd love it if he admired me for those same aspects."

"Right. Dell should be evacuating them right now. It's a good thing he contacted you earlier, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to meet together." Tonio announced as he closed his pager, "All that's left is stranding this wreck and evacuating ourselves."

Miku opened her laptop and zoomed in her map, "There's a vacant lot seven miles ahead. It should only take several minutes to destroy the wheels and get out."

"But what about Teto? And Rin?" Luka asked, eyebrows furrowing. "I can't stand the thought of leaving them behind. What'll we do?"

A loud crash interrupted them, along with the grinding of metal screeching in their ears. Everyone hit the floor as the side of the cart completely fell open, splitting the floor and falling out of the tracks. Snow immediately caved in, and everyone screamed, clutching onto anything for support.

Robots fell from the corridor and landed on the track, making the ride even bumpier. Everyone nearly had heart attacks hearing maniacal laughing amplified by speakers, along with terrified screaming.

"OH MY GOD TETO WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOOUU?!"

"SLOW DOWN CALM DOWN-JWAAAAAAAJESUSJESUSJESUS!"

Heavy fire flashed around the area as a jet's silhouette crossed before their eyes. More robots fell by the second, crashing onto the soil.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCKKKK!

"YAHOOOOOOO! TAKE THAT, PHYSICS!"

Luka paled and clung to the chair even tighter, eyes bulging.

"T-... TETO?!"

As if hearing Luka's scream, a gust of wind enveloped the almost half-destroyed cart and a jet hovered before them. Inside, a grinning redhead saluted them. More surprising, Meiko and Kaito were clinging onto the jet's ladder like a lifeline, shaking and near tears.

"Hi, guys!" Teto cheerfully greeted, totally oblivious of their expressions, "Ah. Sorry. I didn't know you guys were in this cart, and I ended up missing... well, no worries, right?"

"Eh... so you did this?" Miku managed, gesturing at the damaged cart.

"YOU ALMOST KILLED US! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Len screamed, nearly chucking his shoe at her, startling everyone with the volume of his voice. No one was used to him raising his voice. Then again, considering the stress of the situation...

Teto frowned behind the glass, "But I was actually looking for you guys. It's not like we can land considering the robot infestation."

"So you considering tearing apart train carts your best option?" Tonio questioned dryly, looking at her as if she was the biggest idiot on the planet.

"Wouldn't you?" Was the unfazed reply.

Heavy sighs escaped, especially from Luka.

"Honestly, Teto..." she shook her head disapprovingly.

Teto blinked upon seeing her cousin before breaking into another grin, "AH! I knew I heard your voice, Luka-face! It's great to see you alive and safe~! Anyhow, don't I look cool? It's a good thing I played all those playstation war games, otherwise I wouldn't know how to control aircrafts, right?!" She burst into laughter before operating her headset. "Tokyo Bread Ted, track southwest. Requesting backup at given coordinates." she turned back to her friends, "Well, my rides are gonna get you out of this mess. I saw half of the train getting split apart with helicopters evacuating the passengers. That must've been your doing since you couldn't contact me, right?"

Len stared at her, "How did you know that?"

Teto shrugged, "Just a hunch."

Meiko groaned groggily, shaking her head doubtfully before exclaiming, "That makes total sense!"

"Remember that time when everything made sense?" Kaito suddenly asked. Everyone exchanged puzzled looks, shrugging and shaking their heads. No one directly answered his odd question. Their silence was rewarded with a tired laugh, "Yeah. Me neither."

Robots suddenly burst open through the door, invading and firing everywhere. All the girls screamed at the massive number, and the boys immediately started firing. Glass shattered, raining onto them as bullets frayed past them. Not even bothering to cover their heads, everyone kept shooting. Still, the huge outbreak was overwhelming.

Loud humming came from Teto's jets as she charged her shooters, its barrels glowing green.

"Everyone! I suggest you take cover... NOW!"

Bright lights blinded their eyes as a multiple beams engulfed the cart, disintegrating the robots. As the cart rumbled with excitement, everything was brought to a horrendous twist of events when the roof practically shattered open.

Two figures collapsed from above, followed with an excruciating scream. A lashing whip struck out above everyone's heads, tightly leashing from side to side like a tug-of-war.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"RIN!" Len screamed, clutching onto the pole with all his might. Seeing her current state made his blood boil. His eyes widened in horrified realization, "Oh no..."

On one side, a cyborg stood her ground despite being tightly bound by multiple coils. Her feet weren't moving as she grabbed the rope itself, eyes alit with green fire. On the other side was a fierce amazon, Takashi Lily, the owner of whip. Bruises and cuts marred the young woman, and blood flowed freely from her forehead. Using all her strength, she yanked the cyborg forward.

"Let... go..." Lily seethed, fists burning raw as she continued to reel her in, "Let go, you bitch...!" Pulling forward, she then swung her leg into a powerful kick. The cyborg angled herself, spinning rapidly as all the coils came tumbling loose. Lily's kick missed her head by a few feet, and she landed cleanly with an angry grunt. Untangled and mobile, Rin sent the whip flying into a state as it came in contact with Lily.

Bowing slightly, Rin tightly grasped both ends of the whip as she tightly bound her upper thigh, squeezing it. Lily screamed as the whip bit her flesh, her skin becoming deathly purple as she tried loosening its hold. The cyborg merely tilted her head and tightened her hold, and blood dripped from the wound. Gurgling, Lily hissed as her leg throbbed painfully before a numbing sensation overwhelmed her senses.

A ragged laugh escaped from Lily's lips as she grinned coldly at her sister.

"...Try harder, you filth. Someone like you isn't worthy to be of... my blood!"

Rin's eyes remained stoic. With a flick of both wrists, a horrifying scene unfolded.

A sickening squelching noise sounded along with Lily's excruciating scream, and everyone's eyes watched in horror and disbelief. Len nearly heaved, covering his mouth at the sight of Lily's dismembered leg lying in a pool of blood. A revolting stench filled the air, along with red spattering the chairs. None of the girls could find the will to scream, too stunned to even move.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHH! YOU BITCH I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU I'LL KILL YOOUUU!" Hatred and fury fueled Lily's eyes as she glared at Rin, not a trace of fear could be seen in her pale face. Bitter tears watered as she continued screaming empty threats, her voice breaking into painful sobs. Blood oozed from her open wounds, and she remained completely crippled.

"It hurts..." she sobbed pitifully, curling into a ball and clutching her wound. A pale Luka covered her mouth. "IT HURTS!"

Len's eyes slowly traveled from Lily's writhing figure to the cyborg, who simply gazed through Lily with a stoic face. No light shone in her eyes, and no emotion flitted across her face. She didn't even look happy; there was no emotion inside her.

She was completely devoid.

Behind a chair, Miku stared at the woman writhing in her own blood without a leg. Her eyes then fell on Rin, and a shiver ran up her spine. She ground her teeth painfully, and cold sweat immediately broke out on her forehead.

This... this was the transformation of the VOCALOID?

This thing... this VOCALOID...

Is this what nearly killed Uncle Kiyoteru?

"Unforgivable..." Miku whispered, clenching her fists. The gun in her hands trembled as she quietly stepped forward, making sure her footsteps were soft. Standing a few feet behind a rose of chairs, she still remained out of view. Staring at the back of Rin's head, her heart squeezed painfully. Retracting a hidden weapon from her thigh, she then silently went for Rin with charging taser.

Takashi Rin, the tragedy of Crypton Future Media. As her uncle explained, he had done research on the girl sent by Mikuo himself. For years she's been kept alive inside an incubator, only to break out and escape to Japan. That's how she met Len and the others. Still, Rin struggled over her amnesia and insecurities, leaving her vulnerable to the recent attempts of recapture.

It would be better to end things this way.

Even Rin would understand that.

Miku's footstep resonated, the pressure vibrated and rippled across the walls, immediately reaching Rin's ears. Twitching in response, the cyborg immediately turned face-to-face with Miku, whose taser poised to attack her neck. The agent gasped, her nerves going haywire when their eyes clashed.

Suddenly, she was trapped in those cold, hypnotizing eyes. That green gaze.

She... she couldn't move!

A sharp, stinging pain impacted her hand, slapping the taser out of her reach. The hit was so powerful, Miku nearly felt her entire arm snapping back. Her entire body went slack and tumbling to the floor.

This strength!

Paralyzed by the hit, Miku couldn't find the strength to summon her guns. The VOCALOID lassoed the whip in the air and sent it flying towards Miku's shocked face.

"NO! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Meiko shrieked, "MIIIKUUUU!"

Lights flashed before everyone's eyes, and searing blasts destroyed the walls. This threw the cyborg off-guard as she jumped from the area, avoiding narrow hits. Smoke parted to reveal a humming jet, along with a trembling Teto inside.

Meiko's teary eyes widened, "T-Teto..." She grasped onto the ladder even tighter, not even noticing the look Kaito was giving her. With a click of a button, plasma blasts came flying towards the cyborg once more. She immediately shot out of the cart, hovering a few feet above and watching the redhead.

Bolts thundered towards the jet, which flew out of the way.

Teto gritted her teeth and immediately turned her jet around, leaving Kaito and Meiko still swinging around for their lives. All at once, Len came running towards them with his hand extended.

"Kagamine-kun, no!" Luka shrieked, trembling to follow him but failing, instead landing on Tonio's lap.

Len grabbed onto the rungs right as Teto hightailed it out of there, bracing himself against the wind and his friends' terrified screams. The jet shot into the sky, and three teenagers clung desperately to the shaking ladder. Teto kept lurching the controls back and forth in effort to avoid the incinerating bolts. In the rearview mirror, she spotted something terrifying.

Teto began sputtering incoherently. Her jaw hit the floor as she tried to process the news. Instead, she became completely disoriented and fumbled for the controls, sweating like a pig, but when she caught sight of a fluttering bow accompanied with crackling electricity, she almost flew backwards in complete hysteria.

"OH MY WHAT-! GYARAAAAAAAAH!"

Everyone's screams rippled through the air, struck terrified by the angry approaching cyborg. A screaming Len clung to Meiko's ankles, practically hugging the life out of her legs. Meiko, shrieking, wrenched onto Kaito's thighs like a lifeline.

"GO GO GO!" Kaito screamed, making desperate notions with his arm until the jet rocketed with a searing flash.

"Rinny-boo!" Teto called through the speakers, breaking into a nervous grin, "I-If you don't stop attacking me, I'll have no choice but to retaliate your love attacks!"

"DON'T DO THAT!" The three teenagers screamed in sync.

They cut through the clouds, and snow pounded against their bodies. It was like moving inside a cold mirage as everything soared past their vision. The jet jerked to the side as another bolt cut through the side, grazing the armor. Incredibly enough, Teto was able to anticipate her moves and wasted no time avoiding each hit. At the speed she was at, it was fairly possible to avoid all her hits at this range.

Still, Teto frowned worriedly as she glanced down at her friends' ill faces, how long was she gonna keep this up? If she didn't stop soon, her friends would surely...!

Below, Rin was on the train with watchful eyes. Confused, the redhead couldn't help wondering why she'd stop pursuing them until she realized what was in her hands. Teto gaped as she witnessed scraps of metal flying towards her at lightning-speed. Everyone shouted angrily and fearfully as Teto immediately jerked to the right, nearly shaking them off. At the insane speed, their feet slipped and left them dangling.

"TETO!" Meiko screamed at the top of her lungs, "I SWEAR IF YOU DO THAT AGAIN I'LL-!" Her panicking voice immediately broke when a coughing fit emerged, and she groaned painfully. Kaito screamed, covering his eyes with his torn scarf.

"Meiko! Hang in there!"

"No..." Teto whispered, realizing if she didn't act soon they'd all get horribly sick. More than anything, they needed to get to a hospital. Low humming noises filled the air as Rin levitated before her with scrap metal floating around them in a circle. Rin was manipulating the scraps using electricity. She cringed at its razor edges, knowing it could pierce through anything depending on the force.

Sweaty hands gripped the controls tightly. Teto's head fell forward as she broke into a sweat, gasping uncontrollably.

"Crap... I didn't even think this far ahead. All I wanted was to stop Rin from hurting Miku... is this what I get for being an idiot?" Now, Rin wanted to kill her. Teto knew she was more than capable of fighting her. After all, she had an entire air fleet! Still, she had a bad feeling if she pushed the battle even further, no one would get out alive, including herself. That, and she couldn't risk putting Meiko, Kaito, and Len in harm's way.

Also...

"I don't want to fight you, Rin." A whisper broke her wild thoughts, taming her into a calmer state. Breathing carefully, Teto refocused her gaze back on the glowering cyborg. "HOWEVER!" Cherry pupils glowed with earnest challenge, "I, Kasane Teto, will not allow you to freely destroy anything you want! I'll beat your pampered butt into submission, Rin! That way you'll never misbehave again!"

"Teto, you idiot!" Meiko shouted furiously, "Just wait a minute-!"

"CUT IT OUT!" Len yelled in terror, shaking his head. "NO! SHE WON'T ATTACK IF YOU JUST-!"

"Ain't nobody got time for that! The time for a revolution has come..." A dark undertone dripped from Teto's sweet, low voice as she broke into a ferocious grin, "BRING IT ON, RIN!"

Missiles shot out from her cartridges, shooting towards the cyborg.

Immediately, the VOCALOID lifted her arms and shot out the levitating scraps, cancelling out each rocket and triggering explosions. Teto zipped out of range as projectiles came blazing at light-speed.

Teto fired her guns, obliterating the scraps into smaller shards.

"Nice, Teto!" Kaito panted with a smile, wiping his matted forehead. "Just keep her busy until the right time!"

Teto grinned until she witnessed something strange. The shards weren't falling, instead they were vibrating intensely, and her eyes fell on Rin. She gasped in horror as the cyborg extended a single arm.

Razors singed the air and cut into Teto's turbine.

Smoke engulfed the motor in flames, sputtering and losing altitude. The entire jet tilted, and everyone started screaming. Teto looked down in horror as she watched her friends fall, eyes widening as she herself screamed, "N-NOOO! REBOOT! REBOOT!" Her fingers fell rapidly flew across the buttons, typing symbols into the computer before punching a fist into the emergency button. "EJECTION AND ADAPT!"

The damaged turbine immediately fell off, and the entire jet morphed. The other turbines disappeared, and another appeared at the back. The wings expanded and stretched, and Teto immediately dived for her friends.

This scenario was all too familiar.

Len thrust himself back against the wind, eyes widening to see Meiko and Kaito screaming as they looked at the ground in horror. Their faces reminded him of when he fell from the Ferris wheel, when he thought all hope was lost. Gritting his teeth, he shakily reached both hands out to them. Fire roared above them, engulfing them in a sudden heat as they were suddenly swept by something hard and cool.

The teens found themselves pillowed by a large net, supported by the NND. Big Al safely lifted them off, and they found themselves on a large airship accompanied with scientists. Glass enclosed them like a shelter, yet they could still see what was going on outside.

"Kaiko!?"

Len's eyes fell on a teary-eyed woman, who threw her arms Kaito's neck. She sobbed uncontrollably as he caught her. The clipboard in her hands suddenly fell aside as the two siblings embraced. Kaiko clutched her brother's hair, burying her head deep in his chest, crying like a baby.

Len felt something a sharp tug at the hem of his jacket and turned to witness a panting Meiko. They looked at each other before she immediately rested her head on his shoulder, trembling like crazy.

Suddenly, something roared above them, and everyone glanced up.

Rapid footsteps approached, revealing Luka in tears as she screamed towards the sky. Behind her was Gakupo, holding her back before she could do anything.

"TETOOO! TETOOOOO!"

There, the VOCALOID and Teto's jet were engaged in battle. Explosions rippled the air, and the entire airship retreated several hundred feet away. The tiny airship flitted through the clouds, narrowly avoiding the metal projectiles from the cyborg.

The jet made a sharp turn as bolts blasted the spot where it once was, making a sharp U-turn towards the cyborg. Suddenly, something ejected from the pilot's seat right before the explosion occurred.

Teto.

"Kasane!?" Kaito uttered before gasping, "W-Wait, she's falling! Even though she has a parachute, Rin might-!" Kaiko laughed through her tears, slowly retracting from his embrace.

"Of course, things will be fine." Dell's cool voice cut in, and there he was: striding towards them in a lab coat. Behind him were other scientists writing things down on clipboards. He calmly regarded their disbelieving stares as he gave a deep sigh as he looked up, "Your nosy friend of yours seems more than willing to take care of that." He gestured towards the open balcony.

Without any second thoughts, the teenagers flung themselves over the railing and stared at the sight below.

Miku was on top of the remainder of the moving train, firing at the VOCALOID with double pistols. By the looks of it, she seemed intent on bringing her down. Rin miraculously evaded each shot. Everyone wordlessly exchanged shocked glances. Len's hands tightly gripped the railing as he stared down at the sight.

Why?

What was that look in her eyes? She looked like she wanted Rin to die, but...

"Miku's not really like this." he muttered, mostly to himself. His friends glanced over at him with troubled expressions.

"OOOMFFFF!" A high-pitched cry, followed along with angry blubbering made everyone's heads turn again. They were greeted with the sight of a sobbing Luka clinging to Teto, who was shooing the paramedic while dizzily trotting towards them. "Hey, my head's throbbing- WHO THE FISH?!" She screeched when she saw Miku before throwing herself over the railing, "HEY! WHADDAYA THINK YOU'RE DOING SHOOTING AT MY CYBORG CUTIE? STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" She howled, forcing Kaito and the other scientists to pull her back. Luka yanked her forward by the straps before slapping her across the face.

Len, Kaito, and Meiko gawked.

Never... never had they thought Luka would strike anyone. Let alone Teto. As for the redhead, she was left speechless. Staring at Luka, she touched her apple-red cheek.

Angry tears coursed down Luka's face as she glared, shoulders racking and hands closed into trembling fists. Her pink hair looked like a rat's nest, and dirt smeared her face.

"GROW UP YOU IMPULSIVE MORON!" Luka screamed in her face, causing the others to jump, "Acting like a three year old and pulling such a stunt that not only put our friends' lives in danger, but yours as well! I swear you're the stupidest person I've ever met, you stupid, stupid girl!" With an angry scream, she shook Teto's shoulders back and forth, "You won't live for much longer, you stupid fool! If you're going to die, then do it alone! I deserve a better end than worrying to death!" With another frustrated groan, she practically pushed her away and covered her face with both hands, trembling wildly. Gakupo came from behind her and wrapped her in a tight hug, closing his eyes and ignoring his students' stares.

Teto stood there, now staring at the ground. She hung her head and remained silent.

Len politely looked away, paying no mind to Luka's outburst. Guilt filled him as he recalled all the pressure she was under today. Given the situation, he couldn't blame her for losing her composure. Even tolerant, mature Luka had her limits; she was just an ordinary student after all.

Len, too. Up until lately, he'd been no more than just an ordinary kid.

"Oh my god, Rin's chasing Miku!" Meiko pointed a finger towards the two figures, panicking again. She turned to Dell, "W-What'll we do? What'll we do?!"

Meanwhile, Miku's boots thundered across the roof with Rin flying above her in mad pursuit. Rin's lightning bolts disintegrated her footsteps, leaving ashes behind. A gasping Miku fled from the approaching shadow hovering meters above, and she quickened her pace.

Rin's palms charged with electricity as she targeted with careful precision. She rained punishment on teal girl, sending sparks blazing in a fray.

With a scream, Miku felt millions of volts electrifying her into a halt. The power wasn't enough to destroy her, but the cyborg wasn't aiming for her death.

Why? Why hadn't she killed her?

Miku wondered as she fumbled before a crackle of lightning brought up the metal roof like a wall, preventing escape. She collapsed to her knees and shuddered violently. She reluctantly raised her head to witness the cyborg hovering inches near her face, and fear paralyzed her entire body.

The VOCALOID tilted her head at a freaky angle, frightening Miku even more as glowing green eyes bore into hers. The spy agent barely whimpered, sweat dripping down her neck. She shook like a leaf, breathing erratically when shiny fingers started towards her neck.

Those fingers... had the power to crush her throat.

That look in her eyes wasn't even human. She didn't even care what she was about to do, much less dwell on it. Her face was completely devoid, metallic, and stoic. Even her eyes appeared dead.

A crackle erupted from Rin's fingers, instantly causing Miku to freeze up. Just as Rin was about to jam her fingers into her throat, a sudden noise caught her ear, and she immediately snapped upright. Miku gasped shakily, sweating profusely as she wondered what Rin was doing. Immediately, the VOCALOID flew to her feet and faced off against the women behind her.

Miku's eyes widened.

The teleporting girl she fought earlier was standing behind a woman, presumably older than her. She glared past Rin with a hostile hiss. The older woman carried a bleeding Lily in her arms, surprisingly strong enough to balance their weights on the wrecked train.

"So you've finally appeared, VOCALOID." The older woman drawled, smiling as she fingered the rose in Lily's hair. "What a mess you've made. Fifteen people are dead today because of your carelessness..."

"Of course, that's nothing compared to her actual record..." Defoko murmured apathetically.

Namine's eyes glowed, "I have to say, Rin. You're a lot prettier up close. Witnessing how you've ended lives makes you even more attractive. Such power... how I admire you."

The VOCALOID remained silent.

"What's wrong, your highness? Don't you remember us?" The woman laughed as she practically cast Lily's body to Defoko, who barely caught her. "I'm Ritsu Namine, and this is Defoko. We're like you, successful products; we're part of the Crypton family. Leon is our daddy, and you're the oldest because you were created first. That makes you our big sister."

"Namine... Lily's breathing sounds strange." Defoko, the teleporter, spoke softly.

Namine whipped a glowing green rose from her chest, its color murky and distorted. Somehow, looking at it made Miku's eyes water, and she had to look away. The VOCALOID reared back, shrieking and palms charging with electricity. Namine smirked as she witnessed Rin's abrupt reaction.

"What's wrong, VOCALOID? I thought you loved flowers... especially if they're from your mother!" She laughed maliciously, thrusting it forward to intimidate the VOCALOID. Miku watched in horror as the cyborg shrieked at a impossibly high-pitched level, floating farther from the rose. Groaning, she immediately covered her ears as the shrieks grew in pitch.

Namine and Defoko appeared unaffected by their 'sister's' thunderous screams, even as the force violently impacted their surroundings.

"We're not like weak humans, Project Rin! We're top products for a reason; therefore, your wailing isn't going to do anything!" Namine shouted gleefully over the destructive noise, her eyes shrinking with mirth as she grinned, "You're selfish and cruel. The fact you kill innocents and criminals alike for your own survival doesn't even faze you when you're in VOCALOID mode. Why pretend you care about these silly humans? Why do you insist you're one of them? What can you possibly gain from this confusion when survival is the only thing that matters in the end?"

The VOCALOID kept voicing her wrath, sending bolts of energy blasting towards them.

Namine laughed gleefully, appearing like a child as she and Defoko practically danced to avoid the ensuing blast. They twirled before landing in their previous spots, only with gaping holes and burnt crisps. The rose Namine was holding remained unharmed, and glowing even brighter than before. The VOCALOID groaned mechanically, grabbing her hair and electrocuted herself.

"You should know... we're the only ones who like you. The rest of the products really hate your guts, and they're waiting for the right moment when Leon sends them after you. It's too bad he doesn't know they want to kill you for being at the top." Namine sighed, twirling a lock around her finger before grinning sardonically, "What misfortune. The fact you make enemies without even doing anything to them or even catching a glimpse of you... it must be annoying." She sneered at the quivering Lily, "Even this hard-nosed fool wants you dead. She hasn't even realized her sister is already dead. Right, Defoko?"

Defoko silently averted Namine's gaze before nodding.

"Ha! You see? If you're anyone's sister, you're ours."

The VOCALOID quaked violently, her wrenching hands tensing as she unwillingly reached out for the rose.

"Ma...ma."

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGH!" With a thunderous yell, the cyborg curled into a ball. Hair flying around and muscles tensing, her rigid form summoned spiraling bolts of energy. A mysterious sight enfolded. The bolts flared across the railroad, lighting everything up. Heavy creaking and groaning echoed as the rails suddenly came unattached and swirled behind Rin as if being controlled. "Unh... UGH!" For a moment, her eyes were stark blue before another tormented wail ripped from her throat. "GRAYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

Above, everyone watched Rin in complete silence. Horror crossed their pale faces as they watched from the balcony.

"Her voice..." Meiko managed, tears running down her face, "It sounds so painful."

Len stared, his pupils never leaving her, "This... pain... Is this what she's been holding back this entire time?"

Many rails went flying at the products. All at once, Defoko grabbed onto Namine, and they seemingly transported right behind Rin. The sharp rails dug into the train, impaling the roofs. Their soft movements and breathing reached Rin's ears, and she instinctively threw a voracious jab in their direction. Once again, they disappeared briefly before materializing in the same place they once stood.

Namine smirked at the cybrog's actions, chuckling, "There's no need to get upset. On behalf of Crypton, I apologize for the trouble Lily's caused. It wasn't our plans to confront you like this today; preparations for the Reactor are still in progress, and the board administrators need you alive until then." She drawled lazily, throwing her hair back, "If anything were to happen to you, Leon would surely take action."

"Little brother, we need to go. Lily's injuries..." Defoko spoke up again, sounding urgent. Namine whipped his head back to the shorter girl, sighing in annoyance, "If we go now, will you shut up for the rest of the day? Fine, fine." With a huge sigh, he snapped his fingers. Immediately, a Crypton jet came soaring before hovering right before them. Defoko immediately helped Lily through the sliding doors. A herd of robots emerged from the top, growling mechanically.

Miku was yanked forward by the scruff of her jumpsuit, surprised to find herself dangling at the mercy of Namine, who cast her a terrible grin.

"I'm not one to disrespect my elders, miss lady. But Mikuo is the only reason why we haven't killed you. You've probably heard this time and time again from him, but I'll say this myself: this is your last warning. You and your government better veer clear of Crypton plans. We have nothing to do with this country, and we'd prefer to keep it that way..." he then chuckled darkly, "Personally, I don't care what you'll do, but, it'd be a shame to find your handicapped mother... harmed... if you keep getting involved in our business, hm?" He snickered, "Mikuo can't protect you forever." He basked in Miku's blanch expression before throwing her to the side, watching her scream and flail before the Internet Co., Ltd airship rescued her.

Namine then turned to the VOCALOID, who hadn't dared approach him this entire time. He mentally frowned to himself, sulking over the fact Leon had strictly ordered him not to "play" with her. His creator had been right to say that Namine wouldn't get hurt if he held onto the rose he carried. He sniffed in disgust while eying the plant in his hand.

This rose... reeked of chemicals and corpses. He hated carrying it, but he couldn't disobey Leon. Its petals bubbled with a strange substance, its acidic odor growing stronger. Still, the worst part is what it contained. The substance grew darker until the rose became a stark white. As a result, Namine glanced up at the VOCALOID adoringly.

"Two months, VOCALOID. I'll hold onto my heart until then!" He announced, his hair whipping against the snowy wind before winking flirtatiously, "I'll wear my prettiest dress just for you. Until then... take this as a parting gift!" He shouted before tossing the blinding rose towards her, and a blinding light ensued the area before an explosion triggered in waves, completely obliterating the elevated tracks and destroying the train cart.

Large metals surrounded the falling cyborg, hurling towards a vacant warehouse below. Her eyes remained frozen as she witnessed everything falling around her. A child's pink slipper slipped from a broken window, burnt to a crisp. Fire and terrified screaming consumed her as multiple flashbacks appeared before her eyes. In a certain hallucination, she remembered breaking out of her reactor for the first time, killing scientists with her bare hands and staining the conference room with blood.

Behind the glass wall, her parents stood. Her father proudly watched while her mother's face went white, unshed tears shimmering in her dead eyes. The way her mouth formed a trembling line mesmerized Rin through the agonizing screams and blood. Despite the fact she was inside a soundproof room, Rin could still make out her painful whisper.

"How could you?"

Then her dead body appeared.

Frozen with terror and trauma, the cyborg fell through the warehouse with a violent crash, unaware to the familiar voice screaming her name.

"RIIIINN!"

---

Meanwhile, above the clouds...

Len looked furious as he gazed at the gaping hole in the warehouse. Hands clenching over the railing, he hung his head in defeat and helplessness. His voice was hoarse after screaming so much.

"Dammit. Why?! Why can't I do anything?!" he murmured angrily to himself, shoulders tensing. A hand gripped his left shoulder firmly.

"If they wanted her to truly fall then they should've built the entire railroad out of non-metal..." Dell then directed his gaze, "Look."

Most of the train tracks were completely shredded, and a huge gaping spot disconnected the tracks. Rin nearly fell four stories into the nearby building, and lights sparked where she fell through. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning shot out from the hole.

Len stared at the sight, disturbed and relieved at the same time.

"So... she's not hurt... at least I know that now." He then turned to find a stumbling Miku being supported by Meiko and another paramedic. He suddenly approached them, his eyes never leaving Miku.

Miku winced as the paramedic rubbed alcohol over her cuts. She suddenly felt a prescence behind her and turned around.

"Len-kun?"

"Miku," Len exhaled before frowning at her, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to kill Rin. But you have an explanation, don't you?" Miku's fists clenched at her sides as she lowered her head in shame.

"...I'm sorry."

Len and Meiko stared at Miku in shock.

"Hey-" Meiko heatedly began until a loud shout interrupted them, instintively distracting them into looking the other way.

Gakupo gawked at Teto.

"Pray tell! How on earth did you learn to hack into the company's hardest computer systems? Much less reprogram the settings?"

"Math is the universal language." Teto proclaimed, stroking her fake mustache with a grin, "Numbers are keys to using forumlas and integers. There's too many exceptions in a worded language." she said, "A wise man once said, 'in order to survive the world, you need to know at least two languages'. I know math and Japanese, so I'm good to go..." she then slumped forward, eyebrows pinched in annoyance, "I could definitely live without English." She then grumbled something about miss Ann.

Len and the others blinked, rendered speechless. Teto grinned as she passed them, waving her hand as if dismissing her talents. A sputtering Gakupo trotted after her with a large notebook, along with a sighing Kaito and silent Luka.

"I'd rather stick to English; calculus is too much work." Kaito mumbled, scowling as Kaiko tightened the bandages around his head. "Ow! Quit it!"

"More importantly..., why was Rin screaming her head off?" Teto seriously asked while crossing her arms, "Now that I recall, her screams somehow messed up my flight pattern whenever we were close."

"That's the VOCALOID'S main ability," Professor hastily explained, flipping through formulas. Sweat shone on his forehead, and he quickly wiped it. "Adapting to a violent, life-threatening situation requires her aggressive response. She can bend and manipulate soundwaves, amplifying this power with her specialized headset, and she can cause substantial damage to her foes simply by adjusting frequency and wavelengths."

Len's brain couldn't keep up with his words. Suddenly curious, he raced after them and held up his hands in effort to stop the professor from prattling.

"S-Slow down, professor."

"Oh, sorry." The professor took a deep breath. Kaito, Meiko, and Luka shared looks of relief. Teto, however, appeared to follow and kept nodding. Professor's expression was not a happy one. He talked slowly, "Well, you understand, right? The VOCALOID uses sound as a main advantage." He said, drumming his fingers against his katana sheath, "Using her headset, she uses amplified wails as her weapon. High-pitched screams can reach .00000000000000005 hertz; they travel over a circumference of 7.4 miles and immobilize anyone who has ears." Len briefly remembered what happened earlier, shuddering as he recalled the loud, painful ringing in his ears.

Dell also cleared his throat, "And when voicing deep octaves, the sound waves become more tangible and forceful; those sound waves can violently thrust back her opponents."

"Okay. How did she sense me?" Miku demanded, up on her feet and crossing her arms, "When I snuck up on her, I made no sound. For years I've trained not to be undetectable."

Gakupo frowned, "Despite how quiet you are, footsteps will always create a sound; sound is a pressure wave, and as I said before, sound is Rin's profession," he briskly explained, "Her hearing is far more sensitive than ours. The sound's pressure from your footsteps will indefinitely reach her eardrums, and she will know someone is there."

Meiko snorted in adding, "In the first place, she's a cyborg."

Miku reddened before hastily looking away.

Teto appeared, asking, "What about her gauntlets? Are there weapons in there?"

"Just a wrist laser and missiles. My idea, of course." Gakupo casually answered, beaming. Meters away, Dell looked up from the main control system and rolled his eyes at Gakupo while sipping his coffee.

"Just a wrist laser and missiles', he says..." Kaito mimicked, rolling his eyes. Despite his sarcasm, Len noticed he looked somewhat envious.

"Due to Rin's metallic skeletal system, she has access to bioelectricity. Her maximum output is 3 billion volts." Gakupo cleared his throat before continuing, "By calculating Flem's formula of kinetic energy combined with E=mc2, The VOCALOID applies the force needed to clear heavy obstacles. Like earlier: using Lorentz' force, she'll create a magnetic field and manipulate heavy metals. She'll then create parallel currents on either sides of her arms using electricity. To imitate this rail gun technique, according to Newton's first law of motion, the force impacted on the target will definitely inflect heavy damage-"

Len's brain couldn't keep up with his words. He held up his hands, shaking his head.

"Wait, wait wait," he interrupted, eyes widening. Everything clicked. "So what you're saying is she's practically a railgun by using what's left of the train!" Professor paused, opening his mouth to reply, then hesitated again. After thinking for a moment, he nodded in affirmation.

"Precisely."

"By acting like a weapon..." Miku said slowly, tapping her chin before gasping in realization, "she'll only retaliate during self-defense! Her only function is survival."

Professor practically beamed, raking a hand through his hair. "Indeed. I'm happy to know my star students are still at the top of their game." Miku and Len refused to even glance at each other. Teto grinned a little. "But in any case," the professor sounded serious again, "Using available resources, formulas, and calculations, Rin-chan can obliterate anything in her path when electricity is at her advantage."

"Wow..." Everyone appeared moved by the VOCALOID description, absorbing this information. It was a little overwhelming.

"Pardon me for interrupting." Dell sighed as he approached, eyes narrowing as he removed the stethoscope from his ears. He looked at Len, "The passengers have been transported to the nearest hospital. The media is out of control, and frankly, the government is trying to contain the situation without our help." He glanced at the kids, "I'm sorry to have involved you in all of this. None of this was supposed to've happened, and I understand how worried your parents might be." He made a point to look at all the girls. His eyes dropped on Miku, narrowing considerably, "Respectively, your mother. Hatsune-chan."

Miku cringed, refusing to acknowledge Dell's gaze. "...I'll be sure to call her."

Dell dismissed her comment with a shake of his head, "I've been ordered to do something about Rin. If she's not contained within the next hour, then the 'special authorities' will step in." He looked at an unease as he glared at his binder, "Gakupo, Kaiko. We must act quickly."

"Wait, Dell!" The former CEO stopped in his tracks when Len pulled him by the hem of his coat, "Is... is my mom...?"

A wry smile cracked Dell's lips as he nodded, "She'll be fine; she's unconscious due to shock, but she's been transported to the main base just in case. She'll be home for dinner." With that, he and the scientists walked away. Len and the others were about to follow them until Kaiko stopped them when she turned her heel.

"No way. Uh-uh. No. Don't even think about it." Kaiko reprimanded them with a stern hiss. She ignored their expressions and continued, "That goes for all of you, especially you, Len. We'll handle Rin in a jiffy, but once we land, all of you are heading home."

Kaito pouted, "But, sis..." He started, only to get his butt spanked. "OW!" Seriousness flared in Kaiko's firm eyes. Despite her nurturing disposition, the look on her face told them she wasn't going to relent.

"Behave, I said. We have enough trouble on our hands without having to monitor six teenagers, understand?" she exclaimed to her flinching brothers, "Wanna know who's gonna be blamed for all this? Us! Me, Daddy, and our entire family! The government is sticking a pole up Daddy's ass for the financial damage Rin's caused! And they're stressing him about the media finding out about Rin! I know you're worried about her, but if you keep getting yourselves into trouble like this, I swear we're going to-!" Her tone and voice level practically shattered their own eardrums before she stopped with a frustrated groan. Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her temples, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to shout. It's just," she exhaled, "A lot's been going on."

Kaito fiddled with his fingers as he frowned at his sister. Seeing her so stressed and tired reminded him of when she was in college, except this was a lot worse.

"Kaiko..."

Kaiko took a deep breath, "Please, please, please. Just please. Do me a favor and quietly go home. Okay?" She tried to smile, "Trust me. You don't want to see Rin right now." With another deep sigh, she turned on her high heels and walked towards the main computers where her father was, leaving the teenagers in a heavy bout of confusion, guilt, and conflict.

A heavy silence ensued the group as they headed towards the lobby, quietly seating themselves. Thirty minutes later, the airship landed about two miles from the warehouse. Bulky men quietly escorted the kids from the runway and headed towards Dell's vans. Iroha and the NND awaited with grim expressions.

Everything was frozen stiff. Miku stayed close to Teto and Luka. The pink-haired girl sneezed and silently cuddled up to her cousin, closing her eyes with a stressed sigh. Kaito and Meiko were far apart from each other, and Len was at the end of the line. The snow covered their heads as they walked, and the soft crunching of footsteps was the only noise.

Except Rin's distant screams.

The mutts started howling along with Rin, on their rears and voicing to the moon. Another wail thundered across the area, causing Len to stop in his tracks and turn towards the warehouse. The escort, noticing his hesitation, grunted roughly.

"Kid, keep moving."

Len's face held a distant gaze as he stared at the warehouse.

Thinking the boy didn't hear him, the escort cleared his throat, "C'mon, kid. We gotta get you home." Len was suddenly aware of his friends' stares. As if snapping out of a dream, he stiffly apologized and continued walking. He shoved his hands into his pockets and kept his head down, a million thoughts racing across his mind. Before he knew it, he kept replaying today's events in his head.

Everyone almost dying... the vicious fight between Lily and Rin... those Crypton products...

Rin's tearful smile flashed before his eyes.

Again, Len stopped in his tracks and turned around. Annoyed, the escort sighed and rubbed his temples. He was about to reprimand him until he heard loud stomping, along with alarmed cries.

"H-HEY LEN?!"

"K-KAGAMINE-KUN!"

The teenagers raced off after the blond boy, who was already thirty meters ahead of them. Kaito, Meiko, Teto, Luka, and Miku shouted after Len while ignoring the dumbfounded looks on the two escorts. They didn't bother asking where Len was going. They weren't even fazed from the disbelieving looks Kaiko and the scientists gave them while climbing over the wired fence.

---

The hangar was dark and musky when they climbed through the fire exit. The air smelled like burnt circuits and glass. The entire place was abandoned, and welders were scattered everywhere. The ceiling fans hung loose from the ceiling, giving the appearance that they would soon fall off. Pipes surrounded the place like a maze, shadowing everything around them.

Panting, their eyes fell on the lone figure, sitting with her back facing them, on top of a gigantic stockpile resembling a mountain.

Project Rin.

Volts crackled at the base of her head as she trembled, curling into a tight ball. Shaky puffs emitted from the girl as she trembled, rocking herself back and forth.

Meiko's eyes widened, "Rin..." Just as she took a step forward, Rin immediately gasped.

"UNGRGH...!" A crackling ball of energy engulfed Rin as she jerked forward, electricity zapping around her in large numbers. A gurgling noise rippled from the back of her throat as she twitched. Her fists violently closed around her scalp, and she looked like she was trying to yank her hair out.

BA-THUMP...

BA-THUMP...

"N...!"

"RIN-SAAAN!" Luka screamed, bracing herself against the lightning.

"Rin!" Len shouted, immediately attracting her attention. Seeing everyone below, blue eyes widened in terror. She let out a high-pitched, grating screech.

"Argh!" Miku cried out, instantly covering her ears.

Shockwaves flashed around the hangar. A excruciating scream ripped from the back of Rin's throat. She let out a inhumane, low-pitched roar, one that resounded throughout the area. Soundwaves vibrated throughout the room, thickening the pressure and heavily impacting everything else. Everyone screamed. Windows shattered and the metal pillars started to groan and distort their shapes. Glass bits rained onto the teenagers,

Rin's eyes flashed blue, and a resounding howl ripped from her lungs. "STOOOP!" she howled like a wolf, yanking her hair. "NO! I WON'T...!" she roared; her trembling body racked with heavy, desperate breaths. Her face was mixed with pain and pain as she jerked relentlessly, muscles jerking spasmodically. Electricity zapped the metal poles as she sobbed. Crying for control and oxygen, her back roughly collided against the smashed doors. Her eyes flashed green. Blue. Green. Blue. Green... blue. "I won't be controlled like this..." she hissed before biting down her lip, squeezing her eyes shut, "YOU'LL NEVER HAVE ME!" her fists sparked with energy, "THIS BODY IS MINE!"

Meiko whimpered and quivered, sweat dripping down her neck, "Too... too much!" She squeezed her eyes shut. A metal stake ripped from the ceiling and came tumbling towards them. Kaito immediately shoved the girls forward, jumping out of the way. Len managed to roll on the other side just in time.

Everyone ran for cover, narrowly avoiding the sharp shards cutting through the air and crashing down where they once stood. They frantically climbed down the stairwells, screaming as metal stakes came flying at them and puncturing the walls. Len cried out once his injured shoulder hit the wall. Hissing, he found the VOCALOID edging just meters away, drifting above the scrapyard.

"GET OUUUUUT!" The cyborg roared, sending chunks of metal flying, accompanied with bright, cyclonic bolts. Meiko jumped just as a bolt hit the rubble she once leaped across.

"She's gone insane!" Miku shrieked, sprinting even further than Meiko as they dodged incinerating bolts. The lights started to flicker again and again, causing Luka to stumble. Teto screamed as her foot caught on a sharp object, and she went falling forward.

Kaito caught her in an instant, grunting as he lifted her up bridal-style and limping across the area. The advanced medicine Dell gave him was already working its magic. His broken ankle was wrapped in a tight cast, but the bone was already growing back. Still, he couldn't risk losing his footing. Teto kicked her legs up and flung her arms around his neck with a frightened shriek. They all ran across a narrow bridge right before Rin destroyed it.

"LEN!" Meiko shouted across the giant gap separating everyone from Rin and Len. "RIN!"

WHOOOSH!

BOOM!

CRASSHA!

Len ran and climbed. He sprinted across the elevated platform as file cabinets, dressers, and machines flew at uncontrollable range. He gasped, leaping over the banister right before a generator could crush him against the pillar. Time seemed to slow down all around him as he leaped in mid-air, wrenches whizzing past his neck by several inches and witnessing the 30' free fall.

Turning his head, he caught sight of the enraged cyborg charging an electric beam and-

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The lights flashed in his eyes as he threw his neck back, too frightened to even scream.

Then he landed on his feet.

A tendon snapped up his right leg. Pain shot up his ankles as he attempted to breath. Len's face twisted into pure pain as he hoarsely gasped, taking the pain full-throttle.

"Urgh...!" He bit back a scream, clenching his teeth and gripping his ankle tightly. Tears welled up in his eyes as he attempted to stand, only to sink on a knee. Lights flashed around him, nearly blinding, and broken metal pieces surrounded him. Crackling roars deafened the room, and he gazed up to look at the source of chaos, trembling in the midst of a man-made thunderstorm.

His eyes widened, "R..."

"Is this why she hated me...?!" The cyborg covered her face with her hands, drifting high near the roof and shaking violently. "I understand why. I understand why..." Her hands clenched into fists, "But!"

---

Tiny hands parted the bubbles, meeting with cold glass. Her vision revealed a woman standing in a darkly lit lab. Flat tables consisted of stacked notes and beakers bubbling with colorful liquids. Though she was there, standing quietly, it was undeniable she came to watch.

The blonde woman sighed tiredly and wrote on her clipboard, occasionally looking up. The hands pounded against the glass, followed by a muffled cry. The woman glanced up.

Trembling fingers reached towards her. Muffled cries echoed. A shadow cast over the woman as she hastily turned away.

---

"You're my mama too..."

---

Tiny hands clenched into fists.

---

"I loved you the moment my eyes opened..." The cyborg emerged with fury, glaring down at Len. Hair flew around her contorted face. Her eyes were jade slits, streaming with sparks. "But... but..." Her fists shook. "YOU WOULDN'T EVEN LOOK AT ME!"

Her cry of rage amplified into ear-shattering sound waves, thrusting out like hands. Len was thrown back the wall, his head reeling. Electricity crackled, zapping the metal surroundings. Even through his earplugs, loneliness in her voice rang clear in his eardrums.

"Why...? Why? WHY?! WHY DIDN'T YOU LOOK AT ME?" Fists wrenched the air, shaking, "DID YOU HATE ME THAT MUCH?!" The cyborg threw her head back. Arms thrust out as if yearning for a long-awaited embrace, "DID LOOKING AT ME CAUSE YOU TOO MUCH PAIN? THE FACT YOU CREATED ME? THE FACT I TERRIFIED YOU?"

A white-blue flash zapped the poles above, tearing through and leaving gaping voids. Burnt metal and ashes lingered in the air. Len fell to his knees, hands latching over his ears tightly.

"MAMA! MAAAMAAAAAA!" The piercing shriek echoed, "I LOVED YOU! I WANTED YOUR WARMTH TOO! YOUR EMBRACE AND THAT GENTLE LOOK-! I WANTED THAT TOO!"

"Sweetie... Rin."

"I would've give you everything..." Rin's conscience whispered, curling into a ball, "IF ONLY YOU HADN'T ABANDONED ME!" The cyborg let out a deafening roar, shattering the windows. The entire room trembled, and tremors shook the splitting ground. Cracks appeared on the groaning stairs, distorting their shapes. Outside, the entire building slowly crumbled to its knees. Len's pain heightened, and he squeezed his eyes shut. His hands dug into his hair, blocking out the noise even further. He hardly noticed the bruise forming on his arm from where Rin had grabbed him.

Her screams then pitched reversibly, from deep, low octaves to impossibly high octaves, making his ears scream as well. The frequency vibrated at a frenzied, mad pace, causing everyone to drop on the floor and writhe in pain. Rin's screams drowned their own.

"WHY?" Rin's conscience raged, "WHY DIDN'T YOU LOVE ME?!" An unstoppable storm, the cyborg thrust her fists into the air, calling raging sparks, before blasting the lights and destroying the whirring machines, including the power generator. Bits of scrap and wires rained down. Len, eyes widening, throwing himself onto the floor to avoid the crashing weight of half of a machine. "IF YOU COULDN'T STAND TO STAND NEAR ME HOW, I WONDER, COULD YOU STAND TO CREATE ME?!"

"Rin...!" Len snapped his gaze overhead, "RIN!"

"TELL ME, MOTHER!" Rin pressed, increasing the voltage, making the room appear like a web of electric currents. Light flashed in front of Len's eyes, blinding him. "WHAT IS MY PURPOSE FOR LIVING THEN?" The VOCALOID swayed, her arms and feet dangling. For a moment, Len thought he saw sadness reflecting her face. When he blinked, she became expressionless again. "Was I created to destroy everything around me? Things I love? Everything?" Green eyes flashed blue. Len's mouth slowly gaped open, and he started towards her, entering the magnetic field.

Then, a ghastly white woman appeared behind Len. Elusive as water, she appeared to be drifting behind him while staring up at Rin with those haunting green eyes. Pupils enlarging, the cyborg shuddered violently and twitched. She began hyperventilating at the sight of the woman, trembling like a leaf with her mind toppling over the edge. The thing inside her began to take over.

The VOCALOID immediately stiffened, her fists zapping with electricity as she let out a inhuman, bloodcurdling scream, emitting thick soundwaves that shook the area, making his entire body vibrate and tense in discomfort. Her entire body flared as she pounded her fists against the stone, shattering it to dust.

"RAGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HH!"

Shards of glass flew past Len, cutting his body open like an apple. He gasped out as blood gushed from his face, arms and legs. His hands were stained red. A chair flew into his leg, making him bend forward and scream in agony. Bones cracked, and his eyes widened. He strained to keep his pain under control. It was like suppressing an excruciating itch to fall forward and give up.

"LEN!" Miku screamed from behind the bars, grieving tears freely flowing down her face.

Len looked up, resolve and fiery determination in his teary eyes.

Clenching his teeth, he limped forward without stopping. Because of his bad leg, he had to hop on a foot. He bitterly swallowed his pain. No matter what, he had to reach her. He was going to her whether she liked it or not. His sides throbbed, and his breathing quickened. His heart beat like a drum, awakening his senses. A table split, coming at him. He moved, the legs flying right past his head. His vision blurred as he stared up at the tortured cyborg.

This... pain...

It was nothing compared to hers.

"Paralyzed, realized, I'm so cowardly..." A whisper passed like wind, and the cyborg's lips tightened. "I still wanted more. Those other children hated me too, didn't they? Yet even so, behind their cages, they hated me... just like you. But I only wanted to be loved..." Len staggered forward, panting. His head ducked as he continued trudging past the winding bolts, impeding soundwaves, and flying objects.

"But everything I've done...!" Images of blood, twisted corpses of Crypton products and scientists on the floor, and terrified faces flashed before her eyes, "All I've suffered for...!" she whispered, remembering the chemical vaccines, stone-faced scientists forcing her into crammed reactors, the convulsing agony birthing inside her, and Daddy's malicious temper. She visualized light beyond a closing door, along with a shaking, bandaged hand reaching towards it. "IT WAS ALL FOR YOU!" Rin threw her head back, clutching her head and screaming.

At this point, the thermostats broke. Smoke flooded the room, along with the water sprinklers setting off. Water pounded below, immediately drenching the teenagers' clothes.

Coughing, Len sputtered and threw down his jacket.

The heavy sound of metal grinding and groaning impeded as everything was thrust back, its shapes distorted. Machines slammed against the walls, crashed out of the broken windows, and piled like junk. All the lights shattered with glass raining down in sheets. The nightly moon poured in, its white light highlighting the depth of Rin's cold angst.

"Stop that, Rin." Meiko gasped, tears spilling down her face in torrents, turning away and unable to witness this scene, "Stop it...!" Kaito lowered his eyes, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Luka and Teto began crying as well, quivering quietly in the rain.

Miku fell to her knees, unable to look up and devastating her own helplessness.

There was nothing she could do.

Electricity broke out, rounding and electrocuting the entire field, including Len. sparks alit all copper assembly lines, igniting a ring of fire. Len screamed her name, his clothes sizzling to ashes. "YOUR COMPANY... YOUR SCIENCE! AMBITIONS...! CRYPTON FAILURES AND PRODUCTS ALIKE! BUT ME! IS MY PAIN STILL CONSIDERED AS NOTHING?"

Len was thrust back, but he leaned his entire body weight forward with gritted teeth. He forced himself against the soundwaves, practically swimming through. He sobbed, his chest tightening and his lungs collapsed. Barely gasping, he choked for air. He was only thirty feet away from her.

"I'M A MONSTER! A MONSTER!" The VOCALOID curled into a ball, shaking, "A monster deserves a monstrous fate... This is all my-"

"ENOUGH!" Len howled. His gasps became shaking pants. His legs became painful, heavy blocks, and his mind became numb. "The Rin I've known all this time isn't a monster! Just because you were born in a lab, just because you lived half of your life in isolation, and just because you're genetically different from human standards...-!" The fervent indignance in Len's voice negated her agonizing cries. His eyes became steel. He looked directly at her, shouting at the top of his cracking voice. "THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOUR LIFE ISN'T MEANT TO BE LIKE THIS!"

The shockwaves immediately thinned, lightening the air's intense pressure.

A bitter, metallic taste exploded in his mouth, and he coughed, spitting blood into his hands. His eyes widened, but he refused to care. Looking back up at the girl, his eyes hardened.

"What do you think humans really are, Rin?" he asked, clenching his shaking fists, "There are some pretty messed up people who'll hunt each other like prey! Self-destructive, unstable people whose bloodlust leads them to a path of violence and pain! To destroy everything they have and everyone else around them! They're even more monstrous than you!"

"Kagamine-kun..." Luka gasped, surprised to hear such a fiery outburst.

Bars dropped from the ceiling, clattering against the broken stairs.

Len panted, choking for air as he struggled to continue walking. Tears and blood marred his face, which was contorted in pure agony as his legs trembled furiously, barely allowing him to stand. His muscles tore and screamed. An unbearable heat rushed to his head, making his conscience reel.

Kaito could only watch as his stepbrother struggled to his feet, hardly standing. All he felt for Len at the moment was pure shock and awe. As of now, he couldn't remember a time when he respected him so intensely.

Len was now twenty feet away from touching her.

"There's people who will sell their own children to prostitution. There's others who empower themselves by exploiting the weak, stripping their dignity and honor, out of sick enjoyment. There's starving communities living in an endless cycle of poverty... and then there's the corrupted governments and rich people, doing anything for money and respect." he said, "There's plenty more I can tell you. But my point that there's a lot of messed up, twisted things in this world!"

Defiant blue eyes met clashing green.

"TELL ME! ARE YOU REALLY ONE OF THEM?" He demanded angrily. He coughed violently and grabbed his mouth, blood and water seeping through his fingers.

For a moment, emotion flashed through Rin's emerald corneas. She twitched.

"Humans aren't born kind, Rin!" An indignant shout broke the silence. Len approached again, coiling a fist as he staggered down the steps, "It's in our nature to bully, sneer, and look down on each other; some people don't even feel remorse just thinking about it; it's all just a prideful charade of hiding their own self-hatred and weaknesses!" he then looked down at his hands, ashamed, "I'm one of them."

Miku's eyes widened.

Buzzing lightning zapped through and struck the railway, obliterating it to ashes. The VOCALOID observed him with frightening silence, as if waiting for the right moment to kill him.

Meanwhile, across the broken steel bridge, Kaito, Teto, Meiko, Miku, and Luka watched in horror at this spectacle, terrified to see a once sweet girl become a raging machine. They felt so helpless and angry at themselves for being unable to do anything, yet no matter what, the only thing they were allowed to do was watch. If they even moved an inch, either Len, Dell, or the NND would furiously turn on them.

"This isn't fair..." Meiko whispered, furiously shaking her head. "I can't stand this at all. Can't we do something? Anything?" The friends looked at one another, exchanging conflicted expressions.

"We're Rin's friends too! If we all tried reaching out, maybe she'd listen to us." Teto desperately suggested, looking just as helpless and frustrated as Meiko. "Do they honestly expect us to just sit here and take this? C'mon, guys, let's do something!"

Hearing the girls protest among themselves, Miku's fists clenched. They were right; none of this was fair. Did Len honestly believe he could revert Rin back in such a state? Impossible! She'd already reached the brink of her destructive grief and madness, sinking lower than ever before and willingly hurting everyone. She'd gone completely ballistic, And at this rate, she would bring the entire building to its knees.

Miku chewed her bottom lip, hardly able to watch Len crossing the junk towards Rin.

Len's judgement was kind but irrational. So terribly irrational.

In this state, was he just pretending he could change something? None of them could. Was he the one desperately trying to be the hero Luka told him he was? Rin's hero?

The thought made her blood boil with defeat, envy, and hurt.

"Why can't you be my hero?" Miku asked achingly, closing her eyes before the tears could flow. She brought a fist to her chest, swallowing, "That way you wouldn't have to go through such torture to save me..." Looking at him already hurt so much. Why was he so willing to do this for Rin?

Why?

Water and blood dribbled down from Len's clenched jawline. He brushed past the electrical currents emitting from her body, "Maybe you were taught to act human. That doesn't matter." he rasped, losing his voice, "When I met you, I think I already knew you weren't like anyone else, but that doesn't make you despicable!" he chuckled weakly, blood weeping from his wounds.

The VOCALOID showed no reaction towards his words. She drifted, scraps of metal falling, and her hair flew around her. She eyed him emotionlessly as he continued to crawl towards her like a newborn.

"Maybe you believe it's unfair that no one asked for you to exist. To be dragged into pain and sorrow that isn't even your doing." Len reasoned soothingly, "But still, Rin... there's people here who're happy you were born." His marred clothes now dangled freely off his shoulders and back, stained with blood. His facial expression contorted painfully as he dragged himself forward, "I'm glad I got to know Rin. She's gentle and thoughtful... and a really good friend." He finished with a tearful grin.

"You say that..." The VOCALOID looked down, hair fluttering in the air. Her mouth then parted widely, "But that doesn't change the fact part of me is this!" Shrieking, another vibrant torrent pounded against him, slamming against his body and pushing him back. Len grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his wounds reopening.

Len shook his head fiercely, tearing his eyes away from his wounds. Throwing his entire body weight against the impeding waves, he shuffled forward like a zombie. His feet barely moved across the trembling ground.

"I'VE HURT EVERYONE! I'VE KILLED MOTHER! EVERYTHING IS DESTROYED!" He barely heard Rin's sobbing conscience over the VOCALOID's intense shrieking, which only grew louder, deafening his ears. "BUT THE WORST PART IS I DON'T REGRET IT! EVEN IF YOU'RE IN PAIN I DON'T REGRET IT! IT'S PAINFUL ISN'T IT? ISN'T IT?!"

"It's nothing compared to yours!" Len screamed back, throwing his arms out, "If it's too much, share it with me! I'll happily embrace your burden!"

Furious, the cyborg threw her arms out, and electricity exploded from her palms, zapping everything in a white-hot flash. Crackling sparks buzzed and enveloped Len's body, much to his horror, electrocuting him. He screamed.

Everyone erupted in terrified shouts, desperate and suddenly, they were all banging against the wires, screaming and begging for Rin to stop. Kaito tried uselessly to destroy the fence using a piece of wood. They all nearly cried in angry defeat. Not at Rin, really, but more at themselves.

"Acting so arrogant as to believe you can shoulder my burden? Out of pride or foolish overconfidence... YOU'RE NOTHING! DISGUSTING! DON'T PRETEND TO BE SELFLESS YOU ONLY WANT TO REAP BENEFITS!"

No! Len wanted to cry, trembling to his feet. He wasn't suffering out of self-gain or benefit! He wasn't trying to be irritably imposing or heroic... no.

I'm doing this for you!

Len felt like he was on fire. Every muscle and fiber in his body screamed and tightened.

He wasn't in pain because of the torture, really. Intense soccer training taught him how to override physical pain no matter how unbearable it seemed... it would eventually fade. He was hurt because Rin was so afraid of believing in him, that he only wanted to help her because he cared about her. Out of all people, how could she believe he was acting out of self-gain?

Have you been broken to the point where you can't trust anyone anymore?

To become so hysterically cynical...?

Just hearing her screaming out her pain and tears underneath the cold, perfunctory mask made his chest contract painfully, and he could feel his heart breaking, shattering into a million fragments. It would be nearly impossible to fix the damage. Seeing her so afraid, incensed, and delirious, it scared him.

Rin, Len looked up desperately, almost helplessly at his once soft-spoken friend, you've suffered this entire time?

Relevantly, Rin's conscience screamed out, burdening words dropping like rocks. "To be human is difficult, you constantly think about it, but at the same time, this part of me wants nothing more than to destroy everything, everyone who loves me! Who I love-!" She suddenly lost herself, blasting another rain of bolts towards him. "AND I DON'T REGRET IT!"

She continued torturing him. Electrocuting him again. And again! and again! again!

Len screamed voicelessly. He wanted it to stop! He wanted this pain to stop! His throat bulged with incoherent cries. He couldn't take anymore!

"IF YOU WON'T KILL ME THEN GO! IF YOU REFUSE TO MOVE I'LL BURY ALL OF YOU IN THIS RUBBLE! I WON'T BE SWAYED INTO GOING BACK! A FEW LIVES FOR HUNDREDS IS A PERFECT EXCHANGE! I WON'T BE CRUSHED BY MY ENEMIES ALONG WITH THIS UNBEARABLE GUILT OF KILLING EVERYONE AROUND ME! IF ALL I AM IS A WEAPON I'D RATHER DIE!"

The impact was too much. Len's knees gave out, and he fell to the rusty floor, cutting his hands on the glass bits. Sobbing desperately for air, he writhed against the glass. Gnashing his teeth in agony, he lifted himself up with battered arms. His clothes were shredded and burnt, barely hanging off his torso, even his shoes were burnt black. Even when the voltage stopped, he could still feel his nerves tingling. Machines and the building itself groaned and distorted from the heavy soundwaves. Len felt he was going deaf even though his earplugs prevented that.

An angry Kaito flung himself onto the wired fence, shaking the gate. He screamed for Rin to stop, begging her. The other girls joined him.

"Stop it!"

"Rin-chan, enough! You're better than this!"

All the shouting drew the cyborg's attention, and she slowly turned. Bolts crackled around her head like a halo before she shot at them, igniting electrifying currents to conduct the fence.

Len's head bobbled up, and he gazed overhead. For the first time, he realized it was raining. It was painful to even blink as water cascaded down his face. His vision was fading, and it was getting harder to hear. Vaguely, he was aware of Rin's high-pitched wails. His head became a heavy weight straining his aching neck, and he tiredly laid down, panting.

All he could think about was sleep...

"La la la la laaaa~"

A sweet, bright voice echoed in his head. A voice he once loved. He breathed slowly, his weary eyelids falling. A nostalgic haze overtook his mind.

"I dreamed of wrapping my hands around your neck

'Neath curtains rustled by a breeze

The words overflow from your dried lips, like bubbles..."

---

A hill, a summer sky, and the oak tree that witnessed a meeting between two friends.

The air was warm and crisp, and the boy lying against the trunk took in the soft grass and playful sun. Orange perfume filled his nostrils as someone drew closer, caressing his face with a gentle hand. Blonde hair swished under a white hat. Arms parted widely, and a smile settled on her face.

"Sleeping again? You better sing for me today."

---

Everything was black.

He couldn't see anything.

Then a flash of white flickering past his peripheral vision, and he quickly turned to see a little girl running barefoot ahead of him. Gasping, he ran to catch up with her. He could her laughter ringing faintly as she continued singing.

"I want to dive in the nuclear reactor

Surrounded by beautiful blue lights

If I dive into the reactor, then I can let it all go..."

Her bright voice sang throughout the void, echoing. She vaguely reminded him of doves: she was pure, sweet, and had a beautiful voice. Hearing it immediately brought comfort. Hopeful and elated, Len didn't even mind how strange and hostile the words sounded; he was too entranced.

Suddenly they were on a chained bridge inside a vertical blue tunnel. Rings flowed up and down the tunnel, enveloping them in green light. A strong, acidic pungency filled the air, making Len's nostrils burn. He coughed, covering his mouth with a burnt sleeve.

"Allegro, Agitato... my ears won't stop ringing!

Allegro, Agitato... my ears won't stop ringing...!"

Giggles erupted from the girl as she continued singing, even tossing him a quick glance before urging him on. He was surprised she was still singing. Then his eyes followed where she was gesturing and nearly bulged in surprise.

Ahead was a giant tube, apparently a reactor. It stood over at least 2000 feet, filling most of the blue void. Its wide width nearly touched the walls. Chemicals boiled within the bubbling water, and Len could make out human shapes moving inside. He blinked and swore he saw hands imprinting on the glass.

"I dreamed that everyone was disappearing,"

The girl led him to the end of the bridge, just hovering over the open reactor, bubbling with ferocity. Still, she continued running. Len, realizing her intentions, screamed in shock and desperation. His hand shot forward, aching to reach the little girl.

"Wait!"

But it was too late.

"The emptiness and silence of this room in the night; it weights down on me; I can't breathe anymore...!"

Shortly, visions of them playing, her smiling, her screaming and throwing a seizure in the middle of the park, her crying screams as she was being forced on a lab table and scientists injecting chemicals in her, her writhing form in a dark room...

But most of all, he could see her underlying pain and bitter tears behind a forced, childish grin.

Her facade.

She jumped... and screamed.

Len screamed as well, witnessing her tiny form flailing just above the moving waters before a deafening splash sounded.

Her white dressed became dark from the water, and she was still staring up at him. Clinging to the edge, Len shook his head multiple times in disbelief. Tears welled up in his eyes as he screamed her name. Triggered by his desperation, his hand shot out like a bullet. He was about to jump in as well before the girl simply shook her head, sighing.

...Why?

"Should I dive into the nuclear reactor

I know I can disappear, so I can sleep

A morning without me will be much more wonderful now

Where everything is in gear...

That sort of world, definitely...

Ah ahhh ahhhhh ahhhh... aahhhh!"

Just as she sang that last note, a bright light flashed and momentarily blinded him. Bubbles fizzled around him.

---

Whether it was the disturbing nightmare or the receding rain on his back, Len suddenly jolted awake. Rin was still hovering above, eyes emotionless and cold. She was no longer screaming, but her fists trembled warningly.

Len's eyes lowered to his now bleeding hands. He felt very cold. Every fiber in his body ached, and his muscles contracted painfully. His breathing had gone rigid, and he was sorely aware of the fact that he could no longer feel his legs. Shaking, he tried to get up. His knees were wobbling like unsteady balls. Pain shot up his burning legs, and he bit back a whimper. The VOCALOID twitched uncontrollably, staring down at the boy. Len nearly chuckled if not for the murderous look on her face.

She was angry...

The VOC-, no, Rin was angry because he was still standing.

Managing a smile, he looked at her with all the determination and understanding of the world.

"Your world... must've been so lonely..." Len began thickly. The cyborg merely floated, encased in her electromagnetic field. "Forced to grow up and defend yourself from the affairs of your company, your illness..." his blue eyes darkened slightly as he muttered, "your family."

For a moment, his entire face softened. Trembling to his feet, he lurched forward and climbed the scrap mountain where the cyborg reined, like a queen. His feet convulsing under his trembling weight, and he had a difficult time maneuvering his hands, which clung onto trash like footholds.

It was a long, painful climb... every step was like walking to hell, and every breath he took was painful. Sweat dribbled down the nape of his neck. Blood dripped from his messy hair and flooded into his eyes, blinding his vision. He panted, stopping to wipe it before moving again.

The boy's leg caught onto a razor, and his eyes shot open.

Fire... it shot up his leg and into the depths of his hazy mind.

He wanted to scream but couldn't. He wouldn't risk alerting her. A choked cry escaped from his cracked lips, and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. Alarm awakened his veins as his grip slackened. Len fell, raising his head to look at the girl who was just inches away. Shakily, he shot his hand towards her, aching to reach the girl he l...

Soft lyrics echoed in the yellow room, along with the strumming of an old acoustic guitar. The lights were fairly dim, but the evening sun was enough to brightly color the room like a canvas. Music sheets scattered along the checkered bed, orange peels littered the carpet, and slight laughs created the peaceful atmosphere.

Rin kept watching him, curled inside the cave of yellow pillows. Her blonde head poked out slightly, bobbing dreamily to the music. Len smiled slightly and continued to sing. She still couldn't speak Japanese, much less understand the language. Earlier, he found her snooping inside his room (more accurately, his closet) and carrying his old guitar with a puzzled look.

An amused Len only grinned and took it from her. The look on Rin's face was priceless when he started playing. At first, she acted very cautious and suspicious. She would stare and hesitantly prod his guitar before springing several feet away as if it would come to life and attack. Eventually, she showed her approval and fascination, even going so far as to try talking to it.

"Schön! Schön!" She kept saying, nodding fervently. He liked the way her eyes shined when he strummed faster. Her face looked incredibly bright, her lips trembling with unconstrained mirth. Then she turned on him with infectious joy. She looked incredibly grateful, with her eyes filled with admiration and awe. It was as if she were looking at him in a new light.

("Beautiful! Beautiful!")

Len laughed, causing Rin to brighten even further. She even sang along with him, emphasizing with babbles instead of the actual words. Still...

That smile...

Len's conscience snapped into reality, and he immediately steeled himself. Just before he completely starting pummeling downwards, he grabbed onto a ledge and pulling himself back up. His arm immediately screamed for mercy, but he ignored it, pushing on.

He gasped, wincing as he climbed, "Hurting people, destroying them... destroying everything around you... you say it's what you want, but," he looked at her, "you aren't enjoying it." If his vision wasn't so hazy, he would've noticed the slightest tremble on her lips.

Even as sharp wires poked and prodded at his legs and arms, he defiantly continued to climb. His nails dug into the cartridges of littered guns and broken fences. From every painful sensation, he continued on almost masochistically. Despite feeling like he was about to faint, he didn't want to think he was getting weak.

If anything, he was becoming strong.

Finally, when the excruciating climb to death was over, Len did something that would've shocked Dell, his friends, and even Leon himself: he threw his arms around the electrifying cyborg.

Up close, Len thought to himself, smiling despite the bitter pain his body was convulsing through, I can still see you. The snarling cyborg tensed, face contorting and arms shaking to rip the boy from the sudden embrace until his lips parted.

"The reason why Rin is creating pain for others is because doing so hurts you the most."

For the first time ever, the VOCALOID ceased from attacking. Len's legs finally gave way as he sank to his knees, but instead of releasing Rin, he clung weakly to her legs, burying the side of his face against her waist as sparks punished him. Still, he smiled.

"By hurting others, breaking them down... in the end, you're just trying to destroy yourself." he said sadly, "You really want to hurt yourself, huh, Rin?" The cyborg flinched, trembling uncontrollably. Len smile widened: he knew Rin's rage was there.

"You only needed to be understood; acknowledged. A life full of bitterness, companionship, love... pain... you would've accepted it all. It's all humans needed to be happy." he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, his smile quivering, "That's what makes everyone alike." At his words, the cyborg nearly faltered. Her muscles loosened from the impossibly rigid stance.

Green corneas momentarily flared before dimming into a faint, almost untraceable shade of blue.

"But you've already earned that, and the fact you can suppress the dark side everyone has; the fact you're reluctant to hurt; the fact you can still feel, smile, cry, laugh, scream... you're already human... and you're not alone anymore," Len uttered, breathing against her thighs, "Rin." All at once, color returned to the rigid cyborg. Pupils dilated, and shimmering blue corneas appeared... which widened with warm, bubbling tears.

Her cold breathing had become unsteady and muffled with hiccuping sobs. Len quickly noticed the fact she was covering her eyes, gasping and trembling. Hesitantly, he reached out and the instant, his thumb grazed the contour of her cheek, she recoiled at his touch and twitched erratically.

All Len could feel was pure sorrow for Rin.

Rin, poor Rin.

The girl standing before him wasn't a monster at all. Through the months of getting to know her, the only thing she proved to be was a gentle-natured rabbit. Timid, vulnerable, and frantic. This girl loved flowers and food. Her natural curiosity unintentionally dragged everyone into hellholes, but somehow she'd get away with an innocent blink of her eyes. The only thing she hated more than herself was violence.

Violence which she was causing.

"LIAR..." She grabbed his shoulders, holding onto him tightly and summoned all her energy to electrocute him. Upon hearing his screams and convulsing quivers, she glared on him angrily and painfully, fingers clenching. She started levitating again, dragging up Len as well. "You're not the first who's tried to manipulate me! In the end, you'll abandon me too! Crush me and shame me for all to see just like my family! You're just like them." She yanked his shirt collar with both hands, hovering over him with a terrifying glare. Yet behind the monotone mask, he could see her underlying confusion, angst, and persistent anger. Her eyes became a murky turquoise. Len, unfazed by her terrifying threat, barely shook his head and gave a short frown. He grasped onto her hands, furrowing his brows in discomfort.

"Enough already, Rin..." Len murmured, leaning in. He allowed their chests and shoulders to touch, daring to rest his forehead against hers, "I already promised you two things..." he said, eyes radiating warmth, "To always stay by your side and to protect you..." He then shut his eyes. The latter he hadn't been able to do very well, and to say it frustrated him was an understatement. But the former, well...

I'm so weak I can't even protect her

Everything that's happened it was always her who's saved me I've done nothing for her

why can't I be stronger isn't there a way

I'm just a kid

a kid

my body is weak and breakable all I can do is hold her

not enough not enough

"But... I'm still here," Len muttered to his seething thoughts, smiling bitterly as he looked at Rin, "I'm sorry for being weak. All this time..., I can't even guard you against your past... I'm sorry," Rin's muscles twitched involuntarily as her facial expressions twisted uncomfortably. "The only thing I can do is hold you, comfort you... but it's not enough, is it?"

You're wrong. It's more than enough.

Blue briefly colored her corneas.

It's all I ever wanted.

"But I'm still here, Rin," He reached for her hand and brushed his lips against her fingers, "I always will be."

Tears ran down her ashen cheeks as her fists shook, wrenching his clothes. His persistence continued to baffle her. Why was it after all this time, he still wanted to be with her? She was trying so hard to make him see they couldn't! "You disregard the fact I abused you! Clung to you! Hurt you! I took advantage of your kindness and dragged you into crisis after crisis along with everyone you care about! Why are you still so kind... why are you still being kind to me? You should be afraid!" she declared, her pride shooting down the train and seeing no other reason why he still persisted with kindness. Her eyes then glazed again with fiery contempt, "You pity me."

Len frowned, bangs falling over his eyes as he shook his head. He murmured something incoherent to other ears. An audible gasp escaped from Rin's lips, and tears streamed down her face. Her features tightened with disbelief and shock, and her hands flew to her mouth.

That's why...

Unable to comprehend those words, Rin stiffened and spammed, mentally gasping and shaking her head in denial. She couldn't move. She just couldn't. The truth finally sank in, and when Len placed his hand over her left breast, making her follow suit.

"Listen...," Len whispered against her shoulder, closing his eyes.

Ba-thump. Ba-thump. BA-THUMP.

BA-THUMP BA-THUMP BA-THUMP!

Rin slowly blinked.

"Do you get it now? My heart is racing all because of you." Len asked, drawing away and looking at her with all the warmth and attention in the world. "Our synchronizing hearts, yours and mine: we're not so different after all." He then smiled hopefully, "...right?" Rin's eyes widened, her mouth now quivering. Words constricted her throat, and she was rendered speechless.

"The pain in your quiet voice... hasn't reached me until now." Len shakily breathed, grasping her palms against his rapid beating heart, "I can hear you, Rin." He pressed his forehead against hers, whispering, "But right now, my heart is telling you something," His eyes bore into hers, radiating warmth and flooding affection, "Can you hear my heart?" The tears finally started to fall. Salty liquids ran down Rin's injured face, wetting her cheeks and neckline. Her headset glowed amorously, along with her blue eyes. Her chest began to constrict strangely, and her heart finally started to accelerate, matching his rhythm.

This feeling... along with this fragile thing in my chest, Rin realized tearfully, I finally understand what means...

Her heart broke when Len started singing in a ragged and cracked voice. His words were raspy and barely coherent, but his kindness was enough to even calm the wildest of beasts. His bruised mouth moved slowly but beautifully.

To everyone below, they almost believed he was an angel. His lyrics were evoked from his deep emotions. His lyrics evoked a strange reaction from Rin, like calming a storm. She shuddered, shivered, then her watery eyes finally became blue. Her shining, hard skin became soft again. Her stiff stature went limp and awkward as her muscles quivered uncontrollably.

Memories of how she would constantly beg him to sing flooded her mind. Sometimes he would even teach her the lyrics.

His voice.

Len's voice... it was always what would soothe her fears.

Overcome with emotions, she broke and desperately flung her arms around his neck. Her stiff form melted into his embrace as she sought comfort in his arms like a little child. Joyful tears splattered against his face. She screamed, not of cold rage or inhuman impact, but a real, human cry between remorse and relief.

Most of all, she screamed his name, surprising him out his singing.

And that did it.

For the first time since he was little, Len cried. But unlike the lonely, silent tears he shed, he cried tears of relief. Despite his weak limits, he squeezed her to his chest, face buried in her shoulder and arms wound around her lower back. The thought of letting her fall perked his awareness. Rin, on the other hand, had her arms locked around his neck, pulling him into an equally needing embrace. They cried. Unbeknownst to the embracing teenagers, they were falling... only to be caught in the arms of their friends.

---

Mikuo watched from the roof as the group of teenagers piled out of the warehouse, carrying two blondes separately despite them weakly protesting. They complied on allowing their hands enjoined, swinging back and forth. A bandaged Nami rushed out, practically shoving doctors aside as she openly attacked the teenagers in a crying mess. Dell, Gakupo, and the scientists remained at the vans, watching the scene.

Five hundred feet above the ground, stood a lean teenager boy hiding in the shadows of the warehouse, chuckling lowly.

Kagamine Len (who was inside a van with his mother) collapsed onto a stretcher and breathed into a humidifier. His lips quirked into a slight smirk. Leaning against the pillar, his eyes flickered across the tired teenagers. Kaito, Meiko, Teto, and Luka were being carried away on stretchers. Teto grinned dizzily at the rest, pumping her fist in victory before fainting. He also noticed the way Kaito hesitantly reached out from his bed and pulled a strand of hair from Meiko's eyes, who was already fast asleep. Luka was protesting against a few nurses, arguing she could patch herself up until professor Gakupo came along and promptly attended to her twisted ankle, only intensifying her flustered protests.

He then looked at the exhausted cyborg, who had finally collapsed into the reactor Dell had her enter. Sighing, he looked towards the bleak sky, dangling a silver necklace.

"Time's running out..." he sighed again before his eyes lazily landed on his baffled sister, who was observing everything around her. She gazed down at her computer recorded with notes before hesitantly taking out her phone. Interested, he watched as she tucked her phone under her waistline with a serious frown on her face. He chuckled, "What will you do now, Miku?"

Would she tattle on their unreliable uncle?

His smile momentarily dissipated when he recalled Namine threatening her. A dark grin grew on his face.

"Namine Ritsu, you arrogant little rat. I'll have to punish you."

He shook his head, chuckling. Well, even if she did, that step would only lead her to a terrible downfall with her friends. Breaking their trust wouldn't get her anywhere near finding out about him... then his eyes darkened considerably as a bitter smile reached his features.

Times have changed.

Even Miku was the last person who'd understand how he became this. For the company... for everything. For the complicated plans and mysterious project Leon had launched years ago, she only knew half of it. Even Dell... he glanced at the said co-founder, smiling a bit. Dell still wasn't as honest as they'd like him to be, but he couldn't blame the man. Project: VOCALOID was more complicated than everyone thought.

It involved more than just Rin's creation.

Mikuo turned before whispered under his breath, "All of you... become stronger." A loud exhale escaped him as he leaped off the balcony, humming to himself. Looking up towards the dark sky, he relished the snow pounding against his clothes and simply breathed.

---

A/N: ... All lot to take in all at once, right? :D Yeah. But it's okay, I know you guys can handle it. Anyway, I WAS going to stop here, but I've decided to post an extra route ending to this chapter. It's like, a secret ending, I suppose. OMG this chapter took me FOREVER to post, so like... enjoy it? XD Really, though it took me ages. I've done my best. This has to be the longest chapter I've ever written in my entire life.

---

Tokyo, Japan

? Facility

2:00 AM

Things were much simpler back then.

Steel rooms and endless corridors connected to an endless labyrinth. Somber, unsmiling adults dressed in lab coats made up a monochrome world. The temperature was always cold and dry. Fluorescent lights replaced the friendly sun. Children were forced into cages and locked up like animals. Sometimes the scientists would drag them out to "reproduce", forcing the others to watch. Whoever rebelled against the rules were severely punished.

Repetitive.

In the cramped quarters of that prison, the smell of death often lingered. There was no real hope of survival or freedom. In a way, dying in your sleep was a mercy compared to other options. Needles and burning mixtures. Deformed creatures locked in cages, their curious yet frightened eyes longing for freedom. The small hope they clung to was destroyed once they were dragged off into a different room. The reactor bubbled loudly and shamanistic screams broke, sealing their unavoidable fate.

Yes, most of all, the Takashi reactor revolved around the childrens' lives.

They were the children, the Crypton failures.

Most of all, they were lucky. It was Hatsune Mikuo who saved them. In return, they succumbed to him. He had everyone here exported from Berlin. The older ones stayed behind to rot. Still, the young ones practically crawled on their knees at the sight of Mikuo.

But was he really their hero?

IA, the only sane one in the room, watched her brothers and sisters play with blocks. She let out a long, sad sigh.

Ah... at least compared to Berlin, this place is much kinder.

"AAAAAAAAGGHHHHHH!"

"New arrivals," A whisper broke the silence, and IA blinked curiously at the closed glass doors. Someone let out a cry resembling an harpy's. It echoed down the hall. The other children scuffled excitedly, climbing on top of each other to see triplets fighting against their binds.

"Ha. Brats sound ugly when they scream."

"Do they come from a kingdom? They look awfully pampered. Just look at their stomachs."

"Look at them struggle."

"Yes, but they're tiny, aren't they?"

"The white ones here are nicer than the ones in Germany. They should shut up."

"Could've given that boy anesthetic though."

"Yes, he's a screamer."

IA watched the triplets, sobbing weakly, drift off to sleep. She wasn't worried though. They'd be fine later. Here, they were confined behind playpens. They were free to wander anywhere in the brightly lit room, and they could even openly associate with each other. if thought as she silently exchanged hellos with the smiling girl across her shared pen... Ring Suzune, yes. That was her name. A happy grin glued on her tear-stained face. She was the oldest of them. Now that they were here, she no longer hid her face in her hands like she did in her tiny cage.

"Surreal." she said aloud. Yes, it was surreal to see so many smiles now. Just months before, they were encased like beasts. Because of their mental instability, their powers often got out of hand. No one dared to make a sound in Berlin. Certainly there weren't happy faces to see. But she liked the ways things were now. She really did. Just thinking about Berlin or that dreadful Takashi man gave her nightmares. If it weren't for Mikuo, none of the children would be alive, including herself.

But then, she thought as her fingers traced the x-shaped scar on her collarbone (her 'siblings' bore the same mark), why wasn't she wearing a grin as well? She and few of the older ones were very fortunate to be here.

Yet despite everything, nothing truly changed.

IA slumped against the wall, staring at the ceiling portraying a beautiful night sky. The moon shone like a grinning diamond, and the stars were like leering eyes. She snorted, blowing bangs from her eyes. Even the damn mural mocked their imprisonment.

It didn't matter if their environment was different. Nothing changed the fact they were still imprisoned, that they were mutated martyrs, or that society labeled them as destructive weapons.

Not children... never as children.

Regardless, everyone here is insane.

"Still, it could be so much worse..." she reasoned with herself. After all, the only thing she really feared was being sent back to Berlin. A boisterous laugh exploded. She saw Oliver chasing after Aoki and Galaco, who had stolen his paper bird ("James" he had named it, which IA found peculiar).

"Give him here!" he shouted.

No one talked to each other back then. Now, everyone seemed to get along splendidly. There wasn't a face here she didn't see as a friend. Oliver was from Britain, mangled in an accident. Aoki was a natural-born swimmer, she could do so before walking. That ended on a cruise ship when terrorists attacked. IA, Galaco and the rest were involved in human trafficking, sold to Crypton as experimental products.

They were their own family.

Lui tugged at her arm, shattering her daze.

"That one's been knocked out since yesterday," he said, "The white ones haven't laid a finger on him." Her eyes followed the direction where he was pointing.

IA nodded, "Most peculiar."

"Yeah. Think he's dead?"

"No. Mikuo wouldn't've brought him here otherwise."

Her younger friend frowned, "The surgery he went through must've been hell. His screaming was fit to beat Jesus. Now look at him." It was true. Mikuo had brought a little metal creature chained inside a box. The children saw him and the white ones forced him out and dragged the trilling thing into the surgery room. Nine hours later, they brought out a child swaddled in gauze. At first they were thrilled to have another family member and rushed to meet him, but Mikuo forbade anyone to go near him. Awing and admiring Mikuo, they all happily obeyed his order and soon forgot about the little boy.

"Bet he hasn't eaten in days. I should like to give him my ration."

IA, known for being selfish, shook her head, "Worry about yourself first. Aside from that, nobody can eat if they're sleeping. We should be patient and let the white ones handle him." But Lui wasn't going to listen to reason. IA realized this when he started towards him. Irate, she lurched him back by his collar. He gagged. "Mikuo won't like it if you betray him."

Lui pushed her away and rubbed his neck, pouting. "What about Akikoloid then? She says she got a good look at him while everyone slept." IA narrowed her eyes in disbelief. Akikoloid was the youngest out of everyone here. She said the strangest things at time about the oddest of things. Not only that, but she was highly unpredictable. Sometimes she caused trouble, and the white ones didn't particularly favor her. No one knew where she came from or how she got here.

"Likes to talk, doesn't she."

"If I didn't, we'd always be bored." The two jumped at the newly added voice. It belonged to the impish Akikoloid.

IA relaxed; had it been anyone else, there would've been trouble.

"It's rude to eavesdrop."

"Not as rude as gossiping." Akikoloid cheerily answered, refusing to have her mood dampened. "But Lui's right. I got a good look at the new boy, I did." She looked around cautiously before whispering to them, "His hair is clover green, and he smells like metal. A small fry, he is. Even younger than me..." she paused, "how old are we anyway? I never keep track."

For the first time, IA smiled, "Another boy?" Interesting. They were too many girls here anyway.

Akikoloid gave them a toothy grin, "They gave him scales. They're all over him, and there's some on his face. They felt papery."

"You touched him!"

The youngest android frowned at her disbelieving tone, "I know what you're going to say. Mikuo ain't here to make me regret it." Sniffing, she added, "I never liked him much in the first place."

Lui shook her head in disagreement, "Aoki and them wanna marry him, 'specially Ring. You'll get bullied if they hear you."

Akikoloid shrugged, "Well, he thinks too much. Such men are dangerous." she suddenly smiled, "The new one is tough though. The surgery makes him look beautiful." Then her lips parted into a wicked grin, "I'll show you."

"Really?"

"Lui, don't," IA tugged him back, glaring at Akikoloid, "He could be dangerous!" Dangerous? Raw curiosity ebbed at Lui, and like a bee attracted to honey, he whizzed over to the patient. IA scolded him and followed. Akikoloid chuckled, taking sheer pleasure in causing this.

He was just like Aki-chan described.

A tiny thing, he could've been easily mistaken as a harmless child. Slow rises of his chest indicated he was still alive. When the children saw the odd angles of his legs, they nearly shuddered in disgust. Gauze swaddled most of his body and face, which only made him more alluring and mysterious.

And familiar.

Lustrous scales gleamed under the lighting. Then something strange happened.

The patient woke up. IA was so surprised that she hid behind Lui. She didn't drop her gaze though. There he was, sitting up with both eyes open. No one made a sound. On her part, she couldn't speak because of how strangely reminiscent those eyes looked.

Those remarkable green eyes.

"I know you," she was surprised to hear those words, even more surprised to find those words coming from her own lips. Even so, she got on her knees and gazed in wonder at the bandaged face. A gentle joy washed over her, a feeling she thought was lost, and her fingers touched his cheek. He flinched at this affectionate gesture and moved away, looking guarded. IA gasped and covered her mouth. Tears filled her eyes.

Now she remembered! It has to be!

"Ryuto."

---

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a dinasour!"

Lui and Akikoloid tensed in angry realization. They exchanged quick glances, confirming their similar thoughts.

Ryuto.

...Yes. He had been a failure once too, right? Confusion filled them. His story foretold tragic coincidences he'd yet to recall. Before GachapoidR3000, there was Ryuto Amemiya. He was the youngest of all the failures. A precocious idealist, he could've been their spokesperson. The Berlin scientists didn't think so, and when selection came, he was chosen as their new 'experiment' (though most assumed he'd been sent to the reactor) IA was forced to watch her crying friend being dragged to the other room, sobbing and screaming for mercy.

"IA! EVERYONE! PLEASE I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

At the time, the only thing the failures felt was pathetic relief (for not being picked).

Poor Ryuto.

Yet who'd've thought he was to be a mental function of the VOCALOID? An automatic servant?

"Ryuto..." The scaly boy repeated, gazing at IA confusedly, "that's...not my name." Despite his effort to look firm, he didn't sound certain of his words. Then he looked around, forehead crinkling. "Why am I here... Mikuo said he'd explain everything... where-"

Despite his words, IA gave a watery smile.

"You're alive... you're safe..." her voice shook with emotion, and tears filled her eyes. "You remember me, don't you? It's me; IA; big sister IA. We shared the same cage, remember?" she took his hand in hers, squeezing it for emphasis. Her smile grew bigger at his thoughtful expression; it was a sight she sorely missed.

"IA..." Jade eyes grew wide with recognition, and he quietly admitted, "Yes, I remember." Overjoyed, IA flung her arms around his neck, sobbing. The little boy she knew was... no longer little. He'd matured into this strong, sensible creature. He'd no longer braid her hair or be her cuddle buddy at night. It was a sad thought, yes, but seeing him here, alive, made her incredibly elated.

Gachapoid, covered in a forest of white-blond hair, quietly pondered. He'd always been vaguely aware of his past, but once he became GachapoidR3000, he didn't think 'Ryuto' mattered anymore. That name was abandoned long ago.

Until now, at least.

He took a whiff of IA's scent: crisp and metallic, nonetheless a friendly smell.

"Aria," he breathed, eyes widening at the familiarity of the ridiculous nickname. IA only wept harder, a relieved grin splitting her face. During their first months together, he'd have the hardest time pronouncing her name. As a result, he just called her "Aria".

"I've missed you so badly, Ryuto. So badly..."

Hot tears gathered in his eyes despite himself, and his vision began to blur. Gachapoid, momentarily startled, felt his wet cheeks. Then a wave of understanding washed over him. IA hugged him tighter, nearly crushing his ribs. Gacha-, no, Ryuto didn't mind.

After all, they were friends.

"Look here, everyone! It's Ryuto!" Their moment was ruined when the boy behind her shouted to the other children, immediately attracting them like bees to honey. Tiny feet pattered towards the bed seeing the awakened newcomer. IA slowly released him, but she no longer seemed happy. Instead she looked grave and deeply sympathetic. She glanced at the approaching children, then at him. Shakily, she planted a quick kiss on his forehead before edging away, her eyes still on him.

All the children wore demented grins, staggering towards him. Their insanity peaked when they saw his perfect body, unharmed and unscarred. For some reason, Gachapoid felt extremely dread weighing on his shoulders they surrounded his bed, blocking all escape routes.

"SO!" Lui exclaimed loudly, mocking excitement, "The white ones decided to show off, sending this traitor covered in pretty scales; it's as if his imperfection never existed. Ha, shall we bow to you then?" he bowed quickly, jeering, and the little ones copied his actions.

Ryuto tensed, his eyes flitting around suspiciously. His claws enclosed around his blankets.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"No blemishes or twisted organs." Ring giggled, stabbing a finger at the metal circle imprinted on his naked back. This only made Ryuto more confused, and the small girl cocked his head at him, smiling eerily. "Namine and Defoko will accept you, Ryuto; you're worthy of fighting alongside them."

"Yes, you're a beauty," Aoki chirped, "But just because those fools switched your rank doesn't mean we gotta follow their rules." She giggled in a manner that chilled his bones, "We used to know you as a friend but not anymore," a terrible grin twisted her features. "Now, you're just like them: those cocky mongrels. Merely an appetizer to Leon's ambitious stomach! Human ambition..." she spat in disgust, jerking her head above.

Confused, Ryuto glanced up into the ceiling mirror and nearly fainted in shock. His lower lip began to tremble, and his reptile claws writhed against his dry, scaly face.

"W-What's happened to me...?" he asked slowly and looked back at the children, pupils alit in terror. "What have you done to me? WHY AM I LIKE THIS?" he wailed in anguish, clawing at his skin in attempt to remove the scales. He bled from the impact but didn't care. IA quickly stopped him.

"You've been upgraded; your surgery was a success."

"S-Surgery?" Ryuto repeated, swallowing thickly.

"QUIT PLAYING STUPID!" Lui suddenly snarled, slamming a fist against the headboard. A metal clang resounded. He opposed Ryuto in a predatory manner, eying him like helpless prey. Then his demeanor quickly softened, and a sweet smile replaced that look of fury. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell." he beamed cheerily, "You're a Crypton product now."

Ryuto, shuddering, edged away from him. He wrung his wrists, breathing quickly. "W-Wait..., all of you. I know your names." His fingers dug into both sides of his head as if trying to dig out buried memories.

Just then the lights turned off.

Dark giggles echoed.

In the vast darkness, Ryuto found himself staring at mutated, discolored faces. Their glowing scars and gashes were now visible in the dark. grinned at Ryuto. Some of them were missing limbs, Singing a haunting melody, their voices became low and eerie. A matching choir, their bodies swayed like branches, twitching erratically. Some giggled and pointed at him, others tried attacking him. The room was no longer white but dark and filled with wrathful children.

Across every dark face, a distorted X was carved, resembling battle scars. The letter glowed red.

"Names, names, names, names..." Akikoloid laughed dementedly, "NAMES NAMES NAMESSS..." as she edged beside Lui, her voice started to sound like a broken record. Other children joined her, singing the word like a creepy nursery rhyme. "But what's in a name, I wonder."

"A worthy title?" one suggested, giggling. Ryuto noted they were all wearing collars, which suddenly tightened around their throats with spikes emerging.

"An acknowledge of someone's existence?" Another chimed in.

"A level in power?"

"Or is a name simply define a person? Who you are?"

"If so, then surely we have other names." Akikoloid agreed, her bare feet padding against the metal floor, and never was the sound so sinister. "But to humans, we're just numbers; we're expendable wastes that multiply."

"Multiply? But-" Ryuto started.

A pitiful smile broke on IA's deformed face, which made Ryuto shudder at the sight. "To think you forgot us so easily... everything we went through as a family... years of pain and silence, waiting..."

"You're acting as if it was all for nothing." Lui added coldly. Others murmured in angry agreement. Ryuto shook his head frantically; he was sweating heavily now. These children weren't scary... they were downright terrifying. The look in their eyes radiated the same fury and destruction. Sinister grins formed on every deformed face, and their movements jerky and stiff with every step they took.

"To everyone, we're ugly things. So ugly... worthless..."

"No one likes us... we're just failures..."

"Ugly."

"Worthless."

"Hated."

"...Meaningless."

"We're black sheep. The white ones like hurting us."

Akikoloid, eyes half-lidded, seized his face and giggled, "...Can I have your eyes? They'll look so pretty in my collection~!"

"I want his liver!"

"His kidneys are mine!"

"No, mine!"

"Mine!"

"MINE!"

Furious cries argued over who got his body parts. Some wanted to eat the heart; others insisted the intestines would enhance their digestive system. Ryuto, frozen with terror, lay limp in IA's arms but found no comfort in her warmth. She tried getting them to stop, but nothing helped. Vicious fights broke out; little girls shrieked and violently pulled each others' hair from their scalps. Hollering boys clawed and punched each other, biting wherever they saw skin. Black liquid, from open wounds, splattered the walls and their clothes.

Monsters...!

Eyes wide, Ryuto desperately tried swallowing the sobs threatening to erupt. He tried staying firm, but he wasn't the tough, firm GachapoidR3000 anymore. Right now he was Ryuto: the littlest of all rejects. Ryuto, the sweet boy who dreamed of becoming a dinosaur so he could gnash Crypton to bits. Most of all, he was trying not to this monstrous sight.

"ENOUGH ALL OF YOU!" It was the oldest boy, Oliver, who barked furiously over the catastrophe. Shoving the little ones apart and viciously slapping their faces, his towering presence quickly stopped all fighting. Few started crying, but he shut them up by remarking calmly. "I'll decide who gets what. In the meantime, save your energy! We'll need it when February comes."

February?

"Crypton products are arrogant! PUPS WHO CAN'T TELL LEFT FROM RIGHT," he snarled viciously and flapped his one wing ferociously. "Brothers and sisters: If it weren't for Mikuo, we'd still be groveling at their dirty feet! We're the real products!" The children howled their monstrous approval, encouraging him further, "But once we attack, Crypton will wish they hadn't kept us alive. Especially Leon!" Oliver declared triumphantly, his eyes widened with insane mirth. "We'll destroy... we'll destroy anything that gets in our way! LET'S AVENGE MIKI! LET'S FIND HER GLORY! DESTROY EVERYTHING CRYPTON!"

The children, inspired by Oliver's destructive speech, cheered happily as if they were receiving candy. Ring Suzune, smiling, grated her long nails against the glass doors, creating deep scratches. Ryuto suddenly realized what was happening. Their bottled up envy and terror of the company finally erupted into searing hot plumes of poisonous hatred.

These failures were planning to launch an insurrection against Crypton.

Jade eyes widened in further realization. All the pieces of the puzzle were finally assembled. Of course, this all made sense.

Mikuo had manipulated them.

"Then are you going to kill Takashi Rin too?" Everyone stopped cheering and grew eerily silent. Their expressions now unreadable, they stared wordlessly at the scaly boy. Ryuto, despite his grating nerves, continued in a nervous voice, "She... she was the only one... who loved us. All of us."

No one spoke.

"I... I love Rin. I do." he tried, looking around with pleading eyes, "What about the rest of you? Will you destroy her too?" Some looked at each other, still silent. "She smelled nice, always spoke softly, saying kind words... even though she's part of Crypton..." Their silence suffocated him, and he found himself breathless. Shakily, he tried sitting up. "E-even though she's the VOCALOID... the most successful product... and even though she killed Miki..."

IA slowly blinked at his words.

"Would you kill our only friend?"

No one knows how long the silence lasted. For Ryuto, it felt like an eternity. Then one by one, the children began tittering evilly. Ryuto glanced around, even more horrified. A slow grin made its wa

Akikoloid leaned close and banged their heads together. A searing pain ripped through his mind. She tilted her head, wearing Miki's crazed grin. There was nothing remorseful or kind in her eyes.

"Let the dead bury the dead."

---

"You're all my friends, right?"

The little girl stared at them hopefully but sadly. To their ears, this was only an ignorant, naive voice and it carried no real hope; it was hardly comforting, honestly. In silent reply, they stared at her behind cages.

---

Ryuto's mouth went dry. Tears coursed down his rough face.

"No... no..." he pleaded, desperately looking around for a kind face. For the first time in his life, he wanted help. "NOO!" Many hands reached down towards him, and giggles exploded into full-blown, dark laughter. IA, gasping, tried to protect him. The children only shrieked and yanked her back by the hair, digging filthy fingers into her mouth and drawing razor-sharp nails to her tongue-

A wet slurp was heard, along with a short wail.

IA was thrown to the floor, now ignored. With shaking hands, she clutched her bleeding mouth, disbelieving. Meters away, one of her sisters greedily consuming something. IA wordlessly shrank to a safe corner, unable to look away as her 'siblings' began doing horrible things to Ryuto. They promised him gifts and candy, stroking his matted hair. They also murmured something about 'fixing' him. They promised to give him cake, teddy bears, and a majestic feast. They assured him they'd take him to a wonderful place where they could play forever.

IA covered her ears, becoming rigid each time she heard him scream, facing the wall.

'He'll be okay,' IA told herself while shutting her eyes. Sweat shone on her hot, flushed face as she desperately tried to block out his pained begging by covering her ears, 'You'll be fine, Ryuto. The pain won't last. The pain won't last...' Her sentence broke off with a pained whimper as she helplessly attempted to speak. Even as she thought reassuring words, she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince: Ryuto or herself.

Ryuto's sobbing screams would forever haunt her head.