Mediziner's Notes: I can't say I'm very pleased with this one... I think my strongest failures here have to be the humans... I've memorised their personalities yes, but sometimes acting them out is a little difficult and in some ways out of my comfort zone. On another note, I personally like to consider that Regina can speak multiple languages rather than just Japanese and English. While it's not known how many years it took for her to learn Japanese, I can actually see her having picked up on more languages overtime after the show, German being among one of them. I guess I could also consider her being the first to translate Super A.I. information in English for the Scotland Yard mechanics when the United Kingdom began production on the Scotland Yard back then...? No idea, just my own personal take on how I'm seeing this with Regina. Hm, have I talked about this before? I can't remember...

Some plot progress in this one too, though most of this one was a pretty damn struggle to figure out how to keep the story moving, apologies... Rest of the bits are kinda focused on my favourite characters for this one.

The Leader Within Cover Art is drawn and commissioned by Erilmadith-Everyoung on DeviantART. You can also find Radiant Prism's full reference there, too.

Enjoy!

...

'Now where did I put my plans involving Radiant Prism... I suppose I could refine them slightly while I'm waiting for whenever Redlight gets around to sending me the foreign criminals' full information and record... He did say that he was going to send them once he's finished dealing with a case.' Deckerd thought to himself, managing to find the papers he'd been looking for, shuffling through them. 'Hm, some of them don't look right... But, fortunately the more information on those three criminals, the better we'll know how to- Ah, that must be the records...' Deckerd's attention drew back to the screen. Normally he and his team wouldn't deal with criminals outside of Japan, but considering the circumstances of the trio being here, he'd need to know as much as possible on how to accurately deal with them. Multitasking between working on his paperwork and inputting a few commands into his computer to translate the records into Japanese, he'd also translate the additional information attached which told him all he needed to know about each person. Deckerd had a bad feeling that their bio-machine ally might have originated from Germany rather than the UK as originally thought. After a coordinated attack like that between the bio-machine and the criminals, it was very clear that this was nothing in comparison when dealing with most common petty to minor criminals dealt with in the past. A thought came to mind as he began jotting it down as part of the list to his plans. 'If I recalled, I didn't see Radiant Prism's support anywhere when she freed Yuuta, not even calling it to provide covering fire... That's something I'll need to work on alongside Duke and try to get her to rely on her support vehicle and fight more efficiently as Aerial Radiance... She'll need it for any upcoming battles against them from here on out once she's made a full recovery. Her own strength alone won't be enough...'

His attention fell onto the office's clock, he took a moment to calculate how many hours Germany was behind Japan then drew his attention back. 'If I remember some of the words she's said when we first encountered her, she did say that Redlight asked her to flee the country to seek me out... I need to learn more about this from Redlight's side of the story later in a few more hours.'

The remaining hours of the day rolled into the night. When it was eventually time to retire for the night. Deckerd neatly stacked his papers as his attention was now on Yuuta, who was interacting with Jack. The latter complained at Yuuta that he's not some toy to be messed with, while Yuuta frowned explaining that what he had done earlier to Regina was not the way to go while he's stuck in that body until he's completely repaired. Jack was about to rant but then Deckerd addressed his friend. "Yuuta, I'm going to take you home a little early tonight."

"Eh?" Yuuta leaned to the side a little to see the clock on the opposite side of the wall. "That early? What's happened, Deckerd?"

"Nothing, but I'm going to return late tonight, I'll be holding a private meeting to speak with Redlight." Deckerd said. "There's a lot of questions that started to go through my mind that needs answers, and they all involve Radiant Prism. He's the only other person who would know the answers to everything about her which is for my plans when we start working with her again after she's repaired, Dieter is another person I could speak to, but unfortunately I can't contact him."

"Who the heck's this 'Redlight' chap?" Jack asked, though snorted with annoyance when no one answered him. Yuuta frowned when he was being excluded from this meeting, he felt that as the Boss of the Brave Police, he should know about this and help out in anyway he could alongside the others. "Deckerd... As Boss of the Brave Police, I need to see this too." He told his friend. "I know I'm still a kid, but if I'm going to be the Boss that everyone expects of me when I get older, I need to try and start taking things more seriously... Like a real police officer. I won't get anywhere if I'm left in the dark with a lot of things, even if there are some things that still scare me... But, I want to be more and more like a police officer because I can't stay as a kid forever!"

"Yuuta..." Deckerd was surprised at this, the same went for everyone else who was still present in the room. Even Jack himself was surprised at this, having lost the energy to try and squirm himself free of Yuuta's grasp.

'Well, I don't get how the boss of this place allows it but... Despite the kid's clearly too young to be a police officer, even here in Japan, he might be growing out of those tears knowing it's time to grow up and be an adult, because police work isn't for the crying or those with a weak heart...' Jack thought, still annoyed but was overall impressed with the changes he'd notice with Yuuta. Deckerd remained silent, knowing Yuuta was right, he can't stay a kid forever. "...Alright, I'll see about if I can send Redlight a copy of the Japanese language files when I inform him about the talk so he can speak in Japanese, allowing you to understand what he's going to say. However, you might want to give Jack over to Regina before Duke leaves the station."

"Okay! Ah, should I ask Duke to join in on the meeting too? I know you two often hold meetings with King sometimes whenever there's a case of theirs that managed to make their way here, so..."

"Hm... Well, for now inform Duke if he'd like to join us for this meeting. I'll leave it up to him if he'd like to join us or not." Deckerd replied thoughtfully.

"Okay, I'll be right back!" Watching as Yuuta got up and left the office with Jack in hand, Deckerd turned his attention back to his desk, preparing to send an email as he inquired Redlight about if he was available in a few minutes to have a private meeting with him, Yuuta, and his SIC if he can make time. Once he'd written down his request, he sent it to Redlight attaching a copy of the Japanese language files. All that was left to do was wait for a reply and for Yuuta to return as he got up from his seat, moving over to look out the window, pulling the blinds up as he idly watched cars go by. He allowed himself to drift into his thoughts once more, thinking things out. The skies were relatively clear, save for a few clouds. 'Hmmm... One important thing I need to ask is why did Redlight order Radiant Prism seek me out if he couldn't help her when Gustav was looking for her... Or even request assistance from the Scotland Yard- Wait, he didn't mention them once... Hm, I need to know why he sent her here rather than over to King's team... Then after the talk, I wonder if I could I help motivate Radiant Prism into using her combined form more often... Unless... Hm, I'll have to test that theory if it's true or not... When I speak with Radiant Prism about this...'

He'd been deep in thought that he didn't register the door opening, indicating Yuuta's return.

"Deckerd!" Yuuta called out, but noticed that his friend didn't answer as he normally did. 'He must be deep in thought...' Moving over towards the far right of the loft, he then stopped at the little curve of the loft that stood out a bit more. Knowing whenever Deckerd was deep in thought like that, sometimes getting into his sight would be enough to snap him out of his thoughts. Surprisingly enough, he didn't register even if he was within even the corner of his friend's view... "Okay then... DECKERD!"

When Yuuta shouted, Deckerd snapped out of his thoughts worried that something happened to his friend, but fortunately the moment he saw Yuuta standing at the end of the loft next to the window, he was relieved that he was safe and unharmed. "Sorry, Yuuta... When did you get back?" He asked, approaching his friend as he extended a servo; Palm upwards to his friend.

"Not that long." Yuuta replied, climbing into Deckerd's servo without hesitation. "But are you okay, Deckerd? You were so deep in thought... It was about when we took on the three criminals' slimy bio-machine, wasn't it...? Since those three criminals nearly got Radiant Prism..."

"Well, sort of. I was wondering about what to tell Redlight... Ah, what was Duke's reply?"

The boy shook his head. "He says he can't, because he's going to help Shadowmaru and Kagerou with a case after he drops Regina off at my place. It turns out that their cases lead the three of them to look into the same organization from what he's discovered thus far. But it makes me happy to know that they're working together so if one criminal tries to land a surprise attack, the other can come to their captured friend's aid!" Yuuta then looked over at Deckerd's desk. "Do you think Redlight made his reply yet?" When Deckerd stared at his desk, he slowly made his way over and first gently set Yuuta down on it, then sat himself down the moment his friend was on his desk. Yuuta was quick to get out of his friend's way when he began Inputting a few commands into the keyboard. Checking his inbox, Deckerd saw no new messages yet. "No, not yet. But I'm sure he'll see the message when he's available, he could be looking into a case and hasn't finished."

"Hmmm... It must be really late over there, too..."

"Not quite." Deckerd proceeded to type in a few commands into the keyboard, bringing another screen into view with the display of the time in Germany. "They're eight hours behind us."

"O-Oh yeah... It's been a while since I last looked into a case outside of Japan, I've forgotten the times differed from one another depending on where you go. I can't forget how strange it was for me on the first time I traveled outside of Japan and into the Dominican Republic when I went there with Dumpson years ago... Speaking of which, I haven't heard about any major cases outside of Japan all that much either."

"We've done quite a few, sometimes with the aid of the Scotland Yard when the Commissioner selects some of us to tackle a case outside of Japan." Deckerd replied. "Remember when- Ah, Redlight made a response... Let's see what it says." As Deckerd opened the email, he wasn't surprised that Redlight had replied in German. He proceeded to process the message through his computer's translator to traslate the written text into Japanese so that Yuuta could understand as the two read the email. "Mm, looks like he's available to talk in a few minutes." Yuuta commented. "It says he just needs to assign his team's night patrol routes for later and he'll call shortly- Ah! That was quick." The moment that Deckerd received a call from Germany, he answered just as the screen descended from the ceiling and lit up, displaying a black and dark gold coloured Brave on-screen. The Brave's crest similar to King's and Deckerd's, adorned on the front of his helmet but in his respective country's flag.

"It's Redlight!" Yuuta exclaimed, but remembered to straightened himself up albeit nervous. "Um, I know we haven't made a proper introduction since neither of us could understand one another before... I-I'm Tomonaga Yuuta! B-Boss of the Brave Police."

The foreign Brave nodded. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Tomonaga." Redlight then turned his attention to Deckerd. "It's good to see you once again, Deckerd." Redlight smiled. "Please do forgive me if my... Japanese might be a little shaky, I've had the mechanics apply the language files not long after I contacted you so I'm still adjusting."

"You're doing just fine, Yuuta and I can understand you very clearly." Said Deckerd with a smile.

"That is a relief. I'm fully aware that the shift in tone can vary depending on which language you speak... Forgive me if I might sound a bit... Intimidating when I speak." Replied Redlight.

While Redlight speech was a little flat but knew that Radiant Prism has been doing the exact same thing since she was first given the language files. He'd have to remind Radiant Prism to consider her speech mannerisms when she's speaking in Japanese to him and the others once she's clutter-free of those firewalls. Pushing that aside, Deckerd didn't waste any further time, needing to learn more about Radiant Prism and especially why Redlight sent her here. "As you might have read from the email I've sent you, there are some things I need to discuss with you regarding Radiant Prism..."

"Of course, let's talk." Redlight nodded, straightening up as he was ready to listen to whatever Deckerd intends to talk to him about. "I'll answer everything I know about Radiant Prism to the best of my abilities."

"Alright." Deckerd proceeded to reach for a small stack of papers set off to the side which contained questions he planned to ask Redlight. "So before I get to the more prioritised questions, one of the main things I need to know first is, why did you send Radiant Prism all the way here rather than seek proper help for her?" Deckerd began, reading the contents. "From what she's told me once we gave her a copy of the Japanese language files in order to communicate with one another..." He paused for a moment to look through his papers. "She's claimed that she was the only one from her assigned station where as you, and two others she's mentioned have teammates. It's bothered Duke, McCrane, and I for some time that we couldn't quite figure out the reasoning behind this. Because she seems to look up to you greatly and the three of us felt that there's something we're missing that we're not seeing."

Redlight could only frown, he didn't speak right away but gave himself a moment to think, but knew he had to be honest with Deckerd, being the first built Brave in the entire world, he's to be held in high respects as an unspoken oath. "I warn you, this one is relatively lengthy." He made sure to inform Deckerd and Yuuta as the two nodded in response. "I would have wanted to seek proper help for her, but of the many times I've helped her, this was one I couldn't help her with..." He said slowly with a sigh. "When I was first activated, I swore to myself that I would assist and help any future Braves built here in Germany as my duty as the first when I saw my team were still in the process of being built. I have done the same thing to the other two teams stationed elsewhere, Radiant Prism included. However, unlike the others she wasn't... Functioning normally. As you already know, everyone starts off with pre-fed information given to us to start with once we're activated allowing us to overtime, develop our personalities as we go. But, in the case of Radiant Prism when she was announced to my team and the other stationed teams, I knew right away that something wasn't right." He paused for a moment to let the information sink in.

"That's when you realised that Radiant Prism seemed like she was different from the others, right? If you didn't have issues with the other two..." Yuuta asked.

"Correct. I never trusted Gustav's decisions as the head of the Police in Dortmund but for him to build a fellow Brave without informing any of us from the start was concerning." Redlight nodded. "When Blazer and Surge, along with their teams were in the process of being built, I was informed immediately and updated on the process until they were completed. Gustav... Has not in any shape or form, updated me and the others from start to finish. After introductions, I would personally see Radiant Prism in person despite Gustav's arguments against my visit."

"So when you visited her for the first time, that's when you realised that when you got the chance to speak to her, did she behave more like a standard A.I.?" Deckerd asked, having to look through his papers briefly. "That was part of a question I had wanted to ask my theories on."

"No, she has a proper Super A.I. even before I've sent her to seek you and your team's assistance when the one matter occurred... But I knew what to do and tested her memories on some things- Even you were included in our memories, Mr. Tomonaga."

"Eh? Ah... Err... That is..." Yuuta tried to find his words, becoming shy that even the memories would bleed into the German Team just like how it bled into the Scotland Yard Team.

Chuckling at this, Redlight gave himself to cease and continued. "When she didn't seem to react or register most of the memories I've hinted at, that's when my suspicion was confirmed... I had asked Radiant Prism to come with me back to my team's station. When my Chief Engineer discovered the results of my suspicion..."

"That's when you found the cluster of unnecessary firewalls like that of our own Chief Engineer." Deckerd added as Redlight nodded.

"I... had to spend as much time working with her as much as I could, to help her show that it's okay to open up and be herself, which was one of the orders I gave her when I explained to her that other people she'd have to take orders from is myself as the first built so this way I can keep working alongside her when I'm able to. It wasn't difficult to find that Gustav's intentions were to make her do anything he asks obediently without hesitation or question since he's known to be someone who expects everyone to perform more than one hundred percent... But, as angered as I was with Gustav's handiwork, Radiant Prism came first regardless. I attempted to request assistance from Surge and Blazer to help in interacting with her... But they couldn't help her as I hoped because they weren't sure how. But I never gave up, and instead I took on this task myself because no one should be excluded because they've been limited compared to the others."

"Redlight..." Deckerd and Yuuta were shocked, despite Redlight's important duties and his status as the first Brave in Germany, he'd help Radiant Prism as much as possible despite Gustav being against him coming. "That's... Very bold of you to go up against one of the superior officers." Yuuta commented.

"Perhaps, but with what he did to Radiant Prism, it was my way of saying that we're not just mere machines. I could never trust what Gustav would do, but in a sense I also have Dieter, his Vice-Commissioner and also Radiant Prism's best friend to thank. While I may have helped Radiant Prism be more of who she is, Dieter was someone who helped on the side when I couldn't. I think he meant to serve in helping one thing in particular I could not."

"What might that be?" Deckerd asked.

"While there's a lot I can help her with, Dieter was someone who helped make sure that she kept her trust in other human beings, that not everyone is like Gustav." Said Redlight. "This is one of few that I can't help her with because I'm a robot, not a human. Interacting with a positive person helps keep that trust in humans built up. But, I think we should move onto the topic as to why I sent her flying all the way here... When I couldn't help her when she needed it the most."

"Yes, I'd like to ask questions about that in particular, now that we know more about Radiant Prism." Deckerd shuffled through his papers until he found what he need. "Alright, let's begin with the primary questions that we need answers to."

Redlight nodded. "Ask away, I'll listen."

...

Idly driving around the city, McCrane felt conflicted with himself for the past few days. Since he'd reluctantly rejected Seia's request if he wouldn't mind driving her and Makoto around on the latter's birthday, he felt even more disappointed with himself at having to silently turn her request down. Normally he'd be happy to help the Onoues whenever they asked, but when it came to the fact that Seia asked him because their jeep wasn't going to start during such a day. It didn't help when Power Joe's words echoed through his thoughts that he shouldn't have rejected her request, but to him something such as birthdays were more of a family thing... At least from what he recalled Yuuta mentioning when he and the other Braves celebrated his Birthday for the first time in their lives. He felt he wasn't part of it no matter how close he was to the Onoues.

'What if Seia's mad at me...? For not responding... But, even if she and I are... I'm still not...'

Realising he'd been unconsciously driving on the route he'd usually take to go see Seia and Makoto at their base, he turned into a street that lead outside of the city. McCrane was angry with himself for not giving a proper response when she asked for help getting around. He continued to drive until he changed form once he felt he was away from people, walking away from the street until finding himself a secluded spot with a nice view of the ocean as he sat himself down. He perhaps thought on this too much, but he couldn't help but feel so guilty with himself. 'I'm... not sure how I can face her...' He thought.

"McCrane?"

Looking behind him, he recognised the voice as the figure came into view. "I figured I'd find you here."

"Makoto! Ah, good evening."

"Good evening, McCrane." Makoto approached the Brave, hands in pocket as he looked up at him. "I called out to you earlier when I saw you pass by but you didn't respond so I figured something was on your mind." When the Combat Detective lowered a servo for him, he climbed in without hesitation as he held on when he raised his servo so that they were on equal eye level.

"You did? ...I'm sorry. But, how did you...?"

"You and big sis Seia are not that hard to read. When she and I went out to celebrate my birthday a couple days back, I've been noticing her spacing out when we took a taxi to get to where we needed to go. Most of the time she'd been spacing out even when we were wandering around, so I figured something must have happened between the two of you." Replied Makoto, slowly drifting into his thoughts. "Hm... At first I thought maybe you were busy responding to a big case or two since I know how demanding police work can be. But... Seia seemed pretty hurt about you not replying so I thought maybe you two might have gotten into some sort of fight or maybe even a disagreement the day before my birthday, which can sometimes happen in a relationship."

"Eh? N-No... We didn't..." McCrane hesitated, but gave himself a moment to clear his thoughts as he moved his servo to one of his shoulders so that Makoto could sit there, waiting for the man to seat himself then lowered his servo. "No, I... Silently declined..." He explained with a sigh. "I didn't feel it was my place to come along because I know that birthdays seems to be more of a family thing... At least from what Boss told the others and I since he considered all of us to be his family." He explained hesitantly. "I never meant to silently decline in such a way but... I..."

"McCrane." Makoto adjusted himself slightly. "I've always considered you part of Seia and I's family months since you and my sister started dating a year ago. I guess you might probably wonder how could that be, and while I was a bit stunned at first by the news, I can't think of anyone else worthy of being with her than one of my own saviors." McCrane was stunned by what Makoto had said, he felt honoured that Makoto approved of him despite that he isn't human. "Now, I'm not that good in the way of what Seia would usually say in moments like this, but I see you more human than robot the same way big sis does."

"Thank you, Makoto." McCrane smiled.

"Next year, come hang out with Seia and I whenever one of us has our birthdays. You won't need to feel so worried next time, well if we manage to get some time off-duty when our birthdays come up, since hers already passed this year, that you might already know." When he saw McCrane look deflated, Makoto only smiled. "No, don't worry. Seia completely understood when you told her that you were in the middle of that one case up in Hokkaido."

"But... I can't promise I'd be able to come visit on a day off should I be assigned to look into a case..." McCrane replied slowly with a frown. "As you've said, our jobs can be demanding. But, I'll try to make time for the both of you if I can, if I'm lucky those more severe cases don't show up or I'm sent either far elsewhere in Japan."

"That'd make both of us happy, but don't worry if a case comes up because we understand completely." Makoto nodded. "Better to put those criminals behind bars than dropping everything to come see us. We wouldn't want your friends and especially Yuuta getting upset."

"Yeah." The Combat Detective nodded, though slowly tilted his helm down with a frown. "But... Seia isn't very happy with me. I think she's more angry with me than anything else."

"Well, she's not someone who gets angry, but instead she's someone who gets disappointed or sad instead. It takes a lot to anger her, but those under her command tend to see that side mostly when someone gets a little out of line or even are lagging behind in training to name a few. I don't think Seia could even think about getting angry with you." Makoto took a moment to think, then brightened up as he came up with an idea. "Say McCrane, if you have a day off tomorrow? I think I know just the thing. If you and Seia meet up somewhere to talk- Maybe with no other people around since I don't think many would... Understand the relationship between a human and a robot, it would be much easier to talk things out and make up from there. Just because there's been a little disagreement, fight, or sometimes unsure what to say, it's just something completely normal in relationships sometimes. Patching things up and resolving issues... Hm, I know it's said that it makes the heart grow fonder...?"

"Really? I'm not sure about this..." McCrane was surprised, but soon fell into confusion at this.

"I've had a couple relationships in the past. While it's normal to have space or take a break, you can't stay mad or upset with your partner forever and it's completely natural to make up." Makoto said with a small smile, scratching the back of his head. "It's what I had to do when I was in a relationship. Not doing so would only make your hearts become more distant from one another... Worse, it would end up making the other feel that their partner doesn't love them anymore and result in a breakup. In my case, being in the army can be sometimes stressful for those who aren't in it too because we can't always see one another very often. In the case for you and Saia, you can be considered lucky since our superiors don't mind you helping out with a few tasks to help show the recruits under Seia's command how things are done around here."

"I see... Then I should find her and make up, explain everything..." Trying not to think about it, the possibility of him and Seia breaking up made him seize a bit. If it'd happen, he'd feel like he'd been smothered or deprived of proper function. It was enough to even scare him, losing the special connection he shared with Seia was one of his greatest fears in life since they've grown close. It was as if he'd be left with a heart shattered into tiny pieces- Something he'd never be able to piece back together. While it's true that he can't give Seia everything a normal human being would, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Realising he didn't answer the man about if he'd have a day off, he gave his answer. "Oh, about the day off, I do actually have a day off tomorrow, but I don't see-"

"Then it's a perfect day for you two to talk things out and make up. First, I'll need to talk to Seia since she can get a little stubborn at times, but not right now since it's actually getting a little late so we should try for tomorrow... What time is it..." Makoto took a moment to check the time on his watch, the time made him freeze up at how late it was. "Oh no! I should be heading back." As if on cue, the moment McCrane presented his servo, he waited for the man to step down onto his servo as the Brave then lowered him back down onto the ground gently. Sliding off of McCrane's servo once he was on the ground again, Makoto straightened himself up and faced McCrane. "But don't worry too much, okay? I promise you that Seia's not someone who gets mad easily."

"Y-Yeah..." McCrane nodded, the two of them bidding one another goodnight as McCrane watched Makoto turn to leave. The Combat Detective watched for a moment longer, then spoke. "Makoto?" The man stopped to look over his shoulder. "Um... Thank you... For speaking with me." He smiled. "I feel much more better after our talk."

"Of course." Makoto replied. "Good night, and good luck on the rest of your patrol."

Once Makoto was gone, McCrane then stared down at his servos. While he was happy that the Makoto considered him part of their family, it would take him a while to get used to the fact. Despite that, he felt as if most of the weight on his shoulders have been lifted. Getting up, he began to move himself closer to the ocean and look up at the starry skies. He'd perhaps pick a place like this where it was quiet, more than enough to suit him best whenever he'd need space from his Brothers, or even the entire team in general when he's not assigned to night patrol. The sound of nature was soothing and peaceful to the audios, helping to ease whatever stress he had on his shoulders.

...

Having woken up pretty early, Drill Boy had been eager to play a couple rounds of soccer since he'd not been able to do so in a long while. He'd manage to call for the lift to take him silently to the rooftop and then afterwards managing to scale down the building to it without making too much noise. However the moment he quietly touched the ground, he heard a familiar voice which made him stiffen in place. "Drill Boy, what are you doing?" Changing form, McCrane approached his younger Brother, who slowly turned around to face him nervously.

"N-N-N-Nothing! I just wanted to sp-spend some time playing soccer before i-it's too late..." Drill Boy laughed nervously. While McCrane was no longer the team's unofficial SIC, the fact that he most likely still held power made him pale, becoming distressed. "P-Please don't tell the others I went out, I-I just want to spend some time relieving stress so I'm not on edge every morning! Please, McCrane...!"

"Shh, you're going to wake the others." McCrane responded quietly. Despite Drill Boy making some slight distressed whimpering noises, McCrane knew fully well how much everyone desired time to de-stress but often it was difficult to find time to do so for many because of the threat their main criminals posed. In the case of Drill Boy, it upset him enough to see him like this. After reluctantly thinking things out, he sighed. "Alright, but on one condition." He paused as Drill Boy nodded, brightening up. "If you're not back within two hours from now, you'll be spending all of today helping Power Joe with paperwork. Lots of paperwork."

At hearing this, Drill Boy's optics widened at this. Since when did Power Joe get stuck with having to do not just his own paperwork but paperwork assigned to others? He didn't dare ask but simply nodded. "Okay, I'll be back in two hours-!" When McCrane shushed him again, he flinched and whispered. "Thank you McCrane."

Watching Drill Boy walk into the streets once there was little traffic until he was just far enough, the younger Brave changed form and drove off. He looked over at the garage door, then up the roof... Now there was something he and his Brothers would need to install on the side of the building, making a ladder attached to the side so that he and the others could get in without having to make noise opening the garage door. 'Hm... Perhaps use a ladder guard to cover the ladder... Most of those can be opened using keys but that's too much resources wasted... Unless we used a hidden side panel that would unlock the shielding for a minute to allow someone enough time to get up or down. I'll have to speak to Power Joe, Dumpson, and Drill Boy about this later...'

Not willing to risk waking the others up by opening the garage door, McCrane moved to go back on the road again, deciding he'd recharge at Seia's base as like with what Drill Boy did, he changes form once he was far enough for anyone to hear him change.

Hours would pass, and all the Braves were starting to wake up from recharge and begin their day. Deckerd had just arrived at the station after dropping Yuuta off at school, letting Regina out first then changed form once he had enough space to do so. He made his way up to the office, intending to speak with the Commissioners he contacted ahead of time to talk about the conversation he had with Redlight. All around him, he'd notice that not only were his teammates and the Scotland Yard were becoming stressed, but so were the Chief Engineer's mechanics... He'd only felt the stress radiating from his teammates, but to feel the stress radiating off of the Chief Engineer and his mechanics... It was a scare since the trio could have finished them off if they wanted...

'Tch! We're not letting them escape the next time we see them... I'll make sure of that.' He thought.

Once he was up on the first floor and in the office, he found both Azuma and Saejima were waiting for him, the latter sitting in Yuuta's desk. Wasting no time, he seated himself at his desk. "Alright Deckerd, we're both all ears. So what have you and Redlight discussed last night?" Saejima asked.

"We expect you to describe everything in full detail." Azuma said sternly. "The police has no room for crippled robots."

Nodding, Deckerd began explaining everything from start to finish. He began first explaining Radiant Prism's background and despite that she was limited in comparison to the other three teams, Redlight never gave up on her despite Gustav continuously would try to encourage Redlight to be discouraged by what he intends to do with Radiant Prism and that what she does is none of his concern. Other explanations would follow suit, from Gustav's belief that she didn't need a team of her own and that she could handle herself far better without one, to even telling them that the firewalls put into place was to make her much more obedient and to perform actions without a shred of hesitation nor questions asked. The more descriptions that followed afterwards, the more Saejima and Azuma struggled to keep their composure from taking in every single detail. Azuma in particular was affected greatly by this. While the man was a serious, nonsensical person who kept the Braves on their toes with the consequences should they screw up, deep down he come to overtime care for the Braves in his own way but never showed it. To know there was someone out there who would limit a Brave- Taking away parts of who they would've been was like stripping away parts of one's humanity. Depriving them of proper development...

Neither men said anything, needing time to recompose themselves. Deckerd couldn't blame them, he and Yuuta were just about as disgusted as they were.

"If... It weren't for Redlight who never gave up on her, Dieter included, Radiant Prism wouldn't be here..." Deckerd frowned. "She would've obediently allowed him to dismantle and dispose of her if they didn't interact with her... Even when she'd been only active for half a year when she experienced her first loss against a criminal. Nobody's perfect, but Gustav thought otherwise..."

"Mm..." Saejima wasn't sure what to say, but a knock could be heard as Toudou entered the office.

"There you are, 'guv. I was looking for you." Toudou immediately took notice of Deckerd. "You'll need to hear this as well, Deckerd."

"What is it, Toudou?" Saejima asked, forcing himself to recompose himself as the Chief Engineer knew he had to tell the others. "Have you and Regina managed to successfully clear out those unnecessary firewalls littering Radiant Prism's Super A.I.?"

"Fortunately we managed to create the right program in doing so, but there is a major problem that we discovered." When he paused to ensure the three of them were listening, he seemed to hesitate for a moment then continued. "These firewalls aren't like any that I've seen and it took a lot out of us to successfully remove them. We couldn't exactly remove them normally but we had to create bypasses to disable them in order for us to take them out completely with the program we've created together that works. Unfortunately we can't make the procedure entirely painless despite we've limited the pain to the best that we could. That was the fortunate part, but the major issue is that we found one, powerful firewall that the program we made wasn't working against it... This one has also blocked the last remainders of vital pre-fed information."

"What do you mean won't work?" Azuma asked.

"This final one is constructed in such a professional manner that it can't be broken into easily..." Frowned Toudou. "The only last thing I can think of that could work... No, this one is far too risky. 'Guv, I don't know if any of us might be able to take out this last one without the dangerous risks involved."

"What are the conditions to remove it?" Saejima asked his friend.

Toudou sighed. "Someone would have to link their mind with Radiant Prism's and destroy it from there..." He paused, placing a hand to his face. "While Yuuta and Deckerd were able to perform this successfully during the fight to stop the Fahrzeurgs, I find it too risky for any of us to attempt to do that with Radiant Prism because unlike the two, she doesn't have any strong connections with any of us in the same manner and Radiant Prism may not appreciate us getting inside her head..."

"What!?" Saejima and Azuma exclaimed. "That-"

"Then allow me to assist with that." Kagerou announced as he undid his chameleon cloaking.

Startled at Kagerou's sudden reappearance, Azuma fell backwards with a slight yelp. "Kagerou! H-How long were you there for!?" The man exclaimed.

"Long enough. I calculated where Deckerd would walk and ensured that he wouldn't bump into me." The prototype replied, not removing his attention on Toudou as he proceeded to retract his optic scanner. "Chief, allow me to assist with that task. I should be able to successfully remove it from within. I can't risk my little Brother taking that risk even if we both have equal spy circuitry, I'd rather take the risk instead."

"Hmm... For now, we've done all we could so we're not going to continue for a long while, Kagerou. Because Regina and I cleared away so many of those firewalls blocking parts of Radiant Prism's Super A.I., we need to let her have time to adjust and process the pre-fed information that her Super A.I. should have had since it's been locked away behind them since she was first brought online. I would give this process about roughly three or four days before trying anything else. If we continued to figure out what else we can do about that firewall before she could take the time to process the new information, it could lead to permanent damage..."

"That's understanding. There's a lot to think about and we can only hope that we can get Radiant Prism back to normal..." Said Deckerd. "Chief, do you think Radiant Prism's personality would change once all of the pre-fed information locked away from her has been completely processed?"

"That's something I'm not sure of... Nobody has done something like this, so I can't say until we bring her back online again. We'll have to see once Radiant Prism has a full clean bill of health after we get back to removing that large firewall. I'll have to make sure her actual firewalls are reinforced in the case that they could have damaged or muddled up the ones that she needs to prevent criminals from hacking into her systems."

"Understood." Kagerou nodded. His attention turned to Deckerd next. "Apologies Deckerd, but Shadowmaru and I could not find the frequency waves that attacked Radiant Prism. We've tried all sorts of methods and backup plans we have in case our usual first option doesn't work... Whoever attacked Radiant Prism seem to be more than just your average criminal if they've managed to vanish without a trace..."

"I see... Thank you for trying, Kagerou. In the meantime there isn't anything else I have for you but perhaps maybe you could go patrol with either Rook or Ten after you've taken a break, they can't go patrolling on their own unless we're patrolling alongside one of us. Relay this to Shadowmaru as well when you are able."

"I'll keep optics sharp for anything once I head out again." As if on cue, the office doors opened and in the blink of an eye, Kagerou vanished in a blur the moment Gunmax entered the office, he didn't seem to have noticed or even felt that Kagerou had sped right next to him with incredible speed. Instead, the Brave seemed pleased with himself which made Deckerd uncomfortable knowing that Gunmax must have done something what he could describe as strange.

"Hey Patrol Car! Have you seen- Ah, there you are, old man." Gunmax casually approached the loft. "It's not like you to be wandering off from your mechanics. Anyways, I've brought that shipment that you asked me to grab along my route, I've given it to your mechanics."

"Gunmax..." Toudou frowned at the 'old' nickname but regardless shook his head. "...Regardless, thank you."

"Is Radiant Prism active by chance, Chief?" Deckerd couldn't help but ask. "There's some things I need to talk to her about."

"No, I'm keeping her deactivated." Toudou replied. "I can't risk Radiant Prism overheating again and in the case something might trigger her or if she receives another attack while active, she could damage things around her without realising it and even hurt herself. Any and all questions will have to wait until she's in good health again."

"It's probably for the better. We can't risk anyone getting hurt either. Everyone else is already stressed as is, that I'm sure you've picked up on." Saejima added.

"Understood." Deckerd nodded. "In the meantime I'll be sorting through some important paperwork and I might go out on patrol with Gunmax since I'm sure Shadowmaru and Kagerou would've taken the two Scotland Yard members with them. Commissioner, I assure you that we're doing all we can to try and locate those three criminals."

"Heh, They've messed with the wrong group of people, attacking our headquarters like that." Gunmax added, cracking his knuckle joints. "If they're going to play dirty, then we'll play dirty once we've got them cornered."

"Gunmax, police officers don't do such things." Deckerd frowned. "If we displayed the same actions a criminal would do, we'd only be scaring the public. We can't risk making citizens scared of the police force, and I don't mean just us but I'd rather they wouldn't get scared of normal police officers, too."

"Come on, it's only fair since they trashed our place. But I get it, I won't go too far." Smirked the Motorcycle Detective deviously.

...

"Mmn..." McCrane had slowly come out of recharge, his scanners having detected someone approaching him as he slowly woke up. "Who...? Is someone there?" He mumbled sleepily.

Once his vision cleared up, that was when he realised that the very person who approached him was none other than Seia, immediately snapping awake. "S-Seia!?" Completely surprised at seeing the woman, McCrane's hook instantly dropped, harshly hitting his windshield but not enough to crack it, spilling the entire line in a pile in front of him. "Are you alright, McCrane!?"

"Y-Yes, I just..." He paused, going silent as Seia inspected to see if there was even a slight crack in the windshield, knowing he'd drop the hook so suddenly. He focused his visuals away from the woman while slowly reeling his hook line, fearing that she was still cross with him for not giving her a proper answer. "I'm sorry... About a few days back... I should have given you a proper answer... But..." When Seia crouched to be more in view of his visuals- His headlights to be exact, he slightly flinched at this.

"McCrane." Seia spoke. "Look at me."

As they talked, Makoto was silently listening to the conversation while remaining hidden behind one of the large vehicles. He'd been curious as to what Seia was up to when he'd seen her head towards one of the hangars that housed some of the base's heavy armoured vehicles, he'd been right in following her when he'd see a familiar vehicle standing out in a familiar shade of yellow rather than in a shade of army and rifle green. He could only guess that either Seia somehow knew he'd be here or that someone else decided to let her know about his presence on base. Whatever the case it was, it wasn't as what he'd planned but he hoped that the two of them could talk and make up as he listened. 'Sounds like they're making up... That's good, very good.' He thought, hoping things don't take a sudden turn throughout their conversation. When McCrane ceased talking, he could hear him address Seia that there was another lifeform just about roughly seven meters away from them. 'Well, he's got me.' thought the man when he was being addressed to come out of hiding. the moment Makoto came out of hiding, Seia was surprised.

"Makoto? What were you doing there?" She asked, addressing her Brother by name as they weren't within earshot of any others on base.

"Sorry about that, big sis. I was just worried about the both of you." Makoto smiled sheepishly. "I know it's not my business but I worry sometimes since I can tell both of you can be pretty stubborn with things or with one another." Looking at his watch, he noticed the time and addressed his sister. "Seia, we should start preparing soon. Your squadron will be ready for their training soon and I need to get back to my own assigned squadron before I get in trouble."

Nodding at what she's been told, Seia watched as her Brother left then turned to face McCrane once he was no longer within sight. "As I was saying, I'm not mad... But I was just sad that you didn't come to visit us..." She said hesitantly. "I'd thought you'd enjoy spending time with the two of us, but really I'm at fault for not properly asking you. I should have been more clear..." Seia gave herself a moment to recompose herself, needing to do so as her squadron would come out any moment. "I have to get ready, rest as much as you need since you look like you haven't properly slept last night."

"I promise, I'll make sure to be more honest with my feelings from now on. Um..." He paused as Seia looked over her shoulder. "Thank you, Seia."

When Seia rewarded him with that beautiful smile for being honest and apologising, McCrane felt like his tyres could have melted. He felt like he'd been glued to the ground as he watched her leave. Today had given him a lot of time to think things out, but for now all he could really do is resume his rest and perhaps maybe later see about lending Seia and the others a servo in whatever task they may need demonstrations on, proceeding to slowly power down into recharge.

He was glad they made up.