A/n: I sure hope I did this part right, I had to rewrite like four times! Please review on this part, I really want feedback.
Random Virus opened his eyes, blinking wearily. The last thing he remembered was pressing the detonation button, then just white, searing hot noise.
By some fluke he must have survived. Unless heaven was a dimly lit room of undeterminable size, filled with half working bits of machinery and broken, sparking cables. Somehow he didn't think it'd have what could only be described as failed experiments, the demented creatures floated in a half-dozen tubes which extended from ceiling to floor.
Now Random felt nervous. He tried to sit up, despite his critically low power, and felt a sharp pain in his wrists holding him down. He glanced at his left arm and saw that it was pinned to the slab he lay on by some sort of energy field. He pushed against it and felt it stab back proportionally to the force he applied. The field on his right arm felt like it was stabbing back anyway. Random looked over, then turned away wincing. It wasn't the field; the explosion had melted his wrist cannon into his arm. His whole right side must have taken the force of the explosion. The side of his face felt like someone had run over him with a mower. Finally, he tried moving his legs but couldn't feel them at all. Considering the circumstances that was probably a good thing.
Random closed his eyes again, trying to calm himself.
"Random Virus, I see you're awake," growled a voice.
Random's eyes snapped open.
A figure stood in the shadows. It stepped forward into the dim blue light cast by the tubes. He was a dragon, standing about seven feet tall on his hind legs. He wore a white lab coat, contrasting sharply with his jet black scales. A thin plate of metal was moulded to the back of his right hand.
"Mech?" said Random. "What are you doing here?"
The dragons that lived in the sixth dimension were quite intelligent, and being such would often help the lightning knights. Mech particularly would help them with their technology and weapons. He had helped build Sparx's lightning flash.
"You know me and machines," Mech replied.
"Just hurry up and get me off of this," said Random, missing the malice in the dragon's words.
Mech walked up to the slab then suddenly leaned into Random's face, gripping claws into the lightning knight's damaged arm. "I don't think so," he growled, sulphurous breath gushing from his nostrils.
"What?!" gasped Random, trying to ignore the claws and understand. "You're behind all these machines, aren't you?"
"I thought you of all people would recognise my work," Mech snorted.
"Why? I thought you were helping us?"
"I was. But this is so much more fun!" he gloated. He let go of Random's arm and paced the room. "Then you went and blew it all up. I have the greatest mechanical army just sitting there and they can't move a single piston!"
"Sorry to ruin your day," said Random sarcastically.
"You're not very smart you know," continued Mech, ignoring him. "You blew yourself up too."
"I noticed that. Like I care anymore. Your army's unusable. That's all that counts."
"Which brings me to the next point as to why you're not so smart. Don't you think I'd have a plan B?"
"I don't know. Would you?"
"Not a very viable one," Mech admitted. "Random, there is one problem with machines. They are incredibly stupid. Even that AI computer was still stupid, though it was quite capable of doing its job extremely well. Plan B is a program that would give someone like you or me the power to actually control machines at will. Just like the AI computer only much more intelligent. Unfortunately, it has been too powerful for any of the subjects. It keeps on totally wiping out the previous program and utterly destroying them. But there was nothing wrong with the program, they simply were not strong enough!"
"You've actually tested this? On living beings?"
"Well, how else was I supposed to know if it worked? You don't understand, this is a technological breakthrough."
"I'm sure your subjects would agree," growled Random. "You're nothing but a pathetic coward. Why don't you just test it on yourself if you think it's so great?"
"I have to be alive to debug any faults. Obviously."
"I don't care!" shouted Random with the last of his strength, he was sick of Mech's excuses. "Just shut up about your stupid program. It doesn't work. My power's going to be gone in a few minutes anyway. At least I won't have to listen to you."
"I can help you with that."
"What, by shutting up?"
"I meant I can help you be strong again," Mech clarified with a small puff of smoke. He stopped pacing and stepped up beside Random, "for a small price."
"Forget it. I don't make deals with cowards."
"You don't appreciate the importance of this do you?" Mech snorted.
"I appreciate the fact that what's wrong will always be wrong, Mech, no matter how great, or how fun you think it is. The same goes for what's right. I don't care if I kill myself doing that. I would rather die that find myself doing what's wrong for whatever reasons. So whatever your price is, I don't care. I'm not doing it."
A growl issued from deep within the dragon's throat. "Fine, I don't need your approval. The program does work. All it needs is a strong mind. If you can survive that blast from your stupid bomb then you're strong enough to carry it." Mech pulled a computer chip out of his pocket.
"You're not putting that in me!" said Random, pulling against the energy field in vain.
"Once you feel its power you will agree with me," smirked Mech, enjoying Random's distress. He pressed the chip onto the piece of metal on his right hand. It clicked into some circuitry, whirring softly as it found its connections. Mech held up his hand so Random could see the three needle-sharp metal claws extending from the plate. They were at least four inches long. Data spurted from the tips. "Are you ready for the transfer?"
"No!"
"Good."
Mech plunged the shards of metal into Random's stomach so violently they buried themselves right up to the dragon's fist.
It wasn't so much the knifing pain Random felt, but the sudden invasion that tore through him. He felt like a torrent of liquid nitrogen had been pumped into his circuits, freezing and shattering everything it touched. He gripped the slab tighter and gritted his teeth as his body arched under the strain and then slumped, unconscious as his mind retreated.
Random didn't know how much later but he woke up, confused, half a second later remembering where he was. He pulled against the energy field again. This time, he somehow managed to tear through them. He pushed himself off the slab, feeling disorientated. Where had Mech gone? He landed on the floor with a clanking noise. There was something terribly wrong about that and Random did not want to look down and see why.
His right hand felt heavy. Random looked to his side and held up the hulking metal claw now welded to his arm. It too clanked as Random's arm started shaking.
"I know it's not as advanced as mine," came Mech's voice from the near darkness. "I had to make do. Besides, I think it suits you."
"What did you do?!" Random demanded.
"Well it's not my fault you got yourself caught in an explosion. I had to make sure you'd be useful."
"Useful for what? I said I wasn't helping you. Especially now."
"I saved your life!" Mech growled, stalking out of the shadows. "At least see what you can do." He pointed to a machine sitting in a corner. "Just look at that, feel it."
Random looked at the machine. "I don't…" he stopped. The hulk moved. He was making it.
It clattered to the floor as Random rolled back in shock, and then looked down in shock when he realised he was rolling.
"You have the power. You don't need to do right. But you can fear not. Help me with this Random. Don't lower yourself to the level of a lightning knight."
"They're weak…" said Random, feeling he was understanding.
"And you are strong," Mech finished smiling.
"They should be destroyed…" Random stopped, realising what he'd just said. "No! I'm not helping! Get this thing out of me, now!"
"No."
"What! You coward! Argh!" Random doubled over as a wave of darkness swept through his mind. "Turn it off!"
"I can't," said Mech, starting to look mildly worried. "It shouldn't be doing that. The new program must be trying to write you over. I thought it wouldn't do that with you."
Random Virus looked up suddenly, his right eye glowing red. "I will destroy weakness! This world is full of it."
"Good."
"Starting with you…"
"What?!" Mech backed away as Random rolled forward. "Right, I'm shutting you down." He pulled another data chip out of his pocket and connected it to the plate, extended his claws and swiped at Random. His hand froze in the air. Mech stared at it, confused.
"That thing is mechanical, isn't it?" growled Random.
Mech's eyes widened as he fully realised his mistake.
Random surfaced through the darkness, disorientated. Something had taken him over unexpectedly, he felt like he'd nearly drowned just trying to push it back.
"I made you strong," he heard Mech say, sounding as if he was choking. The dragon lay on the floor, his throat torn open by three gashes spurting flame-tinted data.
"Mech? What happened…"
"You! You twisted maniac, you're insane!"
"What did I do? I'm sorry! I don't know what happened!" Random was mad at Mech, but he didn't think he was that mad.
"I do! That program should work fine. You were stronger than the rest but something in you has made it malfunction. It only builds off what's already there, that's why it can't work with weakness. But I don't want to know what it found in you!"
Mech flickered, fading with his last words. Random was left staring at the empty floor, the dark tiles reflecting the image of someone, something he didn't know.
Ace leaned back in the computer chair and closed his eyes.
Chuck had long since gotten tired of playing and had gone downstairs, probably to get something to eat. Mark had followed him but had obviously still been concerned about Ace, who'd stayed upstairs to keep on playing, still wanting to find out what had happened to Random Virus. Now Ace somehow wished he hadn't seen that last sequence.
"I thought I could find a way to help you, old friend," Ace said quietly, his eyes still shut. "But now I don't know if anything I could do can save you."