It is by now frozen here in California. Rain is all we get, and when there isn't rain, it's all cloudy! Julia would like this weather! I think I've watched Shrek 2 about twenty times, rewinding the Fairy Godmother singing about ten times per viewing. Even with subtitles, it is harder than heck to get the lyrics! Last chapter I asked for them, and you gave them to me! All who did will have an upcoming chapter dedicated to them!

I'm sorry if the Megas Project and the Cyborg Project are confusing. Emma is part of both projects, and the last to be so. Did you know that she was never supposed to even be in this story? Well, now she is! Julia was originally an artist, but was later changed to be more of a fighter. I have a ring with all this binder paper with one-shots and info on the girls. Beta Boy Joe keeps stealing it, though.

If I did own Cyborg 009, these chapters would be on instead of the episodes! Also note that I don't own the game Simon Says. There is so much I have yet to own and so little time...

Chapter five is dedicated to Julia-chan, who lets me use her name for this work.

This chapter is where the story really starts to get shadier. I was never here. :vanishes:

-&-&-&-

The Cyborg Children

Chapter Five: Emma Says

-&-&-&-&-

"Reverse," Emma breathed. The world spun and turned black. Emma dropped from the bed, no bullets in her chest. Next thing she knew, she was running against 001 again. 001 fired the eight bullets.

Emma dodged six of them this time. Time went back to its original flow as Emma returned to the infirmary bed with Sophia holding her hand.

"Sophia, you can leave. You're falling asleep, dear." Issac said. "I already told you there's a fine chance of her being up and running in a few days. Go settle down."

Only Emma understood what had happened. She had spun back time to change her low chance of survival. No one but herself knew that she'd ever taken four bullets. Inside her head, she smiled and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

-&-&-&-

The snow had returned to rain as the days dragged on. Julia was usually to be found (if they had surfaced) outside, playing in it. Sophia wasn't her usual 'Let's go out and kick 0023's butt' person. She had started wearing all black and taken to having stud cuffs on at all times.

"Sophie?" A little voice asked from behind Sophia.

"Stop it, Celeste." Sophia ordered. Emma crossed her arms and tackled Sophia with a hug instead. Sophia squirmed in Emma's grasp to see who was giving her the death grip.

"Did you miss me?" The little girl whispered. Sophia looked at her cousin and cried into the child's shoulder. "I missed you."

"Emma! Emma! Emmaaaaa!" Sophia cried, freeing the stud cuffs. "Oh, I thought I had it bad before! Emma, you're alive!"

"YO! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RAIN!" Julia demanded, hanging from the top of the ladder. Emma giggled.

"There is no need for it any more," Emma said. Issac walked in to see a Sophia without studs and a very alive Emma sitting on her.

"Ivan!" He called. "You had better come see this!"

Ivan came dashing in. Emma stood up and walked to hug him. "Thank you, Ivan."

"Why are you thanking me?" He asked her.

"You helped me, and for that I can't repay you." Emma responded.

-&-&-&-

By that night, the Dolphin had turned from the twilight zone to toontown. ((copyright Disney)) Liana was buzzing around the kitchen making several dishes at once. Her skirt had already caught fire twice, and was going for a third time.

Ivan and Emma were in a deep conversation. Ivan had figured it out how Sophia had gotten home, and she knew that he knew.

"Emma! I-kun! We're having dinner!" Celeste called from the kitchen.

"Who's I-kun?" Julia asked from the dining room. Liana was cursing in Mandarin at the stove, which had turned her skirt to ashes.

"Probably Celeste's nickname for Ivan?" Emma suggested. Sophia picked her up and swirled her around.

"We don't need anything else busted tonight," Liana remarked, setting plates down. "My skirt was enough for the next month!"

"We could have lost the bandit here," Sophia replied.

"Par-tay time!" Liana shouted, carrying an overly large cake in her arms. "I hope you all like chocolate!"

-&-&-&-

Sophia was running around, laughing like a maniac. Long after Sophia had scarfed four generous pieces of cake, Emma had told everyone that Sophia was prone to get sugar high. Shame, since Sophia had started just after that.

"She just sang my entire soundtrack of Card Captor Sakura...LIANA! HOW MUCH CHOCOLATE DID YOU PUT IN THAT FREAKING CAKE?" Celeste asked, chasing Sophia over the couch.

"I said STOP!" Emma shouted. "Emma says stop, and that's what the world will do. When Emma says stop, she means it."

Sophia was frozen in the middle of a jump. Celeste had her knees bent, ready to jump after Sophia.

Nothing was moving except Emma.

"Emma says go," Emma said. Sophia fell right down into the splits. "Now, Sophie, are you feeling well?"

"Why wouldn't...it was chocolate cake?" Sophia asked. Ivan shot Emma a look that clearly read 'She's allergic to chocolate, isn't she?'

"Sadly enough, Ivan's right. Sophie is allergic to chocolate, and it's cold season. Yai!" Emma declared.

"I hate my allergies," Sophia grumbled, standing up. "Maybe I'm allergic to those stupid Black Ghost employees that keep bugging us."

"There's a thought," Angelina said. "I like that idea. But what are you allergic to, exactly?"

"You don't want to know how much junk I'm allergic to," Sophia sighed, sitting cross-legged on an armchair. "By tomorrow, my voice'll be gone and I'll be white all over. Yai is right, Emma."

-&-&-&-

001 was having the time of her life.

"You are going to get out, or be exterminated!" Sophia shouted.

"Interesting, I was thinking the same thing!" Celeste answered.

"SOPHIE!" Emma screamed. "EMMA SAYS STOP!"

Time froze with Sophia about to shoot and 001 getting ready to do the same. "Emma says go directly to jail,"

Everything took a big breath and moved again. Bars ringed the entire living room, Emma standing outside them.

"Can I still get out?" Sophia asked.

001 shot with a laser gun to try and break through the bars. Emma held out her hand and ice blew from it. 001 was a perfect ice sculpture in no time flat. Her violet eyes had frozen with rage swirling within them.

"Sophia Christina, I am going to hammer you into a bed and freeze you. You are still reacting to the cake and you've wound yourself up with a cold from being outside with Julia this morning. Really, you're lucky. Between Florence, Ivan, Issac and myself, you'd already be under lock and key." Emma said, hands on hips. Despite her small size, she turned out to be packing quite the punch.

"Too late for sorry?" Sophia pleaded. Emma crossed her arms.

"Emma says that you can move," Emma said reluctantly. "Sophie, you are going to get your bottom into the infirmary or be frozen." The bars disintegrated and Sophia made her way to the infirmary.

"Miss Liana?" Emma asked. "Would you kindly make us tea?"

"Of course! I'll serve it in here so everyone can get at it," Liana replied.

"I'll go to help you, Emma." Florence said.

-&-&-&-

I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you about Florence. Her full name is Florence Anne Heinrich, and as you know, she's fourteen. Her sun sign is Virgo, and her birthday is September 6. Florence's father, Albert Heinrich, never told her about his life before she was born.

Florence has always tried hard to succeed. When she turned five, she began to play piano as something special. By the time she was eight, she wanted to start taking vocal lessons in addition. At school, she strives to keep her grades and friends balanced. Music rules her life, so she never gets to do anything aside from it.

She cares about everyone and everything in her environment. She makes sure everything is in its place in the science lab, checks her friends' math homework, and even goes as far to ask if someone's feeling ill. Sometimes, all her worries for others catch up and attack her in the back.

Once she met her cousins, life changed. There was no more of the quiet, shy pianist. A whole new girl was born. Both personalities have finally clashed and created one heck of a person to be left alone with.

Except...

She has a slight problem.

-&-&-&-

"Really, I'm fine!" Sophia exclaimed.

"I know you aren't, Sophia. Stop your lying," Florence ordered. "You were coughing up a fit a minute ago."

"There's probably ragweed." Sophia stated. "Yes, I am allergic to ragweed. I'm probably allergic to blood. The question is what I'm not allergic to."

Florence gagged at the mere thought of blood. The smell was hideous, the sight almost always made people cry, and it was sticky and smearable. Florence hated it, no matter how much she needed it to live. It was fine, as long as it never surfaced. She worshiped black and blue marks over the sight of all the red.

"Are you ill also, Florence?" Ivan asked. Florence looked at him with her large, silvery-blue eyes.

"No, I'm fine." She lied, smiling. "I just don't like blood."

"For some reason, I don't believe you." Emma said, standing on her toes. Even still, she only stood a little over a foot under Florence's height. "And this is just not working for me."

The little girl jumped onto Sophia's lap and continued to feel Florence's forehead from there. Florence giggled, and that giggle turned into a full-blown laugh. She was doubled over in laughter with Issac, Ivan, Sophia and Emma watching her carefully. Tears rained her face as she sat down, clinging to her stomach.

"Thank you, Emma," She finally said.

-&-&-&-

"DEAD BEAT FREEZE!" Emma shouted, pinning Sophia onto the bed for good with her ice. "That should be good for right now, but I don't know how long it will work. Dead beat freeze is what they trained me to use when I got desperate."

"That's what they called it, ne?" Celeste asked. "I would call it death by ice."

"You can warm this up, can't you?" Sophia asked, fighting her frozen bonds. "They're freezing me. Can I at least go take a hot shower?"

"You are not leaving this room again, Sophia. Last time, 001 showed up and you were out there fighting with the rest of us. No way, not again." Florence replied.

"Oh, that idiot woman has such perfect timing," Emma muttered. She walked out of the room and disappeared to some other destination.

"I have this funny feeling that Emma's talking about either 0023 or 001," Ivan said.

"NO WAY! 000, THEY DIDN'T TELL ME IT WAS YOU!" A loud voice rang, leaving a shattering silence. "How's it going for you, ya little can of cola?"

Sophia was freed of the ice, and as soon as she was, ran to help her cousin. Florence, Celeste and Ivan followed about a second behind her.

"All I can say is wow," Sophia said, looking into the living room.

She had a very good reason to. There was a possibly seventeen-year-old girl with shoulder-length seafoam-green hair and yellow eyes. ((A/N: this is possible to do!)) She wore a blue tank top with striped blue arm warmers starting at her elbows. Her lower half bore a tiny pair of denim shorts and a significantly raised pair of sandals. In her left hand was a blue, spray painted, gun.

"You didn't bring 001, 0023 and 0022 with you, 002? I'm shocked," Emma said. The woman laughed and hugged Emma.

"Oh, they wanted to come. After boss-man heard about what 001 did, she's outta shopping for a few months, so I get to come for her! Shall we, 000?" She asked.

"No way. Emma says no," Emma responded.

"Hpmh, be that way. Now, let me fight your friends!" She answered, firing her gun.

"You really want to try doing that?" Florence demanded. "I think you're pretty gutsy to try it. Julia, would you do the honors?"

"I'd be honored, madam!" Julia exclaimed, jumping off a table to get the perfect kick on 002's head.

"001 wasn't kidding when she said you were fools," 002 said. "000 is the smartest of you here."

Sophia was down at the end of the hall, waiting until the path was clear.

The opportunity struck. Sophia ran at full speed halfway down the hall, then skipped and rolled out five handsprings. 002 took three of them, but tried to evade the other two.

"What do you think of them now, 002?" Emma asked. (Ivan, are you ready?)

(Yes,) Came the reply.

The funny feeling of your stomach dropping out came over Ivan as Emma drew power once more. 002 smirked.

"002 says stop," 002 said.

The world turned to ice and snow, thanks in a large part to Emma intervening.

"000, I knew you would do that, so I came with the backup squad!" 002 exclaimed. "Meet the rest of the project!"

"You mean the ones that have KRAD written all over?" Celeste asked.

"Hey, we heard that!" A young girl's voice shouted.

"No, no! EMMA SAYS FREEZE!" Emma shrieked. Everything froze, as commanded. "Good. Emma says go directly to jail."

Bars grew like vines around the frozen beings. Emma sighed. "Emma says that the rest of the Megas Project needs to go home."

She held her arms out, and her palms facing forward, and the beams of spectral light forced the Megas Project away.

"Now, Emma says go." Emma said. The bars shattered into billions of fragments and the ice melted. "I apologize. It's a wonder how they got smarter people for the earlier project and absolute dumbbells for this project."

"What exactly is the Megas Project?" Liana asked.

-&-&-&-

"The Megas Project began about a year ago with myself, when I visited Sophie's house. They came, dressed like my parents, and swept me away. My parents had no idea, because Sophie always drives me home. Three weeks later, they drove me home, dressed as Sophie and her family. I couldn't tell my parents." Emma explained, drinking tea as if there was no tomorrow.

"When I visited Sophie's house this year, they took me away again. This time, I was introduced to 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, and 009 of the Megas Project. I even met the original members of the Cyborg Project, but they forbid me to tell you who they were. Anyway, the new 003 was a guy, and all the rest of the team were girls.

"Back to what the Megas Project is. The Cyborg Project, which I am also a member of, was just granting each cyborg a specific ability, and leave you to live your life. But in the Megas Project, they cram you full of whatever they can. At first, I was dubbed 0021 in the Cyborg project with only the power of ice, and then they started piling everything on. 000 came after that, and so ushered in the Megas era. For example, I have over seventy abilities, but unlock them all at different times. Like I can play 'Emma Says'. None of the others can play it, not even 002, although they try."

She drained her tea and poured herself more. "The original cyborgs...you all know them, but don't understand yet."

Sophia sipped her tea. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"If she didn't tell her parents, was she going to tell you?" Julia demanded.

"Oh..." Sophia said, then let out a wrenching cough. "They didn't give you healing anywhere in the package?"

"They did, but it doesn't work. I tried," Emma replied.

Ivan took some time to take Emma in. As a matter of fact, he was still taking the little girl into his system. She, like himself, hadn't chosen her path. But why such a young girl? She was a kind, warm presence, but at the same time, harsh and cold. At the time he had robbed her of her life, she was only six.

"Ivan, I heard that. Don't think about that." Emma snapped.

"I'm going to go take that shower now," Sophia announced.

-&-&-&-

Florence sighed. Night had come once more, and she was far from home. She let her hair out if its braid to sail in the wind.

Fluid friction, she mused.

Sighing deeply, she looked into the night sky. There was a crescent moon out tonight, but there were no stars. It was starless...starless...

Florence closed her eyes and leaned back. There was something much deeper than illness rioting inside her body. Mixed emotions of joy and grief swirled through her head, like fish in a koi pond. She was happy because she finally got to travel the world, and depressed for the very same reason.

"Hi, Florence," Celeste said, joining Florence.

"Oh...hello, Celeste." Florence answered without budging.

Celeste looked into the starless sky. As beautiful as it was, it was upsetting to look at it like this. She drew a long breath and looked at her older cousin. Florence looked so peaceful, just watching time go by. Her head was propped up on her crossed arms, and her hair was wavy and spread in every which way.

"Hey, Florence, what's up?" Celeste asked.

No reply came from Florence.

"Florence?" Celeste asked again. "Hello?" Celeste crept over to where Florence was. Florence's eyes were shut, and her breath was shallow.

"Another one of those problems with KUSO written all over it!" Celeste shouted.

Sophia had just gotten out of the shower when she heard Celeste's yelling. Quickly, she tugged on her pajamas and climbed the ladder to see what Celeste needed.

"Get Ivan!" Celeste shouted down. Sophia looked up into the aquamarine eyes. She took off at a sprint, even though it set her lungs on fire.

"Celeste...needs you...don't know why..." Sophia panted as she reached Ivan. He took one look at her and bolted the same way Sophia had come.

"Ivan!" Celeste called. Ivan climbed the ladder as fast as he could and saw why she was yelling.

(Emma, Florence has passed out up here.) Ivan said.

(Seems like Sophie isn't the only one,) The little girl responded. (Step away, then. This won't take long. Ivan, you may want to get back down.)

Not long after the boy did, Florence dropped into his arms. She felt warm in his arms, and turned abruptly. Ivan carried the girl off toward the infirmary with Celeste on his tail, eager to help.

Once they arrived, Celeste remained outside. It's bad enough missing my home...now two of my cousins are sick. This is awful. I'm wound up in the middle of this, and no one wants to step up and lead...I know! I'll lead...just so we don't always have to be confused. Yeah!

"Grandpa!" Celeste ran away shouting. "I need your help!"

"What is it, dear?" Issac asked.

"Sophia and Florence! Something's happened to them, and they're both in the infirmary! I don't know what it is, but it looks like..." Celeste said. Before she could finish, Issac was already gone.

-&-&-&-

Florence woke up the next morning with her head spinning. She saw Celeste asleep with her head on the cot, clutching a thermometer.

That's funny, Florence thought, I can't remember being sick. All I remember is last night when Celeste said hello. She placed a hand on Celeste's forehead. It felt fine. Then, Florence placed a hand on her own forehead. She didn't even need to. The heat radiated from it an inch away.

Celeste began to stir. When she saw Florence's eyes open, she sat up and brushed herself off. Florence laughed at Celeste.

"Florence! I...we...what happened?" Celeste asked.

"I don't know," Florence answered. "I was hoping you could tell me the same thing."

"Miss Florence, you're awake!" Emma exclaimed, walking into the infirmary. She jumped onto the bed and sat next to Florence. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Quite frankly, Emma, I don't really know what's going on. I remember waking up extremely dizzy, but not very much else." Florence said.

"Yai...no knowing of what happened at all. Goodness, we can only hope that Sophie wakes up soon." Emma stated, looking over to another cot.

Sophia was lying there, breathing rapidly and sweating bullets. Celeste rose and went to wipe Sophia's forehead off.

"I'm going to try one last thing," Emma said. "Don't interfere or it could go horribly wrong." With this, she jumped over onto Sophia's bed and sat on Sophia's chest.

Emma placed her hands on Sophia's forehead. A faint periwinkle light was flickering on and off under her hands. Emma leaned forward, and the light burst into a brilliant, gorgeous blaze. Sophia writhed under Emma's control, but Emma didn't mind. This had to be done, or it was loose Sophie.

(IVAN!) Emma called. (I need power, and in the worst way!) She screamed in pain, but didn't break her concentration on Sophia.

(Go ahead, and hurry!) He answered. She freeloaded it off him and kept diving down further to grab Sophia.

Where am I? The unconscious Sophia asked within her mind. Periwinkle light blazed in every direction she turned her head. I don't fell very well. And what is that?

She was referring to Emma, running toward her.

Sophie! You need to come with me! Emma screamed.

But why? It's lovely here, Sophia responded.

NO! Emma grabbed Sophia's hand. You're dying from a fever, Sophia Christina Britain.

I'm not coming, Emma. I love it here. Sophia answered, yanking her hand away.

That's it! Emma yelled, burning the same color as her eyes. She seized Sophia's hand and jumped upwards.

They were back outside again. Sophia was sitting up, wide awake, struggling to remain that way. Emma held Sophia's head, and then let go to hug her.

"You do that to me again, and you can ask someone else." Emma said, fainting.

-&-&-&-

In the events that followed, Ivan came rushing in to see what had happened. He found two girls, both half-alive. Florence and Celeste tried to help as best they could, but eventually had to leave.

Issac and Ivan stayed in there until seven o'clock that evening, when Celeste burst in, trembling with apprehension.

"They'll be fine, Celeste." Ivan told her. She took a deep breath of relief.

"Grandpa...Ivan..." Celeste cried. She hugged them with everything she could muster, which wasn't very much.

"I understand, dear. You need rest as much as they do. Go sleep," Issac said. Celeste was quick to follow it.

(Ivan?) Emma's voice asked in Ivan's head.

(You shouldn't be doing this, you know.) He answered.

(I know.)

(They why are you doing it?)

(Because this makes twice you've saved my life.)

(You saved her life.)

(I know.)

(You must have your limit, too,)

(I do, but I don't know when to stop. Sophie is my only cousin. What choice did I have? I know you would do the same, Ivan Whiskey.)

(You're right.)

Ivan smiled at Emma. Without knowing she did, she smiled back.

-&-&-&-&-

I thought that chapter came out exceptionally! It took me a long time to do, but it is here!

Nothing is going on between Ivan and Emma. And yes, V-Gal, 006 had a child! I printed out the first three chapters and have them on a loose-leaf binder ring that I loan to my friends to read. It is heavy to carry around, but doing it is fun! The real Julia started beaming at me when she saw her name. I seriously started thinking how much I should do a sequel.

But I'm NOT GOING TO DO ONE. When I do sequels that aren't really planned, they come out bad and I have to go over and do them again. So no, there's just this plain and simple story.

:hands out commerative Emma plushies: Keep up the great reviewing! Tell a friend! You shall be rewarded for your hard work!

. o O the bubble corporation O o . ((owned by Mika, aka sudzie))