A/n: Look! Finally another chapter! I have been really busy with uni and stuff. Whoops. But fear not! I do intend to continue with this story, but it might be a little slow in coming. Too – much – work. Enjoy! And review :)


Why was he stuck here? He was a genius, and yet here he was, writing a program for a children's game. Surely he could do better than this?

Still, it was a job and one in the programming business. Sure he was stuck making video games – for now at least. But if that's what the world thought he was good for, then that would be what he'd show the world his genius through. But he'd actually have to finish his work before he could do that.

He inputted another equation into the Random Virus program, which was starting to get pretty complicated even for him.

"Yeah, give him multiple personalities," he grumbled. "Stupid writers, you're not the ones that have to write the programs." At least it provided a challenge. Not as much as the challenge he wanted to be working on, but a challenge none the less.

He opened the program file for the griffin creature, then highlighted the piece of it he wanted and copied and pasted it into the cyborg's program. That would get the right effect. Now he just had to fix the personality switching loop to be random enough, yet still controlled by other parts of the program. He grinned to himself, the program would be sure to annoy the kids, just within their control, but always just that bit too much entwined in chaos for them to get a handle on.

The last thing he'd have to do now was to fix up Random visually, he was going to become a cyborg, the writers had decided. The visual artists had thought this was a brilliant idea and had sent him about a hundred drawings. Of course, it was Rick that had to program it. And he'd do a damn good job too. After all, once he got his other program, the one he really wanted to be working on done, having the graphics as good as he could make them would make it all the better. All the better to prove his genius, that is.


He was disorientated. The last things he remembered were images filled with fire, Ace rescuing him and… something else. There had been something else, but his mind had blanked it. He could make out the shape of the Bolt as his vision cleared. Ace and Sparx were in front of it and were now standing up. They looked mildly shocked.

"What's going on?" he asked, still unsure of what was happening. Surely after being dropped in molten lava he shouldn't feel so… He felt stronger. He clenched his hands into fists and then realised his right one was no longer there. It had been replaced by a hulking metal claw. It was stronger. He held it up in front of him and swiped it awkwardly through the air.

"We had to throw you in a restore point," Ace finally explained. "You wouldn't have survived otherwise. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" he growled in reply. What sort of question was that? He wasn't weak.

Ace blinked. "I'm sorry. We didn't know it would do that."

"No, it's alright," he said, blinking. He shouldn't be yelling at Ace like that. He was disorientated, that was all. "Thanks. You saved me."

"Most of you, anyway," added Sparx. "You'd think the stupid thing could do better than metal."

He looked down at himself again. His lower half now looked like it had been replaced by a mini tank or something. If he could just concentrate hard enough… his body jerked forward as the wheel began to move. "At least it works," he grumbled as Ace stepped up and grabbed his arm to steady him. "I hope Sara likes metal."

Ace and Sparx helped him get into the Bolt. Sparx jumped straight into the pilot's seat and Ace didn't bother to try and remove her.

As they took off he looked across at Ace. "Ace, I'm sorry. I just hope you're not going to get into trouble for this."

"You did what you thought was right," Ace replied levelly. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

He wasn't quite sure if he agreed with that. "Well, look what it got me." He gestured down at himself.

"I'm sure it could be plenty worse. As Sparx said while you were still out, it could've turned you into a chicken."

He smiled at Ace's attempt to cheer him up and the thought of Sparx saying that. "Don't say it could be worse, I've still got to face HQ. They might want to turn me into a chicken," he couldn't help adding.

"Random, you can handle anything HQ throws at you. If you're lucky they'll be so snowed under with paperwork or something they won't have time to do anything."


Lightning Knight Headquarters, however, had a lot more to worry about than paperwork. Their highest-security prison had stopped responding to any messages. Still, that didn't yet warrant expecting the worst. In a situation like this a scout ship would be first sent out.

She knew it, along with its crew probably wouldn't return. She also knew why. Even so, she let it go. It would encounter evils as it neared the prison and then it would be destroyed. By the time everyone else figured out what was going on, things would be very much out of control.

But they'd be in her control. She was setting that control into motion now. Along with a little help. Undesirable help perhaps, but things had to change.

Her guest seemed to survey her office with an air of superiority before addressing her.

"I take it you made sure we were not seen, General?" the skeleton asked.

"Really, I have more to lose than you, Fear. Rest assured all possible measures were taken. We will not be discovered."

"Alright, then. Now if I remember correctly, we had a deal."

"Yes, of course."

"Though it would've been a lot more helpful if you had just helped us escape in the first place," he stretched out his neck, putting his bony face right in hers. If he meant it to be disconcerting, she only felt disgusted.

"You do understand I must follow certain protocols."

"And yet you ask for my assistance?" His neck retracted. "Surely this is against your protocols?"

She glared at him. "It is for the greater good. All of ours. I also suggest that you do as I tell you. There is nothing preventing me from sending you back to prison."

"My lady escaped your prison once, I'm sure she can do it again."

"True. Hence I am forced to make a deal with you."

"Yes, you will give me full control of the outlands? All of them?"

"If you remove the Knights we agreed on. They are not in keeping with our standards; if they are not disposed of our world shall never reach its full strength. Surely, you agree with me on this?"

"Well, actually I would prefer if all of you and your Lightning Knights were wiped off the face of this world, but I can't be picky can I?"

She smiled. But it was forced and quite obviously fake. "Splendid."

"As long as I can annihilate Ace Lightning," Lord Fear clenched his hand around his staff, causing the totem to gasp for breath momentarily.

"Well he's not exactly up the top of the list of those who are…" she glanced at Staff Head distastefully, who was trying to regain his breath and in doing so drooling all over her office floor, "undesirable, but as it's all in the name of progress I don't see why you can't indulge yourself."

Lord Fear grinned.

"So long as when the job is done, you and your evils stick to the outlands. If you don't provoke us, we will not come after you. We will not have to deal with each other ever again."

"Yes, a very tidy arrangement," Lord Fear agreed.

"Very well then, you have your instructions…"

"Lord Fear takes instructions from no one," cut in Staff Head.

She turned to the staff, but her next sentence was quite obviously intended for Lord Fear. "He will if he knows what's good for him."

Staff Head glowed momentarily, but Lord Fear slapped a hand on the crystal ball in the toad-like creature's hands, "Fool. They'll pick up the energy!" He turned back to her. "All will be taken care of. Trust me."

"I don't." she replied. "Now get out of my office."

"With pleasure," Lord Fear bowed elaborately. He was overacting. She knew it and he knew she knew it. A glow of energy surrounded him and he disappeared, his lady must have been watching them with one of those crystal ball of hers in order to give him a safe exit. It was slightly disconcerting but she didn't care. Soon, her world would be perfect.