Ki leapt towards Metabee, practically blitzing through the air at his opponent. Metabee, however, kept his cool and swiftly raised his blasters. Within a second, he aimed and emptied a clip into Ki.

Suddenly disoriented from the stinging and damage reports, Ki stumbled. Metabee took this opportunity to attack. He drove his fist into Ki's abdomen; Ki doubled over in response.

Metabee then struck him in the neck with his elbow joint. When Ki crashed to the ground, Metabee sent his body flying with a powerful kick.

'I might have bit off a bit more than I can chew,' Ki thought, reeling. Frustrated at the fact he was being beaten soundly this early in the fight, he scurried away a little distance. He intended to observe Metabee a little more carefully.

His frame sparked, which surprised Ki and he brought up the damage reports. 40% damage to his body as a whole. 'Since when - oh man!'

"If you're not gonna make a move, then allow me!" Metabee had transformed into his vehicle form and was blazing in circles around him. Ki barely managed to keep track of him.

With a scream of his tires, Metabee sharply turned and gunned towards Ki. He widened his optics when he realized Metabee was going to ram him. He leapt to the side, firing off his shotgun in a panic.

The rounds ricocheted off Metabee's helm, but they did leave a slight dent. "You're gonna have to do better than that to take me down!" Metabee taunted.

Ki faltered, lowering his arm slightly. Metabee was tough but he wasn't unbeatable. He had to have a weak spot... His tires! 'If I blow them out, that takes care of his mobile form!'

Ki once again dodged Metabee. He went down on one knee, trained his shotgun on Metabee, and narrowed his optics. The crack of his shotgun ripped through the air alongside a sudden hissing. Metabee realized what happened as he nearly careened into a nearby tree at full speed. He forced himself back into his bipedal mode. The momentum had him tumbling violently and he curled into himself for protection.

Once he skidded to a stop, he groaned, "okay, I'll give you that one." He pulled himself unsteadily to his feet, "but I ain't out yet!"

'He's disoriented; if I pierce his joints with my rounds, it might mess him up enough for me to win.' Ki pulled up his blasters, silently taking note of how many rounds he had. He wasn't given very many to begin with, running out would not be beneficial. He let loose a burst of bullets that tore through Metabee's armor.

With a pain tearing through his tinpet, Metabee took off for cover behind a bench. He quickly inspected his body and became incredulous, 'what the hell kind of ammo is that guy packing?' Oil was staring to leak in rivulets down his armor. He realized that if he prolonged the fight, shut down was imminent.

He heard mechanical footfalls and knew his opponent was heading straight for him. Metabee forced himself to calm down. He always did best on the fly; let the new guy come to him. As soon as Ki was in range, he heard the release of something sounding like artillery. He looked up and his optics widened. A lone rocket was heading straight for him.

Ki frantically shot at it to no avail - it continued its course. He then bolted to the side as it narrowly missed and crashed to the ground, leaving a scorchmark. As Ki was pulling himself up to the kneeling position, Metabee had suddenly tackled him from behind, managing to loop his arms under Ki's in a hold. "Thought you had me pinned, huh?" He said.

"Let go!" Ki growled, twisting in Metabee's grip. How was he so strong?

"Nope! You got two options: you can either get a missile to the face, or just throw in the towel and call it a day," Metabee said.

Ki wouldn't answer and his struggling renewed. Metabee shrugged the best he can, "guess it's missile launch!"

Metabee fired off his other rocket, watching it arc several meters into the air before diving back down towards the duo. "Hey, just to let you know, this is gonna really hurt," Metabee deadpanned.

Ki's optics widened, "you'd take yourself out too?"

"There's a chance that might happen," Metabee responded airily, bracing himself as the missile ripped through the last few yards. The next couple moments were mixture of panic, dazed confusion, and agony.

As the dust settled, Metabee laid facedown in his spot on the ground. He could barely move. His body just wouldn't respond to any of the commands he gave. 'If it didn't feel good the last time, it probably wouldn't feel better now.'

"Function ceased! Metabee wins!"

"...Wha-..." Metabee mumbled. He managed to raise his helm a little. Ki's prone body laid in a smoking heap a few feet away from him, hatch open and Medal out of sight.

He dropped his head back down with a thud. "He messed me up really good," Metabee hissed, "I'm surprised I'm still functioning."

At the moment, moving wasn't an option - it hurt way too much. Metabee had no idea how long he laid there in a growing puddle of oil. Perhaps several minutes. Perhaps an hour.

"Oh my gosh, Metabee!" A girl's voice called out to him; Metabee stirred. "What the heck did you do to yourself?"

Metabee can only imagine what kind of hot mess he looked like. "Would you mind dragging me back to Ms. Nae's place?" He gasped.

Erika nodded, "of course I wouldn't!"

Metabee glanced at the other Medabot. "Can you take him too? I got some questions for him," he asked.

Erika looked confused, "you know him? Where's his Medafighter?"

"I don't think he has one," Metabee said, hissing as Brass helped him to his feet as gently as she could.

"Easy, Metabee."

"Yeah, I know," Metabee grumbled. Everything hurt.

"What's Ms. Nae gonna say about this?" Erika asked, cradling the Medabot in her arms.

Metabee blanched, "I don't wanna think about it..."

Metabee flinched as Nae pulled yet another bullet out of his chassis. She had gone on a tirade (in her own quiet way) when they came back. Metabee shivered while he stared at the ceiling - he wasn't eager to experience that guilt trip again.

Erika was quiet - not necessarily a character trait of hers - as she watched Nae at work. Metabee was just going to have the charge be placed on Ikki's tab (he pretty much knew Ikki would flip out once he came back), but Erika overrode that and offered to pay for his repair. Metabee was rather touched by the gesture.

Nae just sighed softly and told them both not to worry about it. However, this would be the only freebie she could give him. She still had a living to make.

Metabee directed his gaze to the other repair table the Medabot was on. His Medal rested beside the body. Erika had picked it up earlier and examined it, making a curious face when she saw both the blank state of the object and the crack, which had gotten even wider.

After about an hour and a half, Nae had finished patching Metabee's midsection up. He eased himself off the table and slowly tested his mobility. "Careful," Nae warned, "we don't want you ripping something up."

"Aw, relax, Ms. Nae. I think I'll be alright - feeling better already!" Metabee tried to reassure his friend.

"Okay, just take it easy for a bit." Nae turned back towards the rounds with her tongs. She picked one up and examined it, concern growing by the second. These rounds weren't meant for normal robattles - they were stronger.

Almost as if they were military grade.

Humming, she put the bullet down and went to examine the Medabot. He seemed to have suffered some damage, but nothing she couldn't fix. "Metabee, do you know who he is?"

Metabee shook his head, "nope! Just some weird guy who wanted to fight. Who am I to say no to a challenge?" Erika scoffed in the background while Nae just shook her head.

"I'm going to put his Medal in. I want to know where he came from - perhaps he lost his Medafighter."

"I don't know, Ms Nae. I asked him about it and he said he didn't have one," Metabee said.

Nae grabbed the Medal and glanced at it, "hm, I don't like the looks of this. Seems like it's damaged."

Erika gave an accusatory glance at Metabee, "did you go after his Medal?"

Metabee felt his irritation peak. "Since when would I ever do that? Especially if you found me facedown on the ground?" He growled, meeting Erika's glare head-on.

"Enough, both of you." They started at the tired tone Nae's voice took on, "I'm sure there's a reason why it's damaged and we won't know until we wake him up."

With that, she slipped the Medal back into its slot. Blue optics flashed and his fingers twitched. He made no sound for a couple seconds before emitting a low groan.

"Who're you? Where am I?" He slurred. The distrust in his voice made Nae falter a little, but she regained composure just as quickly.

"My name is Nae, and you're at my repair shop. Metabee asked Erika to help bring you in," she answered, laying a hand on his shoulder.

His optics roved over the group before stopping at Metabee. He stepped forward and regarded Ki rather sternly, "what's your name?"

The Medabot stiffened then forced himself to calm down, "it's Ki."

Nae discreetly glanced at Metabee, finding that he seemed to have stared off into space. She nudged him, "are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," he replied distantly. He shook his helm and refocused back on Ki, "I want to ask you something: what's up with your weapons? Are you some sort of cop or soldier? Those rounds that you used earlier today aren't standard ammo."

Ki seemed to reel at the questions being thrown at him. It seemed that he settled on not answering at all; something that irked Metabee to no end. 'So, he figured the ammo out too?' Nae wondered.

"Had I known you were different, I wouldn't have bothered. This robattle was a waste of time, now we're both damaged," Metabee stated bluntly.

Ki seemed to wince at his tone, before trying to move off the table, "I'm not part of the police force nor am I part of the military."

Metabee narrowed his optics before blocking his way, "then why are your parts modified? Who did that?"

"I don't know," Ki growled, "and even if I did, I wouldn't tell someone like you!" Metabee's optics flared a brighter green.

Nae cut in before the situation could escalate, "Ki, is it possible your memory banks are damaged? If so, I want to get it looked at and have you returned as soon as possible."

"No, I think they're okay for the most part."

Metabee shuffled restlessly. This guy thought he was slick, trying to lie to their face like that. His impatience flared. Now because of this guy's idiocy, he was damaged and couldn't move very far. Ki seemed no worse for wear.

Nae knelt in front of him, offering a gentle smile, "Ki, I noticed that your Medal had taken damage. I want to recommend an expert to take a look at you."

Ki shivered before shaking his head firmly, "no. I'll be alright."

Nae frowned this time, "can you at least tell me what is causing it?"

Ki seemed to pause for several long seconds before he hesitantly answered, "I just discovered it the other day. I don't understand why or how it's happening."

"If it's affecting you, why take the risk and fight Metabee?"

He shrugged, "it's not everyday you run into a legend."

The praise did nothing to endear him to Metabee, who only glowered further. This guy popped out of nowhere with no Medafighter, has military grade ammo and armor probably, and then just contradicted himself. His memory banks were supposed to be fine, yet he didn't know when his weapons were modified.

Nae rose from her kneeling position, "well, in any case, I want to keep an eye on you for the next couple of days."

"No, I can't stay here."

Nae looked slightly startled, "it's perfectly safe."

"I don't like to stay in one place for too long - I prefer to keep moving," Ki said. Metabee just scoffed, suspicion growing greater by the minute.

Nae sighed to herself. "At least try not to fight please," she murmured, "are you sure you don't want to get looked at? My uncle has more sophisticated equipment than I do. He could really help you."

Ki shook his head once more, "I'll be fine." He ambled past Metabee, before coming to a stop just beyond him, "thanks for getting me over here."

Metabee said nothing, gaze fixed in the direction of the farthest wall of the garage. Ki regarded him for a moment longer before disappearing into the neighborhood.

Ki felt the rising heat in his chassis slowly dissipate that farther he got from the garage. He ducked into an alleyway and pressed his back against the wall, sliding down. That was disastrous, he mused.

He might have gotten some data on how Metabee fights, but it didn't seem to match up with what he knew about him. He seemed more unpredictable and wild now that he was on his own. This wasn't good.

Now his frame was damaged and his Medal seemed to ache. 'That's weird. Are we even supposed to feel Medals? They operate as our 'souls', so to speak - perhaps I should let Isis know next time I see her.'

Speaking of which, Ki wasn't looking forward to seeing her again. She would certainly have a few choice words for him, especially since she told him not to get into fights.

Whoops.

It couldn't be helped now; what's done is done after all.

He looked down to assess the damage done to his frame. Most of burns appeared to be concentrated on his chest, likely from when he was hit with Metabee's seeker missile. Ki wasn't eager to repeat the experience anytime soon.

He needed more time to train, to hone his skill. He wouldn't let Metabee get the best of him next time. Ki would have to compile everything he knew about the other and create a strategy from there.

Ki sat against the wall for a moment longer before dragging himself to his feet. A random part screeching in protest. Ki cringed and started walking back towards base.

It took a while - Ki didn't realize how far he'd wandered. His Medal continued to ache, adding to the sense of unease he felt. Why was it acting up like that? He didn't take a direct hit to his back.

Ki's thoughts were in turmoil as he made his way towards the ruins he called home. He scanned the area around himself. Deeming it safe, he pressed forward and activated the staircase. He stumbled down the steps. The closer he was to home, the more clumsy and ragged he seemed to be. Maybe he should have taken that lady up on her offer - it wasn't like Isis would be very gentle when giving him a check-up.

Speaking of which, he found himself at the door to her lab. Steeling himself, he walked through the automated doors and spotted her at her desk working. It seemed like she was always working... Uh oh, she just spotted him. She didn't look happy - she looked downright furious. He guessed his repairs would just add more to her plate. Ki braced himself for the inevitable reaming she was about to give him.

"What is wrong with you? I thought I told you no fights? You didn't even seem like you were eager to fight!" Isis huffed as she worked on the damage. "I don't have the time to spare to work on you!"

Ki cocked his head slightly from his position on the table, "why not let the other techs operate on me then? It should save you some work," he suggested.

Her brow furrowed, "in case it wasn't obvious by now, I have no choice. Our leader doesn't want anyone else but the best work on you. You seem to get VIP treatment around here." Something like resentment colored her tone. Ki's optics went slightly dim.

She was right.

From what he could tell, he did get special treatment; what the other Medabots went through - the performance tests, the training they received amongst other things - he wasn't required to complete those objectives. As far as he knew, they didn't even receive missions. At least not yet.

Never had he wanted to sink through the floor than at that moment. If Isis noticed anything strange with his silence, she didn't comment on it. Somehow, that only made him more sad.

After a while, Ki focused back on Isis. "There might be something wrong with my Medal," he flatly stated. Isis froze, her gaze locking with his own.

"Your Medal? Did the crack spread further?"

Ki nodded slowly. He didn't understand: if he was already damaged prior to being sent out of base, why was he given a mission? Didn't she tell Shadow? Did he force her to send him out anyway? Why?

What were they hiding? What was the endgame? All questions he didn't know the answers of. Theories just seemed to lead nowhere.

As far as he knew, his missions were nothing but a waste of time. They didn't turn up anything of value. He just wandered around wondering just what he was looking for.

A bolt of rage tore through his soul, startling him. What reason was there to be angry? Ki snuffed it out, confused by the reaction.

Isis meanwhile had paused, trying to think through her next move. Maybe this was a fluke as well, but at the same time, she couldn't take anymore risks. It seemed that a pattern was emerging.

Every time Ki fought, his Medal continued to deteriorate - perhaps at an even faster rate. She had to find a way to halt or slow down the damage. She couldn't allow the Medal to shatter else she'd be back at square one.

Or just straight up murdered.

She grimaced at the thought and forced herself to get back on topic. There had to be a solution. She wouldn't accept otherwise.

Isis knew she could probably forbid Ki from training or field missions until she could figure out what exactly was wrong with him. She was the head of her division, her authority had to be worth something!

Shadow's scheme would surely be put on indefinite hold, and he would be furious, but she could argue that having Ki malfunction and turn against them would be worse than dealing with delays.

Not for the first time, Isis wished she'd never took the position as leader. All eyes, above and below, were on her. Anything goes wrong - her fault. Any problems - her subordinates turn to her.

One day, she'd just drop dead from the stress. She found she didn't seem to mind the prospect. That was a little disturbing, she mused. Maybe a vacation was in order when next chance she got...

Movement from the table brought her attention back to the real world. Ki looked somewhat distressed. Maybe it was the staring off into space that unnerved him. "Ki, listen to me very carefully: I need to study this more, but it seems that your Medal is stressed and takes the most damage when you fight. I don't want you fighting until I get to the bottom of whatever this is."

Ki nodded. "Won't I get in trouble if I don't do anything?" He asked.

Isis' face hardened, "I'll need to deactivate you for the time being."

Ki's optics widened and he tried to scurry off the table. Isis managed to stop him, her face looking slightly surprised. "Don't deactivate me! Please! I don't like it!"

"It's not going to hurt you! Would you rather I prod at your Medal with you awake? What is so bad about it?" Isis inquired.

"I don't like it - it's cold, it feels heavy like I'm being smothered and-"

"...How would you know what smothering feels like?"

"I..." Ki reeled. How did he know? He most certainly couldn't breathe, yet he faintly knew the sensation. "I don't know..." He admitted, distressed. Isis looked at him long and hard.

"Whatever the case may be, I still need to put you under," Isis said, her expression shifting into something more sympathetic. Ki nodded, now miserable beyond words.

"Don't take too long," Ki mumbled, staring at the ceiling.

"I better not, for both our sakes..." Isis replied as she watched the lights in his visor go out.

A/N:

Ugh, I'm so angry with myself!

My initial version of Ki's interaction with Metabee and Nae was longer and slightly better written, but after writing a lengthy amount I tried to save it and my internet cut out at that moment. I lost a good chunk of my writing and had to rewrite it. I'm not happy at all.

At least this didn't take two years to cobble together - more like two months. Any small improvement is still improvement. Though, I still gotta work on my fight scenes.

I'll probably take a step back and figure out how to proceed from here. Either that or you can get 10 chapters of various characters meandering around. Nobody wants to slog through that, and I certainly don't want to write that!

Anyway, please leave a review if you're so inclined, and take care of yourselves!

-Winterbornbree