At his workstation, Albert is typing nonstop, as Palmer walks over to him.
"Mr. Reece, I got to say, I'm surprised to see you working so hard," Palmer says.
Albert stops typing and looks over to him, "Actually there's so much work coming through, I can barely keep up with it."
Palmer crosses his arms, "There have been a lot. It must be because of the bad press coming from the recent attack."
Palmer starts to walk away, with Albert looking over his shoulder to watch him, "That's probably it."
Albert then notices a TV on the wall, as Scoop appears, "Today marked the second Nexus Technologies warehouse that had been broken into in the past couple days. Sparking the question of whichever it could be related to the recent attack from corrupted NG Bots."
Albert looks away from the TV, slowly looking down.
"VULCANray"
Ray is on a roof, performing a roundhouse kick. He then punches the air, before feeling a strain in his shoulder. After rubbing his shoulder a little, Ray sighs, pulls out his phone, tabs the screen and holds it up to his ear.
After a few seconds, Ray starts, "Hey, Lucy. I'm growing bored doing nothing. Is anything up?"
"Nothing much," Lucy starts from the phone. "Albert is just looking into some warehouses that were broken into. He thinks it could be related to Tye and Stinger Rider.
"What? Why wasn't I let in on it?" Ray asks.
"Albert thought, and I agree, that you could use some rest after what had happened," Lucy explains.
"I'm fine," Ray starts to walk toward the roof access. "I can handle myself."
Albert arrives at the warehouse to find a couple police cars in front of it, as some cops are standing next to them to keep the public back, while a couple cops are at the warehouse's entrance.
One of the cops, a NG Bot named Detect, is taking a look at the control panel next to the door, "Scan completed. The entry controls were hacked by a coding system." He backs away from the control panel. "Suggesting someone with Nexus Technologies knowledge."
"Probably one of those rogue NG Bots," a human cop crosses his arms.
Detect turns to him, "Unlikely. Not just any NG Bot could have access to the correct coding."
Albert looks down, "But an assistant NG Bot could, like Tye…"
Albert then looks back up and notices the side of the warehouse, as Ray is sneaking to the back of the building.
"Ray?" Albert realizes, before taking a quick look to the front of the warehouse, then starts to walk over to the side.
Ray lands on the ground after climbing through a one story window, and quickly walks down to the end of the aisle of boxes.
"Ray."
Ray turns to see Albert climbing through the window, "What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" Ray asks, keeping his voice down.
"Ray, you should rest for a couple days," Albert suggests, approaching his friend.
"I've rested more than enough," Ray gets angry, but keeps his voice down. "Now, have you learned anything?"
Albert looks to the side, before facing him, "The intruder used Nexus Technologies system coding. Which means it could've been Tye, since he was once an assistant at Nexus Technologies."
"Tye, huh…?" Ray holds a hand to his chin.
Ray suddenly looks over his shoulder to the sound of footsteps, before noticing through the window is Tye sneaking past to the nearby building.
Ray then places a hand on Albert's shoulder, who watches him as he walks past, before pushing him past the boxes.
Albert nearly stumbles in front of Detect and two human cops.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" one of the human cops asks.
"Hum, well..." Albert mumbles, as Ray climbs back out the window.
Tye is walking between two buildings.
"Tye!"
Tye turns to see Ray turning the corner, "Well, well, if it isn't the fallen Rider."
Ray clenches a fist, "What are you doing here?"
Tye places a hand to his chest, "I'm preparing for the next stage in freeing NG Bots, and overthrowing humanity."
"I will never let that happen," Ray tells him.
"Like you will be able to stop us," Tye responds.
Their belt buckles shift and expand into a TransBlaster and Viral Transbelt.
Ray inserts a Data Key into his TransBlaster, "Accessing Wild Wolf."
Tye inserts a Data Key into his Viral Transbelt, "Accessing Flying Falcon!"
Ray aims his TransBlaster with both hands, as they both call out, "Access Code:…"
"Vulcan!"
"Falco!"
Ray fires a wolf-head projectile, as the mechanical falcon flies out of the Viral Transbelt, with them both colliding and flying back to their owners. Ray lowers his arms, as the wolf projectile turns into energy and forms his armor. The mechanical falcon flips over Tye, closes its wings on him, and turns into energy, forming his armor.
"Just a warning, I won't go so easy on you like Stinger Rider," Falco Rider says, before charging.
"And I won't lose to anyone again," Vulcan Rider responds.
Falco Rider roundhouse kicks Vulcan Rider, who rolls away, before falling to his knee.
Falco Rider watches him before walks over, "What wrong? Left the hospital too soon?"
Falco Rider is suddenly blasted, forcing him away from Vulcan Rider.
"What?" Vulcan Rider says, before looking over his shoulder to see Valkyrie Rider.
"I thought you could handle yourself," Valkyrie Rider says.
"Funny," Vulcan Rider says, as Valkyrie Rider runs past him.
Valkyrie Rider spins and tries a low leg sweep, but Falco Rider flips over it. Falco Rider then blocks Valkyrie Rider and pushes her. Valkyrie Rider rolls across the ground, as Vulcan Rider watches the continuing fight.
"I will not be held back, by some injury," Vulcan Rider says.
Back inside the warehouse, Albert is talking to the police, "My name is Albert Reece, I work for Nexus Technologies."
Detect's earpieces glow slightly, before he nods his head, "My scan confirms you are telling the truth. But you are a programmer, who wasn't stationed at this location or near it."
The two human cops look from Detect to Albert.
Albert shrugs his shoulders, "I was curious…"
Falco Rider jumps at Valkyrie Rider, before he turns in place and corkscrew kicks her, forcing Valkyrie Rider back a couple steps.
"You're fast," Valkyrie Rider holds up a Data Key. "But so am I."
Valkyrie Rider inserts the Data Key into her TransBlaster, on her belt buckle, "Accessing Lightning Hornet."
She then fires the TransBlaster, shooting a fast projectile, which flies into her TransBlaster, with a blue light appearing around her, before her orange armor flies off, turns yellow and reattaches to her.
Valkyrie Rider spins around and holds out her arms, "Hornet Swarm!"
Dozens of hornet drones fly out of the hexagon patterns on Valkyrie Rider's armor. Falco Rider starts to fly away with the hornets flying after him, with groups of them start exploding as Falco Rider barely stays ahead of them while he flies around. The hornets start to blast Falco Rider, before Valkyrie Rider flies past him.
Vulcan Rider, standing straight, fires his TransBlaster up, hitting Falco Rider once, before missing, when Valkyrie Rider flies into Falco Rider.
"This is too much!" Falco Rider starts to fly off in the distance, as Valkyrie Rider, hovering in place, holds out her arms, sending more hornet drones, which chase after Falco Rider.
Vulcan Rider takes a couple ahead, "So, Valkyrie, be serious, why did you come here?"
Valkyrie Rider turns and looks down at her friend, "Because I suspect you might do something reckless."
"At this point, are you really one to talk?" Vulcan Rider asks, with Valkyrie Rider just staring at him.
Not too far away, Falco Rider continues to fly over the buildings, with the hornet drones getting close, before they all fly into him, blasting Falco Rider out of the sky.
Falco Rider lands next to a warehouse, before falling backward and knocking over a barrel, "This is why no one like bugs."
Valkyrie Rider lands a couple feet away, as Falco Rider gets back onto a knee, "Nice of you dropping by."
Falco Rider gets up, "I really don't have time for this."
Vulcan Rider walks over, several feet on Falco Rider's other side, "Then make time."
"If you let me take a look at your base code, I could…" Valkyrie Rider runs and throws a punch, but Falco Rider blocks, before blocking an arm swipe.
Falco Rider punches Valkyrie Rider a couple times, knocking her back, "Sorry, but you're not peeking under this hood."
Falco Rider then flies up and over Valkyrie Rider.
Vulcan Rider runs to behind her, firing his TransBlaster at the disappearing Falco Rider, "Get back here!"
Valkyrie Rider gets up and approaches her friend, "He's long gone."
Vulcan Rider holds back his TransBlaster, looking at it.
Later, Albert enters Lucy's lab to find her at her desk.
"I finally clear up things with the police," Albert says, as soon as he enters.
"That good to hear," Lucy turns in her chair to face him.
"But I need to talk with Ray," Albert starts. "I need to know why he abandoned me to the police, but he's ignoring my calls."
"While Ray might not admit it, I'm sure he feels bad about that," Lucy says. "He does consider you to be his friend."
"I just don't understand why he doesn't rest, and let us handle things, especially since we're his friends," Albert asks.
"Ray never has been one to let others do things for himself, besides, facing his mortality recently, might've brought back some uncomfortable memories," Lucy explains.
"What do you mean?" Albert asks.
Lucy looks up at Albert for a moment, "Ray probably won't be happy if I tell you, but I do think you need to know his past, in relating to the NG Bots."
"What past?" Albert asks.
"Well, to start, he used to work at Nexus Technologies," Lucy tells him. "And he was present at Proto City."
"In the early days of Proto City, there were a few human workers to help set everything up…"
In a large room, Ray is plugging some wires into the back of a computer console, before standing up and wiping some sweat from his head, as NG Bots in the room are either moving similar equipment or are scrolling through tablets.
"And Ray was the last one still working, when it happened."
The NG Bots drop their tablets, as all of their holographic field flickers, with Ray turning to see them assume their real appearance, before they start to charge at him. Ray pushes one NG Bot to the side, before he kicks another in the chest. He then ducks under a NG Bot's arm swing, before kicking it in the back and then roundhouse kicks another, knocking it against one of the computer consoles.
Ray is running through a long corridor, when he starts to feel an earthquake and a part of the ceiling starts to come down.
"Ray barely survived, even as the N1 satellite was destroyed."
"When Ray escaped from the rubble of Proto City, Nexus Technologies covered up his presence during the incident," Lucy continues. "They even altered records to make it as if Ray had never worked for them."
"I don't believe Nexus… Mr. Tan would go so far…" Albert says.
"Yeah, well, I learned about it and contacted him," Lucy adds. "We ended up forming a friendship and a partnership to expose Nexus Technologies."
"That surely explains why he doesn't like Nexus Technologies or don't trust NG Bots," Albert realizes.
"Yeah, but I'm afraid it also caused him to be reckless," Lucy says. "And, admittedly I'm not one to judge anymore, but Ray's recklessness could lead to ruin."
"Like the fight with Stinger Rider?" Albert asks.
"Or worse," Lucy adds.
At that moment, a notification pops up on Lucy's computer, with she turns to it.
Albert looks to the side for a moment.
Back at the warehouse, Detect is scrolling through a tablet, "The only items missing from the inventory are microchips needed for a NG Bot's AI."
Unaware to Detect, Ray is peeking from around a column, when suddenly his smartphone beeps slightly. Ray looks down at his pocket, when he notices Detect is looking in his direction.
Detect tilts his head slightly, before walking over to the column. Ray climbs out of the window, and disappears past it, as Detect arrives at the column.
Detect tilts his head again, silently confused.
At another warehouse, Tye types couple buttons on a control panel, but after a couple seconds the words "DENIED" appear on the panel's LCD screen.
"What? That's not possible," Tye says.
"It is…"
Tye turns to see Lucy, several feet away, holding up her smartphone, "If you used an override code to deny access."
"Well, aren't you just clever," Tye says, as he turns to face her.
"Clever enough to set up notifications to alert me whenever a NG Bot signal ever gets near a Nexus Technologies," Lucy starts. "I got some false leads. But I know you will show up again."
"Like I said, clever," Tye says. "Dodobot."
Dodobot walks out from around the warehouse.
"Him again?" Lucy asks.
"Him again," Tye repeats.
Lucy and Tye's belts shift and expand into their TransBlaster and Viral Transbelt.
Lucy inserts a Data Key into her TransBlater, "Accessing Rushing Cheetah."
Tye inserts a Data Key into his Viral Transbelt, "Accessing Flying Falcon!"
Lucy aims her TransBlaster one handed, while standing at a side, "Access Code:..."
"Access Code:..." Tye pulls the lever on his Viral Transbelt.
"Valkyrie!"
"Falco!"
Dodobot, with his swords, runs past Tye, as he is covered in a bright glow and becomes Falco Rider.
Dodobot runs toward Lucy, as she is covered in a bright glow and becomes Valkyrie Rider.
Dodobot swings his swords at Valkyrie Rider, who ducks under them, as Falco Rider runs over. Valkyrie Rider spins away and backs up from the approaching Falco Rider, then flips away from Falco Rider's kick. Dodobot then strikes at Valkyrie Rider, knocking her back.
Valkyrie Rider rolls to the side to dodge another sword strike, before Falco Rider runs over and kicks her.
Zero-1 Rider flips onto the scene, holding the Case Saber, and runs forward, "Mind if I join the party?"
Falco Rider blocks Zero-1 Rider's Case Saber and pushes him off, "Not if I'm your dance partner."
Zero-1 Rider is forced back a couple steps, "Valkyrie?"
Valkyrie Rider flips back, "I'm good."
"See, she's good," Falco Rider jumps up.
"Then you won't be," Zero-1 Rider jumps up.
Falco Rider lands on a second floor landing on the side of a building, as Zero-1 Rider jumps up to it.
"Big talk for a human," Falco Rider says.
Zero-1 Rider standing on an air conditioner unit, swipe at Falco Rider with the Case Saber, which he ducks under, as Dodobot strikes and spins at Valkyrie Rider, who backs up to avoid. Zero-1 Rider stabs the Case Saber forward, with Falco Rider slips between two air conditioners. Zero-1 Rider gets off the one he's on.
Suddenly, Falco Rider kicks Zero-1 Rider, knocking him off the landing and onto the ground.
Zero-1 Rider sees a Case Bow lying on the ground, "Look like someone dropped something." Zero-1 Rider runs over and picks up the Case Bow.
"I'm not the only one," Falco Rider jumps off the landing, with the Case Saber holding high.
Zero-1 Rider uses the Case Bow to block the Case Saber. Zero-1 Rider then uses the Case Bow to push down the Case Saber and then swipes at Falco Rider, missing him.
Valkyrie Rider gets knocked through the air and lands on the ground, "It had gotten significance stronger then last time."
Valkyrie Rider returns to her feet and spins to avoid Dodobot's sword strikes, before she blocks one sword at a time, as Dodobot says, "I'm evolving at a steady rate, while humans remain stagnant."
Valkyrie Rider spins around Dodobot, dodging its sword strikes, before jumping back to avoid another. She then runs straight at it, before jumping around him, dodging its sword strikes, before punching Dodobot twice, with her second punch caught. Dodobot then pushes up her arm and strikes her with both swords, flipping her through the air.
The Virus Key on Dodobot's Viral Encoder gives off a small glow, as Dodobot's swords glow, while Valkyrie Rider is still falling through the air, before he performs a large energy strike with both swords, "Viral Doom Strike!"
Valkyrie Rider lands hard on the ground, glowing, before hers armor dissolves, with Lucy looking up at the approaching Dodobot.
All of a sudden Dodobot is blasted and forced back.
Ray walks over to in front of the fallen Lucy, with his TransBlaters aimed, "Mind if I interrupt?"
Ray inserts a Data Key into his TransBlaster, "Accessing Wild Wolf."
Ray aims his TransBlaster with both hands and fires, "Access Code: Vulcan!"
Ray fires a wolf head projectile, which flies back to him, turns into energy and forms his armor.
Dodobot holds one of his swords under its arm, before holding up his free hand, with cables shooting out of it and spreads out.
The cables connect to some NG Bots next to a garbage truck and another climbing down from a ladder next to a building and holding a paintbrush. All of their holographic fields flicker and they transform into Corrupbots, before starting to run over.
Vulcan Rider dodges under a Corrupbot's dagger strike, back elbow it in the back, then uses his arm to block another Corrupbot's dagger strike, as more Corrupbots run over. He knocks away the second Corrupbot, and then grabs a third Corrupbot's arm and punches the attacker, as Dodobot holds its swords to the side and more Corrupbots stand ready behind him. Vulcan Rider knocks away another Corrupbot's arm.
"Destroy him, my Corrupbots," Dodobot instructs, with the Corrupbots running past him.
Zero-1 Rider fires the Case Bow at Falco Rider, who flies high in the sky, dodging the attack.
"Will you hold still!" Zero-1 Rider fires another blast, but Falco Rider dodges it.
"No, but you could," Falco Rider flies down and strikes at Zero-1 Rider, knocking the Case Bow out of his hand, as he falls to the side.
Zero-1 Rider rolls onto his knee, "There got to be a way to bring him down to Earth." He stands up, and holds up a Data Key, "Maybe he just needs a cold reception."
Zero-1 Rider holds the Data Key in front of the Transbelt, "Accessing."
Falco Rider flies around as the mechanical bear lands in front of Zero-1 Rider, "You made a bear?"
The mechanical bear turns slightly and swipes Falco Rider, knocking him out of the air and forces him to drop the Case Saber, as Zero-1 Rider inserts the Data Key into his Transbelt.
"Freezing Bear."
The mechanical bear turns back to Zero-1 Rider and hugs him, splits apart, turns into energy, flies onto Zero-1 Rider and forms his armor.
"Let try this again, Tye," Zero-1 Rider runs ahead, before swipes a hand at Falco Rider, who blocks it, before blocking another hand swipe.
Zero-1 Rider then holds his hands together, blowing a cold blast at Falco Rider, "That is way too cold."
Zero-1 Rider swipes Falco Rider with a hand.
Lucy stands back up, as Vulcan Rider, holding the Case Blaster, kicks away a Corrupbot.
"You are stubborn, Ray, but maybe this will keep you alive," Lucy holds up a green Data Key, before throwing it.
A Corrupbot jumps and grabs the Data Key.
Vulcan Rider grabs the Corrupbot's wrist and trips it, "No you go. We're done losing Data Keys."
Vulcan Rider holds up the Data Key, before turning and uses the Case Blaster to blast a couple Corrupbots, as Dodobot crosses his swords to shield itself.
Vulcan Rider then inserts the Data Key into the Case Blaster, "Accessing Blasting Hedgehog."
Vulcan Rider pumps the Case Blaster, with Corrupbots surrounding him, then starts to turn to the right, blasting each of the Corrupbots and Dodobot, as the Corrupbots are consumed in large explosions, "Rapid Blast!"
"Scanning," Dodobot says.
"While you scan," Vulcan Rider closes the Case Blaster, then opens it back up. "I'll turn you into spare parts."
Vulcan Rider aims the Case Blaster, as energy gathers on it, "Rider Spike Blast!"
Vulcan Rider fires, launching dozens of long energy spikes, with the recoil forcing him back a couple steps, as the spike hits Dodobot, before he is consumed in a large explosion. The Dodo Virus Key falls onto the ground.
"Oh, time to go," Falco Rider turns away, as Zero-1 Rider runs up to him.
Falco Rider turns back, uses the Case Bow to block Zero-1 Rider hand swipe, pushes him off, strikes and misses with the Case Bow, as Falco Rider turns back around and flies off.
"Hey, wait!" Zero-1 Rider calls out.
Falco Rider grabs the Dodo Virus Key as he flies by, before flying off into the distance, "I'll see you all real soon!"
Zero-1 Rider walks over to Vulcan Rider, "Vulcan… Ray, are you okay? And I'm sorry about everything…"
"You are…?" Vulcan Rider looks over to Lucy. "You told him, did you? About Proto City."
Lucy shrugs her shoulders.
Vulcan Rider sighs, as he looks back over to Zero-1 Rider, "Listen, I don't want sympathy. Just some answers… And I think I might've gotten some."
Zero-1 Rider and Lucy both look on, surprised.
Back at Lucy's lab, she is seated at her desk, as she is watching Ray.
"Okay, from what I gathered, Tye was stealing AI microchips from one warehouse, and the one you prevented him from intiflirating stored the metal platings that are used in NG Bots' bodies," Albert explains.
"Which means that Tye and Stinger Rider aren't just corrupting preexisting NG Bots, they are actually building their own," Lucy realizes.
"Not just that," Ray starts. "I checked, and no new NG Bots have been reported as missing or destroyed, yet Dodobot's keeping on coming back, suggesting they have already started building new NG Bots."
"So, they could have a ready made army," Lucy adds.
At Nexus Technologies, Albert is walking down a hallway, lost in thought, "Still hard to believe that Ray worked for Nexus Technologies."
Albert then sees Markus turn a corner, and hurries to catch up to him, "Mr. Tan. Mr. Tan."
Markus turns to face him, "Oh, you."
"Yeah, Mr. Tan, I-I want to apologize for the trouble that I've caused," Albert says.
"It's over with," Markus says. "Just remember, don't go to places where you don't belong."
"Yes sir," Albert says, as Markus turns away and approaches an elevator.
The elevator opens and Markus enters, but as the elevator doors start to close, Albert notices something, markings on the inner doors, "E5-021".
"Level 0… E5-032…" Ulysses weakly says. "You'll… find… your answers…"
Albert continues to watch as the doors close and then the sound of the elevator descending.
Albert turns in the chair to face Lucy and Ray and holds up the keycard. "Perhaps the keycard gives access to something literally buried."
Lucy takes the keycard from Albert and looks at it.
Lucy keeps on watching the keycard, "Could Nexus Technologies really have underground floors?"
Albert watches the closed elevator doors, "Ulysses was telling me about a particular elevator, which would take me to a Level 0, the underground area… and the key to exposing Nexus Technologies."