"It Broke, Hal. The Mask Broke, Hal."

"What do you mean it broke?" Hal G screeched over his shoulder, as his full attention was still on the machine in front of him, his voice still audible over the clink-clanking of his tinkering with it.

"I mean it broke, as in broken." Masquerade explained. "No longer functioning. The past tense of break, or to make or become inoperab-"

"I know what it means! I meant, how did it break!?"

"It fell on the floor, and just shattered."

"It fell on the floor? How?"

"I, um...dropped it."

"You dropped it."

"Look, it slipped out of my hands, fell onto the floor, and shattered alright? It was kind of a flimsy piece of shit-"

"Please do NOT use that language while using my granddaughter's voice!"

Masquerade heaved a heavy, annoyed sigh, himself hating the soft feminine voice that came out: the voice of Alice Gehabich. "I dislike using this voice just as much as you dislike hearing it, but that's beside the point." The boy (girl?) took a moment to look at the broken remains of his once treasured mask. "Look, just get me another one okay?"

"Get you another-" Hal G finally stopped what he was doing and turned around, his twisted greenish face looking down on him with bewilderment (man, the negative energy did NOT treat him well). "Get you another one? Get you another one?!" He continued to shout, becoming increasingly flustered. "Oh yeah, sure, let me just go into my hidden mask closet filled with spare reality-altering facial wear, problem solved!"

Masquerade rolled his eyes (or Alice's eyes; he generally liked to think he didn't have visible eyes to roll, given that usually only he would ever be aware of the fact that he rolled his eyes). "No need to be an asshole about it, Hal."

"What did I just say about-"

"-using that language with your granddaughter's laughably pathetic voice, I got it."

The boy (technically girl) crossed his arms as his (technically Alice's) face twisted in frustration; he had no clue how Alice could put up with this man for so many years, even if this was him at his literal, negatively-charged worst. Before the elf-eared old man could even open his mouth, Masquerade shoved the broken mask in front of his face.

"Here, just fix this then."

Hal G had his mouth already opened to spew something out, but closed it with another frustrated sneer. "I can't just fix it . That mask was made from Naga's presence, the silent core, an energy completely beyond my comprehension. I literally don't have the technology to even touch that mask, much less fix it!"

Now it was Masquerade's turn to stare in bewilderment. "You literally created instant teleportation in the shape and size of a card -" He waved his hands above him, gesturing to the torpid surroundings. "- in a cave! " He then shoved his arms to either side of him, gesturing to the rundown, ancient looking machinery all around. "- with scraps! "

As Masquerade shouted, Hal G began rubbing the bridge of his nose; the sight of his pure, innocent little granddaughter waving her arms around and shouting in such a rude manner was enough to elicit the first few pangs of a migraine.

"My lab is NOT a cave; these are highly advanced machines that took decades of dedicated research to create, and folding space into the shape of a card is much easier when you have access to a machine that can open a portal to a near infinite amount of reality-altering energy, in comparison to something that changes the shape of a person's body. Are you sure you have access to my grand daughter's memories, because even she knew that much." He rolled his eyes as if anything he just said was the most obvious thing in the world.

Masquerade sneered in frustration, mostly because Hal G was right. From what he could tell from his host's memories, Alice usually did have a good idea of what was happening. Whenever the old man was ranting, theorizing, or just speaking his thoughts out loud, she was the only pair of ears he had to have listen to him, and she soaked it all up. Heck, she was more or less an unofficial lab assistant. He had to admit, she was far more intelligent than he gave her credit for.

That just made him all the more angry, though. Everything about Alice Gehabich pissed him off: her constant kind, caring composure, her weak, pathetic stature, the fact that she was probably the most intelligent of the battle brawlers yet refused to ever brawl, given her disgusting pacifist ideology, and thus only amounted to being a "strategist" and support, cheering on everyone else from the side lines. She could very well be the best, way better than that child prancing around with a Drago and angsty (unfairly attractive) ninja. What a waste ! It made him grind his teeth just thinking about it. That was why he hated using her body in any way; he wanted nothing to do with her. All the more reason to get the mask fixed so he could get his real body back. He wasn't going to make the same mistake as her. No, he was going to make it to the top, and force everyone to accept it.

Relaxing his jaw, he started off toward a large machine in the back of the room, the one that could open a portal to 'you-know-who'. "Fine, whatever. I'll just ask Naga to make me another one then."

Hal G extended an arm, stopping him. "One does not simply summon the lord of Vestroia for such a simple, menial request."

In any ordinary situation, Masquerade would probably have hidden his growing anger behind his usual smugness. Now, however, he did nothing to even remotely hide it. Biting down on Alice's uncomfortably soft lips, he slowly turned to met Hal G's eyes with his own glare.

"You can't fix it...right?" He asked through gritted teeth. "There's no other way of repairing the mask here, right? Which means that getting Naga to recreate it is the only way of solving this, right? And we are both going through so much trouble to help him, right?" Hal G didn't answer, but his hardened stare faltered. Masquerade took that as an answer to his question.

"Then why. The FUCK ! NOT!?" He practically screamed. Hal G turned away from the gaze; the sight of his pure, innocent grand-daughter staring at him with such hatred was too much even for him.

"Okay," said Hal G, "I think we started on the wrong foot here. I mean, how should I know whether or not I can fix it? I mean, it looks like the one-way glass was the only part damaged, right? There shouldn't be much to repair, then."

The mask-less masked man let out a heavy sigh of relief as he relaxed Alice's body, somewhat glad he wouldn't have to deal with their boss in that state.

"Alright boy," Hal G continued, "how badly damaged is it? Put it on, and let's see."

Masquerade complied with the request, sticking the mask where he usually would above his nose. It stuck there for a few seconds before peeling right off, causing him to jerk forward and try and stop it from falling. After a few seconds of juggling with it, he finally caught it firmly with both hands.

"Huh. That's...well, that's pretty bad. That's actually worse than I…" was all Masquerade heard before the old man went into a series of mumbling that he couldn't really understand. Hal G usually did that when he went deep into thought. Masquerade stood there patiently with the mask in his hands, feeling increasingly uncomfortable in Alice's body; he was not used to being conscious in it for more than a second or two, much less the full half hour he'd been through. Finally, after what felt like hours, Hal G's muttering stopped.

"Well...I change my mind. I can't fix it-"

" What!? "

"- completely . Completely. Jeez, let me finish my sentences, will you?"

"Oh…*ahem* continue."

"Magnetic interface, I can do. Voice synthesizers, that I can add. The...well, the hair might be a little difficult. I think the anti-gravity tech combined with light holographics would be a bit too much just to get the hair to look right-"

"They know me with super saiyan hair, they're getting super saiyan hair."

"-never mind. Give me that, and I can add all those features by tomorrow, okay?"

Hal G reached out his hand for the mask, but the boy didn't move, continuing to stare at him. "You kind of forgot the most important thing, Hal."

The old man gave out a defeated sigh; he should've known as much. "Okay, there is no way I can make something that can transform your entire body. The very logistics behind something like that are centuries beyond me, even with the advanced technology I have now."

"*sigh* Gonna talk to Naga now."

"WAIT! I said wait, dammit! Grrr...is it really necessary?"

"What, turning into a guy? Almost completely."

"You're just supposed to match the look and voice, anything else is just superficial."

"Really then? What about all this ?" Masquerade said, while gesturing to his (or Alice's) body.

"I mean," said Hal G, "the amount of physical difference between your body and hers is largely covered by the clothes-"

"Uggh, you know what I mean! I specifically mean…*ahem* mean…"

Hal G watched in amazement as the slightest hint of a blush brushed along his granddaughter's face as her hands rose up and gestured toward her jutting chest.

"I mean these . They're * ahem* they're kind of big and noticeable, aren't they?"

Hal G's face twisted in horror. "Can we please not start describing my granddaughter's... bosom?! "

Masquerade let out a snort, trying but failing to cover his increasingly reddening face with a smug grin.

"Bosom, really? Who even calls it that?"

"I'm being serious here! And why are you getting flustered over your own body?! " Hal G shouted in frustration, waving his arms frantically.

Masquerade returned the gesture with a very unfriendly looking scowl. "Because it's not my body, and it's really weird, okay? I'm just saying, my big ass boobs are totally noticeable in these or any clothes. And if there's one thing I know from Alice's memories, it's that guys always notice hers, especially when working part-time as a waitress. Always ."

Masquerade let that last statement sink in a bit. A sudden, almost horrid realization came to Hal G.

"Wait...does Alice...are you saying...does Alice have to deal with any sexual harassment?"

The questioned seemed to surprise Masquerade as his face darkened. "Trust me, it's better if you don't know."

"Okay, now I have to know; how much sexual harassment does she have to deal with on a daily schedule?"

Frustration was starting to build inside the maskless masked man, and this topic was weirdly touching a nerve. "Oh my god, stop acting like you care! We both know you don't actually give a shit, neither of us give a shit, and, if you did, you wouldn't have your granddaughter's body going around, betraying her friends, and doing your dirty work!"

That hit. Hard. Hal G's face fell almost immediately, and the boy thought for a moment he might've gone too far.

"You're right...you're right…" Hal G's voice became uncomfortably silent as he turned his back, giving Masquerade hints of a negative emotion he was sure he wasn't supposed to feel: guilt. He quickly shoved away the notion and the feeling, returning to the offensive.

"Look, I'm just saying that-"

"Do you know what a binder is?"

"Huh?" The boy voiced in surprise, "What, like the thing you use to hold papers together?"

"No- well, yes, but not…" Hal G sighed, "The binder I mean is something used by...well, someone who wishes to hide their chest."

"That's- wait, that's an actual thing?"

"Yes, of course it is. I can make you that as well, alright? That, along with everything else, should help you keep your damn illusion. Happy?"

There was a clear edge in his voice, though Masquerade still couldn't see his face.

"Well...no." Masquerade said. "I want my body, as in the body I use, not hers!"

"Every problem concerning your identity being discovered is covered. What other reason could you possibly need?"

Hal G's usually loud, raspy voice was now frighteningly quiet. He knew that, after that last comment, he was on thin ice, and this conversation was dangerously close to ending. He wasn't about to back down about this, though; not by a long shot.

"Because I just...don't feel good using this body! It feels-"

Weak? Pathetic? Like the opposite of everything he stood for and tried to present himself as? When he got down to it, he just flat out hated Alice and wanted nothing of her to be present in himself despite the fact that he was sharing a body with her. Sure, there was no actual problem if everyone saw the same masked marauder, but he would not feel right.

"It feels what, boy?!"

Masquerade's attention was brought back to the old man's shrieking but quiet voice (a contradiction that he somehow managed to create). He closed his mouth quickly; he could tell that he has crossed a line, and that he wasn't going to get what he wanted. He walked up beside Hal G and shoved the masked into his side, catching the man off guard.

"You know what? Fine, fix the damn mask however much you can; I can brawl circles around those kids with or without my body."

The old man slowly reached and grabbed the mask from his granddaughter's hands.

"Good. Now leave, I will have you set by the morning."

And, with that, the old man walked off, closing off any other possible comment as he exited into his office and slammed the door shut behind him. The boy let out a long shaky breath; he was not happy with this outcome. However, he wasn't going to let that get to him. Whining and complaining that things didn't go his way was something Dan would do; he would not go down to that level. No, he WILL prevail, even if he must use the body of everything he despised all in one package.

As he walked away, a renewed sense of resolve filled him to the core, filtering out any doubt or discomfort he might still be feeling.

I hope I didn't hurt his feelings too badly .

The boy stopped as that thought went through his mind. Was that...his thought? He shook his head, shaking away any possible gnawing thoughts before they could even solidify. It was just a misnomer, some weird remnant from Alice's memories, nothing more. After all, the only thing that would possibly make a difference was his mask breaking, and there was no way that that could possibly affect him too significantly.

Right?

interesting fact: Iron Man came out in 2008 while the furst Bakugan episode came out in 2007. this means that Iron Man refurence is not only dated, but also not time accurate. you know what else is out of place? no one, and I mean no one, even conceiving this concept. it's actually almost painful s33ing all the "Alice and Masquerade are sepurrate people" in tags and not a single purrson expurrloring the aspect of them actually being the same purrson. this was one of the furst shows I got into when I paws younger, so in my attempts to reclaim my cringe-worthy youth I'm writing it myself.