A/N: AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE! It worked! I was able to get my program back! I think! It's going really slow when I type so we'll see how this works.

It was a restless night for everyone. Victory took the bed while Gerard and Mikey took the floor. She felt filthy sleeping on the dusty bed. She could smell the must in sheets and pillows. She decided to sleep with her shoes on and on top of the covers. Try as she might she just couldn't get herself to sleep. Her mind kept drifting back to the bombing. The sight of her father's hand sticking up from the rubble. She tried to hold her breath to keep the sound of her sobs silent.

Gerard had rolled out blankets for him and Mikey. The bed was close to the wall so there was enough room for the two of them on the floor. He sprawled out on his blanket and rolled up his old blue jacket into a ball for a pillow. He inhaled the smell of old leather and dust. It was like his insides physically hurt from guilt and remorse. Now both their parents were gone and they were left on their own. He had no idea what he was going to do for food or shelter. In some ways he blamed the girl, Victory. She was the reason they bombed the camps. Her father and his damned company. He thought to himself. How could he even let her stay here like this? She was the enemy! There was a strange sound that disrupted his thoughts. To his left he could hear heavy breathing and sniffles.

He looked but Mikey was already asleep. It was the girl. She was….crying. He sighed and put a hand over his eyes. He wasn't the only one who had lost someone today. He felt like a total ass. Slowly he sat up and edged towards the bed. She got very quiet but her body continued to shake.

"Hey." He whispered. She didn't say anything but he could hear her breathing heavily. "Are you…ok?" He couldn't think of a better word. How could anyone be ok in this sort of situation?

"It's my fault you know?" Her voice crackled as she whispered. He could hear her holding back tears by the way her voice sounded.

He wanted to argue but in his heart he had an underlining anger. Instead he kept silent.

"If I hadn't been so late we never would have needed to go to the camps for the parade." The bed shook as she cried. Gerard sighed again and rubbed his temples.

"It's not your fault." He said as if the idea annoyed him. Victory sat up sniffling and whipped the tears from her cheeks.

"You had no idea of knowing there was going to be a bomb." Suddenly his brain was working out words before he had a chance to process what he was saying. "If they were tracking you guys it wouldn't have mattered where you were. There was literally nothing you could do…." He paused realizing what he had just said.

"There was nothing you could do…" He repeated it. This time he felt the words. "There wasn't anything anyone could do…What happened, happened and there's nothing to make it any other way….all we can do is just move on. Somehow."

She looked up and raised her eyebrows.

"You really think so?" She whispered. He nodded slowly. She coughed and sat fully upright.

"I'm going to the city to figure out what's going on tomorrow. Since I'm Korse's daughter I take over the company. They'll be able to take me in. Maybe…if you'd like…You and your brother could come with me. They could sort out something for the two of you….Maybe find you guys a place to stay." She looked up a little not exactly making eye contact.

Gerard looked down to Mikey. He thought of how young his kid brother looked in the dimly lit room. He couldn't do this on his own.

"I think I might take you up on that offer." Gerard said. He gave a half smile. "Besides, somebody's going to have to make sure you don't get mugged or eaten by wild dogs." He laughed.

"I'll kick your ass any day!" Victory chuckled and lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Bring it Princess!" He gave a wink. They both made eye contact and then quickly looked away still smiling. Victory felt her cheeks get a little red. She was happy it was too dark for him to see. Little did she know his own cheeks felt warm. He put a hand to his lips and pretended to cough.

"Well…." He said awkwardly and cleared his throat a little more. "I think we should be getting some rest. It's a big walk to Battery City."

Victory nodded.

"Yeah…. And….thanks." She said with a weak smile as she lay back down. "I sorta needed that."

Gerard scoffed and rested his head on his jacket.

"Well don't get used to it Princess. Just cause you're Daddy's little girl doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you." He said in his most serious voice. Something big and dusty slammed into his head. He coughed as he pulled a pillow off of his face.

"Don't call me Princes!" She glared and then rolled over. He tucked the pillow under his head.

"She is going to be trouble." He whispered to himself. Victory smirked to herself.

The next morning Victory woke to the sound of a TV. She stretched her achy body feeling and hearing a few cracks from her back.

"Man I'd kill for memory foam right now." She yawned. As she sat up she saw Mikey staring at the TV. Weird images flashed on the screen. It was some kind of commercial.

"Better Living Industries." The announcer's voice sounded. It was a woman with a soft voice. "Have you taken your medication today?" Then more random images and flashing colors. "Why feel emotions when you have Better Living Industries."

Victory got up.

"What the hell is this?" She asked. Why weren't there news on the bombings? She never remembered BL/ind having commercials like this. Mikey was silent. He never took his eyes off of the screen.

"Mikey?" She got a little closer. His name was Mikey? Right? She couldn't remember.

He still didn't take his eyes off of the screen.

"Where is your brother?" She knelt down next to him.

"Getting breakfast." He mumbled.

"What are you watching?" She asked looking at him then back to the screen. Again he said nothing.

"Mikey?" She asked a little worried. "You do talk don't you?"

Just then the door opened. Gerard came in with an arm full of water and cans.

"Good morning." He said closing the door with his foot. He set everything down on the table and turned to Victory and Mikey.

"Does your brother talk?" Victory asked tilting her head.

Gerard slowly nodded.

"Yeah…" He answered. It was a strange question. "He never shuts up actually. Why?"

Victory waved a hand in front of Mikey's face.

"Mikey, Gerard's back…" She said waving her hand. Still no reaction. Gerard instantly dashed forward and got down to his knees.

"Mikey?" He said loudly. "Yo! Mikey!"

"See?" Victory said biting her lip.

"What's he been doing?"

Victory sat back on her feet.

"He was watching TV when I woke up." She shrugged.

Gerard shook him a little, but lightly.

"Mikey! Dude!...I found a unicorn! SNAP OUT OF IT MAN, YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT!" Gerard shouted. Finally Victory reached up and shut off the TV.

Mikey's eyes shut and his head drooped a little. He snapped it back up quickly and blinked a few times.

"Woah…" He said looking from Gerard to Victory. "What happened? When did you get back?" He said looking at Gerard. "Did I fall asleep in front of the TV?"

Gerard and Victory met worried eyes.

"You don't remember anything?" Victory asked. Mikey shook his head.

"I got up when Gerard did and then decided to watch TV while he got food. I wanted to see if there was news on the bombings….then some commercial for medication came on. I felt all weird and sad. Then it was like I went to sleep." Mikey shook a little as he spoke. "What happened?"

Gerard flipped the TV back on. The weird black and white commercial was playing. Everyone once in a while more images flashed up. It was like an optical illusion with swirling black and white shapes. He flipped through every station.

"It's on all of them." He said flipping through. Some commercials were different but it was all BL/ind advertising.

"Wait go back, go back!" Victory said pointing at the screen. "There was one with people!"

Gerard went back two stations where a bald man stood at a podium waving and nodding. It was as if the air had been sucked from the room. Victory gasped and dropped back, sitting on the ground all the way. She had to catch herself with her left hand to keep from falling all the way back.

"Dad?" She managed to say before she started hyperventilating. "I..I-I saw him m-my self-f!" It was all she could do to get what little air in she could while taking short quick breaths. "Dad?"

She shouted at the screen.

"H-how is this possible!" She shouted and wrapped her arms around herself. Gerard turned the sound up.

Korse cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Yes, it's true there were bombings in Zone Six." He said with a heavy sigh. "Many were lost in the fires, many brave men and women. I managed to survive by taking shelter in a small building. However," He cleared his throat again as if he were tearing up. "My daughter….was killed an explosion."

"WHAT?" Victory shouted and sat upright.

Korse continued.

"Her body was found amongst the rubble. There will be a service in a few days." He kept his head down, then brought it back up with a small smile. "Now I know this is hard on everyone. I would also like to inform the public of a new drug available to those who lost loved ones. Through commerce and the correct combination of medication BLI has to offer, you too can be a happy well-adjusted part of the populous. Long gone are the inefficient days when the consumer needed love, sex, makeup, or reassurance... these lustful idiosyncrasies left you feeling empty, tired, and weak. But now, you too can be fulfilled! Fill your heart with synthetic happiness, erase pain with ease, digitize your memories, and protect your interests with customizable blasters all at our one stop shop. Don't let the world get you down. Instead, bring the world down to your level!"

Victory's jaw dropped.

"I can't believe it…He's using my death to sell pills!" She said outraged. Then it hit her.

I created the look alike me to attend all of my public functions. If anything were to happen to me, you could still run the company but make it look like I were still alive. Her father's words echoed in her head.

"No…" She whispered and looked closer at the screen. Gerard and Mikey both looked at her confused and conflicted emotions. As she looked closer she could see Dr. Zulo standing in the back. His mouth moved just as Korse's did making the same shape like a perfect puppeteer. In his hand he held a small remote and had a large grin on his face. Victory covered her mouth and got as far from the TV as she could. The Program ended and another commercial popped on.

"You may say, "OK BLI, well it seems like you have everything i could ever need in this life taken care of, but what about my needs after this life? Surely Better Living industries has not thought of everything?" Well ladies and gentleman, we wouldn't call it a one stop shop if we didn't! So when talking with a BLI representative about your Reality Dependance don't forget to ask him/her about our brand new Soul Protection Plan. You trust us with every aspect of your lives, why not your afterlife? Let BLI be your God, sign up now to secure your place at the right hand side of the future!
Keep smiling"

Victory covered her ears.

"SHUT IT OFF! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SHUT THAT THING OFF!" She shouted. Tears ran down her cheeks. Gerard reached up quickly and flicked it off.

"What is it?" He asked. He and Mikey were on each side of her now.

"That's not him….THAT IS NOT MY FATHER!" She shouted and pointed at the TV.

"I don't understand." Gerard biting his lip and looking at the TV.

"That THING is not my father! It's a robot! My father built it in the event of an emergency if he was killed so I could take on company. His partner is controlling it! He's doing this! Don't you get it?" She threw up her arms.

Gerard and Mikey shook their heads.

"In one night he managed to take over the company and steal the broadcasting stations. He's using the commercials to hypnotize people!" She buried her face.

"So…that's not a person…but a robot? How is that possible? I thought BL/ind was a drug company." Gerard asked sitting up on the bed now.

"It is, but they also were a technology company that helped the military with the war. The Company in Japan wanted to take over and use BL/ind to drug and control the population." Victory got up and started pacing.

"I'm not sure why Zulo would want to help them, but I'm sure as hell finding out!" She went for her jacket and then opened the door. The sun beamed into the dark room.

Gerard grabbed his jacket and then he and Mikey ran after her. She was already to the center of the parking before they could catch up.

"Woah woah woah!" Gerard said huffing and holding his arms up. "There's no way you're planning on going alone!"

Victory kept walking.

"Thanks for everything. Sorry our agreement last night didn't work out. I'm not expecting you to fight this with me. When I'm done murdering the bastard who's behind all of this I'll be sure to look you up." She said with a straight face and glared in the sunlight.

Gerard had to put himself directly in front of her.

"They have robots that look like people and lots of guns! There is NO WAY I'm letting you go by yourself!" He said putting his arms out so she couldn't pass. "We are going with you!"

"No you are not!" She shouted in his face.

"YES WE ARE!" he shouted back getting closer.

"NO YOU ARE NOT!"

"YES WE ARE!" Suddenly they were shouting all at once now.

"STOP FIGHTING!"

They both turned to see Mikey squinting with his arms at his sides balled into fists. He shot a hand out to Victory.

"YOU to be our guide to the city! You're the only one who can help us get there!" He shouted closing his eyes. Gerard smiled and nodded. Mikey's other fist shot out inches from Gerard's face. His smile dropped.

"YOU need to stop picking pointless fights so she is willing to help us and we can actually get there!" Mikey shouted.

They both stared at him with astonished and scared expressions.

"Do we have an understanding!" Mikey put both hands to his sides. He was a little calmer now.

Victory and Gerard both nodded.

"Good!"

A/N: Yay it's a working program! Hope you enjoyed that. I was writing the Korse speech when Obama popped on the news about Bin Laden's death. Freaky shiz. Just glad they got the guy. But still weird coincidence. Any hoo. Hope you liked little 12 yr old Mikey. I was writing the Victory/Gerard fight and couldn't think of where to go when I saw Mikey just standing there annoyed in my mind. I'd be too in that situation. I think you guys'll like the next chapter…..*hint hint*….there will be poof. :D …oh also…Review or the unicorn gets it! *Points knife at Wheezy*