Mediziner's Notes: Work for the finale I'd say begins here albeit in a very minor take. I've originally had some ideas of another travel idea but I scrapped it in favour of beginning the early stages of the finale. No this isn't the finale but it'll slowly come to play in place over the course of the remaining planned chapters. While officially in the show Kagerou's Super A.I. was stolen and repeatedly copied by Excellence Co., and most likely later had said copies sold on black markets by unknown clients, I often want to think that it's not just Kagerou whom had his Super A.I. copied over and over, but also there were some sequences where some criminals may have managed to grab a hold of another Brave or two from either Deckerd's team, and/or the Scotland Yard's teams in the form of surprise attacks and made copies while they were unconscious. how these may have happened is up to your imagination. I do want to believe that because of the complexity of Super A.I.s, it's really hard to make copies without the proper special tools and programming the police used to make a flawless copy. Think of the techniques the criminals use, it's always going to end up with fragmented or incomplete copies.
Also it's going to take me a while to get used to writing out the chapters on the laptop again. I also confess it's also fun to make up little surprise gimmicks that Shadowmaru and Kagerou have, because they have advanced circuitry than the other Braves, it makes it all the fun to make up more things that they can do that the others can't. Also I do apologise ahead of time if a chunk of the story is more or less filler'ish... I didn't want to make some things feel a bit too short before I got to a particular part which you'll see. I was mainly running out of ideas and I wanted to start on the preparations.
Tried a small new thing, probably the only time I'll try unless another idea comes to mind.
The Leader Within Cover Art is drawn and commissioned by Erilmadith-Everyoung on DeviantART. You can also find Radiant Prism's full reference there, too.
Enjoy!
...
"Yuuta, are you sure you'll be alright?" Deckerd asked when the teenager was within conversation range, opening his door to allow Yuuta to climb into his interior. Even though a week had passed since the exchange-turned-rescue incident happened, he'd been worrying nonstop about his best friend. While most of Yuuta's injuries have healed, he made the decision that he wanted to start going back to school and work again when he wasn't hurting all over as much so he could avoid letting both his school homework and paperwork at the station pile up much to his sisters worrying that he might agitate his injuries. The Brave Detective was primarily worried in particular about any signs of trauma Yuuta might be experiencing caused by the horrors those criminals did to him. "Deckerd, I'm not going to suddenly disappear." Yuuta sighed with a small smile, buckling in as Deckerd shut his door. He wasn't annoyed with his best friend but he did find some comfort in his concern for him. "I'm still feeling a little bit sore from what they did to me but I'm much better than last week, and I don't think they can pull the same stunt again. Not when they know you guys can be far more cunning than them." Yuuta finished with a smile. As they turned into the next street, his mood changed and began to shivered momentarily. "That guy with the tattoos all over his body that we arrested... I won't lie that he still scares me since I've sometimes gotten nightmares involving him. But, I do need to be brave even if... Well..." Deckerd could see the discomfort in his friend, immediately beginning to worry. He was about to say something but Yuuta spoke before he could. "Deckerd, I know this is the reality of being a police officer and it's something I have to learn to get used to. Sometimes you have to take on even the craziest of criminals like him or investigate things that can be really... Disturbing." Yuuta shook his head. "A-Anyways, there's something else I'm worried about..."
"What is it?" Deckerd asked.
"Since Kagerou rescued both Radiant Prism and I. I've noticed that the following day after, Radiant Prism seems a little... Uncomfortable or uneasy I think. I know I missed out on a lot of stuff but I don't like seeing friends look so sad or distant. It's really worrying." The teenager's eyes drifted down onto the dashboard. "Is there something wrong with her?"
"No, nothing's wrong with her. However, there is something that we learned about her but it's... Unexpectedly complicated." Deckerd answered, hesitating momentarily then starts explaining. "While you were still with the Silhouette Man- Er, who was the Silhouette Man for a time, he decided to contact us without warning. I wasn't there when he contacted us but he asked for a ransom which was to trade you for Radiant Prism's Super A.I." He paused for a moment uneasily. "At the same time he revealed to us- Or Radiant Prism that she wasn't... She..." When Yuuta tilted his head on the choice of words, Deckerd internally sighed. "Yuuta, you know that after the event with Kagerou and later the Fahrzeurgs with their Black Chieftains that our team alongside the Scotland Yard are trying to confiscate any trace of data about Super A.I. around the world and put a stop to any rogue Chieftains?" Yuuta nodded, partially annoyed that the criminals seem to have a fail safe when it comes to things like that. Because Yuuta still remembered the whole ordeal, he internally braced for Yuuta's reaction as he continued to explain.
After a bit of explaining, Yuuta could only frown. "Um, Deckerd... What does all this have to do with Radiant Prism?" Yuuta frowned, realising that he wasn't getting to the point and instead were going off-topic. "What exactly happened to her? Please don't dodge around whatever the problem is because I'm not a little kid anymore. If I don't know what's wrong, how can I help her?"
"Sorry, I..." Deckerd fell silent for a moment, he then sighed in defeat. "Yuuta, please don't be alarmed when I tell you that Radiant Prism isn't a genuine Brave like myself and the others... Because she's actually a Black Market robot."
"Eh!? a Black Market robot!?" Yuuta was stunned at this, becoming worried. "H-How could... But she... Wh-What did Mr. Saejima and Mr. Azuma decide with her? It isn't her fault that she was made with such a dark past, they shouldn't-"
"Fortunately they chose not to restrain nor confiscate her Super A.I." Deckerd interrupted. "While Black Market Super A.I. are often considered unstable and dangerous from the reports Regina gave us months back when they discovered two criminal organizations were trying to utilize them against the Scotland Yard, Radiant Prism isn't like the other common cases of unstable or even incomplete Super A.I. that we're used to finding and confiscating." Deckerd rested on his wheels when he came to a stop at a red light, knowing they were close to the station. "While the Chief and his mechanics can easily tell between a genuine Super A.I. and a Black Market one, Radiant Prism's scans show that she's just like us, no hints of flaws that most Black Market Super A.I. tend to have due to their difficulty of being successfully copied without the advanced tools and programming our mechanics use. After we discovered this, the Commissioners gave the order to run all sorts of deep scans on Radiant Prism multiple times as you've seen. Surprisingly, the scans revealed repeatedly that she's a genuine Brave which none of us can seem to understand how this was possible. We're not sure how this could have happened, but currently our theory is that the German Division may have or had a mole working among them. They may have played a role in discreetly copying Super A.I. data from the Police Department in Germany without anyone noticing something is out of place. Aware that copying Super A.I. is no easy feat." Deckerd sighed, the more he lingered on the topic, the more questions he needed to ask Redlight, continuing to drive once the light turned green.
"While it's good that she is like a genuine Brave, it has unfortunately left me with questions that I need to ask Redlight about. Unfortunately we haven't heard from him in months. I fear it might have to do with the unexplained lockdown back in- Huh?" Just as they reached their destination, Deckerd and Yuuta immediately spot Radiant Prism perking up on sight of the two and stand up, patiently waiting for them to pull up into the station. "Radiant Prism, is something the matter?" Yuuta asked as he rolled the window down.
"Greetings, young Inspector." Radiant Prism acknowledged Yuuta, then addressed the Brave Detective. "Deckerd, I've informed Duke that you'll be taking back the lead seeing as you're feeling a lot better. Later this evening, there is something that I'd like to discuss with you that's very important. For now please excuse me, I need some time to think alone." Radiant Prism immediately turned and walked out of the building, looking up at the sky briefly before she leapt. Once airborne, she changed form once she was high enough and the moment she gunned her thrusters, she was gone in an instant.
"Wait, Radiant Prism!" Yuuta called out over his badge, but is met with silence on her end. "Geez, I wanted to talk to her since I think she might be scared of me learning about her background but I'll have to wait until she gets back." Yuuta frowned. "But what did she mean about that she was assisting in leading the others?"
"Uh..." Deckerd wasn't sure how to explain, opening his car door to let Yuuta out. "How can I explain..." He paused for a moment after he was given room to change out of his vehicle mode. "Actually, let's head up to the office, I can explain better so I'm not in the others' way." Agreeing to this, both Yuuta and Deckerd momentarily part ways and eventually met back again in the office. Yuuta was the one to reach the office first, deciding to take the stairs which he'd taken to using more than the elevator as he was well enough to use them. "Ah, McCrane, Dumpson!"
"Hey Boss, you're looking a lot better than before!" Dumpson greeted happily. "It's incredible that you heal so quickly. I look forward to training you further in strength and endurance once you're able to do more high maintenance tasks again!"
"Hehe..." Yuuta chuckled. "Well, I don't think I heal so fast..." Yuuta wasn't quite sure how to explain it but did find the description of 'healing so quickly' quite odd. As he moved over to his desk, he noticed that McCrane wasn't registering his presence. "Hey, McCrane? McCrane!"
"Hm?" Turning to look behind him, he immediately identified who was on the loft. "Ah, Boss. My apologies, I was deep in thought about... Well..." He then shook the topic aside. "I'm glad to see that you're doing well." His visuals then zoomed in on the small set of gifts that Yuuta was examining. "Seia and Ayako were here earlier today. Before they had to return back to their respective jobs they left you some gifts for when you're able to work again. They must have known that you would come back to work today." As if on cue, Deckerd had just entered the office, looking a bit puzzled. When Dumpson asked Deckerd what was wrong, the moment that he mentioned that the lift got stuck seemed to cause Dumpson's mood to drop.
"Again!? I thought we fixed that..." The red and yellow dump truck sighed. "That's the third time now. I think we might be dealing with something we need to look more thoroughly at, McCrane."
"I see... We'll have to look into it once we're sure no one else needs it at the moment."
Deckerd made his way over to his desk, noticing that there was plenty of paperwork to attend to. While most of them would have been something Yuuta had to work on, the Brave Detective had made arrangements with the Commissioners that for a week and a half, he'd be covering for Yuuta so he wouldn't be completely swamped on his return. ...Of course he couldn't say the same for the teenager having been greeted with plenty of homework he missed out, on top of an exam he needed to study for. He was just about to begin work when the office doors opened.
"There you are, Deckerd." Duke greeted the moment he entered, approaching the two. "I think Radiant Prism told you not too long ago, but you'll be leading again since I felt that you seem to be fit to lead again now that Boss has returned and recovered." He told Deckerd.
Yuuta was surprised on hearing this, especially since he'd forgotten about the topic Deckerd was supposed to explain but now that it was brought up, he was still left with questions. "But, Duke... Why didn't you take command if Deckerd..." He wasn't sure how to fully digest this information, let alone why was Radiant Prism assigned as acting leader when she hasn't been taught that sort of thing yet. He turned his attention back to his friends. "Deckerd... Duke... Putting Radiant Prism into leading fully... I don't have any doubt in her helping around the station, but to have her as the team's acting leader... The others would have been upset about this..." His attention turned to the Knight Detective, expression serious. "Duke, you should know by now that the others are fine with you taking over if Deckerd isn't fit to lead due to whatever reason is preventing him from doing so. I don't know why you chose to instead assign Radiant prism as acting leader when she's still undergoing training about how to lead her own team..."
"You're correct in that I should have taken over but I wanted to put Radiant Prism's lessons to the test." The ambulance explained. "I wanted her to at least experience a real situation so in case she has to do something like this for other divisions, she'll know what to do and how to respond to future incidents during her stay. Because Radiant Prism has been taking to her lessons in leading very well, there needed to be a time when Radiant Prism required genuine hands on experience. The timing of the earlier incident wasn't... Something I expected to happen. I wanted to wait for a different reason but then I recalled when Deckerd took to being the Scotland Yard's acting leader because of Ace's inexperience at the time."
Deckerd nodded. "Yes, Ace knew the ropes of taking over as an SIC but because he's never experienced a situation where he had to take full command when King was out of commission due to the Fahrzeurgs attack, I offered to help him gain the confidence and advice he needed until there was nothing more for me to teach."
Duke was worried that Yuuta would still be against him not taking up his duty as Deckerd's SIC when it was most needed. "Boss, I believed that if Deckerd was able to act as acting leader for the Scotland Yard when he was helping them rebuild, I felt Radiant Prism could do the same thing while working in another country with a division of their own. I watched and observed, giving her advice when needed in Deckerd's absence and she performed well. However, she still might need more training... Not with me but learning from Deckerd is more ideal, as I don't have anything else I can teach her anymore."
"I see..." Yuuta took a moment to ponder what was told to him, then nodded. "As long as you helped Radiant Prism know what it's like and what she needed to do, I understand. Though... I'm not sure what Mr. Saejima thought about your decision of having her as acting leader."
"I allowed it." Saejima announced, opening the door and closing it behind him. "Because Deckerd and Duke have spent their spare time taking turns to teach Radiant Prism since removing the virus, I allowed it without saying a thing. I intend to keep the sensitive topic regarding Radiant Prism a secret to the rest of the public- Additionally to the other high ranking police officers of the Police Department. I don't want her to feel like she can't do what the Brave Police can. Black Market or not, she is still Brave Police regardless of what others think."
"Right." Dumpson said energetically. "In every situation, she earned every single one of our trust and not once has she shown any of the common signs Black Market Super A.I. were known to show over the course of what we had to deal with. She's a friend to all of us."
"A friend we all support no matter what." McCrane added with a smile.
"Everyone..." Yuuta smiled. "Yeah! Radiant Prism is a friend no matter what!"
...
As the hours passed into the late evening, Radiant Prism was unconsciously pacing. The topic she intends to discuss with Deckerd privately was gnawing at the back of her helm. She had called for Deckerd just a few minutes ago, asking him to speak with her in the outskirts of the city, away from too many people. During the wait, she had time to think about how to better approach the topic and with the given time and the arrival of a vehicle whom she quickly identified as none other than Deckerd, The German Brave immediately greeted him when he approached. "Deckerd, glad you're here." She acknowledged uneasily, saluting.
"Radiant Prism. Apologies if I was a little late than the estimated time, The Commissioner asked me to review something that I'll have to get back to once I have to head back to the station." Deckerd apologised. "But what is it that you wanted to discuss with me in private?" He could tell that something was really on Radiant Prism's mind, hesitation lingered over her but he remained patient to let her build up the courage to speak her mind. "Deckerd, would you be mad if I asked you that I'd like to relocate myself to the Scotland Yard?"
"Relocate to the... Why would you want to move to the Scotland Yard' station if you don't mind me asking?" Deckerd stared for a moment, not expecting such a request. "I'm not mad, but the request is a little out of the blue..."
Radiant Prism could only sigh in defeat. "As much as it scares me, I want to be more closer to home." She paused to glance in the direction of where Germany would be from her location. "I feel more than ever that if I get a jump start to inching myself closer, I know I will need to confront Gustav and see him behind bars... The same could be said for the Silhouette Man, too. I feel like if I confront them both, neither will try to put another one like me through so much suffering and torture. Besides, we both know that I need to return home eventually and I can't stay with your team or the Scotland Yard permanently. I am Brave Police of the German Division, and I always will be."
"Radiant Prism, I think it's too dangerous." Deckerd shook his helm. "I won't say no to you going to the Scotland Yard but I don't think it's wise to try and go straight back to Germany once you're with them. I will need to discuss this with Regina so she doesn't ask questions as to why you're suddenly in the United Kingdom. But under any circumstances do you not return to Germany. However... There is a problem: The Silhouette Man is still at large somewhere in or around Japan."
"No I won't be going straight to Germany, but I intend to stay with them for a time. As long as I don't enter my home country, Gustav cannot touch me unless he's looking to get himself publicly disgraced in the form of- ...Right." At being reminded of the Silhouette Man lurking somewhere in the country, Radiant Prism suddenly felt discouraged. Looking up at the skies momentarily, her attention fell back onto Deckerd. "...Is it possible to contact the Scotland Yard about this beforehand? If we calculate the current time in Japan and then the United Kingdom..."
"I'll need to send Regina a message first." Deckerd pointed out. "If she's available to speak through communications tomorrow, I can let you know." At this offer, Radiant Prism nodded.
"Alright, let's head back to the station, I have to look into reviewing what the Commissioners ask of me, and then take Yuuta home."
There was a moment of silence, then remembering the few times she'd have to patrol at night, she couldn't help but ask. "Do I have another patrol schedule tonight?" Radiant Prism asked.
"Not tonight. Instead I'd like for you to either finish any remaining paperwork you haven't finished, or recharge for the night." At his words, the German Brave could only frown but agreed nonetheless. When they did get back to the station and up to the office, Yuuta and Saejima greeted them both. The former in particular immediately cringed the moment Saejima began sporting a playful glee on his face, particularly at Radiant Prism. "Radiant Prism! Come over here for a moment." He asked.
"What is it, sir?" Radiant Prism asked, wondering if Saejima might have been notified ahead of time by Deckerd. "Is there something you need?"
"Hmm... There is something, but-"
"Mr. Saejima!" Yuuta exclaimed. "If this is about stuffing Radiant Prism in that weird toy doll body you had Mr. Toudou make or you bought somewhere, I'm on to you! I saw that when I accidentally pulled the tarp off of it when I slipped trying to pick up something the mechanics dropped." This caused Saejima to react momentarily. He thought that no one would have thought to investigate what was under his hidden surprise, yet whoever was the mechanic responsible that dropped said object had ruined his fun. He then tried to pretend it wasn't what he had planned.
"Even if you did manage to stuff her in that creepy looking human-like body, she probably can't walk with such small looking feet!"
Having lost interest entirely, Radiant Prism's attention was drawn back to Deckerd who just sat down at his desk, typing away at something on his desk computer. Additionally, since Duke had night patrol, she informed Deckerd that she's going to contact Blazer and Surge so she could speak with them before she forgets. Half an hour later, Deckerd had left with Yuuta back to the Tomonaga residence for the night while others have left to go recharge or begin their night patrol. Radiant Prism had been absorbed in her conversation that she didn't realise Duke had returned until when he gently tapped her shoulder. "Duke. Alright everyone, I need to recharge for the night, we can speak later."
"Sounds like a plan, good night Radiant Prism." Blazer grinned while Surge simply scoffed and cut the connection earlier than the two. Blazer frowned at this but once more bid Radiant Prism good night and the connection had ended.
Once the screen flickered back to what was previously displayed before the call, Radiant Prism removed herself to give Duke his desk back. Aside from his return, she immediately noticed Kagerou and Gunmax at their desks, not having heard them come in.
"You seem to be in good spirits, Radiant Prism. ...Sort of, at least." Gunmax said, pausing for a moment to admire the polishing work done to his weapon then resumed. "If you have something troubling you, you can talk about it with us, which I'm sure you already know that."
"...How did-" Before she could finish, Gunmax couldn't help but laugh. "You're an easy one to read, Radiant Prism. Far easier than the kid. Whatever is bothering you, don't let it bottle up until you can no longer contain it." At his words, Radiant Prism could only look away with a frown. She didn't think Gunmax could read out the complicated feelings she was feeling at the moment, and in a sense it was overwhelmingly terrifying that the Motorcycle Detective sometimes had a knack for reading others out. "You're right." Sighed Radiant Prism as she moved to sit down in Drill Boy's chair. "You already know that because I'm not a real, genuine Brave, the fact continues to haunt me... Truth be told, I'm scared of what Redlight and the others think."
"I doubt Redlight would find this knowledge a problem, Radiant Prism." Kagerou explained, turning his attention to the female Brave. "If he cared for you as equally as he cared for the rest of his team and the other three divisions, I don't think your background would make him think any less."
"Yeah... I keep telling myself that, yet the fear continues to linger no matter what I do." Radiant Prism replied sadly. She briefly glanced at the clock then stood up. "Anyways, I should go get some recharge..."
"Hold up." Gunmax said, grabbing onto her arm to stop her once she was within reach. The German Brave was about to ask what was wrong but before she could even let out a single word, Gunmax tapped her forearm. "Show me your handguns." The sudden request left Radiant Prism puzzled, but seeing as Gunmax wasn't going to let go unless she does as asked, she brought her handguns out of their storage compartments. Unlike Gunmax's nicely polished magnum, Radiant Prism's own handguns looked dirty in comparison which made the green Brave internally cringe. "...Tch, you really need to learn how to maintain your weapons after use or after a couple of days even if unused. Leave them here, I'll get them cleaned so you can use them in the morning. I'll see about asking Patrol Car to spare some time on your schedule, this way I can show you so you can treat your handguns right next time they get dirty like this."
"...Very well. I wouldn't have a choice otherwise." Radiant Prism placed her handguns onto Gunmax's desk, bidding him and the others good night as she left the office.
That night, Radiant Prism tossed and turned. "Home... Nn..."
Flying through the bright blue skies, Radiant Prism was delighted that she was going back home. She'd been waiting for this moment for a very long time since she was forced to flee on order of Redlight, not only did the Scotland Yard receive word that the Japanese Division had defeated and arrested the Silhouette Man after he unleashed a powerful bio-machine upon Japan. Not long after, she also heard word from Dieter that Gustav had been arrested on multiple accounts of smuggling police equipment to various criminal organizations. For Radiant Prism, this was the freedom she'd been seeking for, no more Gustav trying to go after her and rip her Super A.I. out of her body by force, or the Silhouette Man doing something similar yet for whatever nefarious reasons he intended to do with her. In the horizon, she could catch a glimpse of her home city, Dortmund. After she reached the city, she immediately circled around the until she found the familiar open space that also contained the entrance to her station, immediately spotting the hidden outline of the hexagon-shaped platform that she'd always used to get in and out alongside with vehicles bringing in supplies needed for her repairs or for whatever her mechanics needed be it repairing, replacing, fixing, or even make modifcations to things.
Landing off to the side, her audios could pick up the sound of the platform from within rising to the surface, and the warning sounds indicating to nearby people that gave them a couple of seconds to get out of the zone before the door could open. The tell-tale signs of the rails extending once everyone had left the area appeared that served to keep people from falling in, followed by the floor slowly splitting open, revealing the platform.
Before she could step onto the platform, a large shadow caught her attention. Looking up, she could see Redlight descending to the ground.
"Redlight!"
"Radiant Prism, I'm relieved you made it back home safely. I'm sure you saw the news the Scotland Yard received from the Japanese Division and your friend, Dieter." He smiled when she approached. "I do apologise that I couldn't get back to you or the others when I was needed... Unfortunately there were all sorts of important matters I could not ignore that required my attention. I also owe an apology to the Japanese Division, and I intend to see to it once Deckerd is available to communicate next time. Come, let's head into the station, there is something I'd like to show you and I think you might like what you'll be seeing."
"Huh? Something that I'll like? Alright then..." Radiant Prism joined Redlight as they got onto the platform which was now descending as she tried to puzzle together what did Redlight want to show her. "Redlight... Wh-What are you going to show me? ...How much have I missed since I was gone?"
"Not much, but there are some new arrangements that have been prepared ahead of time once you made your return aware to Blazer and Surge, whom have both informed me. I do believe that the people of Germany will be delighted to know of your return, especially the media. The people within your territory have missed you greatly, and I feel they'll be happy knowing you'll be protecting them from criminals once again." Radiant Prism noticed that Redlight's posture seemed rather... Straightened or stiff, not sure how she could take to this knowing that he would normally relax around her presence, or even the presence of other fellow German Braves. 'Hm, he might be just tense from the lockdown procedures and intends to not display it in front of me out of respect, but he is the Pride of Germany after all. He does have his busy moments, too.' She thought, snapping back to reality the moment the platform had fully descended to the ground. "Come, let's be on our way." He extended an arm in the direction of the corridor. "You take the lead, this is your station after all, Radiant Prism." The golden eagle smiled.
"Yes sir." Giving herself a moment, Radiant Prism stared out into the corridor, then walked. She couldn't help but felt that it was eerily quiet, Redlight didn't talk right away but continued to follow. Pondering on a topic to start with, she asked about what exactly happened to cause their respective territories of the country they're supposed to protect go into lockdown, but was not given an answer right away. '...Maybe he doesn't have the answer, or he's thinking about it...'
Not realising that the walk was taking longer than expected, Radiant Prism turned to face Redlight under the impression that he might not want to answer the question. "Sorry Redlight, I shouldn't have added to your- Huh?" She ceased what she had to say, realising that her friend was nowhere in sight. 'What...? I thought that he was still right behind me.' She thought, looking around and behind her.
"Redlight? ...Redlight? Redlight where are- Agghhk!"
Suddenly hit from behind with incredible force, Radiant Prism was sent forward onto the floor. "Ow! What the-" She gasped on suddenly seeing Redlight appear out of nowhere in an instant. The Brave grabbed her by the neck, causing her to let out a choking yelp. "Agghhhkkk...! Redlight!? Wh-What are you doing!?" She struggled to get out of his grip as the Brave lifted her up off the ground with little to no effort. "Redlight this hurts, le-let go...!"
At that moment, Redlight's bright green optics changed into a frightening shade of red, the colour of a Chieftain's optics or on a more terrifying manner, a possessed Brave. This horrified her more than anything as she tried to squirm free, but was unsuccessful. The golden eagle before her had a grip unlike any other. "I know about your secret, Radiant Prism." This time, Redlight's voice became more disappointed and stoic. "I cannot believe that I tried to risk life and limb over a filthy Black Market-created Brave." He growled, tightening his grip on her neck. "Due to not being a genuine Brave Police like myself and the others, scum like you will only betray and destroy all of us from the inside before any of us would expect. Surge was right in displaying caution and refusing to trust you, and she made the right call once everyone learns what you really are."
"Red- Agghhkkk... Redlight...! No! I won't... Please, Redlight! Don't do this... I thought w-we were fr-friends!"
"DON'T DO THIS!" Radiant Prism shouted as her voice echoed throughout the room as she thrashed, gripping onto her neck as she tried to fight what was going on in the dream but soon snapped awake. She hadn't realised that Drill Boy was nearby as she inadvertently kicked him in her struggle.
"Ow! Power Joe- Huh?" Green optics widening, Drill Boy could see Radiant Prism shaking and shivering in fear. 'What's going on with Radiant Prism? She looks like she had some sort of nightmare or a bad dream... What kind of dream did she have this time?' He then approached the German Brave, gripping onto her shoulder and slightly shook her in an attempt to wake her. "Radiant Prism...? What happened? What sort of nightmare did you have?" He asked in a quiet voice.
At being touched, Radiant Prism gasped just as she lashed out, inadvertently punching Drill Boy as the adrenaline from the dream still had a grip on her. That adrenaline was only short-lived and she'd soon regain her senses and calmed down. "What... Where...?" The others were already awake, aside from Radiant Prism's screaming, the grunting noise Drill Boy made from being punched was the final nail in the coffin for everyone to wake up.
"Ow ow ow ow... That really hurts Radiant Prism. Remind me to never get on your bad side." Drill Boy cringed, a servo over his face.
"What's going on, Radiant Prism?" Power Joe yawned. "This is the third time you were thrashing your recharge."
"I..." She paused, not wanting to reveal the extent of her nightmare. "No, it's nothing." Radiant Prism cringed as she lied. She'd been keeping it a secret from the others that she's often had these repeating nightmares about the same thing that plagued her. Combined with her fear, she felt as if she was living a nightmare over and over until she'd snap. "Sorry everyone for waking you up..." She managed to say, clutching the side of her helm. "I'm going to head upstairs to cool my head." Getting up, she did just that, minding where the others were so she wouldn't step or trip on them. After entering and pressing the button to go to the rooftop, Radiant Prism felt guilty that she was keeping her nightmares a secret but she believed the others' minds were too fresh about their own nightmares of not having Yuuta at their side rather than worry about her. Once up on the rooftop, Radiant Prism stumbled out until she collapsed on the floor, feeling like her joints gave out and could no longer support her anymore. Her gaze now at the cloudy skies, indicating that it might rain tonight. Looking down at her shaky servos for a moment, she balled them into a fist, slamming it into the ground.
'Tch! I need to shake my fears off yet... No matter what I do these nightmares continue to plague me, one worse than the other. I'm only lucky for now that I've only thrashed in my recharge three times out of the full week I've been having these. Most likely these nightmares will continuously plague me for an indefinite amount of days. Damn it!' On hearing someone's nearby, Radiant Prism quickly turned her attention towards whoever was approaching her, wings flared.
"Whuaa- Stop! It's just me, Drill Boy." The Soccer Detective said, putting his servos up in surrender. "I wanted to check on you since you looked really shaken up this time..." He paused to ponder his words. "...Or more skittish I think."
Radiant Prism managed to slowly get back up on her feet even if she couldn't stand up straight, using a lot of her mental strength to hide the fact she felt so dizzy and unwell. "I thank you for the concern, Drill Boy. I'll be fine after I cool off..." Staggering towards the gate, she paused after a few steps, staring out ahead in front of her. "You should head back inside and recharge."
"But... What's going on, Radiant Prism? It's not once, nor twice, but three times we've seen you thrash around and often bashed into something or struck someone in your recharge." The Soccer Detective frowned. "When you kicked me just like earlier, I thought it was Power Joe who tends to do that sometimes but this time you were the one that kicked me!" Optics briefly brightening at this, she immediately apologised, but soon dismissed saying she was just having some struggles recharging, doing as much as she could to avoid the topic. She did not need Drill Boy blurting out to Duke or Deckerd about what's going on... She didn't want to let it get in the way of others, though something told her that Gunmax might read her out like an open book again.
"Sorry, I need to go fly for a bit, I'll come back later."
"W-Wait! You should also- ...She's gone." Drill Boy hesitated but decided to retreat back inside the station. As worried as he was, he was too tired to go flying after the German Brave.
...
Sitting at Deckerd's desk the following morning, Radiant Prism needed to talk to him about yesterday. She'd thought back on a couple of things and intends to inform Deckerd about the slight change of plans but had to wait since he was either still at the Tomonaga residence or was still dropping Yuuta and his sisters at their respective schools. As she waited, she thought back to how hasty she sounded to the Brave Detective in wanting to contact the Scotland Yard. She intends to tell Deckerd, that rather than follow up immediately with the plan, she felt that if she could put a stop to the Silhouette Man instead, then it would feel like the right moment to transfer. Wherever that criminal was, she couldn't wait for them to get their servos on him and ensure he's deported back to Germany. 'Hm... If we are successful, I will have to contact either Surge or Blazer to take in Silhouette Man and if we're lucky, his lackeys as a bonus to take them to jail...' She thought.
'Unfortunately he's not a simple man to intimidate... That guy...' She thought.
She shivered at the thought of what Redlight said to her in that nightmare she had last night. Something about it was unnerving and terrifying even though it wasn't real. What she did know was that if there was a moment where she would be forced to go up against Redlight, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to damage let alone take down the Pride of Germany. To her, she'd know Surge would take offence... But as for Blazer? She couldn't tell, he was an easy-going Brave who enjoyed his high quality premium fuel. As she drifted back into her thoughts, Redlight's words echoed over and over, repeating until they were nothing but mumbled words that couldn't be made out anymore. When someone grabbed her pauldron, she jolted on being brought back to reality. "Radiant Prism, are you alright?" Deckerd asked.
Getting up, Radiant Prism moved away from Deckerd's seat. "Yes, sorry Deckerd... Just a lot on my mind. Anyways, I want to talk about before. About the-"
The sound of the door knob on the human sized door turning and opening could be heard as Saejima and Azuma stepped inside drew their attention to them. Their expressions were an easy tell-tale sign that they had some bad news to tell them. "Apologies for interrupting any conversations everyone, but there is a problem."
"What's the problem, Commissioner?" McCrane asked.
"It's about the results we found regarding Black Market Super A.I." Azuma began, the information clearly bothering him as he adjusts his glasses. "After extensive tests were made on Radiant Prism last week after Kagerou returned not only with Yuuta, but also Radiant Prism, we came to the conclusion that considering how the criminal managed to- In theory to be precise, used a mole to illegally steal a copy of the Super A.I. data without anyone noticing something was amiss. With no word from Berlin, we can't say for certain if they may have found the criminal's mole. But the main thing we're worrying about is that this stolen copy could have been passed over to selective targets of interest."
"Meaning that in the future, we may see something similar to the Chieftains once again but fortunately not to the extent of a large army similar to what the Fahrzeurgs did." Saejima explained. "But we may be looking at something similar how we fought the first two Chieftains in the past. While it's uncertain about the backstory between the Silhouette Man and possibly Gustav if he's confirmed to be one of the targets, this is for now solid proof enough that we may see ourselves reluctantly fighting robots with Super A.I.s reformatted for crime rather than justice..."
"Why..." Radiant Prism turned away. "Why... I-I get that this is a serious issue that we might have to fight others like us, but I feel like it's all because of me that I'm making things much more complicated for you guys, or even the entire world! ...Even if I haven't done anything." She turned her attention to the Commissioners. "Why can't anything go right for me at least just once in my life!?"
"Radiant Prism what is the meaning of this!?" Azuma snapped. "Cease this behaviour immediately and get back in line or we will have no choice but to-!"
Azuma immediately jolted on Radiant Prism suddenly looming in closer, a stare unlike any other. "To what, sir?"
"Stand down, Radiant Prism." Saejima ordered, straightening himself while managing to professionally avoid expressing physically that what she did scared him to some degree. "This isn't anyone's fault, nor your fault."
"I can't stand down, sir!" The German Brave gripped the edge of the loft. "The information the Silhouette Man gave me... Gave us... Theories or not, it all feels like all of it is my fault even if it isn't...!" Without warning, Radiant Prism hastily left, clearly needing to go and calm down. "Wait, Radiant Prism!" Saejima called out, but sighed once she was gone. He needed to take a moment to ponder despite Azuma egging him about that she needs to be put in her place for lashing out at a high ranking officer of the Police Department. "Enough, Azuma." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. After thinking things out, he requested Deckerd to have a talk with Radiant Prism. "Please find out what's going on with her, while I'm aware she tries to hide it but I think something is triggering her to become more volatile to the point that she'll lash out at anyone."
"Yes sir. Please excuse me." Getting up from his seat, Deckerd took his leave to find Radiant Prism.
He didn't need to search very far as he managed to find Radiant Prism up on the rooftop once he made it up. "Radiant Prism." He addressed, approaching her. He needed to speak with her, that she had no right to lash out at the Commissioners. While Azuma may have moments of going too far, lashing out at a human in general would certainly be bad optics on the news if that happened in public. "Radiant Prism, answer me." He watched as he got closer, she began to stagger slightly nor register as much. "I-I'm sorry..." Without warning, she leaned over to the side and vomited. Knowing that this sort of thing was severe, Deckerd called up the mechanics about vacating a dock for her to use as something's wrong. When Radiant Prism growing weary to stand, Deckerd was quick to catch her before she fell.
'Agghhkk... She's hot to the touch...' Deckerd internally yelped as Radiant Prism's overheating body stung, helping her sit down. Every part of his systems flashed warning signs about bring near extreme temperatures and relaying the information to his HUD that the extreme heat is due to the German Brave. 'Rather than overheat from trauma like McCrane she's instead overheating from stress. I need to get her down to the repair bay." Bracing himself for having to help Radiant Prism despite how painful it was to touch her, Deckerd helped Radiant Prism back up to her feet. Unlike before, she didn't seem to resist or lash out, but instead following Deckerd's instructions to whatever he needs her to do as she wasn't responding much. Shuffling himself and the foreign Brave both towards the lift and calling for it, Deckerd made a mental note to get the rooftop cleaned later as the lift doors immediately opened due to having not been used by anyone else. After getting both himself and Radiant Prism in the lift, he took it down to the repair bay where the mechanics have already set up a dock for him to place the German Brave on.
"Be careful, she's unusually hot to the touch. I might recommend some protective gear to prevent accidentally burning yourselves." He told the mechanics, taking his time to position Radiant Prism on the dock. After a few minutes, he backed away to let the mechanics work, but quickly noticed the blue colour on his forearms were distorted, most likely due to having kept Radiant Prism up to keep her from dragging her body on the ground. While the mechanics began their work on first cooling off Radiant Prism so that they can get a deeper look into what's wrong with her, Deckerd had to notify the others up in the office of what happened to Radiant Prism and intends to find out what's wrong but will be sure to hear an update of what he's missing.
It wouldn't be until a while later when a couple of the mechanics approach Deckerd, whom decided to relocate himself to a different spot of the repair bay. "Everything seems fine but it appears that she hasn't gotten proper sleep on top of suffering nightmares according to the information provided to us." Deckerd perked up on hearing this, listening to what the mechanics had to say. "What? Radiant Prism has been repeating nightmares that eventually caused her to decline overtime?"
"Unfortunately." One of the mechanics replied. "It seems that Radiant Prism has been experiencing a high level of stress. When we replayed most of her recent memories, it appears she wasn't sure how to find a solution for the stress building up about how Redlight would take the news about her..." Unable to continue, another mechanic continued. "Overall, she'll be fine but we also found that she hesitated to tell anyone about how she felt, even when Drill Boy asked her if she was alright last night. I think this seems to include that she was struggling about trying to deal with the nightmares she constantly kept getting. What is worrying is that most of them seem to focus on a black and gold coloured Brave, with the three parts of the feather joints painted in the likeness of the Germany Flag."
"Most of these dreams involved this very Brave seemingly 'killing' her." One more mechanic then pointed out.
"Nightmares? As for the other description, that sounds a whole lot like Redlight; The first Brave built in Germany. But this doesn't make sense... If Radiant Prism values- Wait..." Deckerd pondered for a moment, then spoke to the mechanics. "Were there any other surprises we somehow missed?"
"No, she's completely fine. There's no viruses or other issues." Deckerd nodded at this, relieved that nothing severe was wrong with her, but informed them that he'll have to wait for her to wake up so that he can have a talk with her due to having shut her down so she wouldn't overheat for the time being. It wouldn't be until a couple of hours that Radiant Prism woke up, slowly sitting up as she wondered what happened. As she's trying to piece everything together, she heard a voice address her that she was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stress she felt. Turning towards the exit, she saw Deckerd pull up into the station with Yuuta in tow and slowly she moved to sit on the side of the dock.
"Radiant Prism!" Yuuta climbed out of Deckerd's interior and ran up to the dock she was occupying. Because he was much taller than back when he was eleven years old, he could easily scale the dock. "You can't just up and leave! Deckerd told me what you were planning but you once said that the trio are your responsibility, right? Wouldn't the guy who caught me with his bio-monster thing also mean he's your responsibility to catch and arrest too considering that he's also from Germany like them?" Radiant Prism hesitated, but nodded. She turned her attention to Deckerd whom had slowly changed out of his vehicle form as to not startle the nearby mechanics. "Because the young Inspector reminded me, before the Commissioners interrupted by entering the office before I could say anything, I was actually going to talk to you about that." Radiant Prism looked away for a moment to think, then back to Deckerd. "I had time to think sometime after I asked you about if I could relocate to the Scotland Yard's station in the United Kingdom. ...I instead want to do that once the Silhouette Man is caught and arrested."
Deckerd nodded. "I think Regina would prefer that option over just flying there. Right now, we should get to the office right away. While you were unconscious, I left Regina a message that we'd like to contact her, and she answered about an hour ago that she's ready after I've picked up Yuuta. Can you stand or walk?"
Radiant Prism looked at Yuuta, then to Deckerd. She then offered Yuuta a servo, she watched as the teenager was confused for a moment but climbed into her servo. Next, Radiant Prism slowly hands Yuuta to Deckerd. "I'm going to try and see if I can stand up, but I'd like if you could keep him at a safe distance in case I stagger." She explained as Deckerd extended his servos to his best friend, who climbed in without hesitation. With Yuuta out of her servo and the two boys were at a safe distance, Radiant Prism slowly stood up but immediately staggered before she could stand up, adjusting her sweep-wings to re-balance herself. "I think I'll be fine, I just need to take it easy." She told the others, taking slow steps towards the lift. She would overhear one of the mechanics state that the Build Team are currently working on fixing the lift, suggesting that they try the stairs. Looking to the side, Radiant Prism hadn't considered the stairs since she'd never seen anyone take them let alone was aware of their existence.
That was, until she watched Power Joe and Dumpson come down. They briefly greeted Deckerd, Yuuta, and Radiant Prism then focused their attention on the lift.
Deckerd watched as Radiant Prism moved towards the stairs, then told Yuuta that he should head upstairs ahead of him. Understanding the situation, Yuuta nodded and when he was brought back down to the ground near the human-sized door, he went in and towards the office. Turning his attention to Radiant Prism, Deckerd began helping Radiant Prism up the stairs and when they reached the top, they could see McCrane and Drill Boy were currently working from the office floor. Drill Boy, who was distracted to hearing who came up immediately greeted Deckerd and Radiant Prism momentarily then turned back to help McCrane fix the lift.
Once they were in the office, Radiant Prism apologised that she couldn't keep herself fully stable, but thanked him for helping her. After the two of them greeted Yuuta who was at his desk, she was lead to where Deckerd pulled out Drill Boy's seat and had her carefully sit down. "Deckerd... I'm still-" She didn't get to finish when Deckerd told her that she shouldn't think about that right now, pointing out that she overheated from stress and he doesn't want her to do that again. "...Yes sir." She spoke in a sad, quieter tone.
Deckerd moved to his desk, making the arrangements to contact Regina. It didn't take long until the screen flickered on, revealing the blonde girl. "Good Afternoon, Deckerd."
"Good After- Err, Morning Regina." Deckerd greeted. Just as he was about to explain the situation, he paused on hearing Radiant Prism scoot towards his and Duke's desks. "Radiant Prism is right here." He said, then turned his attention to Radiant Prism. "Go ahead, tell Regina what you have planned." Radiant Prism hesitated for a moment, trying to push aside her fear, but started by switching to German knowing Regina can understand her. She expresses her desire to move to the Scotland Yard, explaining that she knows that someday she'll have to return back to Germany but expresses that she'd like to work with and perhaps learn more from her team if she allowed it. "...I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, but I genuinely want to relocate. I'm fully aware that I have no authority but I'm more than willing to help the Scotland Yard out until the day when I know I'll have to confront my own fear. However, I do intend to see the criminal known as the 'Silhouette Man' deported after catching and arresting him first. Hm, I'm not sure if he should be called by that name anymore, considering that we know what he looks like now."
Regina took the time to think about what Radiant Prism had told her. She had to think about how Radiant Prism could help out the UK while she's staying there for an indefinite amount of time until she decides to head back to Germany. After combing through a stack of papers she brought out, she then turned her attention back to the others. "Alright, I'll accept your request. As soon as the Silhouette Man is captured, don't hesitate to send me a message or an email. Alright?"
"Yes ma'am." Radiant Prism saluted. She watched as Deckerd and Regina exchange conversations in Japanese, it seems that from what she could pick up, the United Kingdom was in the middle of a joint-collaboration made in the Americas region. Which country specifically, she didn't know. All Radiant Prism could think of was that it's possible the United States was most likely their target of interest to start this collaboration similar to how Japan is in the middle of a joint-collaboration with South Korea. 'I think the Chief is still there...' She thought.
When the conversation ended and the communications have finished, Radiant Prism slowly stood up from the chair. She staggered at first but was able to stand up in a more stable manner. "Thank you Deckerd." She nodded, then hesitated on something else she had her mind on. "If you don't mind, I'd like to relocate to the firing range. I haven't been able to train with my handguns as much lately, and I'd like to refine my skill if you're fine with this."
"Are you sure, Radiant Prism?" Yuuta couldn't help but ask, concerned she might fall along the way. "You could barely walk..."
"I'm mildly shaky but I'm better than before." Replied Radiant Prism, drawing her attention back to Deckerd. "Sir?" Deckerd didn't answer right away, instead he was hesitant about leaving her alone in case she might stress herself again. Last he recalled, he did see Gunmax just after he left the office head for the firing range. "Alright." He said. "Go ahead."
"Thank you." Radiant Prism saluted then excused herself, leaving the office towards the firing range. Once she was gone, Yuuta looked over at Deckerd. "Deckerd, aren't you worried that she might stress if she's all alone? I couldn't help but overhear that."
"Yes, but Gunmax is still in the firing range. I can trust him to let us know in case she might overheat." He pondered for a moment, then decided that he'd let Gunmax know privately that Radiant Prism is coming to the firing range, and he could show her how to properly maintain her guns like he asked earlier. The Brave Detective only asked for one condition to be made, that he makes sure not to let Radiant Prism overheat from stress and to distract her with something else. His expression fell, the whole thing made him sad thinking that this was going to be a problem for a long while, and to some degree the Scotland Yard, too when she relocates with them.