Chapter description: Silver tries to talk 1 out of his plans. Billy and Erie continue where they left off with ARM. Then, Viktor is threatened.

Tags for this chapter:

Violence, BETRAYAL!, Political Coup

Bave began, with a solemn, but determined look in his gaze

18. We Do What We Must

Dave called an emergency meeting. Every THRIVE member would be there. Between #2 - 81, 83 - 134. Every single side character who was considered mature enough. And that outsider, Denied Cellar, who Silver thought of as gullible, willingly joining such a sham of an "Initiative".

Since no one else took the bait, Silver almost felt pity. Almost.

As for those from his own copy, they were just following orders. Silver was sure none of them actually embraced this whole thing. Dave was far too powerful to be stopped, even before now. If the gem turned metal had to guess, it all started when his old teacher decided to go, as they called it, "future mode".

Yes, that's probably when it began.

Going from one game to another was basically unheard of. But to be fair, once more Dave games began to crop up, it did feel important to establish something in order to visibly distinguish themselves. So, a partial mix of The Future Is Here it was.

Dave was now a flying cyborg. PlayRobot became a scientist, surpassing far beyond her original purpose. Spike seemed to like being holographic. Green Alien Monitor, meanwhile, had very little changed. Gotta Sleep, none at all, as there was pretty much nothing new. Nor Cell (Or "Error" as he used to be known), for he lacked a counterpart to base anything off of. Thankfully, he didn't want to, anyway.

And Silver, well… He figured it'd make him stronger. And until the day he met an actual Silver Man, he naïvely believed it. Each of them had mentioned various, negative things.

"THE FUTURE SUCKS, ACTUALLY"
"MY DAVE WISHES HE COULD GO BACK"
"SILVER IS A SOFT METAL, SORRY"
"I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK AGAIN"

Among other statements that quickly made him regret his decision.

When asked, Dave said, concerned, "Why would you want to do that? Besides, we can't - your model and code's already been overwritten to save on the domain's storage space. You'd have to find another Diamond Man willing to cooperate."

By "cooperate", he meant to copy their attributes for his own. Even if nothing bad would happen, it still felt wrong. So Silver never brought it up again.

Then, the other Silvers mentioned something.

"IT WILL NOT BRING BACK YOUR MINERAL"
"BUT MAYBE IF WE WERE ALL ONE PERSON"
"WE WILL BE STRONGER TOGETHER"
"YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO TALK ANYMORE, THOUGH"

Even so, he took the plunge. From there on, any time a new Silver appeared, they were given the same offer. It turned out that this method, merging, did well to keep the aforementioned storage space lower, so Dave allowed it when Silver requested a larger model.

And if he was going to look after the other Daves, then Silver decided to do the same with the gems. He didn't mind, as it gave him a little less to worry about.

Once THRIVE started, however… Silver couldn't stay there anymore. When asked why he was moving out, Silver lied, "IT IS GETTING TOO CROWDED".

"… Very well," Dave reluctantly permitted, "Just be sure to attend our meetings."

In hindsight, the fact he didn't even try to keep him around was disheartening.

There was nothing in the Webspace that could house him, due to his great height. Additionally, he didn't want to have to use one of Dave's house cubes, for complicated reasons. Worst of all, the hard way, he figured out that he couldn't build anything.

He nearly panicked from the failure - almost like Dave knew this would happen, knew it wouldn't work out, knew Silver would just go right back to him. To the one place that could accommodate.

Then, from the rocky part of the shoreline, someone had heard his yelling and punching at the ground. "Are… You alright?" It'd come from Billy, who maintained a distance of at least fifteen meters. Vaguely, Silver remembered him; the weirdo who thought he could take 82's Dia away, until the young diamond explained the situation.

One thing led to another, and soon Silver watched as a dozen more Billys arrived at the scene, effortlessly constructing him a home of his own. They worked like a robust colony of ants. How many of himself did he have, anyway? Dave could only dream he was this efficient.

The end product was more closely resembling a hut, but it was just what he wanted. He couldn't be happier. Any and all previous quarrels and suspicions were immediately dropped and forgiven. He even scooped up as many of the Billys as he could into a hug, and Silver wasn't known to be one.

After bidding the well-made robot(s) farewell, he settled in. He wondered how Dave would react, once he realized that his metallic ex-student wasn't going to return.

And that pendant? Buried in his inventory, unless he needed to keep up appearances.

Not long after, he would take in two other minerals - Gold from 99, and Ruby from 77. Both claimed that their Daves were "becoming weird", and they didn't feel safe. Although his hut was made for him and him alone, the larger space allowed them just enough room.

But they were brave, running away like this. Who knows how many more characters wished they could do the same. Dave's "Initiative" was tearing copies apart, not uniting them further. Could he not see it?

Finally, back to today. Every time there was a THRIVE meeting, Silver practically had to force himself to attend, and sit there in silence as Dave babbled on about the plans. He could swear his old teacher was slowly going crazy, but was utterly oblivious to it. This viewpoint couldn't just be his, either, but he wouldn't doubt being in the minority.

However, this gathering was different.

"Alex nearly breached the school, as you're all aware," Dave began, with a solemn, but determined look in his gaze. "Which means we will have to be ready to perform the coup ahead of schedule. I know that not everyone is prepared. For those of you who are, it is now your task to help the rest catch up. Instead of our projected date, we will now strike in three days' time, at 9:32 AM sharp. Mark your calendars."

For once, this news caused an outcry. But there was nothing any of them could do.

As for Silver, if no one else was going to give Dave his much-needed intervention, he might have to. But first, he had to put his thoughts together.

It felt weird, only having one of his vessels active. But if what Erie mentioned previously was true - and Billy wholeheartedly believed her word - then there was no point not to. He was going to need that optimal focus, and the straightforward narrative that comes with not having a bunch of events occurring simultaneously. At least this way, he could help minimize the time required to sort and place all the memories into his mind.

Still, being used to multitasking made him feel so… Empty. There were several dozen things he could be doing at once, but cannot. He tried to keep steady.

"I'm aware that I've asked you eight times," The well-made robot recalled with ease, "But are you positive you don't want to come with me?" While he knew how Dave felt about Erie in general, he hoped his trying to include him came across.

"Yes, Billy, I'm sure," He could hear Dave suppress a groan. Ah, nine was one time too many. Got it. "Besides, I'll be fine on my own. In fact, I think I'm almost completely recovered now!" To test this, Billy brought out a small rubber ball, tossing it at Dave from meters away. Quickly, Dave caught it with a "Ha!", before throwing it back to him.

"You're right," Billy then nodded after grabbing it, "It's just… If something were to happen, I won't be able to do anything." With a frown, Dave wheeled over to him.

"Are you antsy?"

"Maybe. The last time there was only one of me, it was when I first moved here. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that I'm restless."

"Oh, my," Dave gave him a soft grin, taking the well-made robot's free hand into his. "I think I get it. Well, in the chance that I do need anything, I could always ask somebody for help! But in any case, once you're all finished… What you could do is wake up another of your selves and let me know!"

Billy could feel some of the tension easing away. Holding his partner's hand in return, a smile began to form. "I will do that." He paused. "I'm also unsure how long this'll take. It could be the entire day, or more. If I don't come back for a while, then…" Dave's hand moved up to his shoulder, expression unwavering.

"Then, I'll keep waiting for you. It's okay." After another moment of thought, Billy nodded.

"Alright, I'm off. 'Love you.'" As they separated, Dave waved, grin widening.

"'Love you too!'"

The day has arrived. Sunny skies, except with a few clouds to give it more variety. Perfect weather.

In all honesty, 1 hoped that the presentation alone would make Strobovski surrender. But there was always the likelihood that he would be too stubborn, so each and every THRIVE member participating in the coup was outfitted in sturdy, but light in density plate armor, flight compatible. Engineered himself. It favored black, with an orange accent. It was absolutely stunning, in his opinion.

And this was just for those who were going into combat. There was a section of others remaining who wanted to help, but couldn't fight for one reason or another, so he set them aside into another section - the orchestra. Turns out that Daves were commonly musically-inclined, when not teaching Algebra, or doing mechanical and/or technical aspects. Anyhow, those ones also got special force fields, guaranteeing their safety.

Thanks to them, Viktor will hear THRIVE coming.

The last few, who could neither attack or play instruments, worried that they would be deemed worthless, but it was not so. He gave them two options: carry an amp for the orchestra, or one of THRIVE's flags and banners. It was a simple design, with three vertical stripes; sky blue, white, and dark gray, from left to right. In its center, within the white stripe, lay the inverse triangle, in a light orange.

And they, the amp holders and flag-bearers, would also be shielded from harm, like the orchestra.

He remembered 35 suggesting throwing confetti, until 1 noted how someone would have to clean it up afterwards. 35 was about to retract the idea, but 57 and 101, both flag-bearers, volunteered. But one thrower wasn't going to be enough, so 68 joined in for the task. The whole exchange was amusing, but 1 approved of it. There were now confetti throwers and cleaners. Protected too, obviously.

While he wouldn't admit it, something as silly as making their airborne march as extravagant as possible was a weakness, one he couldn't overcome.

Even though many were unsure if they would be adequately ready on such short notice, 1 saw vast improvement in the time that followed. Impeccable, he described it. But all in all, he had to trust that they knew what they were getting into, what could happen to them. This was the part where they needed to take care of themselves.

9 AM. Various members were already filing out, the Daves having left their wheelchairs in the building's walls. They and others settled into their designated spots above the road. They'd been surprisingly fast learners, when it came to flying in the armor. Perhaps it'll be all that's necessary.

Out of the many, Denied showed up as well, but from elsewhere. 1 repressed the urge to leer at him. But that came easily, when Silver called out to him.

"DAVE" 1 turned to him, finding that he'd snuck in from the back. He didn't even have his equipment on. Or in his inventory. "WE NEED TO TALK"

"Whatever it is, it can wait."

"NO" Silver was shaking his head. "IT REALLY CANNOT"

"If you want to drop out, just say so."

"THIS IS ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN THAT" Finally, the first Dave sighed.

"Then, let's make this quick."

"YOU ARE MAKING A HUGE MISTAKE" His former student started immediately, as if not caring if the other members saw his words. "YOU HAVE TO CALL THIS OFF"

"Too little too late for that. We're going over there, and making the most of our circumstances." Politely, they opted to ignore the conversation, and proceed as planned.

"THEY ARE JUST GOING TO GET HURT" The metallic giant continued, "AND EVEN IF YOU WIN, YOU WILL BE RULING THEM BY FEAR, NOT LOVE"

"The shock of today will fade with time. They'll come around. They'll understand."

"BUT YOUR GAME DOES NOT WANT THIS" Silver hesitated on writing out that sentence. "THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY"

He was starting to remind him of 82. So misguided. "I'm sorry, but there isn't. We must."

"PLEASE, DAVE" Now he was keeping him from flying through the Anti-Alex barrier. "IMAGINE IF YOU COULD RESOLVE THIS BY TALKING TO HIM"

1 stiffened up from the notion. "That… Is no longer possible. Now move, Silver." He didn't. Instead, his eyes began to glow, illuminating his face in the old, light blue of his diamond past.

"then, i am going to save you from yourself" As fast as lightning, 1 was snatched out of the air, storming the both of them back towards the inside of the school. Various THRIVE members yelled in surprise, trying to stay out of the way. "no matter what it takes"

Save 1 from himself? What was he implying?! No, he clearly didn't understand.

"Silver! Unhand me this instant!" 1 struggled, his former student somehow thwarting his attempts. "Don't make me use force!" The last thing he wanted was to lash out at one of his own, but if it was necessary…

Silver ignored him, as he barrelled into the atrium. The remaining members could only cling to the walls, in hopes of not getting in the middle of it. He stopped in its center, unsure of where to go, but his lapse of focus was an opportunity. With a single unrestrained hand, 1 pulled at the titanium floor, a chain morphing from it and striking Silver. It set 1 free.

"This is your last warning," He spoke over the distorted cry, just so it wouldn't affect him, "Do not test me." He didn't move, so 1 went to leave

And Silver gripped his leg. Then threw him into the back corridor. The sheer velocity prevented him from restabilizing himself, crashing to the ground roughly. And like a knife cutting through air, the metallic giant charged, intending to stomp him.

Just like when anyone dared to mess with the gems.

There was no talking him out of this. 1 was a threat to him now. And knowing that was more painful than the impact only seconds ago.

But what 1 was going to do next, hurt far worse.

He managed to roll out of the way, taking to the air. Another chain burst forth, this time wielding it. He blinked the blurriness from his eyes, disguising it as flinching from a wound. "Alright, Silver. You've left me no other choice. I hope you're happy."

The clatter and clanging of the opposing metals was shrill on the senses, but neither faltered for long, adjusting to it swiftly as the two tried to weaken the other. For 1's part, he held back. Despite this, it made his metaphorical heart ache with each swing.

Their altercation took them to the auditorium. Silver had to keep from tripping over the rows of seats, but whenever he did, 1 would hide saving him from falling behind a failed grapple.

It didn't matter if Silver meant him harm. 1's only plan was to wear him out, and then

"Holy shit! Guys!" Someone came in, sprinting down the path between the seating aisles, nearing the stage, of which 1 and Silver were now upon. Denied. Ugh, that no-good scumbag. "Now's not the time! Stop fighting!" 1 detested how right he was.

Both continued their bout, 1 giving him an answer. "It'll be fine. Go back outside."

"This isn't right! Ya two could get really hurt!" Denied was climbing onto the platform.

"STAY OUT OF THIS, MERDEMON" Silver tried to push him off with his leg. But Denied wasn't stopped, instead scaling up the metallic giant like he was a tree.

"Okay, I'm gonna have to ask you about that later, but for now…!" Somehow, the wretched creature was physically separating them from each other, with his one arm and a foot. "Seriously, break it up! You're scarin' everyone! Sort your shit later, okay?! With words!"

With the heat of the moment quelling, a realization struck 1. Oh no. Denied couldn't. He shouldn't. If either 1 or Silver got any more aggressive in his presence, or worse, the merman might lose control. This was the exact kind of situation that would cause it. His ADAPT will jump right to HARMONIZE, and

As much as he loathed him, 1 will not be responsible for burning out his other eye.

So, he played along, backing off and disarming himself. "… Yes, of course. My apologies, I know not what overcame me just now. Let us move out." The blue idiot fell and hit the stage, but was undeterred, getting up fast.

"Please. I just want this to be over, man…" Satisfied, if one could call it that, Denied began to leave.

"I empathize. I too wish for this to conclude," 1 acknowledged dryly. Once their meddler was gone, he turned to Silver, tone softening. "Please, just… Stay here. Don't make this harder than it needs to be. I know this sounds terrible, overblown, perhaps even cruel. But it's required. Try to understand. This is for all of us."

If the confrontation ended here, that would've been swell. But it didn't. Silver squeezed at his torso, ramming his back against the wall. "then why is it tearing everybody apart"

The question left him speechless for a second. "What? What do you mean?!"

In response, his former student repeated the painful action, over and over. He wasn't sure what would give way first - him, or the wall. "your crummy initiative is driving wedges between families" Silver was seething, 1 barely managing to catch the words, "families that were perfectly fine until you came in and ruined it"

There's no way. Sure, he'd heard mention of 77 and 99 lamenting over one of their characters refusing to come home, but 1 had figured that it was some sort of private drama. Then again, it was only after the Gathering that anything like this occurred at all.

Was… Silver right about this? Did 1 inadvertently cause friction towards those he'd sworn to watch over?

He just realized that Silver had stopped, panting. 1 honestly couldn't believe his body held out, and pretty well at that. It was probably the armor.

"I CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT HOW MANY OF THEM WANT TO RUN AWAY" 1 saw when he was able to focus. Silver was crying. It's been years. "RUN AWAY FROM THEIR DAVES, WHO WERE ALWAYS CARING AND NURTURING"

It was wise to take his word for it. It might've even been the true reason Silver moved out. Why his own entourage allegedly wanted nothing to do with THRIVE itself. 1 gingerly rested his hands on Silver's. The metallic giant's desperation was almost too much. "I'm sorry, Silver. I had no idea. I really didn't."

"PLEASE" His former student begged, "PLEASE CALL THIS OFF, IT IS NOT WORTH IT"

Oh, God. 1 really, really didn't want to have to do this. If he refused, Silver would start pummeling him again. Denied might come back. Chaos would ensue.

So, 1 pretended to think it over, then gave him an agonized nod of defeat. "Okay. Fine. I will. We can tell them together, and figure out something else. If you want to, that is."

Once he processed the words, 1 heard Silver choke back a malformed sob, pulling him into an embrace, collapsing to his knees in relief. 1 held him in return. "THANK GOD, I WAS SO CLOSE TO THINKING YOU WERE TOO FAR GONE"

That only happened to unchecked Daves. 1 knew what he was doing. Well, if he ignored the tragic side-effects Silver just mentioned… But, he couldn't. Even so, as he said before, it was too late. There was not a single thing that could be done to stop the coup.

"Never, Silver, never. Not in a million years. I'm not going anywhere. Now then, let's head out." The metallic giant released him, letting him start his trek back to the atrium, then started to follow. But before he could leave the stage, he was stopped by a chain on his arm.

"DAVE" Then a second, on the other. "DAVE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING" A third and fourth, around his torso. "DAVE, NO, STOP IT, PLEASE" All of them yanked him down to his knees again. A pause. "you are a filthy liar, dave"

In order to do this, 1 raised his arms only as much as was needed. He almost couldn't face Silver. The tears he was able to repress earlier only broke through his dam once his former student wrote those last words. The only reason he knew what they were, was due to hearing the letters; each had a slightly different typing sound, of which he'd long ago memorized. In any case, Silver was correct.

Yet, he forced himself to look him in the eyes. "My apology was truthful. But we're in far too deep to quit now. Strobovski's leadership ends today. And you will stay here until this is done." He was doing whatever he could to sound collected and stern, but it wasn't working, no matter how much CPU he put into it.

But all he got in reply was a rambling stream of hostile verbiage and shrieks, of rage and sorrow, disdain and anguish. Several repeats of "i hate you"s, followed by "when i get out of here, you are dead meat dave", then "i will find you and i will end you", and lastly, "you cannot outrun the silver death".

By that point, 1 didn't regard him with any further response, leaving him behind and drying his face. Any longer, and he would've shattered.

"Yeah, I have no idea what that was all about," Denied sighed and said, after taking a swig of his water bottle, "But I think I broke it up."

"Gosh, I hope so," 119 remained concerned, bass guitar trembling in his hands as he squeezed it, in spite of the strap. Not long before, Denied had learned which game he was from - Fun Algebra Class. "I never thought things could get this bad, you know? I'd always assumed, well…" He paused, sheepish. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but…"

"Nah, go for it. I'm not gonna judge ya."

"1 just seemed so… On top of everything. Like he always knew what to do. And that his faculty and students were all… Hm. In-tune with each other? … No pun intended."

The merman snorted, lightly. "Perfect Dave?"

"Not exactly 'perfect', because that's not possible. More like… 'Ultimate Dave'."

"Ohhh. Yeah, yeah I getcha."

"But I suppose, even the 'Ultimate Dave' has his share of problems."

"That's actually kind of relieving," 2 piped up, next to them. Another Fun Algebra Class. Who was also on bass. "There's no way in heck I could ever live up to that guy, no sir."

"Hey, don't think like that!" 77 added, tsking. He had a keytar. "It doesn't matter when we came here, what game we're from, or even what we can or can't do! We may be a bunch of Daves, but we're also not, at the same time!" The others thought about this.

"So we are, but we aren't?" 119 asked.

"That's right!" Okay, no lie, shit was getting weird for Denied fast.

"Is he going to come back? It's almost time…" 99 lowered himself to speak to them, upside down. In response, 77 tried to push him back up.

"Ha ha, I know, right?!" He fretted, "But 1 will be real sore with you if he finds you out of place! Move it, please!" 88 retrieved 99, dragging him back by the legs.

"Sorry, so sorry!" He was uttering, "He misses you already…"

"And I will for every moment we're apart…!" The merman didn't realize 99 could be so dramatic. Then again, under the circumstances, 77 was the only one of their trio to not be in the soldier section. He had tried, but failed to meet the requirements, winding up in the orchestra instead.

And 46, a fellow House, put him through the wringer for it. "What if Tristan was in danger, huh?! What would you do then?! Run away?! I can't even look at you! You're an embarrassment to House Daves!"

As a result, the two didn't get along.

"If you're not too busy, would you mind making sure they don't… Um." 77 couldn't finish his question, but the merman understood.

"I'll keep my eyes peeled, dude." It would've been hard, since they all had matching armor sets. But apparently, the helm was able to display each of their numbers, like it was some kind of interface. It was honestly pretty cool.

"Thank you, Denied. I really appreciate it."

At last, they noticed 1 fly out, floating in front of the assembled army. As fast as he could, Denied zipped back to his spot, where the soldiers were. The time was just three seconds after 9:32 AM. Only barely late.

"Apologies for the delay. Is everyone prepared?" The first Dave asked his crowd, but it felt like a formality. Denied only hoped that 1 and Silver worked things out.

All who were able to, along with the merman, gave a salute. "Sir, yes sir!" The words almost reverberated. How many bystanders heard it, Denied preferred not to know.

"Then, it is time," 1 nodded. He turned, now to lead them. "As rehearsed! Orchestra, begin Song One! Forward, march! To Infinity School!"

"To Infinity School!" They echoed. The soldiers equipped their helms, lowering the eye protectors. The orchestra began playing the music. Down the streets they went, on their planned route. Denied did his best to not glance at passerbys, keeping his movements to a minimum.

From what little he did see, however, plenty were stunned by the sight. He overheard questions, some curious, while others more rude, but both were ignored. The Human players were especially losing their shit, but instantly pinned this as a "secret event".

Oh, if only it were as staged as they thought.

What he couldn't help but notice, was the overall shift in perspective. It was one he'd never seen before. Now that he thought about it, this might be how Billy saw things, a lot of the time - from the sky.

… He would be so disappointed in him, if he saw his brother like this. His whole family, too. Dad warned him not to, but he didn't listen. Rather than put an end to the fighting, Denied had only become another cog in 1's machine. Mutinous. Would they disown him? And even if they never found out, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

In any case, the merman had failed his mission. 1 was never going to reconcile with Viktor. Why did he think it was ever going to work? All he could hope for now, was that this would lead to a compromise. Maybe they just have to get it out of their system. That happens, right? … It probably won't.

But at this point, there was nothing he could do, except follow orders.

Within a few minutes, their destination was reached. Denied halted with the others, taking in a breath through his nose, as quietly as possible. Just across the road, Viktor's domain sat as always. Best case scenario, Viktor will roll over, and the unspeakable is prevented. But worst case… This whole area will become a patch of ruins, a fresh scar as a result of war.

The song ended. The merman watched as 1 tabbed to his megaphone. Of course, he had a speech prepared. "Viktor Strobovski! I, Dave #1, am here to end your abhorrent reign of tyranny! Do the right thing, and come out to surrender! It's time you resign! Now… Your move. It better be a wise one." He paused. "As for the rest of you, if you wish to not be involved, I advise you to vacate the premises immediately. For if your leader chooses to refuse my terms, I won't hesitate to use violence!"

He lowered the item to his side, waiting. Denied couldn't believe it - characters began pouring out of the building like their lives depended on it, fleeing through the gates as fast as they could. It was as if they knew that Viktor wasn't going to bend to 1's will so easily. Or they just didn't want to risk sticking around. Or both.

Once the situation calmed, nothing else occurred. 1 spoke more. "Not going to show your Tarwill face to your old friend? After all the trouble I went through to get here? Unbelievable. I don't appreciate that." He put the megaphone away, bringing his hands atop each other, like trying to slip them through a crack in a wall. Then, with visible strain, he parted them, but slowly.

The very next thing all of them saw - and the merman was unable to suppress his complete shock - was the outside walls of Infinity School folding in on itself, revealing its innards to 1 and his army.

The megaphone returned. "Have you forgotten the sheer magnitude of my influence?!"

From a nearby rooftop, Alex looked on, pleasantly surprised. So that's what that cyborg doofus was cooking up. How fun! A shame that the demon would only ruin it if he joined in, alas…

He hummed in thought, pulling out a chair he swiped off of some jackass, seating himself in it. He supposed he could take a break, and watch the carnage unfold. Oh, if only the Webspace was always like this! This was far more interesting than whatever bullshit it tries to tout!

A shame he didn't have any snacks. But, he accepted it; beggars can't be choosers.

With all the folks he could sense, Alex found the merman. It would've been nice, truly, to hunt him on his own, but when the demon really thought about it… Why do it himself, when someone just might for him? And if the perpetrator regrets it, he'll gladly take the fall. Consider it a generous offering!

So sit back, relax, and let the fun begin! Who cares which team wins? They'll all lose to him, in the end.

Billy was in utter disbelief. It couldn't be possible. It shouldn't be possible. How? Why? What was he supposed to do, or say? Would it matter? Was it even feasible to comprehend the very notion laid out in front of him? In front of Erie? In front of the both of them?

There were so many, at every which way. No expense was spared. The least he knew was that this, no doubt, was going to be vastly stacked against them. Who knew how long this would last, they had thought. Probably a while, they had concluded.

And would their combined might be enough to overcome the challenge?!

After what felt like a painstakingly long silence, Billy found something to say.

"That took a lot less time than I thought it would." Barely an hour.

Erie, next to him, broke from his sentence, wheezing in laughter. "I know, right?! We're, like, stupidly good at this! Years of memories, just like that!"

"And they're all in here! Where they should be!" Billy was pointing at his temple. "At the exact chronological spot! Down to the day! The hour! The minute!" He paused, briefly scanning through a sample of them. "And the best part?"

"Yeah?!"

"It really does feel like they're my own!" Erie pumped the air with her fists, while Billy reached into the back of his top, disconnecting the USB from the port, replacing it with its protective cover.

In the midst of their shared excitement, a ringtone went off. Erie let out a small grunt as she pulled out her phone. "Sorry about this. It's Viktor. Can I just…?"

"Oh no, of course! I'll be right outside." He turned and left, after seeing her grateful smile.

She answered the call. "Yeah? … Well, that depends. Why is everyone screaming, I can barely hear you. Is it Alex again?" Billy was hoping to not eavesdrop, but the name made him listen in. No, he tried to tell himself, it's not his responsibility any longer. They can handle it. They can handle it…

"He has a what?! How the fuck?! … That many?! Oh my God. See, this is what I was talking about!" The well-made robot was growing more concerned by the minute. "The bunker?! Don't put him there! That was his old laboratory, dumbass! … Look, I'll be right over, but I can't promise I'll be able to save your-"

Erie cut herself off, as a horrendously ugly sound of building materials tearing apart managed to seep through the phone speaker. It made her drop it on the floor in surprise. She must've picked it up, because it was in her hand when she exited the room, nearly tripping over him on her way down the hall.

"Shit-! Sorry, Billy," She apologized softly, but didn't stop. Her voice raised. "Alice! Come here! Security cams! I-Gate, 1, 2, 3!"

Upon the large, wide-screen television of the living room, the sight before the three of them was hard to believe. Their threat wasn't Alex, but 1.

And his army of Daves. Green Alien Monitors. Gotta Sleeps. Upon many, many other faculty-related folks from the game's series. All of them were in a full suit of armor (except for 1 himself, who was missing a helm), no doubt to protect them from what's to come next.

As for Infinity School, it looked like someone cut open the front side of the walls, and rolled them to the side. Surprisingly, there were far less characters within than normal.

Just by a rough estimation alone, Viktor's side was vastly outnumbered.

A once-buried instinct kicked in, the need to protect the populace. One after another, he awoke his vessels, from the storage floor of his lab, B4. They sprinted toward the elevator shaft, a pair holding the doors open, then a second for the other side. Billy after Billy flew out, reaching the surface. A fifth stayed behind, as the rest made haste out of the house. It will total out to 99, as always.

Back at Erie and Alice's, he snapped a screenshot of two of the three camera feeds with his ocular lenses. Then he uttered, automatically, "I'm going with you. If I don't, he will lose."

"Can you fly me?" Erie didn't oppose, as though she drew the same conclusion.

"Affirmative."

Home. "Billy? What in the world is going on?!" Dave had wheeled in, overhearing the organized chaos that was the well-made robot's departing cavalry. Promptly, Billy faced him, sending the photos to Dave's DMs. No time to crop them.

"It's 1. It would take too long to explain, so please look at your messages." Perturbed, Dave did, then covered his mouth in horror.

"Good lord…" He took a moment to process it. "… And I don't suppose Viktor and his friends would be able to tell the difference between a Dave who's on their side, and one who's not."

Billy didn't want to agree, but he wasn't wrong. "I… Wouldn't take that chance."

His partner deselected his phone, approaching and taking Billy's hands in his own. He was staring at them, in thought. "Billy." He mustered the will to look up into his eyes, face stern.

"Don't hurt them, okay? I may not care for them much, but I also don't condone their suffering," He paused. "Maybe it's because they were so lucky, and I resented that - gave myself any excuse to avoid them. I don't know what went wrong with me, but all was right in their worlds. I'd bet my bottom dollar that they've never experienced loss. And they shouldn't ever have to."

"You were jealous of them? Similar to how you were of me?" The questions were meant to be sincere, and not accusatory, but Dave winced anyway.

"... Yes," It sounded like it took a lot for him to admit that. "That's probably it."

"Well," The well-made robot held Dave's hands in return, tenderly. "To be fair, I didn't give you a very good impression of them. It's something that can be worked on." It took a moment, but Dave began to remember what he meant, his expression growing bittersweet.

"They're more than 'cordial'. They're kind. And they might just have a lot on their minds. When it all comes down to it, I'm the outlier."

"That's not a bad thing." At the statement, Dave huffed in laughter, reaching to cup Billy's face. He used to be warm, but not anymore. He has yet to explain what happened, but Billy wasn't sure how to broach the topic. He let his partner bring him into a kiss, returning it without hesitation.

Once he pulled back, he didn't let go just yet, keeping their faces centimeters apart. In a whisper, Dave said, "Sorry, I'm holding you up. Anyway… Their hands aren't guarded. One dart will do."

Truthfully, Billy hadn't noticed, but when he glanced at the screenshot in question and zoomed in, it was just as Dave claimed. What an unfortunate oversight.

With a grin, he replied in turn, "That was the idea. One dart."

Dave released him, chuckling a second time. "Not two. Not three. Not four. One!" With a nod, the well-made robot turned away to leave. This vessel will be late, but it mattered not.

More info:

- According to known sciences of metals, titanium is much stronger than silver, which is a soft material by comparison
- Real silver and gold is also not magnetic, which was the original plan of how I was going to have 1 trap Silver. Try seeing how your jewelry reacts!
- It can also be argued that the true stuff might still have a slight pull, meaning it's an alloy containing something else

- For everything 1 is, nothing brings him greater pain than having to hurt a Dave character, especially his own
- He is also still a Dave. Absurdity leaks through sometimes, even for him
- The meaning of THRIVE's flags: Sky blue for Daves from Fun Algebra Class, House, and Dream; White for Sky High Adventure; Dark gray for The Future Is Here. The light orange inverse triangle is the THRIVE symbol
- Why the sudden hatred for Denied? Hm…
- He's left his mark on tons of stuff, including Infinity School itself. Non-euclidean buildings don't mean anything to him when he can do what he does

- Very belated in explaining this, but Billy has two ports in his back. One is a standard outlet (for things that require electricity), the other is a USB (allowing a multitude of things, including Erie's ARM project, and charging)
- He can only adequately carry Erie this time around because she's conscious. When he was thrown outside in chapter 14, he had to wait for another of himself to show up to fly her on his own
- If not for this bullshit, Erie would've wanted to start using ARM full-time. Maybe later

- Dave not being "warm" anymore is a side effect of being made of nanites

- Denied's PURPOSE is revealed! But his elevation has a glitch. Should his other eye "burn out", he will no longer be able to at all
- Silver calling him "MERDEMON" refers to the demonic update

- Alex is always waiting for opportunities…

- Numbers can make it difficult to remember, but some Daves mentioned have been seen before (46, 77, 88, 99, 119). 2, as well as the confetti-oriented ones, are new however
- 2 is pretty much ordinary in every way
- 35 believes that the more effort is put into the march, the more seriously they'll be taken (and 68 just wants to join in on the throwing)
- 57 and 101 felt that sweeping would be more productive than merely holding flags/banners
- The objects, such as instruments, flags, confetti, and brooms can phase through the shields
- Ruby from 77 and Gold from 99 are, in fact, the ones Dia is friends with. The issues are still standing
- I've never directly mentioned this, but the Dave copies aren't numbered by the amount of games each, but rather, all games in general. So there can't be multiple "Dave #5"s, one from DFAC and one from TFIH, and so on
- And for the sake of brevity, all side characters use their Dave's number as well. So Gold is Gold 99, Ruby is Ruby 77, and Dia is Diamond 82