Dino Thunder: Chemical Beast!
Chapter 17: To great heights!
What created her anger? Loneliness can be a burden, but it can also be freedom? Social neglect. Unfair judgment. Harassment, abuse, and social rejection? Feeling like no one accepts you or understands you. She said I am the only one who hasn't called her a freak or pushed her away... Mesogog couldn't stop thinking about what she said and it bothered him, for human emotions stirred within him much to his distaste.
He replayed her words repeatedly in his mind when she told him to imagine himself in darkness and surrounded by others who refused to be near him. They don't look like me, think, or talk as I do. They reject me. He pondered for a while as he stayed on his throne, with his head down and his golden hues which stared into nothingness.
Over and over he tried to understand. She left him in a constant state of thinking, stating that she would leave him with that, for him to uncover the mystery. However, regardless of how often he thought about it and imagined it, all he could feel was anger. She claims it is much deeper than that. So what is it that is much deeper than my wrath over these miserable humans? These pathetic humans who somehow managed to be on top of the food chain despite how weak they are... Would I still feel the same about them if they were hybrids like me? Questions continue to pile on top of his mind like a stack of papers on a desk.
"Lord Mesogog, may speak with you?" In strode Zeltrax who stopped in the center of the room and gave him a respectful bow, with a fist to his chest.
"About?" He was in no mood to speak with anyone after what Amelia had said, but he approved nonetheless and made his way over to him.
"About your goals, your plans. My lord, if we stop the black ranger once and for all, the others will be at our mercy," Mesogog didn't care if the Cyborg followed him, as he circled him like a predator sizing up their prey.
"Zeltrax. I appreciate your commitment to revenge, but your obsession with destroying Dr. Oliver is getting in the way of my goal to capture the white ranger," Around and around he wandered, it was pleasant to him to see that his circling trek kept him in place like unsettled prey.
"But, Sir. What if I had a plan that would accomplish both our goals?" Zeltrax made little movement to watch his boss survey him like a vulture.
"I am not concerned with your goals," Close to the side of his face, Mesogog wanted to get his point across until a thought occurred. "But..." Continuing with his predatory walk, he began. "If you should happen to destroy Dr. Oliver in the course of serving mine... So be it," It was as though he wanted to make it sound like it was his idea entirely, for he reached the other side of Zeltrax and inched close to his face. On his way toward the double doors, he heard the Cyborg mumble a 'yes, master', just to halt upon the sight of the grinning redhead.
"Isn't that the same thing?~ You just wanted to make it sound like it was your idea, didn't you? Twisting his words around? Shame on you. That's still the same thing as 'Accomplishing both our goals'!" Hearing her laughter boom through his Throne Room and clap her hands, all he could feel was embarrassment that managed to fuel his anger.
He didn't waste another second to speed toward her. "Now, get back to work! And you- come with me!" Down the hall, he dragged the woman by her wrist, and he couldn't help but hear her surprised yip and quick steps of her new red heels.
"Heels! Heels! Hold on, please! You and your long legs- I swear!" Alongside her exasperated groan were a few giggles, it was pleasant to hear her struggle behind him and feel his ego puff up when she mentioned his long strides. The comment she made felt like a compliment of sorts, for his chin lifted and his free hand pressed against his lower back.
"I am taller than you... Which provides me longer strides," His grumble expressed his anger but it gradually faded the longer he was around her, and found himself more amused by her poor attempt to keep up.
"Well- can't you make your strides a little more tolerable?!" Squeaking out, Amelia tripped when she tried to pry off her other heel and it gave Mesogog a bit of a scare.
With a strong arm, he held it out and caught her, surprising himself in the process. Never in his life had he cared if someone got hurt. Confusion clouded his mind for a moment, had he not been a master at composure, she would've been able to see it in his eyes and question him if he was alright. He couldn't find any words to argue with her regarding her heels so all he did was remain quiet and growl at her outburst.
"I have questions for you! One- Where are we going? Two- Can we go deep-sea diving so I can look for ancient DNA regarding creatures not unearthed yet?! Three- What was the weapon you said you were going to make, that's stronger than a cannon?" Now on her bare feet, he watched her stand up straighter and give him her brightest smile. "Also, thank you for catching me! Now, can you let go of my wrist, please?" Slowly, he saw her lift her hand and watched her stare curiously at his claws that refused to loosen up.
"Question after question, there is no end to them!" Close to her face he snapped and hissed. His composure broke for a moment, so he had to take a second to breathe and turn his head from her worried eyes. "I can feel the disturbance. Anton Mercer wants to take control... So go back to the Raptor egg and note its progress," Growling, shaking his head, he tugged her along and made sure to make his trek a bit easier for her to keep up with. Once he saw her tan finger lift and her lips open to speak, he knew what she was going to do and decided to answer her other ones. "As long as your deep-sea diving trip doesn't hinder my goal, I see no reason to stop you. And I will reveal the weapon to you once it is finished," From his attire, he pulled out a test tube and shoved it into her hands, which she took, before he pushed her into the lab with the Raptor egg inside.
"Cool! Okay! I'd love it if you'd come with me when I go diving! Oh! Oh- oh- oh! Also- I want to do something fun with you, Zeltrax, and Elsa sometime!" He froze upon her energetic behavior when he saw her vibrant blues sparkle with joy and giggle as if he had already approved. "Pleeeease?! Pretty please?!~ It'll be wooooorth iiiiit!~ It'll be good for your stress!" Her making several inches closer to his face, made him want to lean to fill in the gap between their noses.
"What is it?" Annoyed, he was. If the constant lightheaded sensation didn't unnerve him, it was her need to speak during his struggles.
"Bungee cord jumping! I want to see if you got the guts to jump off of a skyscraper and not chicken out about it!" What she said wasn't something he expected to come out of her. His jaw slacked, astonished, but became more irritable when she started to bock like a chicken and make her elbows jut out.
Her chicken act went on for a solid minute, before he gave in, and yelled. "I will not do such foolish activities! Now either get back to work or be puni-" He hardly had time to speak when her chicken sounds reoccurred and her elbows flung about like a flapping hen, with several cautious steps back. "Very well... Should you fail to ease my stress then I'll see to your punishment!" It hurt his male pride to be called out like that, to be seen as a coward if he refused her offer, so he made haste and sped out of the room.
Several hours passed after that moment with her. Receiving word from Zeltrax about what Trent planned to do, put forth another plan in motion to capture the white ranger, and hoped to have it go smoothly. After getting his form back from Anton's control, he was on his way to his Throne Room when he saw the doors wide open, and a familiar voice reached his ears.
"So- we didn't win. Doesn't mean we still can't be friends," Mesogog's head leaned to listen in on the conversation, amused to say the least, that the boy thought he was getting somewhere.
"That's precisely what it means," Zeltrax answered, to which the dino man heard and moved to linger in the doorway.
"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you," Watching as the boy patted the metal on the Cyborg's shoulder, there was a bit of annoyance that bubbled up inside and made him shoot his telepathic wave. It was enough to make the boy grunt and groan in pain, for he watched him turn his head to him.
"It's never easy, for a father to punish his son," With a voice raised due to distance, he spoke up, and lowered his hand.
"You know?" Groaning, the boy's eyes squinting proved the pain he felt.
To say it was satisfying to see would be an understatement. "As do you. So, now we're all in on it!" With arms outstretched, he was about to continue when he spotted Amelia in the corner of his eyes and froze after she opened her arms in return.
"Aw! Hugs! Hugs! Hugs are nice!" To him with welcoming arms, there was a playful glint in her eyes when he saw her run to him.
Stiffened in place, every fiber in his being tensed upon her touch, and gradually lowered his gaze to look down at her content face. Of course, he was too taken aback to bring his arms back down, for he moved his head about like the dinosaur he was and stayed silent. If the awkward air wasn't enough to go by, his confusion and shake of his head were proof enough. After he looked back down at her and watched her peek up at him from her short height, the grin she donned, made a nervous reaction of his eyes.
"Whaaaat?~ You opened your arms as if you were asking for hugs! And if he's your son, I expected a fatherly embrace!~ Hahahaha! But I stole it!" It was amusing, to say the least. Her hugs weren't something he'd be able to get used to, especially when it was out of the blue like that. Once she let go, her dramatic bowing gesture and pointing toward Trent, made him shake his head and sigh at her antics.
"The only question remaining is... Who's side are you on?" Continuing with his lines, he made his way closer to the boy and inched to the side of his face. "Yes, Trent. Zeltrax told me of your agreement from the start. Loyalty is the most valued asset in this regime. An asset you have yet to demonstrate," As he explained, the memories of Amelia's moment when she saved him countless times from Solar and succeeded in many ways, came to mind. For he went from Zeltrax to look at the boy, with expectation evident on his prehistoric face.
"You can't take the word of a stranger over the word of your son. I'm with you Dad, all the way," Nodding, the tan boy did his best to reassure, but all it did was provoke a threat from the dino man.
"You had better be. Family or not, no one gets in my way!" Anger was clear in his words when he stepped closer to his son and glared daggers. But when he saw the redhead skip over to him, quite literally bringing an arm down between them to separate the two, it annoyed him and caused a growl to escape.
"Now, now! I know most families have trouble getting along, but that's no way to talk to your boy," Amelia's scolding finger in his direction, the frown on her lips, and the narrowing of her eyes told him that she wasn't going to let him give her any attitude.
If anything, it almost made him chuckle. Had he not contained himself and kept a straight face, he would've lost his composure at her playful and motherly act. "I will speak to him any way I please. Now... What is the Raptor's progress?" Past her shoulder, he cocked his head curiously, once his anger began to subside. He had her to thank for taming it, if she wasn't around he knew he'd be a stressed mess.
"Come here, come here!" Piqued interest reflected in his golden eyes when he watched her skip across the Throne Room, and stand in front of a chemistry station. As he made his way over, there was a flashlight to the side and saw her pick it up and flick it on. "Look!" Behind the egg that sat atop a heating pad, the light shone through to reveal the embryo's silhouette.
He didn't notice the awestruck face from Trent or the curious head tilt from Zeltrax, for he was too dumbstruck at the shape inside the artificial egg. His slacked jaw and frozen posture were proof. There was a shape of a stubby tail, tiny hands, and a baby raptor head that he could make out from the shadowed figure. "You... Have done the impossible, it seems. I was right to assume you would be able to pull it off," Not once did his astonished face ease, the slight tilt of his head and gradual steps closer for a better view, were enough to say that he was bewildered.
"Thank you, thank you! This is your baby after all! It has your DNA and it's not a hybrid like Stevie! Oh- and, I have a surprise for you! Since you've been such a good/evil dinosaur and listened to me during Solar's ambushes- I am making you a present!" The clap from her hands echoed throughout the room, there wasn't a second when her ecstatic smile would falter.
"Present?" If he were to say he didn't feel childlike curiosity, he'd be lying to himself. His attention darted between her and the egg a few times before he fully faced her.
"Yes! I can't tell you though, it's a secret.~ Although I am having a bit of trouble with the parts... But- I'll figure it out eventually. Now! Do you want to go bungee jumping with me now, or later?" From one side to the other, both index fingers moved and gave him an expectant stare that he couldn't stare at no more than ten seconds.
Averting his gaze, looking at a smirking Trent, and Zeltrax who sighed at her words, all he could do was grumble irritably. Debating whether or not to do it now or later was a hard choice to make, because he knew, either way, he'd have to do it, and if he refused she wouldn't let it go. However, upon seeing her flap her elbows like a hen and bock like a chicken, it riled up his anger to the point of hissing.
"Chickeeeen.~ You's a chickeeeen.~ Bock- bock- bock- bockaaaah!" Her mad giggles, mischievous grin, and embarrassing behavior pushed him to his limit.
Quickly to her face, the irritable exhale that escaped his hiss, let his breath brush against her skin and made her stiffen upon the proximity. "You dare mock me?! So be it. We will do it now!" Every which way, his head moved like a dinosaur as he spoke, and looked at Zeltrax who took a hesitant step back. "She wants all three of us to join her. Go find Elsa and meet us at the highest skyscraper in Reefside," He had to ignore the stifling laughter from Trent who walked away and the face-palm Zeltrax made to her antics.
"My lord. I believe Dr. Ray is about the only one that's able to get under your skin. Very well, Master. I'll look for her," His hand lowered when he nodded and did as he was told, and he left moments after.
~~~~
Time passed, school hours were over, and Amelia stood at the top of a skyscraper where she was able to look over the vast buildings below. Her hand covered the top of her forehead so she could block out the setting sun and observe the vehicles. "We're so high," Her whisper-yell caught Zeltrax's attention, but it wasn't enough to make her look at him.
"This is what you wanted," Over her shoulder, she peeked at Zeltrax folding his arms, and saw Elsa adjust the bungee belt around her waist. "I am not doing this," The shake of his head and hesitance in his movement when he stepped away from the ledge, made the redhead giggle.
"What's wrong? Afraid of heights?" She nearly forgot to tighten her belt so with tan fingers, she did, and almost missed the flinch from the Cyborg.
"No! It's just... I find it absurd that we have to do this!" His clenched fists and aggression in his movements told her that his pride was struck.
"Hehehehe.~ Come on, Elsa! Let us ladies show them how it's done...~ With style!~" The lab coat she wore was flicked aside and landed next to Mesogog's feet, which he glanced at before moving his attention to her.
"Might as well, while we're here," Elsa's smirk and fold of her arms, told the redhead that she was waiting for her to make the first jump.
So, she did, but not without striking a dramatic pose and falling backward with the cord attached. "Woo, hahaha!" Several stories down and before the cord retracted, she moved her body to make herself look as though she were laying on her side.
As soon as she flew up, past the ledge, she did a dramatic faint to her forehead and stayed in her lying position. "Ah- fabulous!~" Not even the force of gravity yanking her down was enough to break her from her pose, only until the cord reached its limit at the bottom and retracted. Another pose was struck, for she pretended to be superwoman with an arm in the air, a fist to her waist, and a knee bent. "Da- da- da da! Superwoman! Haaaah!" Her relentless laughter after she went back down, was caused by Mesogog's amused expression when his head followed her up and down the Skyscraper.
The adrenaline rush was something else. The gravity, the pull of the bungee cord, and the harsh wind against her made her feel so alive. I haven't done this in forever! It used to be one of my hobbies, aside from chemistry and doing lab stuff! I missed this! As she came back to the ledge, an idea struck, and she landed on the side with the help of Elsa who managed to catch her. "Thanks! Come on!" She wanted to encourage them to join her, with a hand gesture, before jumping backward with a cool flip and laughing on her way down.
Back up, as she hovered for a minute, she saw Mesogog make hesitant steps to the edge and watch her. "You're not a coward, right?~ Come on! Boooock- bock- bock- bock- bock!" Just before she fell back down she flapped her elbows and made chicken sounds, which seemed to anger the dino man. It was for a second when she spotted Elsa chuckle, walk backward, shrug at Mesogog, and allow herself to fall with the bungee attached.
"My lord... Are you going take that from her?" Dr. Ray wasn't aware of their conversation, but she knew when she bounced back up, she saw him talk to Meso and was soon accompanied by Elsa at her side.
However, the second she hovered, she yipped when he tackled her and tumbled down with her. "Aaah! Hahahaha! Mesogog! Why?!" Now Zeltrax was the only one left to jump, but he didn't seem to care if he was either. Amelia was too busy rolling around amid the fall and wrestling with the beast to notice Elsa laughing hard at their predicament.
"You are a daredevil," Just before the cord reached the bottom, their noses nearly touched, she felt him pull her close and heard him over the heavy wind.
"I knoooow!~ I don't care!" She knew nothing could be done about their predicament, their cords were tangled now and their proximity was a bit too close for comfort. It forced crimson on her cheeks and shy giggles before they were brought back up. We're so close! We're so close! We're so close! Eeeee! His arms are so muscly, too! Her body tensed the entire time and after they fell back down, they rolled about.
It pleased her to see Elsa laugh on her way past them, most likely due to their tangled position and how Mesogog refused to let go of her. No, it wasn't because he was afraid and wanted someone to cling to, but to pay her back for the constant belittlement of his male hood by calling him a coward and a chicken.
Back up again, they bounced and felt Mesogog roll them onto the top of the Skyscraper to land. However, it resulted in them wrestling, Amelia couldn't stop laughing hard when he tried to pry the belt off. He spent a moment tugging and uncoiling his cord from hers before he placed it back on. "You- my evil critter, are not a chicken anymore! Hahahaha!" Her wobbly legs from the adrenaline rush kept her from standing straight, so with her hand on his bicep when he stood, she made sure to use him as support and looked up at his face.
"I used to bungee all the time, in my world! It's one of my favorite things to do besides science.~" Grinning from cheek to cheek, she flashed him a smile and looked over at Elsa before she jumped and tackled her. "Elsaaaa!" There they went, back down, squealing, and laughing. She wasn't aware of Mesogog stepping off of the edge with his hands behind his back, using his usual composed posture, until on her way back up she felt a mass of muscle slam into her and push her back down. Elsa bounced back to land on the top of the skyscraper, unbeknownst to the redhead.
"Mr. Mesogog, why?! You're so heavy!" Amelia couldn't stop laughing, for they bumped into each other after they bounced off of the window panes of the Skyscraper, and ran into one another again. "Eek!" His arms wrapping around her pretty tight, made her squeak and come face to chest with the beast. Seconds afterward, they were brought back up and landed on the ledge of the building, standing. "Uh- you can let me go now," Heat could be felt rising to her cheeks, as she attempted to push on his chest to make some space but her efforts were in vain.
"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Zeltrax's murmur wasn't heard by the redhead when he asked Elsa, who undid the belt to remove the cord.
"Yeah. It looks to me that our master is showing signs of interest. At least, it looks that way," Neither Dr. Ray nor Mesogog could hear them speak, or saw the shrug Elsa gave the Cyborg.
"Mr. Mesogog? Can you let go of me, please? I'm pretty sure I won't fall off," Indeed, they weren't anywhere near the ledge now, since the beast strode away from it with her in his hold. When she heard him growl irritably and release her, a relieved sigh escaped, and her blush hardly faded. Why was he holding me like that? Hmm, maybe he was scared of falling off? Naaah, that can't be it! He jumped off willingly and he still has his bungee attached. Confusion set itself in her mind for the longest time, making her mouth pucker in thought and her eyes squint at the side where she saw the bungee tied on the ledge.
"I believe our time is up. We're going back to my lair," Now inches from her face, she leaned back in reaction and saw him lift a claw to twirl a red curl around it.
"Uh- okay? Sure! And I know my hair's hideous! I need to comb it, hehehe.~" With several steps back and making her way over to her lab coat, the cord's belt was stripped, and her coat was put back on. Why did he fiddle with my hair and get so close to my face? I know it's ugly and needs to be brushed again, so why did he do that? To get his point across that my hair's unsightly? A frown pulled on her lips at the thought, while she watched the others remove their cords, and saw Zeltrax shake his head. Well, bungee jumping isn't for everyone I guess.~ Then and there a small smile formed. If he had jumped, his metallic body probably would've given the cord a harder time to retract anyway so she didn't ponder too much about it.
~~~~
The more Mesogog pondered what she said, the more irritated he felt. He knew why she thought herself hideous, it wasn't that difficult to figure out since she continued to berate her appearance and hardly thought anything of his approaches.
As much as he'd hate to admit it, he found himself flirting without realizing it and strangely enjoyed her reaction. How she doesn't treat him like a monster, she treats him with genuine emotion, not afraid of him like Elsa, Zeltrax, and many others were. He was recalling her relentless giggles and the call of his name, how friendly she acted. Normally, something like that would make him cringe or detest it, hate it even. No matter how many times he'd threaten and become aggressive at her antics, she would always find a way to quell his anger or amuse him. Especially recently with the bungee jumping, it satisfied him to pay her back for calling him a coward.
Then the challenge she issued, was remembered. His head lifted just barely when he pondered what she said, how he would have to work on admitting to things that he likes while she worked on improving her mental health and expressing more of her anger. She has been improving. Showing her anger more... A brief thought filled his mind when he imagined her nonjudgmental bright eyes, her broad smile, and the bounces of her curls that he remembered were incredibly soft when he played with them. When he messed with her curls after she demonstrated the portal to him for the first time and just recently when he played with one.
There is something about her that draws me. What is it? This time he tried to find an answer to her question from before. I feel... Something. I am not familiar with it. It is the same thing I felt when I saw her in her raptor form a couple of times. I assumed it was attraction, but I could be wrong. All I feel is anger, and the anger I saw in her eyes was something I could relate to. Something that I can express and that she has trouble doing. Anger... What... Is deeper? What created her anger? What created... My anger? Red claws repeatedly tapped on the arm of his Throne, deep in thought, for his golden gaze stared into the space before him and hardly cared that an annoyed growl came out. However, his constant taps stopped and froze his claw an inch above the chair arm. Something dawned on him, it felt like he was getting closer to his answer. Rejection. No one is like me. I was furious after I emerged from Mercer because he wanted to help other humans... And it disgusted me. The more he thought about it, the pain in his chest became noticeable, and his claws gradually touched where he felt it. What is this? These petty, annoying emotions continue to distract me from my goal! These human emotions... Growling, his claws raked down the chair arm and left barely visible streaks in the metal.
He paid Elsa and Zeltrax no mind as they wandered about in his Throne Room and worked on their tasks. However, when the doors to the room opened, everyone's eyes moved to see a random Red Bull can being held up in the entryway. Amelia's hand and the can were all they could see until she spoke.
"Sorry! I drank some Red Bull! And you know what Red Bull does, right?" Mesogog's head tilt was proof of his curiosity and there was almost a sigh of relief when she came to save him from his inner turmoil.
"Red Bull... Gives you-" Anticipation made the beast lean over, as did the other two, just to see her run into the room covered in feathers. "Wings!" Striking a pose with an arm in the air and a hand on her hip, a leg pushed out when a large pair of bird wings sprawled dramatically behind her. Red and tan feathers flew everywhere and fell in a large circle around her.
Her sudden appearance was enough to make the goth nearby bust into laughter and the Cyborg groan, not without face-palming, of course. Mesogog had to admit that it was hilarious. Her flamboyant burst into the room, and the horrible pun, caused his shoulders to shake and cover his maw to muffle any chuckle that dared escape. He had to lay his forehead into his palm to hide his face completely, if he hadn't propped his elbow on the chair arm, he would've fallen forward.
"Thank you! Thank you! I tried my best! Turns out- the test tube he gave me, was from an Argentavis! Thanks to the radiation amount he put into the DNA, it was a success on the first try! How do I look? Ridiculous? Hideous? Or maybe even worse?~" Between his claws he peeked at her and watched her make several poses that she most likely believed looked ridiculous. What she didn't know was that he was staring with fascination and awe at how beautiful she actually looked and it easily calmed his wheezed chuckles the more he watched her.
The feathers that framed her face and covered her ears, blue eyes that resembled a bird's, sharp talons instead of blunt nails, and soft feathers around her shoulders. So. The bit of DNA hardly had enough to spread throughout her body to make her arms fuse with her wings, interesting. He couldn't break his gaze from her. To see her true talent before him again, tickled his scientific curiosity. What he hadn't understood, was the attraction that bubbled up in his chest, something he was questioning before and was wondering if it was more or not.
"When can we go deep-sea diving?" As soon as she relaxed and dropped her current pose, her head tilt caused the beast to nervously avert his gaze.
"Tomorrow... If you find nothing, then our trip would be a waste of my time. Time... that I could have spent planning against the Power Rangers," Returning his gaze to her and watching her eyes glisten with joy, once again set him off guard. There she goes again. Her smile... No matter what I say, she always seems to smile at me. For once his eyes softened and when he leaned back into his seat, he never took his attention off of her. Some form of a smirk tugged on his jaw, it was something Amelia would never find out about.
"Yay! Yes! Okay! I have some dance practice with Stevie to catch up on, so I'll see you guys later!~" Dr. Ray's wings flapped upon her skip when she merrily left the room, swaying her hips and head along the way.
Dance practice? That was the final thought that crossed his mind. Now that was something he had to see. A dancing hybrid, or dinosaur, piqued his interest, to say the least. It may not have anything to do with his goal to bring Earth back to its former glory, but would serve as good entertainment for him and that was something he needed besides thinking about the Power Rangers all the time.
~~~~
"Sir, the Cyborgs are ready. Should I prepare them for the retrieval mission?" Miss Jamie who spoke over Ace's com, was nervous to so much as speak to him.
The said Facility Head was busy eating dinner when he saw her face appear on the holographic screen and nodded to her question. "Yes. And I want to send an extra- a third just in case. If they're able to wipe out a single Assassin then I want the most I can use without wasting resources- to get the job done! If that fails then I'll go to her personally," With a quick sip of hot coffee in a silver cup, he took another bite of what seemed to be Teriyaki in a metal container.
"Yes, sir. Right away!" It wasn't long before Miss Jamie signed off the com and let him eat in peace. Well, as much peace as he could get if he didn't count the rampaging thoughts of the stubborn redhead and the annoying dinosaur that accompanies her.
C71.9X Replica should be a good third option. Since its malfunctions are worse off than its better version. Pondering, and planning, he hoped his last-ditch effort to bring her back would work because the mere thought of having to risk his neck going after her himself, made him annoyed.