"Of all the stupid, irresponsible, reckless, ignorant-! I can't even begin to find enough words for what the hell you're trying!" Artorian continued to shout, visibly angry as he closed his eyes and hit his knuckles against his forehead.

"Artorian-"

"How could you even think of putting a variable suit on!? Even more on trying to activate a Hundred!?"

"Artorian."

"The fact, the fact! That you willingly put that on is just the icing on this entire shit cake! What the fuck were you thinking when you agreed to this!?"

"Artorian!" Charlotte shouted, grabbing Artorian and pulling him back from Karen. "That is enough!"

"No, it isn't!" The hybrid growled, yanking his arm free and turning to the woman, pointing to her. "You of all people should know why her activating that Hundred is the worst mistake she can make! And not only do you specially make one, you keep the fact she had energy a secret from me!"

"My experiment data is accessible to you! You were informed the moment we found traces of energy in her!"

"Bullshit! We both know if I knew I would never agree to this!"

"You authorized her energy recovery though, Artorian you know we wouldn't do something like that without you knowing." Sakura tried to defuse the tension, her hand touching his arm but flinching back when he turned to her.

"I never saw anything about that! If I even heard about an energy recovery for Severance I would've said no immediately!"

"Why do you get the final say!?" The whole room went silent when Karen shouted in response, the three looking to the girl as she held her variable stone. "I have energy, I could use it to get better quicker! And even using a Hundred could make me move freely! It's my health, so why do you get to decide what's best!?"

"And how the hell do you know it's the best?" Artorian questioned, the air chilling as his tone lowered. "Are you suddenly an expert on Severance? Have you looked at every necessary treatment and operation? Have you seen the countless ways it affects the body? Have you seen the deterioration it puts people through?"

"I've lived with it for eight years, I know more than-"

"Extreme muscle atrophy, Vrolik's disease, organ failure and liquification, nervous system breakdown, brain tumors, blood contamination; all of those you could've died from in the past six years." Artorian listed off. "Meanwhile you've been struggling with the simplistic issues; weakened muscles, fatigue, and minor decrease to bone density. You may have lived with Severance, but I needed to know everything, EVERYTHING, so that you got the right treatment. So don't think for a second you know more than me."

"And you also got all of that from doctors with far less capabilities!" Karen argued, not backing down amidst Artorian's cold stare. "The amount of tests I've taken, the constant need for surgery, last minute operations; you weren't there for every single thing that happened! And now I have the chance of fixing this with far less risk!"

"That Hundred is the greatest risk to your life! By the gods Karen, listen to me on this!"

"It's my health, shouldn't I at the very least have a say in this!?"

"Your health is my greatest concern! I have fought tooth and nail for you to get this far, but what you're doing now, everything goes down with it." After the recent shouting, Artorian's voice went back to normal, looking to Karen sternly as he continued. "I know you're anxious to get better, it's so close that you can't wait. And because I know how much it means to you is why I can't let you do this. I won't let you do this as long as I'm watching over you."

"Well maybe I don't need you anymore!"

She wanted to take it back. She wished she could take it back. The moment the words left Karen's mouth the entire room went dead silent, everyone's eyes widening at the outburst from the heat of the moment. It was a split moment of anger that the girl wished she never said. She saw the initial hurt in the hybrid's eyes, almost feeling the verbal knife twist in his gut over the weight of what she said.

"…Okay then." Eventually Artorian's face turned neutral, the worst that it could be as he looked to the girl. "That's how you feel? Then fine, go through with it. You are sixteen, in Yamato that makes you old enough for children. And if you're old enough for that, I guess you can handle these responsibilities yourself."

The cold indifference in his voice hurt the girl more, unable to do anything as her childhood friend turned and began to walk away. All she felt capable of was watching in pain, tears slowly forming in her eyes as he reached the door.

"Artorian wait, don't do this. She didn't mean to-!" When Sakura reached for the boy to grab his arm, she recoiled at his decreased body temperature. It felt ice cold to the touch, having her flinch away as he placed a hand on the door.

"She meant it enough to go behind me like this." He responded to the idol, not bothering to turn around as he stepped out. "If she wants to throw everything away for a quicker recovery… that's her choice." He then slammed the door behind him, the room feeling barren now with the hybrid gone.

"I… I didn't want to… I didn't mean to…" Karen began to cry, tears flowing down her face as she looked down to her variable stone.

"I know, we all do." Sakura said gently, going to the crying girl and hugging her gently.

"I hurt him… Sakura I hurt him…"

"You're both hurting, it's okay." She whispered, trying to calm the girl.

'All this over a misunderstanding.' Charlotte thought as she sighed, taking her lollipop stick out and throwing it away. 'How could he forget about the operation process? I sent it to him two weeks ago.' The scientist would abandon her thoughts for the time as she turned to the crying Karen, knowing she had a set of priorities to handle first as she went over to help Sakura comfort the girl.

"So he just… walked away?" Reitia asked, baffled by the information given to her.

After the dispute over her condition, Karen had been wheeled out by Karen to get lunch. When they reached the cafeteria they were greeted by Reitia, Matthew, Emilia and Touka, the four having their meals before seeing the sadden appearance of the Kisaragi.

"Yeah, he just blank stared before leaving. Barely said a word…" Sakura finished explaining, looking down sadly while Karen sat silently, the girl having not said a word since they got there and idly poked at her food.

"I can't believe that, Artorian just always seemed so… patient with us." Emilia said, surprised to have heard the fall out. "I mean, he had his moments, but I never thought he would just… I don't know…"

"Walk away?" Reitia guessed.

"Yeah..."

"I get it." Matthew stated, continuing to eat his sandwich without concern. "A mistake was made, and now the burden of repercussions follows swiftly."

"Matthew!"

"Tell me that for Artorian to walk away from her means it was something small." The hybrid responded to Reitia, pointing to Karen as the girl lowered her head in shame. "She said something she shouldn't, but she didn't even bother to correct herself. This is of her own doing, her responsibility."

"But still, you can't just push everything on her like that."

"I'm not going to hold her hand. And none of you should either." He stated, turning his stare to the ever-shrinking Karen. "Either find him and apologize, or move on and do what you said. Beating yourself up about it doesn't get you anywhere."

"You can't honestly just say it like that, they've known each other for all of her life." Emilia argued.

"And given his circumstance, she'll have to know a world without him." Matthew stated, a painful sting to everyone around. Although while Reitia and Sakura took it as his placement within the Slayers, Emilia and Karen knew exactly what he meant.

"Listen, if you want an honest opinion all I'll say is this. Go for it." The hybrid continued, getting Karen to look up to him. "You're sixteen, and are well aware of the fact that Artorian isn't going to always be there for you. So you should go through with whatever you have planned for the Founding Festival, make your mark."

"You have one shot at this, make it count." Matthew finished, standing up and taking his tray as he started to walk away.

"I… I better go with him." Reitia said, taking her tray as well. "I'm sorry he just went on like that Karen, Matthew's very numb to these kinds of things." She apologized before walking off, leaving the three to themselves.

"Jeez, that guy really never can read a room." Sakura muttered, looking to Karen and seeing her look to the table. "Hey Karen, don't listen to him. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"But he isn't…" Karen responded, Emilia and Sakura looking in concern as she spoke. "I did mess up… and I didn't even apologize to him. I have to make things right with him, in the right way."

"What are you going to do?" Emilia asked.

"Exactly what we were planning on doing." Karen said, her eyes narrowing in determination. "Sakura, we have to get to Char. We only have two days to prepare."

"Are you certain Karen? Don't you want to try and find Artorian first?"

"We… we wouldn't be able to find him." Karen answered. "If Artorian wants to be left alone, he'll find the hardest place to locate him. And I… I think we both need some time to breathe."

"…Okay, if you're certain." Sakura said, smiling to Karen as she stood up. "If you think it will help, we'll just have to put all our heart into it! Let's get to rehearsal!"

"Y-Yeah!"

"Sorry Emilia, we have work to do!"

"O-Okay… see ya." Emilia awkwardly waved to the two, the idol wheeling Karen away to leave the white-haired Slayer by herself. She sat alone for a few moments before pulling out her PDA, selecting call and holding it her head.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I need a favor. You can track PDA signals, right?"

"Seriously? You're playing that again?" Krovanh asked, laying on the couch on his side.

"What? We've done nothing but sit around for weeks, don't judge." Nakri responded, sitting in front of the TV, playing a racing game. "I can only mentally prepare myself so many times before I lose it."

"…It looks fun." Nesat said, looking up from her sketchbook to look at the screen for a few seconds, his right brow wincing before looking back down to her work.

"Do you wanna join in? There's more controllers." Nakri informed, looking back to her cousin.

"Can't, it hurts my eye."

"Oh yeah… I guess it's still sensitive without your usual eyepatch." Nakri sighed, looking back to her screen with her shoulders slumped. "These AI are programmed horrible, how could it make it this far?"

"Dr. Dimandias unfortunately doesn't have a great choice in games, sorry if they aren't that good." The three Hunters turned their attention to the door, seeing Chris and Mei Mei enter with their usual lunch, Nesat going back to her sketchbook while Krovanh narrowed his eyes. "Krovanh, it's been weeks now. Do you really have to glare at me every time I enter the room?"

"Didn't realize I'm supposed to act nice to the enemy."

"We've been over that too…"

"Whatever, we aren't bothering with playing your games." Nakri growled before turning back to her screen, continuing with her game.

"That's Race Devil, isn't it?" Chris would ask, noticing the game the Hunter was playing as he finished setting the plates out.

"What about it?"

"Nothing it's just… well me and Mei Mei used to play it all the time back then." He noted, the maid smiling as the boy sat next to Nakri. "I never won, but it was always enjoyable playing it with her. Claire sometimes played with us too."

"Blondie? You're fu-" Nakri stopped herself cold in her tracks, feeling an dangerous aura behind her where the maid was standing. "K-Kidding me, you're kidding me." The Hunter released a sigh of relief when the intimidating aura disappeared, Mei Mei humming happily before placing a tray of drinks down on the table by the couch.

"She wasn't a fan of games, but she was really good at it." Chris commented. "I wasn't the best, but I think I was good at it too. Haven't played in a while though."

"Heh, like you'd even be able to keep up." Nakri smirked, the boy noticing her determined stare before smiling.

"Would you mind if I joined you?"

"NOT AT A-what's your game?" Nakri initially was grinning with excitement, but collected herself and gave a narrowed glare to Chris.

"Nothing, nothing." He laughed at her drastic tone shift. "I was just asking if you wanted a player 2. You said it after all, the AI aren't that good."

"Hrrrrmmm…" The Hunter grumbled, looking between the boy to her team. Nesat looked up from her sketchbook, giving a supportive smile while Krovanh rolled his eyes and sighed, sipping his water and motioning with his hand in approval. "Alright then, if you want to get beat that badly: plug in rich boy."

Chris laughed before plugging in the second controller, the Hunter resetting so that he could join. The sight of the two had Mei Mei smile brightly, happy to see progress being made in their effort to befriend the Hunters.

"…Thank you for being accommodating to us." Nesat spoke up to Mei Mei, getting her attention while she remained seated. "I realize Krovanh and Nakri can be a little difficult, and I'm certain it's risky leaving me with my eye."

"Hey!"

"On, it's no issue." The cyber-cat maid responded. "Your condition is an understandable circumstance. And you haven't given any reason to be less accepting to you or your family."

"Heh, bet your dogs of war would argue differently if they had a say." Krovanh scoffed, folding his hands behind his head as he laid down.

"Actually, of the reports Artorian was the most lenient over your circumstances." She revealed, confusing the Hunter. "His report had many more details than everyone else, not to mention everyone else said you were compliant and surrendered without issue. The only ones with concerns were Reitia and Matthew."

"Right, the son of the most famous Slayer with a record splattered in ink was the most generous to us?" Krovanh argued. "The guy would've skewered us if we didn't surrender. He ain't no saint."

"Would you have spared them if you won?" Mei Mei countered, silencing the Hunter. "Artorias' reputation has little to do with Artorian. Just because his father eliminated threats without question doesn't mean he will. It also doesn't prevent him from feeling empathy." The cyber-cat maid then walked back to the table, setting out plates as she spoke.

"I can't say, but the details he left on his report felt so… genuine. He isn't a saint, you're right about that. But he isn't a monster, just like how you three aren't." She said, looking over to see Chris and Nakri playing with a bittersweet smile. "You're just like him."

"And what exactly does that make us?"

"Innocent victims of a cruel world."

'Innocent victims…' Nesat thought as she looked down to her sketch, seeing the misshaped figures she drew idly simply to pass the time. The closest that looked to be a real item was a pawn piece, the image running through her head as Vitaly's last injection in her still played vividly in her head. 'Is that what we are? Is that what he is? Is that… what they are?'

"And you're… certain he's down here?" Emilia asked, turning to Claire who pulled out her PDA.

"It's where his signal's coming from." The blonde answered, using the scanner and getting authorization to enter the boiler room. Although Liza powered Little Garden, the excess energy and heat from running the machinery still needed to go somewhere. And as the door opened, the pair winced at the heat that came out, drastically different from the air.

"I thought he'd go somewhere with a more open view, maybe not near the bottom of the ship." The white-haired Slayer commented, the two walking through the section.

"Perhaps he likes the dark." Claire guessed. "Artorian?"

"Artorian!?"

"Down the way, near the end." One call was all that was needed, surprising them as the hybrid responded. They followed his voice, eventually turning a corner to see Artorian hanging from the ceiling, his feet connected by his energy as he had his eyes closed.

"Um… you okay?"

"Sort of."

"Any reason you're hanging upside down… without your shirt on?" The blonde asked, trying to obscure her view and look away from the hybrid's sweating torso.

"Needed to think, body was getting too cold so I needed to sweat the tension out." He answered, his hands dangling as he let out a deep breath. "As for the second part, didn't want my uniform to get sweaty. "Why, too distracting commander?" He teased, opening his eyes to look at them."

"T-That is not the source of the question. You could get serious burns if you touched any of the machinery in here." She responded, a light blush on her face.

"Eh, might do me some good. My frost was getting out of hand." He said, remaining on the ceiling as they talked. "So, to what do I owe for the company of you lovely ladies?"

"It's about Karen, we-"

"And the conversation is over." Artorian interrupted Emilia, surprising both of them as he closed his eyes. "Anything else and I'd love to talk. Perhaps something else is on your minds?"

"Artorian, she feels-"

"Nope."

"You can't just ignore her-"

"Can and will."

"Are you seriously going to be childish about this?"

"As I usually am, yes."

"It was a simple misspeak Artorian, this attitude is far beneath you." Claire stated, the girls flinching as a short burst of brisk air hit them. The cold temp surprised them, but it went away almost in the same second it came.

"It wasn't a mistake Claire." Artorian said, looking to the blonde with a dejected stare. "As a Lord… I can pick up on certain things. People can tell something's wrong by someone's tone, I can tell what people really feel through their words. And I taught Karen many things, lying wasn't one of them. What she said to me, thinking she doesn't need me, is what she really feels."

"So you're just going to cut yourself off from her? Like that?"

"She doesn't want me around to help her. That's on her." He responded. "She's made her choice; I won't stop her over it."

"…I'm sorry in advanced, but I feel I need to ask." Claire said, clearing her throat. "Is this because she's making a decision you didn't make for her?"

"You didn't need to apologize for that, I'm grateful you care enough to make sure." He sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "This isn't a control issue; this was about her safety. And how I spent years protecting her for it all to get thrown out the window."

"How? I know people don't like Slayers, but she isn't going to be one." Emilia questioned. "Sakura's universally liked; Karen would be in the same profession as her."

"It's cute you think people can set aside their hatred for selective people." Artorian smiled, his expression turning somber as he continued. "There are people who hate; whether it's justified or just pure I don't know. But they're out there, and many of them have power."

"There's a list, comprised of every registered Hundred user. They are registered as Slayers regardless of their position or situation. Many people have this list, a lot who shouldn't. And at the top? My name." He stated, looking up to the ceiling. "Due to my father, I'm under a lot of watchful eyes. They're looking for the right moment, and they know damn well how to plan. And I can handle that, I'm used to getting jumped."

"But Karen… the moment she uses that Hundred she's on that list as well. And she'll get bumped up to just underneath me." He revealed. "It doesn't take much to find her file, and the moment they see her connection to me she becomes a prime target for those with less than approving views of Slayers."

"You're afraid they'll go after her."

"I know they will, because she's the easier target."

"Does she know?' Claire asked, getting a nod from him. "Then why would she accept the Hundred?"

"Because she's excited… and too damn stubborn." He said, giving a bittersweet chuckle as he looked back to the girls. "I have a little too much influence on her in that regard. Apparently being around me encourages that kind of behavior."

"Can't imagine how…"

"We all know the three of us have the Variant Virus, I can hear that sass under your breath." He responded, the blonde rolling her eyes in response.

"So you're not going to talk to her?"

"Not as long as I can avoid it."

"Can we at least rely on you to preform your duties during the festival?"

"I reassigned and volunteered to do security for one of the medic tents. That way I'm not in anyone's way or dragging them down on duty."

"Okay… very well." Claire sighed, pulling on her collar before turning away. "Come on Emilia, we're done here."

"But Prez, shouldn't we-?"

"He made his choice, the least we can do is let him go through with it." The Slayer responded. "But promise me one thing Artorian."

"Yuh-huh?"

"When the festival is over, please talk to her."

"…Yeah, of course." Artorian said, noticing the feelings behind Claire's words. He knew his current predicament hit close to home for her, likely imagining the situation if it was herself and Liza. It explained her understanding and refusal to pry in, which kept Artorian from feeling insulted by her insistence to go against his plans.

"Good, then I expect to see you in class tomorrow. I'll overlook you cutting class for today."

"Thanks Boss-in-Blonde." The hybrid responded, looking over to Emilia. "You should probably go with her. This temp isn't healthy for regular people."

"…Don't stay in here for too long." Emilia told the hybrid, getting a grateful chuckle before moving forward, placing a kiss on his lips before turning away.

"I'll be out once my temp's about right. See ya tomorrow Emilia." He promised, watching the two leave before returning to his thoughts.

'Karen… I hope you've made the choice you're happy with.' He thought, closing his eyes as he remained connected to the ceiling. He was still aware of his surroundings, hearing the camera in the room turn to look to him, a small smile forming as he was grateful for the company.

"These kids' drama, I swear." Charlotte sighed as she walked out of Karen's hospital room, stretching as she closed the door. It was late, the girl and Sakura having kept the scientist busy for the past couple of hours rehearsing for their planned event in the Founding Festival. She was more than aware of what had happened with Artorian, smiling to herself as she thought on the triviality of the situation.

'To have a nonissue like this… I'm glad it's what we've given them.' She thought, walking out of the hospital and tossing her wasted lollipop stick into the garbage, pulling out another sweet.

"My, you're out late." As the scientist put the treat in her mouth, she turned to see Judal walking up to her, his usual savvy smile present as he waved peacefully to her.

"Judal, you're on Little Garden sooner than expected." The scientist noted. "So soon I can only assume Neveah isn't aware you're out at this time."

"I simply couldn't wait, it's such a festive time this year and I was excited." He stated. "I would appreciate if you didn't tell her I was out though. She's extra cautious when we're on board. She's rather critical of our residential Abysswalker."

"I suppose under most circumstances that would make sense. But you hold the cards, he's not that reckless." Charlotte responded, the pair now walking together as the talked. "A rather beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Oh, it's breathtaking." He smiled, looking out in the distance and seeing the coastline of Liberia on the horizon. "I wish I could be on here more, unfortunately with Bill's early retirement my duty as CEO of Warslran keeps me very busy."

"Well, you handle things better than he does at the very least." Charlotte admitted, biting on her candy. "To be honest, I always questioned why Artorias chose him as a partner. There were plenty of other options for PMCs. He easily possessed all the important resources."

"I like to think Linis worked her charm, you as well." Judal chuckled. "Vitaly may have been the physical investment initially, but the both of you along with Meiko made him see the benefits in humanity. And seeing now that Ornstein's completely loyal to humans, I'd say it was worth it in the end."

"His reputation alone doesn't do enough; we only have a few dozen Lords that we can rely on. With their still being thousands that makes everything risky."

"Still, it feels nice knowing one of Gwyn's former Four Knights took our side in the end. The population certainly would have been worse off if he didn't."

"…How about we stop pretending to make casual talk and get straight to the point. No, nothing has happened yet, although his traits are beginning to develop more." Charlotte eventual stated, her eyes narrowing as she grew tired of the pleasantries.

"Oh, but we seemed almost like willing compatriots." Judal laughed before folding his hands behind his back. "Any idea what the traits are?"

"One's most likely ice. His body temperature was sign enough but it's getting colder on occasion."

"Hmm, and after his situation with Kisaragi. That's rather unfortunate timing."

"You bastard, you played him this time, didn't you?" Charlotte questioned.

"I have no idea what you could be implying." Judal smirked, keeping it hidden as they walked. "I would never interfere with Abyssal's everyday life, that doesn't produce a capable Abysswalker."

"Call him that again and Neveah will realize she was concerned about the wrong person."

The sudden shift as Charlotte's tone went dark surprisingly had an effect on Judal, the man's face becoming serious in response. The malice behind him was enough to have him, a normal person with no energy, feel like a shadowy presence was peering into his soul. A powerful feeling, but one the man wasn't unfamiliar with.

"Now, now, there's no need for such tones. I believed that since we're both human there's no need for the worry of Lord's complicated culture. I forgot you've spent so much time with them you see yourself closer to them. Ironic, given your stature."

"You know damn well the reason."

"I don't really." Judal commented, stopping with a snide tone as he looked over to the scientist. "He isn't yours after all, you chose that condition." The statement caused Charlotte's malice to almost vanish, the scientist stopping ahead of the man as her hair curtained her eyes. "Oh come now, truly that doesn't still bother you?"

"It wasn't an easy choice."

"You made it almost instantly, so I can't imagine that." He countered. "Dr. Dimandias, regret is a expression that pushes us back. Especially over something so insignificant. We must focus on the here and now, not dwell on the past."

"Easy for someone whose only regret was beyond his control."

"Yes, I suppose I'm not one to talk. But the world we've involved ourselves in demands us to be at our best. And I need that for you." The blond admitted. "Have you found anything else on Vitaly yet?"

"Nothing past Carver's report. Wendy's on leave until the drugs in her are gone."

"And the staff?"

"None could have possibly been bought. If she's breaking in, she's doing it alone."

"A nigh hopeless effort then." Judal concluded. "Although, for some reason I can't help but feel that only makes it more likely to happen. I've been told Vitaly liked to work against the odds with her work. So perhaps security for Liza and the Hunters should be upped."

"Liza has an advanced multi-framed system. DNA, voice recognition, hexastich sequence; not even Vitaly can get through the direct way. And the Hunters are looked after by Mei Mei. She won't get them."

"As much faith as I have in her, I have a higher respect for Vitaly's development and understanding of the Abyss. Mei Mei isn't quite like the building block she was based off of."

"Don't underestimate her."

"And you shouldn't underestimate Vitaly. After your work with her I thought you'd know that." Judal countered, giving an exaggerated yawn. "My, it seems even I'm getting tired. I hope you get some good sleep Dr. Dimandias. The Founding Festival will be very busy for us."

"Of course…"

"Oh, and please remember what's at stake." He reminded, turning in the opposite direction of the scientist when they reached her house. "What I hold precious on this ship will be safe. What you find precious is at the top of their lists. So be sure you take the steps to guarantee their safekeeping."

"Well… he's certainly more like his mother in any respect." Charlotte muttered to herself as the man walked away, turning to her door and opening with a harsh stare. She hated to admit it, but the young CEO had a much more effective grip than his father or mother did on his assets. He was calculated as well; he knew the right things to say to get the reactions he wanted. His conversation with her was simply to get his kick out of telling her who he figured was at higher risk during the Founding Festival.

She could almost say he was similar to Artorias in terms of how tight he runs his inner circle. However where the blond has a more hardened charisma few could see through, the Lord commanded respect through example. Two opposites that she was certain would never be able to work together if the latter was still alive today.

Taking a step forward, the scientist almost tripped over when she stepped on a cleaning drone. The drones were bought in bulk to replace staff who would be on break for the festival. And although they were annoying in how they fail to register people in the building, the small disk-like devices had a certain charm to them, which caused Charlotte to chuckle and kneel down, tapping on it's surface as it went on.

"Sorry little guy, didn't see you there." She said, standing back up and heading for her room. It wasn't often she slept in her bed, usually just putting a blanket over her while in her chair. Tonight felt right to her to get a good sleep, needing it after the past week she had.

"What's a couple extra hours anyway?" She yawned, stretching as the drone continue behind her. "Good night little guy."

"Good night, old friend~" Vitaly smiled, standing in her lab as the drone went on. Across her laboratory were a dozen screens, all with active feed from the drones that were sent to Little Garden. She couldn't fill the entire order they had with her hardware, too suspicious and could be caught easily. But the few she sent; the few in Charlotte's house, the Slayers' dorms, and especially the ones outside of the Hunters' room were more than enough. The rest had a little surprise in each, but not vital enough for her mission.

"So then; DNA, voice recognition, hexastich sequence. My Char, how effective you've become." She congratulated her former partner, shifting her glasses as several solid holograms appeared around her, shifting through data before she interacted with it.

"DNA, you could've been more clever there." She smiled, seeing the scientist's own DNA being the genetic marker for the security. "Although the voice should be interesting, but not too challenging." She said, tapping on a hologram beside her, swiping pictures around before placing all five fingers on it, collecting pictures of Judal, Claire, Charlotte, Bill and Erica.

"Run simulations on this and the hexastich sequence." She stated, walking past the holograms as the data began to rapidly process. "Use the bug in Nesat's eye to patch into the framework. Knowing the voice is more important than the sequence. Simply synthesize the correct voice to the Miracle Prayer: Shined in Darkness."

"Now, bring specimen 9 here will you?" After all of her orders, the holograms would vanish while a mechanical claw reached up to the ceiling. Lights turned on to reveal multiple glass cylinders, murky green liquid bubbling in with a black mass in them.

The claw collected the one she requested and brought it down, connecting it to the correct housing unit with a hiss. The scientist smirked as she saw her reflection, her eyes glowing red as she placed her hand delicately onto the glass.

"Oh Pawn~? Hope you've gotten enough sleep." Vitaly cooed, like to a small child as she looked to the mass in the glass. "I have a lovely playground for you to go to. And powerful playmates for you to meet."

The woman's words caused the mass to twitch, limbs slowly separating from the body. It appeared to be struggling as she stared into the chamber, trying to move itself by instinct. As it's legs began to move and crack, the mass suddenly jolted to life, a clawed hand slamming onto the glass where Vitaly's hand was. A green glow was then visible at the center, enlightening the entire room as a pair of vile eyes peered through the murky liquid.

Both the mass and Vitaly stared directly into one another's eyes, the glows balancing between the glass before the claw curled slowly. Before long it cupped it's palm to the clear surface, the liquid slowly clearing up as it began to flush out of the tube.

"Oh, you're just as stunning as I knew you'd be." She said, peering into the chamber as her creation stared back. "Let the games begin, Little Garden."

(A/N): A little shorter of a chapter then I wanted. Unfortunately it's like this because I have been traveling a lot the past couple weeks which had affected my writing schedule for this chapter. And I'll be flying again soon so I finished putting this together so that I can get it out without putting you all on hold again. This felt a bit slower, mainly because of the information and moment that occurred, but still felt good enough when going through it.

Soon I'll be able to get to the sequences I've been looking forward to. And with any luck I'll get it right and make it all the better to read. Until then, I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I'll see you all in the next one. Peace!