Chapter 16: The Prince of Ice

They were trapped in the command center, the only way out blocked by a sturdy security door. The four-armed drones were closing in and Frostbite was poised to attack. The situation would've made anyone nervous, but Vile didn't seem impressed at all. It was more a case of him unleashing his violent, volatile self rather than being too arrogant to recognize a dire situation. His red eyes flared as he looked back at Massimo, who had gripped the shaft of his halberd tightly and stood ready to defend himself.

"You handle the Mechaniloids, Frostbite's mine!"

"What?! We should stick together, take them out one by-"

"You'll do as you're told!"

Massimo was taken aback by the intensely aggressive attitude that once again appeared from the cracks in Vile's sanity. While the Reploid wasn't nearly as crazed as he had been after Dr. Doppler revived him, he was still a long way from being stable.

The bulky Reploid knew better than to argue and decided to shift his focus to the first Mechaniloid that charged him. His hover boots activated and propelled him forward. His massive, imposing frame was more than enough for the drone's artificial intelligence to believe him to be the more dangerous of the two. Thus, the drones quickly shifted their attention to him, leaving Vile alone to face the small mercenary.

He didn't waste another moment and – disregarding the Mechaniloids around him – he dashed straight for Frostbite.

The nimble mercenary flexed his hands several times and then spread his palms to reveal grids. Icy fumes emerged from them and, in the blink of an eye, a translucent, deep blue javelin was forged from shards of ice. The tiny mercenary met Vile's advance with unshaken confidence and hurled the first of the two javelins he had formed at the approaching renegade.

Vile knew better than to try and block the incoming projectile. It looked like it was crafted from mere ice and was not going to hold up against his steel frame. However, his armor had been pierced by one of them before, indicating to Vile that they were made of some sort of special compound.

Keeping his opponent's freezing powers in mind Vile stayed semi-airborne and swayed to the side, letting the javelin pass him by. A second and soon a third followed, each one missing the purple Reploid as well.

Frostbite sneered as the renegade crossed the distance between them unharmed. He rapidly jumped up, using a thin layer of ice to stick himself to the ceiling of the room.

Vile had thrown a haymaker that subsequently missed Frostbite. He was forced to brake by digging his boots into the floor panels to grind to a halt. He quickly turned around and opened fire at Frostbite with the Front Runner. Each blast missed the mercenary as he pushed off the ceiling and launched himself back down to the ground, only to leap back up whenever Vile adjusted his aim.

"What's wrong? Can't keep up?" The small Reploid's annoying laughter only served to anger Vile, who pursued the Revenant as he backed away.

His Vulcans and shoulder cannon both opened fire, unleashing a torrent of bullets and energy blasts that would hopefully lay waste to the annoying adversary.

Frostbite was too fast however and continued to dodge everything Vile sent his way. Whenever he saw an opening in the former Hunter's assault, he exploited it gleefully. With equal parts mischief and arrogance contained within his wide grin, Frostbite launched javelin after javelin. Vile made his first mistake when he planted his booted leg on the floor to pivot and face his retreating opponent. A javelin pierced the armor of his foot and pinned him painfully to a floor panel.

"Gotcha! You clumsy oaf!" Frostbite's boots erupted in a short flare of blue flame. The burst propelled the mercenary forward and up until he was straight above the immobilized renegade.

"Shit!" Vile furiously attempted to break free as he saw Frostbite tilt his body upside down, the vicious ice spikes on his shoulders now aimed straight down at his opponent.

More exhaust thrust from Frostbite's boots, accelerating him downward hard and fast.

Vile had smashed the javelin that pinned him down just in time to dive away, but as his foe collided with the floor the icy spikes shattered. The resulting torrent of shards pelted Vile's back. The same impact also caused an explosion of the unusual, frozen substance. It left behind a spiked dome in its wake.

One of those spikes managed to pierce the armor on the back of Vile's right shoulder. The renegade dropped to the floor with a pained grunt but quickly jumped back on his feet. Had he not dodged that attack he would've been reduced to a skewered popsicle.

Frostbite reemerged on top of the dangerous dome, which had begun to crack and shatter. Whatever the Revenant used to create the ice also made it unstable and the shards quickly melted away, the resulting liquid evaporating even faster. The mercenary was clearly surprised at having missed as the next blast from Vile hit him head-on. The explosion sent him reeling back, leaving him wide open for a ferocious charge from the purple Reploid.

"You little freak, I'll rip you apart!" Vile added several more insults as his fists collided with the mercenary's head. A strong kick to the tiny Reploid's gut was more than enough to send him flying into one of the viewscreens, easily shattering the fragile piece of tech.

A high-pitched groan escaped Frostbite's lips as he dropped back to the floor. Vile wasn't about to lose his momentum and kept up the pressure. He ran for the grounded mercenary with his Vulcan guns firing an endless stream of imprecise, but suppressing bullets.

Frostbite, however, had no intention of lying there and taking it. Stretching out the palm of his hand, he fired a thin stream of cold air that instantly froze Vile's right leg. The ice expanded to a heavy block and once again glued him to a panel. The attack left him at Frostbite's mercy yet again.

The silver and blue Reploid got up on one knee while crafting another javelin, which he quickly threw at his indisposed foe.

Vile shifted his weight but was unable to dodge the projectile completely. The viciously sharp weapon embedded itself into his left shoulder, with its point erupting from the other side.

"How can anyone be so annoying?!" Vile inquired rhetorically, never having fought a Reploid who's entire arsenal seemed to consist of painfully sharp needles and pinning traps. He quickly grabbed hold of his shoulder cannon and took aim, using the information his helmet supplied to make sure he had a good fix on his target before opening fire.

The first blast was easily dodged by the fleet-footed Reploid by diving to the side. Frostbite rolled through the motion to end up on his feet. He shielded his face from the explosion the projectile caused. However, he was unable to dodge the next few blasts; they'd come far too fast. To attempt to defend himself, Frostbite did the next best thing by swiping his hand through the air, shaping a wave of ice that hardened to form a shield. The ice shattered as a plasma blast collided with him, forcing the Reploid to craft a new barrier with each shot Vile fired.

The renegade knew Frostbite couldn't keep up the fast pace and grinned beneath his helmet when his fourth blast finally connected. With a roar Vile hammered the ice that held him in place using a single fist. The substance shattered on impact, freeing the purple Reploid. He then pulled the javelin from the painful hole in his shoulder. Vile had never been one for subtleties, but his all-out assaults had always paid off in the past. Feeling the thrill of a real battle, he charged at his foe.

The purple Reploid grunted in frustration as the Revenant once again proved to be quite elusive. Nimble dodging the blow, Vile instead dented the control panel behind Frostbite.

As the energetic Reploid hopped backwards to put some distance between him and Vile, he continued to pelt his opponent with dangerous javelins. None of the projectiles managed to do more than scratch the armor protecting vital systems. Frostbite was becoming predictable and that suited Vile just fine.

"I've been going easy on you… But no more!" Frostbite proclaimed as he knelt and placed both his palms on the paneled floor. A thin strip of ice began rapidly expanding towards Vile.

"That won't work a second time. Why don't ya try harder?" Vile taunted vigorously as he activated his jet boots and flew up before the layer of frost reached him. He flew over Frostbite and opened his kneecap to dispense one of his fragmentation grenades. The device came to rest beside Frostbite. Just as Vile landed and turned to face his target, the bomb exploded, the violent reaction hiding what he hoped would be a heap of slag.

As usual, lady Luck wasn't on his side. The smoke was violently disturbed by a charging Frostbite. The small Reploid had used his dash boots to propel him forward at dazzling speeds. The spikes on his shoulders had reappeared and would've skewered Vile had he not reacted as fast as he had.

He grabbed hold of Frostbite's tiny frame, the momentum pushed Vile back across the panels, sparks flying from his boots scraping across the floor. He grunted firmly as he collided with a terminal, destroying yet another piece of equipment in the command center. The machine buckled slightly but did not give way completely under the strain of the icy Reploid's charge.

Vile strained as he held on, using all his strength to keep his opponent from piercing his chest. After a while, the momentum of Frostbite's approach wore off and Vile was able to hurl the defenseless Reploid off into his desk. True to his reputation as a loose cannon, Vile fired two missiles from the small pack attached to his left shoulder. The explosives soared through the air and exploded in front of Frostbite, who stumbled back from the blast.

"Gah! This ain't fair! Lemme catch my breath, you insane Hunter!" However, his pleas fell on deaf ears as Vile emerged from the smokescreen that had separated the two competing Reploids.

He tackled the much smaller Reploid and slammed him down onto a grid panel on the floor. The sheer force of the impact, coupled with the weight of the two, caused the grid to collapse, sending both fighters down through the floor. They continued to struggle mid-fall with punches, knees and headbutts being exchanged heartily.

Frostbite was able to free himself from Vile's hold and used this opportunity to turn them around. With Vile on the bottom, he felt the brunt of the impact from hitting the floor of the drop. The hard impact knocked Frostbite off of the injured renegade. After rolling over the floor several times, he rose back up.

Both Reploids were starting to feel the effects of the damage they had sustained so far. Vile's shoulder and leg were starting to slow down and seize up a little, while the armor on his back had been ripped off and pierced on numerous locations. Any more direct hits there and critical systems could potentially be damaged.

Frostbite was far from unscathed as well. The wolf-shaped helmet showed significant damage as most of the muzzle had been shattered. His armor was cracked in numerous spots and his left arm had almost been crippled beyond use by the rockets Vile had unleashed.

The short pause in the battle allowed both Reploids to regain their composure, but also let Vile take in the new surroundings. Whether it had been the intent all along or not was unknown, but it seemed the command center had been constructed on top of a large ice cavern. Crystalline stalactites littered the irregular ceiling and the dome-shaped structure of the cavern almost made it seem unnatural. No paths led to or from the room they found themselves in and the entire cavern bathed in an almost ethereal, serene blue light. The ground was a mix of ice and stone. Only the occasional stalagmite would offer Vile any cover. At least the high ceiling wouldn't impact his aerial maneuverability.

"Your situation just got worse, Vile. You're not just trapped and surrounded, but the scenery seems to have taken a shine to me," the Revenant grinned, but did not take on the same cocky pose as before. He was far too wary of his opponent now to let down his guard.

"A few icicles won't save you, midget."

"Grrr. I'll make you eat those words!" Frostbite was vulnerable to the purple Reploid's taunts, causing him to make the first move. He created a fresh batch of javelins and began throwing them one-by-one at the renegade.

None of the dangerous projectiles were able to damage Vile as he continued to dodge or shatter them. With each missed projectile, Vile zigzagged closer towards his target until he was in melee range.

The small Reploid was as nimble and hyperactive as ever and easily dodged an incoming, wild swing. He planted a hand on the ground and brought both his booted feet up into Vile's gut. Frostbite then followed up with a somersault that got him out of harm's way. The same maneuver had Vile reeling back from a boot connecting sharply to his jaw.

The small mercenary landed and planted his palms onto the ground once again. A mist of fumes heralded the approach of another trapping field of ice.

"Not this again, don't you ever learn?" Figuring Frostbite was running out of ideas, Vile presumed his smaller opponent had turned to rehashing the same old tricks. Before the field reached him, Vile activated his boots and flew straight for the mercenary, hoping to get another good hit in.

This was nothing more than bait. The Revenant had huddled up in the meantime and swung his arms and legs outward. A dome of tiny, gem-like, particles poured from his body. They enveloped Vile, flash freezing him in an instant. A pillar of ice extended down to the ground to keep him suspended in mid-flight.

"Nothing but a mindless brute. You should try to use your head for a change. Now than…" A simple flex of his hand was enough to create another javelin and a burst of his boots propelled him forward until he stood before the helpless Vile. "Time to finish this!" The mercenary pulled the javelin back but – before he threw the weapon – he noticed something strange. A blinking red light coming from what seemed to be one of Vile's knees. Frostbite quickly realized his trap had backfired.

Before being frozen, Vile had released a grenade from his leg. The loud explosion had plenty of power to shatter the ice imprisoning him and blast the overconfident mercenary back. The small frame of the ice-wielding Reploid collided with a stalagmite, forcing him to the snowy ground. The tiny Reploid gasped in pain and gripped his injured side. The resulting shrapnel from the explosive grenade had ripped through his armor, revealing crackling circuitry.

"You're insane! Are you trying to blow yourself up?!"

As the smoke cleared, Vile reappeared and he had sustained surprisingly little damage despite having had the bright idea of detonating an explosive at point-blank range.

"Anything to get ya to shut up. This is the last time you'll get in my way," the renegade approached his struggling opponent and quickly grabbed hold of his leg before he could get away. A mighty swing was all he needed to lift Frostbite and throw him up into the air. Even though his lock-on systems were still semi-frozen, Vile was able to get a fix on the defenseless Revenant and a pair of rockets further damaged him. To the renegade's dismay, the explosion hadn't been enough to silence the ice twerp for good. Instead, he fell to the ground, twitching as more circuitry lay bare to the elements.

"Dammit! Damn, damn, DAMN IT!" Frostbite's frustration had exploded as he flailed his arms slightly and almost threw a tantrum. Despite severe damage to his right arm and both his legs barely being able to keep him upright, the Revenant didn't seem ready to throw in the towel just yet. "I'm not through yet. You're playing by my rules and I say you lose!" A violent shock wracked Frostbite's body, but he ignored the damage he had sustained. Each of his hands grabbed hold of the opposite shoulder and icy fumes began pouring out of his body. Slowly, the fumes began to solidify into an orb of solid ice that encased Frostbite. The sphere was well over 15 feet in diameter and was surprisingly smooth; almost like a crystal ball.

'What's he doing?' Vile readied his weapons.

The cavern fell silent and blue light illuminated the large frozen orb. Suddenly, the orb began to tremble, and cracks appeared across several spots on what used to be an immaculate surface. Fume escaped the cracks and coalesced into huge limbs. The sphere had sprouted two massive, hammer-like arms and a paid of unwieldy legs.

"Let's see if you can survive this one, shall we?" Frostbite shouted from the safety of the center of the icy golem. The massive behemoth brought down one of its arms like a hammer, easily smashing the ground where Vile had been standing. The renegade had predicted the slow and ponderous motions of Frostbite's latest little trick and had taken to the air. The massive shell swung its limbs wildly, hoping one of them would connect with the agile flier.

"Do you really think that thing'll save ya? You're just dragging this out!" Vile had long grown weary of his snooty foe and was eager to finish the job. Using his superior mobility in the air, he was able to fly under and over each cumbersome strike that headed his way. His shoulder cannon chipped away at the thick layers of ice that protected the huddled up Revenant at the core of the giant. The plasma blasts weren't doing much more than cracking the surface and it was only a matter of time before the mercenary would corner Vile. He had to act fast and a plan began brewing in his head.

Vile dove down to the ground, taking cover behind a stalagmite as the massive golem released more fumes, hoping to freeze Vile in place. The gas harmlessly dissipated, leaving behind what looked like an empty cavern.

"Come out, Vile. I've got something for you..." Frostbite taunted as the stumpy legs of the shell ground into motion. One earth-shaking step at a time, the behemoth began approaching Vile's hiding place. Frostbite was no fool, he knew Vile hadn't made his way out of the cavern and was likely hiding. He'd smash each and every stalagmite in there to find him.

Sensing the perfect opportunity, Vile dashed from behind his hiding place and fired a volley of rockets. His giant target did not have the speed to react and each explosive crashed into the center orb, blowing away chunks of protective ice.

Furiously, it raised its arm and brought it down, hoping to smash Vile into the ground. Just like before, the massive fist hit nothing but stone, allowing Vile to fly closer. He fired another volley of explosives and further weakened the orb.

Cracks began appearing all over the giant body, compromising it's stability. In a last ditch effort to take Vile with it, the shell swung its arms wildly. A quick barrel-rollwas all the purple Reploid needed to prevent from being smashed into one of the cavern walls.

"This ends here. You'll be the first of your unit to die, and I promise you this: ya won't be the last!" Vile landed and gripped his shoulder cannon. He manually aimed it straight at the center of the frozen construct, where Frostbite hung helplessly. He knelt to brace himself as he began charging the Front Runner. The golem was stumbling too much to respond and so – with a bright flash – Vile released the stored energy into a powerful, blue beam. The stream of energy hit its target dead-center, easily piercing what ice remained to bar its path.

Frostbite cried out in pain and fear as he felt his body burning up. The impact shoved the Revenant out the back of the artificial body. He slammed into the ground and tumbled for a good few meters before skidding to a halt. His entire body crackled and twitched from the near-fatal damage he had sustained. The golem itself reeled and swayed before finally collapsing and dissipating into the fumes that had created it.

Vile released his cannon and stood up straight to behold the aftermath of his assault. Pleased with his handiwork, he began walking over to a squirming Frostbite.

The Reploid was a mess. Both his legs were beyond use and his left arm had been shattered. Parts and chips of armor lay scattered about the cavern floor. His helmet was barely holding onto his head and had lost all semblance of a wolf's maw. The Revenant coughed as his throat was gripped tightly and he was held up against a cavern wall by the Reploid that had bested him.

"Blast… I can't… Not here… Not by a relic like you…"

"Shut up, you maggot. If ya want me to finish this quickly than tell me where I can find your employer, the Supra-Force Metal, and the records on that incident in Central City that you were ordered to keep from me," Vile demanded, the grip of his hand tightening enough to put more pressure on the silver Reploid, but not enough to take away his ability to speak.

"Records? Ah… Yes. The ones Spectrum made sure you couldn't get your dirty paws on, right?" Another bolt of electricity wracked the small Revenant's body, interrupting him briefly. "You'll find copies in my terminal… On my desk…"

"You're just a little coward after all, aren't ya? Gonna sell out the rest of your team too?" Vile chuckled sadistically and briefly applied more pressure to Frostbite's throat. He almost snapped it, but released it again to allow him to speak.

"O-Of course… As long as… You let me live!" The smaller Reploid seemed to draw out his sentence and before Vile could react, he had already pressed a small button on his chest. The Revenant had prepared for the – as he considered it – rare event that Vile should be victorious.

Bombs began detonating all across the cavern, one setting off dangerously close to the purple Reploid. The shockwave was enough to push Vile back, Frostbite's throat slipping from his grasp. The Revenant furiously searched a small compartment inside his frame for a device and cackled contently as he located it.

"Looks like you're not rid of me yet, Vile! We'll meet again. Next time you won't be so lucky, mark my words!" Frostbite shouted angrily. His pride had been hurt far more than his body and the sneaky mercenary would do anything in his power to make sure he'd get his revenge. The device he retrieved from inside his body was an emergency transfer module and in the blink of an eye, the tattered body of Frostbite had vanished in a beam of light that pierced the cavern ceiling skyward.

"Dammit! The little coward!" Vile shouted as he slammed his fist into the frozen floor in frustration. "How long do I have to chase these freaks before I get my answers?!"

Massimo's halberd came down on the neck of the last remaining Mechaniloid in the command center. The fell smash easily severed the drone's head from its body, finishing it off. Massimo panted as he backed away. While the bulky Reploid was surrounded by Mechaniloids he had crushed or ripped apart, he himself was littered with cuts and deep gashes. He'd seen better days, but at the same time he was pleased he had been able to feel the thrill of fighting for justice once again. At least, he believed justice would be served at the end of Vile and Nana's journey. Steel Massimo turned around when he heard Vile's jet boots behind him. The renegade appeared victoriously from the hole in the ground.

"What happened?" Massimo inquired, wincing slightly as his body ached and protested against his movements.

"The little bastard got away. But not before I did a number on him. He won't be bothering us for at least a few weeks," the renegade was clearly sore about letting the Revenant escape, so Massimo did not press the issue.

"So, we don't have any leads left?"

"Not quite. I was able to squeeze something from his scrawny body." Vile approached the broken desk and picked up the small laptop that lay between the debris. He was relieved to find that it was not broken, despite a cracked screen. After pressing a few buttons, he linked the smaller device to the terminals in the command center so he had more room to work with. He set the laptop aside and, followed by Massimo, made his way to one of the few working computers in the room.

"That laptop contains the records I tried to find in the archives in East City. Spectrum beat me to them however, but it seems the hunters still had copies left in some of their databases," as Vile explained he began searching the hard drive for any information pertaining to the incident in Central City.

"Records on you? Why'd they hide records on you?" Massimo inquired curiously. Vile's past was likely to be the same as that of most Reploids. He was created in some factory and after being activated, he was deemed fit to serve as a Maverick Hunter. All those fights, and dying twice, had probably erased some of his memories.

"I don't know. But ever since my first encounter with death I've had this feeling that there's more to where I come from than I knew. Then, after I tanked a couple heavy hits to my head months ago, I've been getting dreams. Glimpses that're telling me to look and find out. Nana thinks I'm somehow related to whatever those traitorous hunters are planning, which is why they're trying their hardest to keep me from finding out."

Before Massimo could pose his next question, a few relevant documents popped up as results of the search. Knowing better than to wait after reading them, Vile immediately began transferring them over a secure channel to the terminal over at the hideout in Giga City. As the files began opening one by one, Vile's attention was drawn to pictures of schematics, correspondence between several individuals and four designations.

"What is this?" Vile he took a step back. Each of the four names had a photo of a Reploid encased in a pod connected to it. "V-001, 002, 003 and 004?"

An explosion rocked the building and startled the bulky Reploid that stood behind Vile.

"I think reinforcements are here. We should get out of here now, while we still can."

Vile did not pay the explosions, or Massimo's words, any heed as he began skimming over all the files. The words war machine, V project and zenny transfers to an anonymous account flashed across the screen, causing more and more confusion in Vile's mind even though some of it seemed familiar somehow.

"We need to go now, Vile! Those files have been transferred to Nana by now, you can take a look at them when we get back!" Massimo pleaded.

"Maverick Hunter funding? What is all this?" Vile's musings were interrupted by another blast that almost blew open the door shutting off the command center from outside access.

"They're almost in here, we need to leave, now!" Massimo shouted as he pulled Vile back. The renegade shook himself free of Massimo's grasp and violently pushed him back. He roared in fury as he reduced the terminal to a heap of scrap with a few blasts of his cannon. Vile swallowed his anger and opened a communications channel to Gaudile's laboratory.

"Platypus, get us out of here, now," Vile did not have the patience for any sort of pleasantries. Mere seconds later, both Reploids dematerialized and disappeared from sight.

A yellow saber pierced the security door of a chamber and slowly began cutting a rectangular hole with relative ease. Once the blade had returned to its starting point, a mere kick was enough to free the slab of steel from its socket. The ebony frame of Spectrum stepped out into the room and his crimson eyes looked at the piles of broken drones. Maverick Hunters poured into the room soon after, securing it quickly and efficiently. The sergeant of the unit approached the shape-shifting mercenary cautiously.

"There's no sign of Vile or Steel Massimo, commander. We've also found some… uhm… Remains in the basement that might belong to Frostbite, sir," the tall, blue-colored officer reported. Just then his helmet beeped, the voice of an operator informing him of new developments. "Frostbite was able to escape. He transferred back to HQ and has been taken to the repair bay for emergency care."

Spectrum's eyes narrowed viciously at the endless stream of bad news. "I see… I think your compatriots are lucky they died defending this place. I would've had them punished severely for failing so miserably," the grim Reploid turned around, his saber deactivating as he returned it to the safety of its sheath atop his backpack. "Gather up anything that's useful and then detonate the charges. Make sure to leave some evidence behind that would lead the Hunters to draw the 'correct' conclusions."

The officer saluted and left to relay the orders. The commander of the Revenants raised his left arm, the armored plating of the gauntlet opening to reveal a small viewscreen. A secure channel was quickly established and a dark silhouette appeared on the electronic screen.

"Report," the silhouette's distorted voice was unrecognizable.

"Vile got away. He most likely has the data," Spectrum was fully aware the bad news would once again incur his employer's wrath.

"Failure… Again. I am growing weary of this, Spectrum. You seem to forget that I am paying you a small fortune to do my dirty business. If I feel like it I could cut you off and toss your half-dead friend out of the emergency room. I'd like to see how you'd care for his broken body then! I want results! I want Vile dead!" The more he spoke, the more the mysterious Reploid's voice grew angrier until it only contained fury. His fists slammed the arms of his chair before smashing down on his desk as he stood up. The camera recording the other end of the conversation automatically tilted upwards to keep Spectrum's employer on-screen.

"If you don't find out where they are hiding and dispatch them quickly, they'll be able to find out who I am! Where I am! They'd have all the proof they need to ruin us! Do you want to add such a disaster to your track record, mercenary?!" The silhouette was clearly enraged at the current state of affairs.

Spectrum winced at the lecture. He despised being treated like a child who had not done as told by his father. But as long as they remained in this man's employ, he had no choice but to obey. "No. I do not."

The tall, broad-shouldered Reploid straightened his back and turned around, his hands folding behind his back. "Return to HQ. We'll discuss the next best course of action here. You know what to do with the outpost, and any survivors," with no more to add to the conversation, the Reploid ended the transmission, leaving Spectrum to seethe in his frustration.

"Vile… I'll get you for this."