2 Die 4 You

acceptance

"I've got to hand it to you lab rats- this experiment has been quite unpredictable." Lumine greeted them once they had settled in their usual spots. "We are all enjoying the results as we speak."

"We." Zero repeated with a snort. "That's the first time you've mentioned a 'we'."

Lumine placed a hand under their chin.

"Is it?" they mused. "Was it not apparent that there was more than just I when the experiment was first mentioned? Well, there goes that admiration I had for your creative unpredictability. Turns out it counteracts the lack of understanding context clues."

"What are you talking about?" Alia asked.

"On the floor I last unlocked for you, there were two locked doors." they said- playing with a strand of their hair before tossing it back. "One was the security room- for obvious reasons. The other had a name placard on it. Did any of you happen to read it?"

"It said 'The Professor'." Iris spoke up.

"Good girl." Lumine congratulated. Iris shrunk a little- it hadn't been a real compliment in any shape or form, and that made her uncomfortable.

"The Professor," Lumine went on, "Is the one who is conducting this experiment. Many details are on a 'need to know' basis, as it were. Unless someone has learned something new between our talks?"

No one thought they had.

"Good. All is going according to plan then. Now, let's continue with our Maverick probing. Yes?"

And so it did. Once more, all the lights were dimmed for a breath-taking moment. When they came back on, they cast light down on the Maverick: Marino.

She didn't seem to react. If anything, she looked just as prepared to find out who the Maverick was like everyone else. She soon found that everyone was looking at her. There was a blink, then another.

"Did you want me to apologize or something?" she questioned in a crass tone. "That bastard had it coming."

"But now you're a Maverick." Alia informed her. "Have some remorse for that at least?"

Marino refused to budge.

"Is Marino truly a Maverick in this situation?" Zero instead offered.

"What do you mean?" X wondered- almost hating whatever implication Zero could be getting at.

Zero stood a bit taller before saying, "As we all know, Marino has not been taking the death of Cinnamon well. Dynamo, much like his late comrade, was not making the situation any better.

Marino's hands clenched into a fist.

"The only way to have peace was to kill him. The only way to grieve was to kill him for her." she told them all. Her voice was low and dark. It was nothing like what they have heard from her so far.

It was Axl who snorted, "You didn't need to kill him. What you really needed was a therapist."

"Isn't that... what Aero was trying to do?" Layer carefully questioned.

Not a second was wasted as everyone turned their attention to Aero now. Her arms were tightly folded in front of her chest -guarded- as she refused to look at anyone.

"Come now Aero," Lumine teased, "Don't be such a petulant child for wanting to be the good fairy. We win and lose some all the time, after all."

Lumine laughed as Aero gave them a dark glare.

"If there is one person I feel sorry for," Marino then said, "It's you, Aero."

Aero suddenly moved back a little, as if someone had punched her, before looking to Marino. Her puzzled face spoke for her. Marino took it as a sign to continue.