Metempsychotic

Stubborn Restraint

The twins wasted no time working their way through the ruins. The further they ventured, the more twisted the ruins seemed to become; tiles peeking out from the ground were colored oddly and emitting a glow similar in time to a heartbeat, strange floating crystals that seemed to beg to be destroyed, and even worse- a low concentration of Mavericks.

"Vent, I think there's an alternate pathway around here." Aile, currently using Model P, informed her brother at one point.

Vent (who was a little behind her, about to take a ladder down into the lower areas) looked over at her with a tilt of head head. "Where is it?" he asked, then walking over to her to get a look himself.

"It's blocked off..." Aile noted. She pointed to a cracked wall in front of her. "Can you use Model F to crack that wall down?"

"Sure." agreed Vent with a shrug, changing into Model F in doing so. With two precise, charged punches, Aile's evaluation proved true as the wall crumpled away and revealed a small crawlspace.

"Where does it go?" Vent questioned as he tried to peer into it.

"Down." came the answer. "Quickly too."

The boy glanced over at his sister with a slight twinge of fear. "I'm going to take the ladder..." he told her.

"I'll go this way." Aile both agreed and argued. "We'll meet each other on the other side." and without waiting for his response, she went in.

The drop wasn't quite as long as she first thought it was, and Aile soon found herself on the other side of the pathway Vent took. Knowing that Vent was just a ways back, Aile took the initiative to continue forward without him.

'What do you think you're doing?' Model X reprimanded almost directly after. 'You promised Vent that you would meet up with him on the other side of the pathway.'

"I didn't say where on the other side." Aile argued, continuing to move forward. "So, unless said otherwise, we would meet back up at the transerver. It's Guardian protocol."

'And when did you learn this?'

"Oh, way back when." the girl hummed to herself. "Muguet was very thorough on who and what the Guardians were when I asked."

'Aile, please don't do this to Vent...'

But the girl was already progressing further into the ruins without restraint.

. . .

"How much longer is it going to take to extract Model W, Pandora?" Serpent impatiently questioned as the former.

"It will awaken soon..." came the distant answer. "Patience."

"That is not what I asked," Serpent grumbled, "I said..."

"I heard." Pandora remarked, pausing for a moment to glare at him darkly. "And I gave you... my answer. Patience Serpent... exercise a little patience..."

But the older looking Reploid had nothing of the sort; the Model W was fueling his desires, his wants, his very nerves as if it no longer belonged to him. But that was ridiculous, Serpent knew full well that he had control over Model W's effects. It chose him. It belonged to him. It was his right to control and not the other way around.

Breaking him from his thoughts was the sound of the door open at one end of the chamber. Serpent looked that way and saw a blue figure step through with a weapon drawn. It took him a few moments to recognize them, and when he did, he gave a snide smile.