Shopping for a Future

Progress was being made as the number of targets continued to dwindle. The Mimic's attack had indeed caught them off-guard, but Amy's first concern was her partner's state, not her own. "Hey, you doing alright back there?!" The beam itself wasn't enough to seriously injure herself, but she acknowledged the fact that Lily's body wasn't as robust as her own.

"Should be oka-" she tried to reassure Amy but a twinge in her left wing caused her to wince mid-speech. "Actually, no; on second thought, I could use some help."

Amy's supportive gel was already covering Lily's appendages before she'd finished speaking; it wouldn't be enough to restore her form back to full strength, but what it lacked in healing ability it made up for by providing another layer of defense. The butterfly's body began to emit a bluish glow, which combined with the leaves pattern overlay to create a rather unique display of art.

"Much better." Amy looked to the ground as she spotted the three hazards she'd need to avoid for her next move. "Eric, DrillArm and Pulsar chips." She'd need to move into the field for her next plan to work, so stepping around the hazards was vital.

Eric's hands removed the two chips from their slots and inserted them through the reader. The second chip jammed momentarily as he accidentally pushed the chip diagonally instead of straight down; his hands were shaking slightly from exhaustion.

Back in cyberspace Amy's arm began to twist and swell in size. The Drixol-inspired drill head would probably have been long enough to reach the intended target from her current location, but Amy intended to use its persistent drilling mode to hack through the defensive barrier bestowed upon it by the Green Mimic as well as finishing off the remainder of its outer layer. The second Grinner was the only thing now standing between them and the Mimic, which Amy and Lily were both more than happy to take out of action (perhaps more so the support program than its navi).

The drill arm made a grating sound as it twisted forward, Amy once again obeying its desire to advance as she did her best to close the small gap between them. Dodging the hole behind her and to her side would be simple if she remained focused, but the poisonous patch she'd created could be a problem if they ventured into it.

Lily's wings were charging to full capacity; her next target clear as Amy used the momentum to parry towards the centre of the field, as if she had expected another beam to charge through them. The drilling head was decompiling as the sonic platform began to grow out of its remnants, but Amy was already summoning another swarm of cleansing gel in her other arm. Without a word, it was clear the two ladies were in sync and ready to rail against the crystal with force.

One. Two. Three. Four. A continuous stream of disruptive energy surged forward from the feminine team as Amy first led the charge with a sonic screech. Lily's first wave of ionised energy chased behind it, although not close enough to riff off its energy as it did the last time they entered the battlefield together. Amy's other arm came to bear as the cleansing gel flew from her hand, but this one wasn't fast enough to escape Lily's second serving of electrical fury, a familiar crackling in the air as it arched off the remnant vapour left by the gel's flight path.

All in all, an intimidating onslaught of incapacitating airwaves, electrified winds and gelatinous fluids flew across the space between navi and virus. What happened next was anybody's guess.

-------------------------

Actions:
[A1] FAIR [30{+6} HEAL, 40 HP Barrier] >>> Liliana
[A2] Movement/Take Aim >>> Grinner B
[A3] [Disruptor] DrillArm1 [60 DMG, Break, Knockback, Long Attack] >>> Grinner B
[A4] Dodge/Counter preparation
[A5] [Disruptor] Pulsar1 [70 DMG, Object-triggered Blast2] >>> Green Mimic
[L1] Ion Wave [30 Elec DMG] >>> Green Mimic
[A6] Calming Spray {A} [40 Aqua DMG] >>> Green Mimic
[L2] Ion Wave [30 Elec DMG] >>> Green Mimic

Cooldowns:
Autumn Leaves [+1 TCD; 1/1 TCD; Ready!]
FAIR [Used; 0/2 TCD; Recharging]
Calming Spray {A} [Used; 0/1 TCD; Recharging]

Party:
Amity.EXE: 180 / 230 HP
Liliana.SP: 56 / 70 HP [20 / 40 HP Casing] [40 / 40 HP Barrier][Equipped to Amity]

While Lily opted to favour discretion over pride, and accepted a shot of healing gel from her navi, Amy herself was lining up to finish off the remaining Grinner. As the virus saw her readying a destructive drill arm with it in her sights, the virus slammed its shield closed again... but it was ultimately to no avail as Amy drove forward with her weapon. The first blow collapse the protective bubble that had been surrounding the virus, and pushed it along with her thrust; the piercing drill ground through the metal plate in the same motion and a second cracking shatter of glass followed. Like the first one, this virus seemed to break into a data cloud scattering of small lights, rather than the usual glowing core – though it did seem to still hang together as a cluster, much like the first. Perhaps they were just a little different?

There was little time for contemplating the matter though; further away, the Mimic watched the pair, waited for the moment when Amy was most extended on her thrust, and fired again. Its panels folded back and reconfigured, focusing into geometric shapes that spun rapidly to elicit the searing beam of destructive force that targeted the pair. Amy was quick enough to dodge back and away from the shot, just barely, but the difference was hairline close enough that Lily was grazed by the attack once more. The beam ripped through the outer barrier protecting her, and continued past to rend her second layer of defence too. The beam brushed her tiny form with the remnants of its light, but it felt just warm, like a moment of too-hot sun; it had been just barely depleted of enough power by her defences to save her from true harm – there there would be no doubt that it would have punched through to her if it had been any stronger a shot.

As the beam cleared from sight, however, Amy and Lily took the moment to go on the offence immediately, attacking with as much fire power as they could muster together all at once. As the first resounding shot struck the mimic, to the screeching sound of fracturing glass, it attempted to spin to one side, its facets shifting and twisting; the motion was enough to move it clear of Lily's first ionised pulse, but the blows kept coming and the less than upwardly mobile virus was unable to evade further. Two more solid strikes let Amy and Lily finally crack its shell and dissipate the dangerous creature. As the glass began to shatter, however, the inner smoke of the virus seemed almost to reject the cleansing effect of the gel, almost as though it was anathema to it by its very nature. The entity shrieked with a loud, crystalline sound and the interior smoke attempted to pull away from the energy that was covering it, only to evaporate as it was consumed, leaving nothing at all behind.

Well, not quite nothing; as the hectic fight fell to calm and silence, a spectral image of the Mystery data that they had first touch remained where the mimic inhabiting it had been revealed, and as everything else stilled a brief sheen of light passed over it, returning the data crystal to an interractable state. It immediately began to process their first activation command, from before this fight began, and unpacked itself into a safely packaged piece of chip data.

-=Shocking Revelation=-
TwistyTwisty (Twisty)

Area: SciLab, Electown

HP: 80
Attack: 20 Elec + Panel Break + Drop Attack
Attack Accuracy: C
Attack Description: Summons a RemoteBit to rain down lightning and break panels.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): RemoteBit1, Zenny
Special: Immobile. RemoteBit is invulnerable to all attacks and effects. Can use Blinder once. A: CLEANSED
TwistyTwisty (Twisty)

Area: SciLab, Electown

HP: 80
Attack: 20 Elec + Panel Break + Drop Attack
Attack Accuracy: C
Attack Description: Summons a RemoteBit to rain down lightning and break panels.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): RemoteBit1, Zenny
Special: Immobile. RemoteBit is invulnerable to all attacks and effects. Can use Blinder once. B: CLEANSED
GrinnerGrinner (Grinner)

The Grinner virus possesses a body consisting of only one large solar panel, coated in colored metal with a design like a stoic, robotic face. The color of its body varies according to its strength. (yellow/orange/red/purple/blue/green/black). The virus attacks by opening its "mouth" to reveal its panel, then firing a beam of refracted light towards its enemies. When other solar panels are nearby, its attack will magnify additional light and become even more powerful. The Grinner moves very slowly, but is entirely invulnerable to attacks while its mouth is closed. It has been described jokingly as "the energy efficient Dominerd" due to the similarities between the viruses. The virus itself is electric, but its beam burns like fire, so wood navis need be wary.

Area: NAXA, Electown, SciLab

HP: 100
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 20 Fire Shot + Piercing + Solar Terrain Boost 10 + Self-Cancel Body Effects
Primary Attack Accuracy: A
Primary Attack Description: Fires a scorching beam of refracted, magnified light. The beam deals extra damage when fired by a Grinner floating over solar terrain. When using this attack, the Grinner voids all protection granted by its metallic body and remains vulnerable until it closes its mouth again.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 1 turn self IronBody
Secondary Attack Accuracy: S
Secondary Attack Description: Protects self using its metallic "face" encasing.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): SolarShield1, Zenny
Special: Omnishoes, cannot dodge A: CLEANSED
GrinnerGrinner (Grinner)

The Grinner virus possesses a body consisting of only one large solar panel, coated in colored metal with a design like a stoic, robotic face. The color of its body varies according to its strength. (yellow/orange/red/purple/blue/green/black). The virus attacks by opening its "mouth" to reveal its panel, then firing a beam of refracted light towards its enemies. When other solar panels are nearby, its attack will magnify additional light and become even more powerful. The Grinner moves very slowly, but is entirely invulnerable to attacks while its mouth is closed. It has been described jokingly as "the energy efficient Dominerd" due to the similarities between the viruses. The virus itself is electric, but its beam burns like fire, so wood navis need be wary.

Area: NAXA, Electown, SciLab

HP: 100
Primary Attack Damage/Effect: 20 Fire Shot + Piercing + Solar Terrain Boost 10 + Self-Cancel Body Effects
Primary Attack Accuracy: A
Primary Attack Description: Fires a scorching beam of refracted, magnified light. The beam deals extra damage when fired by a Grinner floating over solar terrain. When using this attack, the Grinner voids all protection granted by its metallic body and remains vulnerable until it closes its mouth again.
Secondary Attack Damage/Effect: 1 turn self IronBody
Secondary Attack Accuracy: S
Secondary Attack Description: Protects self using its metallic "face" encasing.
Element: Elec
Possible Rewards (Per Virus): SolarShield1, Zenny
Special: Omnishoes, cannot dodge B: CLEANSED

Green MimicGreen Mimic (Mimic)

A Mystery Data bisected horizontally, with a shadowy core binding the halves together. Two menacing red eyes leer out from the shadows in the crack between them, and a swirl of dark energy of the same color as the data whirls around the entire virus constantly. A Mimic only spawns if an MD is present, and the roll to check contents comes up as a Trap. The MD then becomes a single Mimic. Mimics do not ever appear otherwise. Once triggered, a Mimic either mass summons Viruses, Navis, or other Battle Programs for the next battle number, or mass teleports all allies to the location of the next battle (which is always within the same network area), and the battle begins immediately. These mass summon and mass teleport abilities are unique to Mimics, and cannot be emulated. When a Mimic is defeated, it reverts to MD form. At this point, it becomes ethereal, and cannot be damaged in any way.

Area: All

HP: 200
Primary Attack Description: Gathers the energy around it into a ball, then fires it all outward in a beam of green light.
Primary Attack Effect: 30 + Beam Attack
Primary Attack Accuracy: B
Secondary Attack Description: Swirls the energy surrounding it around an ally.
Secondary Attack Effect: 40 HP barrier to ally (Cannot be used on self)
Secondary Attack Accuracy: S
Tertiary Attack Description: Spits a ball of glitchy data out from the crack in the Mystery Data, then sends it flying inside a guided shell of energy.
Tertiary Attack Effect: 15 + Glitch + Homing
Tertiary Attack Accuracy: C
Element: Null
Special: Omnishoes. Immobile.
Special: Gains a 20 HP barrier every turn it is not attacking. Does not stack.: CLEANSED...? (Ping!)

-=Incautious Looters=-
Amity.Exe: 180Hp [Normal]
Liliana.SP: 56Hp [Equipped to Amity][Casing: Broken!][Barrier: Broken!]

-=Terrain=-
40% Metal

• Cannot be Broken or Cracked except with Geddon/PanelShot, cannot be Burrowed into.
• Elec attacks: +100% Source Damage.
• 100 Damage Aqua attacks: Change terrain hit to Cracked.
• 100 Damage Fire attacks: Change terrain hit to Furnace.
• PanelShot: Imbue Elec + Break.

35% Normal

• No effects.

15% Poison

• -10 HP/action standing, -20 HP/action submerged.
• Zombie nullifies damage, heals 10 HP/action on contact.
• Cannot be in Sigs.
• PanelShot: Poison(20).

(Forward and left of Amy, where Grinner A was)
10% Broken

• Not bottomless.
• Reverts to Normal after a time, if no one is inside.
• Doubles dodge penalties for bad RP.
• 1-4 Movements actions to climb back out depending on method.

(Just behind Amy, and off to the left, where the Twisty missed her)

Terrain is a checkerboard pattern; any dodge or feint will move you to the opposite terrain, unless you deliberately aim for where you're going.

-=Battle 3, Victory!=-
Spoils: 1250z, 17 BugFrags, SolarShield1Effect: (1 Hit Shield) + (Counter Fire/Elec (50 Fire Shot + Piercing + Solar Terrain Boost 50): On-Hit)
Accuracy: A
Description: Creates a solid solar panel shield. When hit by an attack that produces light, the shield will reflect back the attack with a powerful solar beam. The effect is powered up if standing on solar panels. Impact will stop the counter.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D

GMD: SeekerBomb1Damage: 80 + Seeking + Homing + Blast 1
Accuracy: C
Description: Throws a grenade that automatically seeks out the enemy it's intended for.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D

Amy's derriere made contact with the ground, in part from disbelief with the events playing out around her, and in part due to the day's events finally catching up with her. She'd thought that the shopping run would have been an easy walk through the city; only now did she realise she was sorely mistaken.

Lily had removed herself from her navi out of instinct; her wings would have grazed the ground if she didn't shrink them, but the butterfly had no intention of remaining vulnerable after yet another close call. "Can we do something about me always wearing the brunt of these battles?" she complained to Amy as she flew upwards to try and make sense of the damage from a higher vantage point.

"Hey, I'm just as vulnerable as you are," she retorted back. "We just need to hurry up and strengthen you up some more."

"I'm sorry, was that a 'you're too weak' joke?"

Amy's face found itself buried in her right palm once again. "No Lily, it's not. Let's just pick all this up and keep moving." Her hands found the ground as she pushed herself upward and back onto her feet. Two data fragments hovered nearby, one near where one of the Grinners had been standing, and the other looked to be remnants of the Green Mimic. Or perhaps not; as her hands picked up the data it produced metadata that didn't read like anything they'd encountered in the battle.

"See, Lily?" she confirmed as she held the data outward to her partner. "It may have been a pain to deal with, but it still had a reward in it, just like the other GMDs I've come across."

"Don't care." Lily's wings were arcing tiny motes of electricity across its breadth, indicating she was considering zapping it out of the navi's hands. "Next time we come across one of those, you're dealing with it on your own."

"Don't be a crybaby, we did alright. Eric, incoming data," she called out as the first data packet entered the data stream. As a new battlechip came out, Amy walked back to the Grinner's data and prepared it in the same way. "Another one as well."

"Wait wait wait," Eric gushed as he tried to simultaneously place one chip in the folder whilst picking up another blank one. "I've only got one more blank chip left: we need to ask Stacey for some more."

"Really...?" Amy was aware that a standard battler's folder could contain up to 30 chips, and by her count that was only... 21, with the two most recent additions. "Why don't you have enough blank chips to..." she started to question, but stopped when she realised the reason.

Eric knew she'd deduced the correct answer and felt the need to defend himself. "...I've never had a navi be my partner for long enough to-"

"-long enough to fill a battlechip case. I got it." Amy was slightly miffed once again at his sister for expecting this failure, but could she truly blame Stacey for this one...?

"Tell you what Eric. Let's keep working together until we fill that folder. Not just fill it, but make it so you have a wide RANGE of chips to choose from. A surplus!" That last word was spoken a little too loudly, but Amy didn't care if it surprised or angered the surrounding bystanders.

Or her support program. "Uhhh... do you two need a moment...?"

"Oh whatever." Amy's grin wouldn't be silenced by her embarrassment. The remaining zenny and bugfrags were collected as she once again picked up the bag of parts she'd stashed under a nearby bench before taking to battle.

"Alright, let's try out this... last..."

It was at that moment that Amy realised the shop they'd been battling outside of wasn't Progworld. Sure, they'd both had reasons not to pay much attention to the shopfronts when they'd been under siege from problematic viruses, but Lily spoke out loud what was running through the lady's mind.

"Progweld."

"...Yeah."

Amy did a quick retracing of their steps and realised they'd been detoured by the battle; they were on the opposite side of the block that Progwold was situated. They'd need to navigate two more streets to get to their final destination.

"Before we go, shouldn't you at least have offered the GMD's data to the shopkeep? It did come out of his storefront, you know."

A valid point. As Amy turned to walk back to Progweld's entrance, three large Official navis were walking towards the store, likely to assess the damage from the prior battle.

"On second thought, maybe not." Lily knew as well as Amy they were trying to avoid unnecessary attention with the authorities; now was the time to slink away and apologise after the fact, not stick around and be discovered.

----------

Battle #3 Complete!

Rewards:
Zenny: +1250 (2020 >>> 3270)
Bugfrags: +17 (33 >>> 51)
New Battlechip: SolarShield1Effect: (1 Hit Shield) + (Counter Fire/Elec (50 Fire Shot + Piercing + Solar Terrain Boost 50): On-Hit)
Accuracy: A
Description: Creates a solid solar panel shield. When hit by an attack that produces light, the shield will reflect back the attack with a powerful solar beam. The effect is powered up if standing on solar panels. Impact will stop the counter.
Duration: Once
Element: Elec
Special: Status Guard: This chip blocks debuffs.
Trader Rank: D
New Battlechip: SeekerBomb1Damage: 80 + Seeking + Homing + Blast 1
Accuracy: C
Description: Throws a grenade that automatically seeks out the enemy it's intended for.
Duration: Once
Element: Null
Trader Rank: D
Battlechips: 19 >>> 21

Level Up! Battlechips x5 (20 chips)
Amity.EXE: Level 11 >>> Level 12

Amy was exhausted, and Lily was growing weary as well. The minutes were creeping closer and closer to midnight as they rounded the final corner, the east face of the block coming into view. 'Progworld' certainly advertised itself as such; a giant inflatable Prog sat in front of the store, its two wildly misshaped arms waving about in the air as if it was trying to get someone's attention. Which it was doing rather successfully, as a steady stream of navis and progs alike were flowing in and out of the store front.

Her legs directed her into the line that stood outside the entryway. For some reason a security guard was standing outside the store, and new customers were only being let in as others left. It would appear that a hard limit was being placed on how many people could be in the store at any one time.

"What do you think that's all about?" Amy asked as they got closer to the front of the line.

"No idea. Does it matter?" Lily replied somewhat flatly.

The change of tone didn't go unnoticed. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just tired."

"I hear that. We're almost done," she tried to reassure her partner as the guard gestured for the next group to enter, which now included the duo.

"Still not sure this is the right place though," Amy mused as she again took out the money pouch Huxley had sent them. The displays surrounding them were all Prog-themed, from simple mods like reskins and elemental upgrades to more unusual additions like chassis upgrades and additional appendages. It made Amy nervous as she stepped through the aisles. "He said the final parts would be around 17,000 zenny combined, so if it's close to that, I guess that's the best we can do."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a pink Prog with yellow tips on its arms and legs as it came around the aisle end. {CAN I HELP?} it spoke energetically, possibly a little too energetically.

"Do you sell PRX stage-4 self repair kits and PRX intel class 3 upgrades?" Amy enquired.

{YES AND NO. WE NORMALLY SELL BOTH, BUT WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE ANY OF THE CLASS 3 INTEL UPGRADES,} it apologised as it bowed its head.

"That... that's okay, we can try somewhere else," she tried to reply, but the Prog looked back up in earnest.

{WE DON'T HAVE ANY CLASS 3 INTEL UPGRADES HERE, BUT AT THE MOMENT PROGWORLD IS SELLING CYCLE UPGRADE KITS AT 30% OFF. A CLASS 4 CYCLE UPGRADE KIT INCLUDES BOTH A STAGE 4 SELF REPAIR KIT AND INTEL UPGRADE, AS WELL AS A PERSONALITY MOD UNIT AND CASING STYLER. IT WOULD COST YOU ONLY 2,000 ZENNY MORE THAN THE TWO PARTS YOU WERE LOOKING FOR. WOULD YOU LIKE THAT INSTEAD?}

Amy was a little surprised by the interaction. The deal did sound like it could be a winner, but only if the PRX parts were in fact what they had been advised to buy.

"What do you think, Lily? Take a chance...?"

"I think so. We have the extra money thanks to Manford."

Amy counted out the necessary zenny. "We'll take it," she confirmed, holding out the 19,000 zenny.

{OH, I DON'T NEED THAT MUCH. 17,000 ZENNY IS ALL I NEED,} the pink assistant offered as it took only the necessary amount from Amy's outstretched palm. {I WILL PROCESS THE SALE WITH THE CASHIERS AND RETURN WITH YOUR GOODS,} it advised before leaving towards the back of the shop.

"Now I'm worried we got the wrong thing..." Amy lamented while they waited. "And it was the most expensive item on the list."

"I do think it's the right item," Lily again tried to comfort from behind her. "How many PRX Class 3 and 4 upgrades can there be, right?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Amy countered as the Prog returned with a large bag that had 'ProgWorld' written in a readable-sized font across the entire body in a diagonal pattern, each repeating word in a different colour.

{THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE AND FOR CHOOSING PROGWORLD!} it spoke to the pair as Amy reached out to collect the bag and placed it with the other bag already in her hand. The ProgWorld bag had ample space inside it, the purchased parts barely filling half its space. As a result, Amy placed the Ricky's Robotnics bag into her new acquisition, leaving her only holding one bag again. The pink Prog bowed a final time and moved past her cyan dress as it went to greet the next customer.

"So, is it time to go back home to your 'friend' now?" Lily asked, a cheeky tone surrounding the word 'friend'.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy questioned as they walked out of the store. "Eric's not just our friend, he's our operator as well. We need him, and he needs us."

"Oh I'm not talking about Eric," she continued in a sly manner. "I didn't realise you and Max were so close."

Amy didn't understand. "Now I'm really confused. What are you talking about?"

"When you were talking to the information lady earlier, you referred to Max as your friend. Or did you not realise...?"

"No I didn't," Amy quickly rebutted.

"Yes you did," Lily insisted. "Don't try to deny it."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"DIDN'T."

"DID."

"Eric, back me up here." Amy was confident she hadn't suggested such a preposterous thing. Max was still a stranger to her; although she didn't consider him to be a threat to Eric's or her existence, that fact alone didn't make them friends. The only thing Amy knew about Eric's elder was that he had an interesting set of skills and that was it.

When no response came from the speaker, Amy and Lily became curious. "Eric, you can't hide from us this time," Lily warned as Amy pulled up the overworld monitor.

Eric's head was propped back against the leather headrest of the recliner, his eyes closed and his mouth half open as he slumbered. His arms were hung over the armrests, dangling in the voids beside the chair as he breathed in and out. The NetPendium sat in his lap, closed up after having done its duty yet again, as their PET sat on top of it.

"I think he's done as well," Lily quipped. It triggered a yawn from her own mouth, as if Eric's sleeping was contagious.

Amy remembered a resting area back at the last junction; if she had to wait for Eric to rejoin the land of the conscious, she may as well do so while being seated. They returned to the area to find the bench there vacant; it didn't remain that way for long. Being careful not to squash her passenger, Amy approached the long chair and tried to arch her back in such a way that Lily's body wouldn't be pinned between her back and the backrest. It didn't work, but the next moment she could feel Lily's appendages once again detaching from her body as the butterfly flittered in front of her, twirling mid-air before landing on her lap.

"Are we going to wait for Eric to wake up?"

"We don't have a choice, I guess," Amy answered, noticing that the sky was visible from this junction. "We'll give him a couple of minutes, then we'll have to try waking him up." Amy explained. "If that doesn't work, we may have to..." Her words trailed off into nothing as she realised there was no other choice. Their server wasn't accessible without PET interaction, and Max had already gone to bed.

"Wait for Eric to wake up it is," Lily joked as her wings disappeared completely and her legs and arms curled in towards her thorax.

"Comfortable there?" Amy had to be careful that her tiredness didn't come across as aggression.

"Hey, I've been watching your back all day, and don't forget about Kotobuki. Let me rest here," she argued as her body snuggled into the nest created by Amy's dress.

The navi rolled her eyes, but doing so caused her to catch a light flash across the sky. It was impossible that what she'd seen was a shooting star as no such thing existed in the internet, but the pattern of lights that filled the sky were reminisce of some programming engineer's desire to fill the otherwise black backdrop with something worth observing. One could argue that any navi in Electown was already surrounded with more lights than was necessary, but those lights only caused an intoxicating glare of neon advertising, pretty for one moment and then bothersome the next. As Amy continued to stare into this fake sky, she realised something.

"Lily?"

"Yes?"

"Do... do you ever wonder why we're here?"

"To protect humans from danger, of course."

Amy smiled. That wasn't what she was talking about, but she was too tired to elaborate further.

Danger never seemed to be far away, as another large sound and a dim flash of light to their west indicated some more virus mischief. The sound itself wasn't terribly loud, indicating some distance separated Amy from the trouble, and this fact may have explained why she refused to leave the seat. She'd done enough good deeds for the day; her body was begging to be allowed sleep, and her mind was looking for an excuse to wander.

{{{ "We were told not to touch it." }}}

The voice was her own, but her mouth hadn't moved.

{{{ "Following the orders of Lady Heather is common sense as much as it is a courtesy, Dahlia." }}}

Amy realised her mistake far too late. She was exhausted, and a sleeping operator wasn't able to activate the patch that prevented the memories resurfacing...

{{{ "Give me a break, she's not gonna flip out."

Amy was fretting, unable to decide what she should do. One part of her knew that what she was proposing was wrong. Lady Heather had told them not to play with the planter sitting at Amy's feet; they'd been told it contained valuable equipment for the area, including the repeater relay responsible for their real world appearances. Amy had no reason to be touching it, but Daisy's arguments were prodding the other part of her where curiosity was being peaked by the possibility of a juicy life-altering secret...

"I cannot comprehend why you would suggest that Lady Heather is withholding something beneficial from us. She has never behaved in any manner that would support your thesis." A white butterfly with bow-tie shaped wings was resting on Amy's left shoulder as she rebuffed the other white bow-tie butterfly hovering directly in front of her. "Amity, please do not listen to Dahlia or allow her mistrust to plant seeds of doubt in your heart."

"There you go again with that stupid logic of yours," the hovering butterfly sneered. "Amy, ignore the robot and face facts. We both know that if it's important enough to have not one, not two, but THREE separate cyberlocks on it, ON TOP of the physical deadswitch locking mechanism preventing it from being picked up, whatever's in this planter isn't just security and networking. Heck, it's fastened to the sectional maze as well; someone doesn't want this being moved."

A larger white butterfly with pointed blades for wings flittered over to the trio. "Daisy, why are you still harping on about that box? Heather said no, Rita said no, Amy said no, and while I know you don't care what Peony and I think, we said no as well. Why can't you just let it go?" she asked, her large yellow eyes pleading for a ceasefire.

"I shouldn't have to 'let it go'! If it's really important, then tell us what it is!" 'Daisy' argued back, her voice filled with rage. "If we're supposed to be family, they why the secrets? Family don't keep secrets from family!"

"The issue here is that you do not like having knowledge withheld from you. Every person is entitled to keep secrets, Dahlia." Her green eyes turned towards the larger butterfly as her wings lifted its tiny body away from Amy. "Liliana, if Dahlia wishes to proceed with violating the trust bestowed to us by Lady Heather, I wish to have no part in this exercise."

"I would expect nothing less from you Peony." an authoritative voice echoed from behind the group.

All four turned around to face the source of the voice. Heather and Rita had appeared behind them, Rita wearing her usual faded rose-coloured overalls draped over a white shirt soiled in various places with dirt, while Heather was wearing a peach-coloured afternoon gown that flowed in layers from her waist to the ground, every inch of the material glistening as she walked toward the bickering party.

"My dear Daisy, what is your problem with secrets? Is it such a big deal for me to have a little privacy in my own garden?" she questioned the aggravated program, her gaze not being affected by the butterfly's own glowering demeanour.

The butterfly's red eyes glowed as her frown became more prominent. "YOU'RE the one who said this was our home too. We can't go anywhere on our own, and I'm stuck with these losers who never want to do anything-"

"Hey!" Lily protested.

"-so yeah, I'm tired of secrets. I'm tired of these four walls," she ranted as her tiny arms gestured to the giant concrete walls that bordered the property, "and I'm tired of doing the same boring things day after day! And now you say that this planter contains something that will one day change our future?! What did you expect Heather? Of course I want to know what's inside!"

Before she could continue her debate a hand clasped over her body mid-flight, and the next thing Daisy saw was Amy's face, a hand-span away from her own. "Do... do you really... not like... being with me...?" she whispered, her voice choking on each word as they left her mouth while tears melted down her face.

The red eyes darted back and forth, looking for an excuse to fly away but Amy's fingers had her wings well-pinned, preventing a retreat.

"I'm tired of being caged! I have wings, but I can't even fly out of this stupid garden! I want to SEE THINGS, Amy! I'm not content with this life; I want more!"

Heather chuckled in response. "Amy, let Daisy go."

Amy's hand reluctantly released her companion, who immediately took to the sky and put distance between herself and all of her associates.

"Daisy, come with me. I think there's something you need to see, to understand." She gestured to the butterfly to follow her as she turned back and headed towards the outer courtyard. The butterfly hesitated at first but eventually chased after the elderly woman, leaving the remainder of the group in the garden.

"That was a giant bother," Lily grumbled as she flew next to Peony. "I think we both know who the 'loser' really is, don't you?"

"Dahlia was simply expressing her frustration, Liliana. I do not believe there was any maliciousness behind her outburst." With that, the smaller butterfly flew off towards the west end of the garden, the larger butterfly following closely behind her.

"Are you alright Amy?" Rita asked. She had used the distraction of the support program's conversations to sneak behind the navi, and with one movement she slid her arms through the holes created by the navi's arms and body, hugging Amy from behind.

"Am... am I really a bother...?" Amy mumbled.

"Enough of that," Rita reprimanded. Her hands delinked from in front of Amy's waist, and while the left arm slid away from Amy's body the woman's right hand grasped the navi's left, pirouetting the girl on the spot to bring her face-to-face with her friend. When Amy's demeanour remained unchanged, Rita once again took the navi's hand and forced the girl in a white dress and frock to walk with her down the garden path that passed through the bulk of the gardens surrounding them until it ended at a long teak garden bench, the bench being accented at the top with the same insignia that littered the estate, the Dougherty family crest. The swan's large, piercing eyes did little to calm the girl's nerves as they both sat down.

"Amy, why are you listing to that brat's taunting? You know better than I do that Daisy runs her mouth whenever she's upset. Honestly, she's like a spoilt child that got caught putting their hand in the cookie jar, blaming everybody but herself."

"But... but she's right... I'm a navi that can't even battle properly." The words came out amongst the occasional sniffling and sobbing. "All we ever do is roam these gardens and explore the mansion. She probably hates me and my boring life."

"This again..." Rita sighed as her arms again embraced her friend. "You know, my dad always said that, 'if nothing changes, nothing changes'."

Amy wiped away tears rather unelegantly with the fabric covering her chest. "Huh?"

"Every time we're talking in the garden and the conversation turns towards netbattling, you act like it's hopeless, that you couldn't possibly get any better. And I know, you told me all about the training centre, and I agree, that would be enough to make anybody never want to try netbattling ever again." Rita's hands moved to the edges of Amy's hair, and she gently turned her friend's gaze toward her own. "But... the way you've been acting lately... I don't believe you anymore. I think you WANT to change, but you're scared. I think THAT'S been bothering you more than the netbattling itself.

But it doesn't have to be that way, you know." She leaned forward whilst pulling the girl towards her, allowing her forehead to make contact with the navi's. Although Amy was a digital being, the touch caused a sensation of warmth and comfort to bloom from her head that slowly spread throughout her entire being. Amy felt her worries and concerns fading away as Daisy's harsh words were slowly overwritten by this warmth.

Amy wished with all her might that this moment would never end.

Despite this wish, Rita and Amy eventually parted with the woman in overalls relaxing herself against the backrest, her face aimed up towards the sky. "Change doesn't happen immediately, Amy. It takes time, effort, willpower. You know this. But if nothing changes, nothing changes. You have to take steps, even missteps, before something can change, can grow. You are surrounded by people here that want the best for you. You won't find a better place to take a few small risks."

Amy mirrored Rita and relaxed into the chair, her gaze also turning skyward. It was open, clear, and blue. The blue didn't quite match her normal override, but she didn't have the opportunity to compare the two; Lady Heather had made it very clear that only the Garden GMO was to be worn if she was to hologen in the estate, in order to maintain the illusion.

{{{ "Amy!" }}}

One of Daisy's earlier slurs re-entered her mind as her eyes searched for anything in the endless blue. I can't even fly out of this garden! Neither could Amy; she too was trapped within these four walls. However, unlike Daisy, she took solace in this, knowing that outside these boundaries were threats to her and her family, threats that she would never be able to fend off in her current state.

This estate was more than her home; it was her fortress.

{{{ "Amy! Wake up!" }}}

"Rita?" she questioned, her eyes still trained upwards.

"Yes?"

"Do... do we even have any navi training facilities here...?"

"No, of course not."

"Right. Of course we don't."

"At least, we didn't until last week."

"Huh?"

"If I had to guess, that's what Lady Heather is showing Daisy right now."

A tiny smile began to form on the navi's face as a thought entered her mind. It may not have been a smart idea, but Rita was right; if she wanted to change, she had to make the effort.

"Heather was going to show it to you when you were ready. Want to see it?" }}}

"AMY! WAKE UP!"

Amy jerked awake to the sight of her support program hovering in front of her. Her wings were alert, charged and buzzing as she discharged a serving of her ionised wind into the area in front of her, quickly followed by a second helping from the other wing.

"What's happening?!" Amy leapt to her feet, rudely awakened by the battle that was taking place in front of her.

"Relax, please. I'm not here to cause problems," a voice advised from the same direction. Despite being partially transparent, Lily's wings were blocking Amy's view of whoever it was that was the focus of the butterfly's anger. She took one step to the side to see a disturbingly familiar hooded figure, its brown cloak already burned into her mind from before.

"Not this time, maybe," Amy growled. "Lily, get behind me," she ordered as cleansing gel began sliding down her arm. Lily didn't need a second invitation, but her eyes remainded locked onto the intruder standing no further than 10 or so paces from their position. The shield he had deployed to protect himself from Lily's ion waves disappeared once the butterfly had returned to its home.

"Thank goodness. I thought maybe I'd made a mistake." The voice sounded relieved, but also a little cautious. "We need to talk."

"To shards with that. You attacked us without reason." Her voice was full of anger, her stare matching its tone. "What makes you think I have anything to say to YOU?"

"I know you might be confused, but that's not your fault," he offered as a means of explanation. It did little to reassure the girl as cleansing gel reached critical mass in her hands. "Please, don't waste your energy. My shield will be back up long before your cleansing gel has a chance to hit me." The voice sounded male, but as Amy started moving forward it took a few steps backward.

"'Cleansing gel'? What do YOU know about cleansing gel?" she retorted back, demanding an answer.

"Cleansing gel. Designed to break down the outer casing of a program, exposing the inner core. Will eradicate a program's ability to cause harm without killing the program. Our default defense, no?"

"'Our' default defense?" Of all the words to lock onto, it was that one that stole Amy's attention.

"You're not alone, sister. You never were."

Her ears couldn't believe what they were hearing. The gel wobbled in her hands as it anticipated being launched, but Amy's mind was filling with questions faster than she could ask them. "'Sister'?! Who are you?! Why are you here?! WHAT are you doing here?!"

"Not here. Even now we could be being watched," the navi informed them as he gestured to the surrounding area. Other denizens were moving through the square but had paid neither of them much attention, simply stepping around them or inbetween them. The cloak extended out a hand, an outstretched human hand attached to a trenchcoat sleeve that bore an identical cyan blue to her own dress. "Come with me. We still have a mission to complete... together."

"And what exactly is that?" Lily questioned.

"I can't say. Not yet."

"Too bad then." Lily had calmed down a little, but her voice was still elevated. "Amy, I don't trust him at all."

'He'. So she thinks he's a guy as well.

"Me neither," Amy concurred whilst still staring at the cloak, trying to get a better glimpse of the figure underneath it. "But... he knows about cleansing gel, Lily. Did you tell him about that?"

"Of course not. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"Then shouldn't we at least hear him out?"

The hand was still outstretched as the cloaked navi took a step towards her, but this time it was Amy that took a step back. "Watch it," she warned, her arms instinctively raising up again.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier, but I had my reasons." The cloak appeared to glance left and right before taking yet another step. "We've already been here too long. We need to go... now."

"WE don't need to go anywhere." Amy wasn't going to be pressured into any action by a navi like this one.

[LOGOUT PROCEDURE IS READY.]

Amy hadn't heard her operator wake up through the PET connection, but the message couldn't have been better timed. Based on the matching twitch that came from Lily's body, it was safe to assume she too got the same message as energy resumed building up in her wings. Amy took the cue and readied cleasing gel once more.

"Please! I just want to talk!" the stranger pleaded again, but its words were left unanswered as a joint barrage of cleansing gel and ionised wind riffed off each other as they crossed the short gap between the parties. His shield was deployed with perfect timing, fully protecting him from the quad-point assault, but as the shield retracted his eyes found the pair already half deconstructed onto a logout pathway.

"NOOO!" he cried out as he rushed forward, his arms reaching out in a feeble attempt to grab hold of them. His fingers parted the cyan mist that trailed behind the last of their data stream, seconds too late to prevent their departure. The forward momentum combined with a lack of an object to run into caused the figure to stumble over itself, eventually tumbling and falling to the ground. A few passersby stared down at the sight as they walked past, but it was clear by the outline of the cloak that his head had sunk down into his hunched position as it sat there on the pathway.

"...Sorry dad," he mumbled. "Looks like I failed. Again." Its shape began to break apart as he too initiated logout procedures, leaving behind an almost identical path of cyan mist in his wake.

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