Date Night(Saber)

[Mani4c]

Chakram chose to reveal himself once Saber spoke his piece. "I'm afraid it will only help in the short term Saber..." Murakumo looked at Chakram and glared, "How much did you hear?" Chakram shrugged, "Enough. But as it stands, Murakumo's issue with Mani4c and Baretta dating is more than just her obsession with Mani4c, if that were the case, simply fantasizing about Mani4c as a way of coping...but it's more than that." Murakumo sneered, "What the fuck do you know?"

Chakram sighed and deactivated his armor, his expression depressed, "Because the same issue that causes you to lash out when you can't have Mani4c is what led me to try and murder my family, at least in part."

When Dagger reached the firing range, Raijin was waiting for him, pummeling a training dummy with his fists, when he noticed Dagger he held up a hand. "One moment..." Raijin turned to face the Dummy and altered his stance, setting his feet wide and channeling his energy, a bright purple aura flaring around his body like a fireball. "SHUN GOKU SATSU!" Raijin seemingly flew at the target before lashing out at it with a barrage of brutal punches, each strike resounding though the room with a sickening *CRUNCH*, 200 in all. With a final roar of victory, Raijin smashed his fist into the side of the dummy's skull, sending it flying before it exploded into shards of light in mid air, Raijin having completely shattered it's framework with his attack.

Raijin placed both of his hands together palms first and closed his eyes, sucking in a breath through his nose before slowly exhaling. Raijin opened his eyes and looked at Dagger, his expression serious. "That is the power of the Satsui No Hado...when properly applied. You said that you wanted to learn about Chakram's condition?"

Raijin summoned a table with a snap of his fingers, with two square cushions in lieu of seats. Raijin sat down, crossing his legs before gesturing at the other cushion. "Sit, please."

[Saber]

Saber glanced back at Chakram when he made himself known. Ever since Dagger's briefing of their mission, and his warning of Chakram's behavior, Saber had been wary of him. Since Chakram seemed to relate to Murakumo, he glanced to her, then Chakram, before choosing to take his leave "Since there's a kindred spirit in the vicinity, I'll let you two talk instead of me attempting to play psychiatrist...I hope you find the answers you are looking for..." His departing words weren't exactly directed at anyone, perhaps an attempt for them both to think about his words before he left.

Dagger folded his legs under him, hands resting calmly on his knees "...I have several questions I wish to ask regarding this...But first let's talk about how this will affect him...The moment he started using Satsui No Hado, he became corrupted, obsessed with the idea that he was better than his predecessors, and wished to prove it by deleting us...Will this mentality remain, and will it ingrain itself into him with persistent use?"

[Mani4c]

Chakram noticed Saber's wariness and rolled his eyes, he was starting to get very tired of this, now he knew what Mani4c went through when he first joined the NPD. "How Mani4c didn't start slamming people's heads against the walls, I will never know..." Murakumo scoffed, "If you didn't act like a baby trying to throw a tantrum over his big brother having more friends, maybe he'd still trust you." Chakram grabbed Murakumo by the shirt and pulled her in until she was nose to nose with him. "And maybe if you didn't mutilate copies of his girlfriend when you were feeling angry, Mani4c wouldn't have to fight tooth and nail to keep you out of an 8x10 cell with bindings on every limb and a gag in your mouth."

Chakram released Murakumo, his breathing somewhat heavy. He had always repressed most of his anger, masking it over a cool and detached persona, but that had been what allowed his darker personality traits to manifest as that...thing on the train, he was not going to let that happen again, and if it meant snapping at someone, he didn't really care...everyone despised or avoided him anyway. "You share an issue that I possess, well...possessed anyways, before I discovered the joys of apathy and isolation." Murakumo noticed the deadpan snark in Chakram's voice, her furious sneer turning into an irritable frown. "Well, enlighten me, what is this problem?"

Chakram sucked in a breath, "You lack self-esteem, you see yourself as a reject because the mega-corporations disowned and tortured you, you feel that you are a failure because of your inability to strike back at your tormentors...and you feel that you're ugly, unattractive, or like a pariah because not only to the rank and file treat you like a bomb waiting to go off, you cannot secure the affections of the man you love, instead being forced to watch as he devotes his time to another woman."

Murakumo's breathing became sharp as Chakram listed off her various feelings, specifically her self-loathing because of Mani4c's lack of romantic attraction as well as her damaged state. But it was more than that...The Mega-corporations had torn her apart and rebuilt her as a way of having fun, she felt weak, violated, and unclean. "You...you have no idea what I've gone through." Chakram nodded. "You're right, I don't, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to act like a psychopath whenever Mani4c does something you don't like."

Murakumo grabbed Chakram, her gaze suddenly vicious. "The what's your excuse for trying to kill Dagger? I was torn apart, pieces of me deleted and replaced with junk code, only to have the junk ripped out and replaced with other bits of data...I don't even know how much of me is me!" Murakumo released Chakram, tears leaking from her eyes. "What gives you the right to lecture me when you've done the same? Lashed out at someone because you felt that they hurt you!?"

Chakram was silent for a minute before responding, his voice filled with a mixture of sadness and self loathing. "I have NO excuse for what I did...I barely even remember what happened honestly, but that doesn't stop others from fearing me, or you, or the rest of my family...because the rank and file are cannon fodder, not one processor that can function properly among them. I lost control of my emotions because I repressed them, all the hate, my self-loathing for being inferior to Dagger, my hatred for what my family amounted to...a clean up crew, garbage men meant to fix others mistakes...I HATED Dagger, and even Saber. To me, they were the source of my misery...but that was an excuse, I let myself be miserable, while my brother, mother, and sister were happy, I wallowed in misery and let it become rage, and that rage consumed me."

Chakram grabbed Murakumo's shoulders, looking her in the eyes with a pleading expression. "Please Murakumo...don't do what I did, try to find happiness, don't let yourself become consumed with anger and pain. You've suffered enough." Murakumo looked down, a pained look on her face. "I don't know if I can...if I deserve to be happy." Chakram grabbed Murakumo's face and pulled her within inches of his own. "Don't...you do deserve to be happy, and if you feel your anxieties and anger boiling over...talk to me. I may not share everything with you, but I can understand." Murakumo nodded, "I...Okay, I'll try." Chakram nodded, "Good, now...let's go inside."

Raijin shook his head, "No...from what I understand, and from what I gathered of Chakram both during and after the incident, his berserk state was a result of him chronically repressing his emotions as a coping mechanism...your and Halberd's departure made Cyberblades into the new hot item to be afraid of, but he didn't want to prove them right, so he hid his anger...until he couldn't repress it anymore."

Raijin sighed and rubbed his eyes, "The Satsui No Hado is a type of ki, much like how Ryujin can channel power through his fists, or how Fujin can use her Feng Shui engine to tap into her own natural energy supply. But unlike those two types of ki, which are attained through a natural skill and augmented through training. The Satsui no Hado is unleashed with a mindset... To tap into the Satsui no Hado, a person must be so consumed with the desire for winning, or else possess such intense rage, that they are willing to murder." Raijin let the ramifications of Chakram being able to use such a dark power sink in for a moment.
 

[Saber]

Dagger closed his eyes and tried to take this in. Chakram did say during their fight that his generation were the stepping stone for his discrimination. Just hearing how Chakram's repressed emotions were what forced his hand, and the jealousy of not matching him in skill were what triggered his use of the darkness within him, it made him realize just how at fault he was "...I am the reason that he lost control...I see that now..."

Then, Raijin began to explain what the Satsui No Hado was, and exactly what it took to trigger it. It made sense, when someone who had the program explained it. But he was still confused about soemthing "...Our bodies are comprised of customized and refined data, designed for core directives and functions that fit our themes...Just how exactly did Chakram come across this program, when he was custom designed by police avatars?"

[Mani4c]

Chakram led Murakumo into the ship, closing the hatch behind him, when he turned around, he was greeted by an incredibly irritating sight. Every single officer in the hallway was staring at him and Murakumo, the glares on their faces telling him all he needed to know. Chakram ignored them, walking past and sticking close to Murakumo.

As Chakram went by, he heard various insults muttered about him, the usual things "Traitor, Monster, Freak." He was used to it, what he wasn't used to was a large, armored officer shoving  Murakumo to the side, drawing his baton, and smashing him across the face. "I ain't letting another Halberd walk around!" Chakram skidded across the floor and came to a halt against a nearby wall, Murakumo had summoned her blades and blasted the man through a nearby bulkhead, flying after him as several officers shot at her.

Chakram was seething, it's not bad enough that they belittle and insult him, hell, they could even strike him if they wanted...but hurting Murakumo for trying to defend him was going too far. Chakram stood up and summoned his weapons, whipping the razor sharp disks at the officers, slicing their arms and taking out their legs. "I don't need to kill you bastards, guess that makes me better than you...I can aim." One of the officer's raised his sidearm at Chakram, who kicked him in the face to knock him out.

Chakram stepped through the hole, where he saw the larger avatar shoot Murakumo with a stun charge. Chakram roared and dashed towards the man, only to be backhanded across the room. "You can't beat me asshole!" Chakram got to his feet, loathe as he was to admit it, he was right, a straight up fight would end poorly...so maybe it was time to stop fighting like Chakram... '-And start strategizing like Dagger...' Chakram activated his cloaking field, extending his arm blades and activating his weak-point scanner as he did, he located five key weakpoints, and three of them were in critical areas of the body. 'That'll work...' Chakram ran forward, toggling his cloaking on and off, when the officer shot at him or swung his baton, he would cloak and dodge at the same time, doing this in rapid succession to confuse his opponent. 'It looks like I'm teleporting, or just winking out of existence to reappear somewhere else, it should be a good distraction so I can aim...THERE!' Chakram leaped over a wide swing of the officer's baton, grabbing the officer's helmet and swinging himself around so he was straddling the man's head. "GET OFF YOU FUCK!" Chakram extended his arm blade and plunged it into the officer's neck, causing him to let out a gasp of pain. "If you insist officer."

Chakram leaped forward, hooking his free arm around the officer's head and using his momentum to swing around the officer's head like a tether-ball around it's pole, dragging the blade through the officer's throat as he did. He then kicked off of the officer, summoning his chakrams and throwing them at the wounded man's neck, decapitating him in one throw.

Chakram landed on his feet, catching his weapons and deactivating his armor, a crowd of NPD officers had formed, watching as the large officer's body crumbled into bits of code. "Now then...does anyone else want to fuck with me or Murakumo!?" The officer's all immediately backed up, and Chakram nodded, walking over to Murakumo and helping her up.

Raijin sighed, he was never good at explaining the technical aspects of things like this, but he was going to give it a shot. "That's just it, remember how I mentioned that ki usage is gained through an innate talent and training? Ki is basically energy formed from the user's own code, which is why you need to normally train constantly to attain a high amount of control, but Chakram seems to have broken many barriers because of his ability to unlock the Satsui no Hado. You, Mani4c, Noxus...anyone can use ki if they have the focus and training needed to harness their own inner strength. But in Chakram's case, he unlocked the Satsui no Hado first, which has given him the ability to harness ki energy without training. He was incredibly lucky,  most people who do that go mad permanantly, he simply became enraged."

Before Raijin could continue, a video-chat screen opened up in the center of the table, revealing a very irritated Masamune. "Dagger, Raijin. Chakram just got into a fight with an NPD officer...specifically, he decapitated him, Saber and the other Cyberblades are on their way, and I don't trust them to not muck it up. You both need to intervene and fast. He's three levels above you, just in front of the stern's exterior entrance hatch."

[Saber]

Saber rounded the corner when he heard the conflict going on, eyes landing on Chakram before addressing the group as a whole "None of you even think about moving, all of you need to answer to your commanding officers for this. If I see even one officer run, keep in mind you're already in my video logs, and I will report your participation in this incident!" Katana was the next to follow suit, followed by the other wave-2 cyberblades, and finally, Director Rift, who approached both Chakram and Murakumo, calmly addressing them "Chakram. Murakumo. Come with me please."

Saber turned and looked at Rift when he started to take them away from the scene, unsure of his intentions "Rift, what are you doing?" "Simply hearing their side of the story, while you and your family address the larger group about this dispute. I am also going to personally escort them to someone who might understand him more than everyone else does right now." He eyed the officers in question with a calm, but almost challenging gaze "...Unless any of you have anything that you wish to confess...Before your actions are brought up with internal affairs. By all means, I'll hear all of you out." Katana stepped forward, getting ready to defend Chakram, but Rift held her hand up, signaling her to wait.

Dagger, hearing Raijin's explanation of how the program came to be inside of Chakram's code, was honestly bewildered by the fact that any of them could possess the power that Chakram unlocked by sheer luck and rage. He had never been jealous of anyone, nor did he have spite towards anyone but Halberd, aside from the criminals he's hunted down while away from the precinct. He wanted to ask just how difficult it would be to attain such power, and how devastating it would be to one who has more restraints on emotion, Shepard called in with info about Chakram, and how he deleted an officer. After hearing Shepard's warning, Dagger kicked up from his sitting position, and started to rush for the exit. He hadn't familiarized himself with the rooms of the Durendal, but he did know where each ladder and staircase was in the ship, hastening his advance on their position.

[Mani4c]

Claymore summoned his glaive and glared at the officers, "Please, do try...I was made to fight Halberd when he was augmented by Integrate, I'm sure you'll provide some fun sport..." The officer's immediately backed off, dispersing in record time. "Hmph, the only time they're unified is in hatred and fear...disgusting." Chakram looked at Rift warily, "Considering that even Saber is treating me with borderline revulsion, why should I trust you Rift? You of all people should despise me the most, given my past actions."

Murakumo stored her blades and looked at Claymore. "Thank you." Claymore simply smiled, "Think nothing of it, Chakram may have made an error, but he's family."

Raijin followed Dagger, the pair arriving just in time to see the crowd dispersing due to Claymore's threat. "Heh, that large one may not be able to tap into the Hado...he's too chivalrous...although, I know a school of fighting he could use, I'll have to speak with Masa when he get's here."

[Saber]

Rift chuckled when Chakram questioned his level of trust towards the stealthy avatar "Unlike most officer's who have a far finer line beteen the black and whites of law enforcement, I have a much broader gray area. From the briefing that Dagger provided me, you were simply acting out of rage, and negativity towards what the generation 1 cyberblades left as their legacy, he has also expressed that he shares most of the blame. When we are done discussing things, I'll call for a family meeting among all of you, so that we can reach an understanding about what is really going to happen to you with this darker side."

Saber pinched his nose when Claymore scared the officers away, now he was going to have to report every officer who was there for interrogation. He started leaving, heading for the bridge "I'll be back, I need to report to Commissioner Shepard and inform her of everyone who was here..."

Dagger silently nodded at Raijin's comment, his eyes falling on the wary Chakram, waiting for something to happen. And sure enough, it did, as Rift noticed the two of them arriving on the scene "Ah. Dagger, Raijin, perfect timing, I was going to escort these two to speak with you about the incident here. I believe that our young friend here could use some expert advice about what is truly happening to him as well, and how best he should cope with it."

[Mani4c]

Murakumo walked in front of Saber, halting his progress. "You need not report anything..." Murakumo's voice became robotic and emotionless as she brought up her target tracking subroutines, uploading a list of every avatar that had been in the crowd, as well as the officer that tried to assault her and Chakram. "Accessing target tracing routines...overlaying targets with NPD personnel IP database. Compiling...Compiling...Data compilation complete, sending data to Subject: Shepard." 


Murakumo's voice went back to normal as she grabbed Saber's wrist, "You should hear this too, because Chakram isn't please with you of all people, someone who defended Mani4c and Viral before they were officers, acting like he's a bomb ready to go off...especially considering you don't have the best track record with emotional stability." Murakumo projected archive footage taken from Mani4c's optical inputs during the kidnapping of the cyberblades, specifically Saber becoming irrational because of his damaged emotional grid. "You don't like having your failings thrust into your face? Tough, I'm not going to coddle you because it might make you upset."

Raijin nodded, "Very well, but I want that family meeting to be now. They need to know what's happening to Chakram as soon as possible."

[Saber]

Saber closed his eyes and sighed, this was bound to happen eventually, but he might as well deal with his demons now. So he simply let Murakumo lead him back to the others, remaining silent as he heard everyone out.

Dagger waited beside Raijin, letting him take the lead, since he knew more about the situation than anyone else here.

[Mani4c]

Raijin began to tell the assembled avatars about the Satsui no Hado, specifically how Chakram managed to access it due to his repressed anger and resentment, and how the Technique's power ended up overwhelming his emotional grid, making him into what he was on the train. He also explained that now that Chakram had vented his repressed emotions, he would more than likely not become uncontrollable again.

Raijin looked at Chakram. "However, I would recommend practicing regardless, on the off chance that your emotions become inflamed to such a degree again." Chakram nodded, "Right...do you have any advice?" "Use something other than the desire to beat your opponent, or your rage. You possess a great deal of focus and determination, try using those to trigger the Hado, it will keep your head clear."

Raijin looked at Saber specifically, "This incident does not mean that Chakram is going to be like your psychopath brother Halberd, so stop being on edge around him. If you want to breed resentment and possibly cause another incident like on the train, you're off to a great start boy. He needs to see that you and Dagger do not feel that you are better than him, or that all he is is a janitor to clean up your generations mess...but Chakram could probably elaborate on it more."

Chakram took the hint and sighed, "I...I was incredibly angry with the gen 1's Saber, no matter what I did, I was always compared to you, or Dagger. I was never me, and the same went for Katana and the others, it feels like no matter what I do, I'm seen as an inferior duplicate." Chakram clenched his fists, "But my being overwhelmed was my fault. It's like I told Murakumo...I let myself become bitter, I let my jealousy get the better of me, I am the one who tried to kill my brother because I let my rage take control...you have every right to despise or fear me because of what happened."

[Saber]

Dagger stepped forth when Chakram finished venting about his resentment of the gen 1 avatars "...I am partially to blame for this...When the storm hit, and we were activated prematurely, I was completed enough that I could have stayed, but only if Halberd did not break out in a confused rage...My core directive, as stealth support, was to defend my cyberblade brothers. When halberd broke out, I followed him in the confusion...I regretted that decision not too long after." Saber had his head down, trying to take in everything that they were all saying.

Even still, Dagger continued "After I parted ways with Halberd, he ushered me a warning. If I were ever caught interfering with his plans, he would destroy me, and anyone I held close...I thought by distancing myself from Saber, and the rest of the force, I was doing them a favor...I see now how foolish I was, I helped place a bad light on our legacy's past, present, and future, by not staying behind and completing my programming with my brother......One mistake can be forgiven, two cannot be forgotten, and our predecessors are suffering for my actions." He approached Chakram, and placed a hand on his shoulder "My words on the train were never heartfelt, only to try and force you to grow careless so that I may even the odds. Know that I do not see you or any of the others as inferior, and it will be my honor to help train you all and build on your experience."

Saber, still lost in thought, was overwhelmed. Everything that happened in the past, the scar on their history, it could have been reduced if Dagger stayed behind? Fists clenching, he turned and started to leave "...I'm sorry...I need time to think..." Before anyone could stop him, his Skystrike armor formed around him, and he started flying through the halls of the Durendal, until finally flying out of the cargo bay.

[Mani4c]

Chakram tried to go after Saber, only to have Raijin stop him. "Let him go Chakram...he needs time to think things over." Chakram clenched his fist, his teeth grit in frustration. "God damn it." Claymore stepped forward, looking down at Dagger. "I would be honored to learn what I can from you brother." Amaterasu smiled, "Me as well."

Raijin looked at Chakram, who sighed, it was clear that he was more annoyed with Saber running off instead of being taught by Dagger. "I will gladly accept anything you can teach me...but first." Chakram turned and deactivated his armor. "I need some upgrades, I've been trying too hard to be you Dagger...it doesn't fit my style, I can still keep the stealth programming, but I'm more likely to be in a straight up fight."

Raijin nodded, "You're already learning, you're playing to your strengths." Raijin looked at Dagger, "I can call a meeting with Bit and Masamune if you want, we can head down together and work something out."

[Saber]

Dagger nodded, understanding his frustrations and knowing what he must be feeling "...I understand...And be at ease, Chakram. Saber will come back, no doubt more open minded once he's sorted out his thoughts...My tale has given him much to think about, not just what Raijin had to say about your newfound power...Despite hiding it well, he still clings to the shadows of our past." He nodded to Raijin, before approaching the others "Whenever you wish to train, speak with me...For now, I will return to my quarters, and meditate on todays events." Dagger turned and walked away, leaving the new wave cyberblades to think of where things were going from here. Katana took the pause to sneak away, connecting to Baretta while no one knew where she was.

Baretta's ear started ringing with a comm message from Katana, and she tapped her temple "Katana?" <Hey, Big sis Baretta. Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but I wanted to let you know that Saber's left the ship.> Baretta was sitting beside Mani4c, trying to keep him calm while she waited for word that Murakumo was back to her old self. She looked at Mani4c, concern in her eyes as she opened a video window with a still image of Katana to fill in, and a sound-wave monitor beneath rippling beneath it "What's this about Saber?" <Well...We had a family meeting just now, regarding Chakram's behavior on our previous mission, Mr Raijin cleared the air about him not being at risk of going out of control as long as he trained, but then Chakram made a huge confession about his resentment toward Big Bros Saber and Dagger...Then Dagger told us about how he had the ability to stay, but didn't, wanting to protect Halberd when they escaped...When it was all wrapping up, Saber just flew out of the ship in a hurry, I can't even detect him on the ship or around its perimeter anymore.>

Baretta sighed and closed her eyes, this issue between the cyberblades was heavier than she thought it had been"...Thank you for telling me this, Katana. We'll try and locate Saber, and make sure he's alright. He won't be at risk of deletion, so try not to worry, alright?" <...Okay...Thank you, Big Sis.> The connection cut, and Baretta put a hand over her face, groaning weakly "...I thought this drama with the wave 1 incident was over with...But now it's come around full circle..."

Saber was on the top of a replica of the NYC skyscraper, sitting on one of the decorative ledges on the roof's edge and deep in thought '...I'm glad he's not corrupted...But Chakram resented us, and became a monster because of our part in police history? He's never shown that side of himself before, he's always been calm and respectful...How do I know the others don't feel the same way?'

His fists clenched as he thought more about Dagger's words now 'And now Dagger's saying he could have never even left?! Everything I knew about myself, and my family, has been turned upside down before my very eyes...Does everyone feel that way about the others...about me?'

He looked up at the sky, his eyes glazed over as the overload of info just about shut down his emotions "...After everything I've done to prove myself, to prove that it was just a freak act of nature that caused my brothers to go rogue...Will we ever be seen as more than just a mistake?"

[Mani4c]

Chakram sighed, "We also need to inform Shepard of what we found on that train. Abraxas has been laying low as of late, more than likely building up a damn army to just roll over us. We've got a perfect opportunity to remove a potential threat on two fronts."

Mani4c sighed, "I'll go get him..." Mani4c stood up and activated his Archangel armor, and began to head to the hanger so he could chase after Saber.

A voice suddenly cut in over Saber's musings, appearing from above the Cyberblade. "Who cares if they do? screw 'em, you don't have to be liked by everyone you know." The voice belonged to none other than Forge, who had been testing the flight controls on his new armor, when he noticed Saber moping on the roof. "Honestly, the one constant with you cyberblades...endless melodrama."

[Saber]

Dagger waved his hand in acknowledgement as Chakram reminded him about their discovery on the train "I'll leave that to you and the others." Without another word, he rounded the corner, and was gone.

Baretta got up with Mani4c, and kissed his cheek "Thank you. I'm going to go talk with Shepard, see if I can make sense of what the hell happened to cause this."

Saber shifted his head to the side, acknowledging Forge's presence, and his advice to stop caring about what everyone thought "...It's more complicated than that, Forge...You were in stasis when all of this started..." He knelt down and looked down at the streets below "My entire career, since my programming was finished, I have been trying to gain the trust of my entire precinct. I wanted to prove to them that the cyberblade project wasn't a disaster, that good can come out of it. Then I find out that Chakram, my 2nd gen brother, killed an officer today. I don't know all the details, but I do know that since their last mission, our family has been met with nothing but scrutiny from our peers, so it was likely instigated by the officers that crossed his path...And I can't deny I have been guilty of the same."

He stood up, walking away from the ledge and hopping down, wings folded in "And now I find out that dagger could have stayed to complete his programming, but left to protect Halberd after the weather activated us prematurely...Things may be simple in your perception, but it all has me confused..."

[Mani4c]

Chakram looked to the other Cyberblades, and then at Raijin. "Let's go, Shepard's been here the longest, perhaps she can enlighten us on who this Huntress woman is." Chakram turned and headed towards the bridge, expecting his family to be right behind him.

Mani4c nodded, "Alright, I'll be back with him soon." Mani4c left the room and jogged to the hanger access elevator, when the elevator reached the bottom floor, he activated his wings, sprinted out of the lift, and took to the air, shooting out of the hanger and banking sharply to the Southeast, tracking Saber's IP information.

Forge scoffed, "It's only complex because you make it complex Saber!" Forge followed Saber off of the roof, speaking to him as he did. "Everything that's happened, it's all been about nothing but choices. The officer chose to make it so Chakram had to delete him, because I know that Chakram wouldn't do something like that for no reason. The officer's choose to be idiot's and ignore that aside from Mani4c, the Cyberblades are the best they got who are wholly devoted to protecting them, instead they alienate the people who could be pulling their doughnut munching behinds from the fire one day."

Forge grabbed Saber by the shoulders, pulling him face-to-faceplate with the armored avatar. "And Dagger Chose to try and protect you all by hiding, giving Halberd a smaller target. Now granted, it didn't work, but you know why that is? Because not all choices are the right choices." Forge released Saber, "You can't take back the past Saber, and you getting all mopey about what could have been is nothing but a disservice to your friends, your loved ones, and yourself. If you want to make it up to Chakram for being a paranoid jerk, than that's up to you, but if you wanna sit around and mope like some rejected Soap Opera character, than I'll knock some sense into you and drag you back to the Durendal myself."

Forge crossed his arms, "You're one of the best of us Saber, you need to act like it and figure this stuff out with your family, instead of hiding and making them worry, because I know that Katana's gonna be worried sick about you."

[Saber]

Saber lowered his gaze when Forge started to lecture him about choices, and the officers were the ones who forced Chakram to take lethal action, and how his family is the best chance that the NPD has to pull them out of a sticky situation in the future. But when Forge grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around to face him, all eyes were on Forge, listening to him go on about Dagger's choices, and how he'd knock some sense into Saber if he didn't stop moping around.

When Forge released him, he waited until Forge finished, sighing when he chose to throw the guilt card on the table as his closure to his speech. Brushing his shoulders off, he glared at Forge "Alright, alright, you made your point...You didn't have to try and guilt trip me for pete's sake..."

He then heard the flapping of wings and thrusters in the air, looking and noticing Mani4c closing in on their location "...Word travels fast, as usual."

[Mani4c]

Forge scoffed, "I don't give a damn if I had to, if it's what'll get through that thick skull of yours, I'll jolly well do it." Mani4c came in for a landing, seeing Forge and Saber on the rooftop. Mani4c landed, stowed his wings and stormed up to Saber. "You fucking clown!"

Mani4c looked like he was ready to strike Saber, but Forge got between the two, putting his hands on Mani4c's chest and holding him at bay. "Whoa there Mani4c, Saber's coming home, no need to knock some sense into him." Mani4c shoved Forge's hands off of him, his expression livid. "The hell there ain't! Katana called me and Baretta, worried fucking sick about this asshole!"

Mani4c jabbed his finger at Saber before continuing. "Do you have any goddamn idea what she's been going through lately? That shit with Chakram, the stuff she saw on the terminal, and a fucking war hovering above our heads; and you run off like a goddamn fool!" Mani4c shoved Forge aside and activated his executioner form, his axe already activated. "If you pull that emo shit again Saber, I'll take your legs off and nail your ass to the bulkhead, got it!?"

Mani4c didn't wait for a reply, activating his Archangel armor and turning to Forge. "If his ass isn't on board the Durendal within the hour, I'm coming after you next Forge..." With that, Mani4c took off, cursing in irritation as he flew back to the ship. Forge looked at Saber, a bemused smirk on his face, though thankfully it was hidden behind his faceplate. "You still think the guilt card is the most annoying way to chastise you?"

[Saber]

Saber just let Mani4c vent, and started using his usual way of being protective of his friends and family; the aggressive method. He simply let Mani4c's warnings slide off of him, he was used to it at this point. But when Forge jokingly commented on Mani4c's choice of action, he chuckled and smirked himself.

"I suppose not...But Mani4c's always been a hothead, and having a big-brother complex mixed with that is a recipe for disaster to anyone who gets on his bad side." He stretched his wings and started walking towards the edge of the tower, thrusters coming to life "I'm still coming to terms with all of the new emotions that a dynamic emotional grid comes with, something he's dealt with his entire life. So when big events like this happen, especially one that hits a personal nerve for me...I sometimes need time to process it. Otherwise, I'll lash out, or react in a way I don't mean...I just didn't want to stay on the ship, because I knew people would look for me, and I needed more time to be alone for a while."