Because it could never be that easy...

[ww_arcadia]

A little over a month had passed. Occasionally, there'd be word from inside Arcadia. Occasionally, there'd be more deliveries of food. But the uneasy peace was doomed from the start, and at least some people knew that.

Eventually the message comes. Something has been found. Something that Copy X wants to speak to them in person about, but he can't leave the city at the time. He thinks Weil is suspicious and would take advantage of any absence. But he can give them access codes to an area of Arcadia away from the human residential sections, where they can meet...

Comments

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

Forte not getting it is a little not trying, a little not giving a shit, and a little being a smart ass.

"At least it being in the Nexus means nothing can go wrong," he says, mostly to himself before 'porting, thinking back to the eccentrics of Wily's work and not thinking of all the things that could still go wrong in a lab thanks to the Nexus.

[vengeancechild]

Which results in Zero bursting out laughing. Some of it's the stress lately, but most is because he knows exactly the kind of things that can go wrong. "Don't be so sure, Forte. The last time I was in Gate's lab, I ended up with a daughter that spends part of her weekends as a fluffy yellow kitten."

The building itself is a nice little concrete dome structure with two floors. Gate's waiting for them by the entrance.

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

Forte does not like being laughed at, but he lets it go given the situation and just frowns. He knows about LOLs, but he didn't expect them to be in a lab setting. Giving it a second thought, he guesses it makes sense when it's Gate.

"Well he better not turn me into a kitten or I'll claw his eyes out." Yeah, he hasn't quite caught on that Zero means Alouette was made by that LOL as well.

[vengeancechild]

Zero's managed to get himself to just chuckling by then, and shakes his head. "He didn't turn her into a kitten. She started out as one. It's... complicated."

Gate's close enough to hear by then, and just has an unconcerned smile as he adds, "All the LOL-causing substances are contained now... and the only one that can cause children is under added security."

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

"Right..." He wouldn't have thought any more on it if it isn't for Gate, and there's a brief look of horror on Forte's face before he forces it into a grimace.

"Are you positive they're contained? How do you know they can be contained in the first place?"

[complex_design]

"It requires actual contact to take effect, it's in an unbreakable bottle in a heavy metal safe behind a forcefield, and I ran tests," says Gate. And then he sees Cuddles and grins. "Your Slugma evolved! Can I scan him?"

Heat, who now has a Magcargo for a 'hat', nods slowly to avoid disturbing his pet. "He's a Magcargo now... I think. Bubble has the Pokedex."

[builtforbattle.livejournal.com]

"Good." This will not prevent Forte from being paranoid about it though. He's never seen LOLs as anything more than an annoyance; they wore off, or at least that what he thought. But if there are permanent consequences to getting one, he has to be much more careful about them.

Getting his mind back on track, he rolled his eyes. "We're here because Heat's armor not his lava snail."

[complex_design]

"Oh, well, I can scan that too," says Gate, then looks to Heat. "That is, if you don't mind."

"Go ahead," says Heat.

"Any relation to what we'd discussed earlier?" Gate asks, running his scans and glancing to Zero.

"Yeah," says Zero. "Heat has some really resistant armor when it comes to high temps..."

"... ... Does this have anything to do with my weapon system's upper range," says Heat, "Because I got a funny email about that a while ago..."