dinohouse | Ryuuji and Hiromu

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Ryuuji and Hiromu

The bright side, if one could even hope to find such a quaint and ridiculous notion in this day and age, is that Messiah is so perpetually caught up in it's own suffering (bit pointless, really, as it truly brought that on itself) that it can't spare the motherboard to worry about why I'm acting oddly. Coupled with the fact that Messiah is completely ignorant of the passage of time without me, and not entirely capable of knowing when it's being lied to, I'm managing to keep myself from being deleted, re-written, re-wired, or any other of the vast number of ways Messiah could potentially make me not me anymore.

Which brings to mind its own train of thought, and as I wait in the construction site that I launched that first MetaVirus from, I wonder idly about the Gobusters and their delusion about my past.

I wonder if they're actually going to show up, just the two of them. I wonder if this was in fact a trap. I wonder why I trusted them, wonder whether I should load a MetaVirus into another one of these rusted pieces of machinery to be on the safe side.

No, not yet. But I do sit down in a suitably hidden area and tap away.

I'm still trying to figure out their names.

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I nod in agreement with Enter. I'm actually surprised at how gentle he is with Hiromu. Hiromu doesn't like to be fussed over and probably won't let anyone look at his injuries, so I try to give him a quick once-over while he's distracted with Enter.

I nod back at bleu, thankful for his support. Who knew I would ever reach the point where I would appreciate one of the Gobusters? Never mind the fact that the only reason we needed to meet like this was because I have inexplicably slipped my programming (I think) and fallen in...

No. I am not. Machines do not feel that way. It's a stupid mistake, like whatever glitch it is that inspires me to speak French. Right?

"You will not be explaining anything. Bleu will explain... whatever it is that needs explaining. You're incapable of lying."

Is Ryuuji staring at me?!

"Yes, it'll be fine, I-"

Caught flatfooted by that, I gape at them both for a moment. This isn't how them bonding was supposed to go! "No, he shouldn't have to protect me, I've asked him to risk too much already, and I can so lie!"

"No, you can't, Red Buster. Don't worry about it. I'll think of ... something."

This is a subtle reminder to Hiromu not to drop the code names yet. And Enter's absolutely right, Hiromu can't lie.

I nod to bleu again, though I am a bit worried about whether even he can think of a suitable lie to explain not only why they were both out, but how mon rouge ended up injured.

"You cannot." I grumble. "And even if you could, you've already told me once you wouldn't, because you are still under the naive impression that if I turn myself over, my..." I don't want to use life, I'm trying to convince him I'm not alive. "Sentience would be spared."

I turn back to face them both and sigh. "Well?"

"I still believe that," I say firmly. "And I'll stand with you, if they try, until they realise they shouldn't."

I'm only sort of glaring at them. "Did you two also discuss Etienne or did you only talk about how I'm an idiot who can't lie?"

I look across at Enter. It's for him to tell Hiromu whatever he wants to about this, but for now I add quietly "We don't remember any more about Etienne. I guess you or I could ask the commander, but ..."

"There was no discussion necessary about the fact that you're an idiot that can't lie, that's a given." It's mean, but it's also true.

I'm not surprised that he asks about his pet project, and I frown at him, shaking my head. "There's no need to ask your commander. I'm sure he would tell you that any human who was transported to the subspace died shortly thereafter, if not immediately. And he would be correct." I may have begun to entertain thoughts to the contrary, I refuse to tell him my suspicions. It will just get his hopes up, as if they need any help.

I'm not sure where he's taking this. I now know that he survived thirteen years in the subspace, apparently by himself. But it seems he doesn't know how he got there or what came before, and I don't think we should grill him about it now. it will only get Hiromu's hopes up too much.

"Oi!" I protest, but then have to grin because I think he just *teased* me. "Ah, okay, well, we're still agreed on the fact that you are independently alive, right? You have your own form of life. Do you agree, R- Blue Buster?"

"I believe there are some things Messiah couldn't program Enter with. Such as not wanting you to get hurt. Messiah can't even conceive of the concept of wanting to protect someone else. That came from Enter," Enter may not want to hear it, but I'm sure of it.

I shoot a glare at bleu for that one. I could care less what he says, or the fact that I may be beginning to believe him. It's not something mon rouge needs to hear. It's not going to further our agenda.

"But that's irrelevant. I believe that your superiors would rather destroy me than risk the chance of infiltration. Also, as independent as I am of Messiah, there is still a connection there, a connection Messiah could exploit should it discover any sign of mutiny. That would also result in my destruction."

"Who would they ask to destroy you? Us, the warriors. And Red Buster and I would not obey." Youko complicates things. We can worry about that later. "I think Messiah is more of a concern."

I nod. I'll give him that. "No offense, but Messiah is obviously the bigger threat. There is a reason it has been transferred in its entirety to the subspace. It is far reaching and incredibly dangerous." I turn to look at mon rouge and sigh slightly. He's so sure. He's so very wrong. "That is why overtly abandoning Messiah's side would mean certain destruction for me."

So how did this get to the stage where I want to give Enter a hug?

"Red Buster." He may take it better from me, "can you see why we shouldn't think about this? We can't help Enter. It will only put him in more danger."

"You don't seriously expect me to walk away," I say, taken aback at that. "Enter's still potentially human even if he wasn't Etienne, and even if he's not human he's still *alive*."

I spread my hands at them both, then have to grab at a box when my leg threatens to give out under me. "My job is to protect life. All life, well as long as it's not actively trying to hurt me. I also *care* about Enter for his own damn sake and I'm not going to walk away. I will find a way to protect him."

"How?! You can't even protect yourself. We're not going to let anything happen to you!" I can hear my voice cracking on a high note, so I take a couple of deep breaths. It's no good to stand there shrieking like an over-excited child, "He knows what Messiah's capable of, much more than we do. It's like there's no way out."

It's not like me to be defeatist. Enter just seems so adamant that Messiah will destroy him if we get involved. I go across to Hiromu's side and try to support his weight.

"I do, mon rouge." It's all I can do not to move to him immediately when he stumbles. I'm relieved when bleu steps in. "Perhaps not quickly, but I do expect you to walk away. If I was ever human, I'm not now. You must know that." I hold out one arm, let the sleeve fall back and let my cables snake past my fingers. "Humans can't do this." I make it a point not to look at bleu. I'm not sure I'm ready for his reaction.

I call the cables back and turn my back on him again. "If you care about me, you'll let me do what I know needs to be done. You can protect me by at least pretending to fight me. I won't ask you to neglect your duty. The true winners will prevail."

I glance over my shoulder, catching bleu's eyes as I do so. This must be hard for him too. I'm starting to realize that our feelings for mon rouge are similar. It must wound him to hear mon rouge make such a passionate plea for me. "Who knows? Maybe you'll find a way to destroy Messiah. Maybe then I'll be free. But until then..."

The display of tentacle makes me uncomfortable, not because of any implied threat, but because it reminds me that we're not entirely human either. Humans aren't as fast as Hiromu, or as strong as me, and they can't jump like Youko.

"Even if we don't really fight you ... what about Yellow Buster? She doesn't know about any of this. Maybe she'd listen, but until then ..." I trail off. Youko is moody, prickly, but she's not heartless. We'll find a way to talk to her. I settle for kneeling next to Hiromu and fussing over his leg.

Hell, Ryuuji's really upset. I stare at him levelly, because while I genuinely appreciate the care from both of them -- how am I this lucky? -- it can't be like this. They can't treat me like a kid. I squeeze his arm where he's supporting me, and try not to lean on him too much.

"You protect me, and I'll protect you. Both of you," I say, not giving an inch. "We'll get through it all together."

Enter shows his cables, and I shrug. If he hasn't seen this in battle already, he's not as smart as I thought he was. "I'm not exactly garden variety human either," I tell him wryly, holding out a hand in invitation to a cable. Ryuuji can talk about himself if he wishes, that's his business, but mine is mine. "I can do things other humans can't, too."

It's hard to know where to draw a line any more. We apparently trust Enter, but we're not telling him our real names. Hiromu is vowing to protect him forever, yet it still makes panic rise inside me to hear Hiromu reveal his abilities to Enter.

Someone has to keep a sense of perspective. This is not going to be as easy as Hiromu thinks. For now I'm going to examine his injury, which isn't too bad, but I have no equipment to clean or support it.

"There is a very marked difference, mon rouge. Your abilities are the result of your being vaccinated against Messiah." I shrug apologetically at bleu. "I have done my homework."

I sigh and relent to stepping closer to them. "I, however, was created by Messiah, and an as such already... I am loath to use the word infected, but it does the job. Infected, by Messiah. For all intents and purposes I am a part of it. Messiah is malevolent, so too must I be. Why do you refuse to understand this?"

I stare at him, refusing to drop my gaze. "You have access to so much data. Don't tell me you don't *know* people's fates aren't decided at birth. You have *choices*. You don't have to be like your parent."

I rest a hand on Ryuuji's shoulder where he's fussing over my leg, which is kind of him, and I hold out the other to Enter insistently. "I'm not asking you two to figure out how to fix all this right now, so stop panicking about it. You're far too alike!! I'm asking you to work with me, and each other. I'm asking you to trust me."

"We can't accept you're malevolent because you can do something that Messiah hasn't programmed you with. It's not logical to conclude that Messiah controls you completely." Logical is a good word. Enter will understand that.

His remark about immunity makes me think. Hiromu and Youko and I are all immune to Metaviruses, as are the Buddyroids. Can you create immunity to it? I won't mention this now, because I don't want to excite Hiromu. I'll make some inquiries later.

I turn quickly to shoot a glare at bleu. This conversation is still not going at all the way we'd discussed, and it's beginning to occur to me that this might have been a set up after all, if not a trap. "I thought we were in agreement that forgetting about my plight, whatever it is, was in everyone's best interests? Fine." I can play their game.

"Obviously Messiah does not control the minutiae of my actions. I am programmed to make intelligent decisions on what to infect with MetaVirus, how to disguise myself and infiltrate various locales in the quest of Enetron. In giving me enough freedom to be an effective spy, hacker and thief, I have been giving enough freedom to make my own decisions about how best to spend my free time. But that does not mean I think that I will be excused if I am discovered in a compromising position, namely, planning or perpetrating any offense against Messiah." I sigh and run a hand through my hair. It's a very human gesture, but I think it helps. "It is not so much that Messiah has or has not programmed me to do or not to do something. It is more than in being infected and created by Messiah, Messiah always has a link directly to me that could be exploited if I were discovered. It is difficult for Messiah to send any kind of signal out of the subspace, that's the entire reason it was imprisoned there in the first place. But the Buglers and I, we are exempt from that clause, because we were created from it and sent out to do its bidding." Needing to breathe has never been such a nuisance as it is now. "Do you understand yet?"

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