#mm!add

====

Add watched from the sidelines as Chung tossed the Shadow Walker up in the air, juggling it with a barrage of shots from his cannon. It was dead before it hit the ground.

The Tactical Trooper raced forward, and Add followed silently. So far, Add had watched Chung defeat the usual mobs and a hammer-wielding knight in the search for his father, who had appeared briefly then run away. Chung had no idea that the Mastermind was following him, and Add wanted to keep it that way.

The door ahead didn't open, and Chung's shoulders heaved in a sigh. Add turned around, searching for any monsters that Chung might have missed, and spotted a not-quite-dead Shadow Linker.

“Trash,” Add muttered, and his Dynamos flew downward into an attacking position.

One kick from Add later, the Linker was dead, and Chung was racing onwards. Add jumped onto his Dynamos and quickly followed, still sticking to the shadows.

The next passage was cleared quickly, there being no real challenges. Chung's artillery quickly wiped out the demons that blocked his way, while Add quietly ran cleanup. This went on for a couple more hallways, until Chung raced into a circular room that seemed like a dead end. A gigantic empty robe stood in the middle of the room.

Add slipped in behind Chung, hovering far above the Tactical Trooper's head and watching as the robe came to life. Is this another one of those trial guardians?

Chung yelled, firing a shot up into the air and signaling numerous rockets to rain on the guardian. He then raced in to attack, swinging his cannon with ease.

Add settled down to watch, becoming more and more tense as the fight wore on. The two seemed to be evenly matched at first, but the guardian slowly started overcoming Chung's cannon blasts with spikes of dark blue magic. Chung was repeatedly thrown back, doing less and less damage to the guardian.

Finally, as Chung attempted (and failed) to struggle to his feet one last time, Add couldn't take it anymore. Someone he cared about – even if that someone was as foolish as Chung – was not going to get hurt while he could do something about it. He stepped out from the shadows, summoning his drone factory.

“Shooting Chaser!”

Immediately, the four drones latched onto the guardian, leeching its health. Add's Dynamo flew towards Chung, nudging and shoving the Tactical Trooper towards their master.

Chung stumbled when he was nearly in front of Add, but the Dynamo caught him. Then Add was helping him, coaxing the blond boy away from the magic-wielding guardian.

Chung blinked up at Add blearily. “Aah.... Add.....”

“Shut up,” Add told him sternly, and dug out a complete recovery potion. He handed the small bottle to Chung, who stared uncomprehendingly at it.

“Add....”

“Drink it, fool,” Add snapped as the drones attached to the guardian folded up and disappeared. The guardian immediately floated toward Add, who shoved Chung behind him and prepared to fight.

The guardian created a sphere of magic, sending it floating at Add. Add easily evaded it, dispelling Shooting Chaser and summoning Ultimate Fury.

The three drones of Ultimate Fury floated behind Add, locking on to the guardian and draining health. Add went on the attack, using his imperfect Nasod Armor to punch and kick the guardian away from the dazed Chung.

Cornering the guardian up against the edge of the platform, Add continued to attack, summoning different installations to help him. The guardian was helpless against the furious genius.

Finally, with one last contemptuous blast of electricity, the Mastermind finished off his opponent. Chung had been watching from the sidelines during the entire thing, the unopened blue bottle still clutched in his hand. He couldn't quite process what was going on – Add? Add was mad.... Add saved me.... Why am I not fighting? I should fight. He had tried to move forward, but somehow ended up on the floor. What is this bottle for?

As Add walked back from the empty robe, Chung looked up at him confusedly. “Your eye is glowing,” he said weakly.

“You didn't drink that potion, did you?” Add's tone was still snappish. Chung shook his head, and Add sighed. “You need to.”

“What.... Drink? Yours....”

Add made a tch sound in annoyance, and three Dynamos flew down to uncap the bottle and bring it to Chung's lips. Despite Add's harsh demeanor, his weapons' touches were gentle as they guided Chung to down the liquid.

The first swallow cleared Chung's mind, allowing him to realize what was going on. He obediently drank the rest, feeling the cuts and bruises on his body heal over and disappear.

When the bottle was empty, Add's Dynamos flew back to fill in the empty spots at Add's waist. He watched as the Tactical Trooper struggled up, using his cannon for balance.

“Add?”

Blue eyes met magenta in a brief contest, then Chung leaned forward and embraced Add.

“I'm.... I'm sorry, so sorry....”

Add was frozen for a moment, then one of his Dynamos nudged him and he tentatively put his own arms around Chung.

“Kek, sorry for what?”

“I shouldn't have come here without you.” Chung's words seemed loud to Add, since the Tactical Trooper's mouth was right next to Add's ear. “I nearly died, and.... How did you find me?”

“I didn't stalk your party for three years for nothing,” Add said quietly. “You never noticed me following you; you were too fixated on fighting, keke.”

Chung's body went limp in Add's arms, and Add staggered with the unexpected weight. He recovered quickly, though, his Dynamo quickly flying to help him hold Chung up.

“I just.... Father.... I need to save Father....” Chung's body slumped more, no matter what position Add sent his Dynamos into, and Add lowered the Tactical Trooper to the floor. He knelt beside the younger boy.

“I'll help.”

Chung looked disbelievingly at Add. “You? I thought.... I thought you couldn't care less!”

Add rolled his eyes. “I can't stand by and watch you get yourself killed. My pathetic human emotions won't allow it.”

That elicited a laugh from Chung. “The Mastermind has emotions?” he mocked. “I'm shocked.”

“Shush,” Add growled, standing back up and dusting off his pants where they had touched the floor. His Dynamo hovered around him, quivering in anticipation.

Chung's heart was slightly lighter as he picked up his cannon again, reloading it and leading the way further into the temple. He was going to find his father. He was going to save Helputt, and he would do it with Add fighting by his side.

“You aren't the first person to say that.”

Mastermind looked up, startled. A smirking Psyker was leaning against the wall, his angular Dynamo hovering around him.

Psyker's grin grew wider at the expression on Mastermind's face. “Oh, come on, don't be that way! It wasn't that bad, kek.”

“You haven't fixed the heating system yet, have you?” Mastermind asked. When Psyker shook his head, the Mastermind returned his gaze to the screen and told Psyker exactly where he could go and what he could do to spend the time there.

Psyker was silent for a couple of seconds, admiring his other form's diversity of vulgar language. “If it bothers you so much, why don't you do it yourself?”

Mastermind looked up, barely keeping his temper under control. “Because I simply love turning into a popsicle,” he spat. “Kek. No. I have no inclination to freeze my ass off outside trying to fix your stupid mistake. And speaking of that, why the hell were you testing Doomsday on the roof, anyways?”

Psyker opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short as Mastermind's Dynamo flew past his face with a mug of coffee for Mastermind. Gritting his teeth, Mastermind gave them a mental nudge, jostling their flight path just enough to flick scalding liquid in Psyker's face.

Now it was Psyker's turn to swear, madly rushing to the sink, pulling off his gloves, and splashing cold water on his face. Mastermind watched in satisfaction as his Dynamo placed the cup in front of him.

“Kuhuhuhu, what's this?”

“Go away, Esper,” Mastermind said automatically, going back to his screens and cross-checking a piece of suspicious data.

The time-traveler didn't move, surveying the calm Mastermind at the table and the pissed-off Lunatic Psyker. “What happened, LP?” he asked.

“That bastard spilled coffee on me,” Psyker growled. Mastermind knew without looking up that Psyker's glare was directed at him.

“My Dynamo do not react well to cold temperatures, kek. The jostle in their flight path was an anomaly I'll have to fix.” The lie was an insulting way of letting Psyker know that it was completely purposeful. All of the geniuses had taken temperature into consideration when creating their weapons.

When Mastermind next looked up, Psyker was giving Esper a glance like, Can you believe this guy? Esper looked like he just wanted to get out.

“So, kek, why is it so cold in here?” Esper tried to change the subject.

Mastermind raised an eyebrow. “Because a certain moron decided that testing out his Hyperactive on the heater was a good idea.”

“I'm not a moron!”

“Oh, what would you like me to call you, then? An idiotic, slimy, low-lying piece of-”

Esper's Dynamo closed in protectively, sensing his desire to open a portal and leave the two to their bickering. He spoke under his breath, ordering them back to their previous positions. He couldn't let this turn into an all-out fight. He had visited worlds where Mastermind and Psyker killed each other over less important arguments than this, and it was never pretty.

“You-” Esper was drowned out as Psyker raised his voice, yelling.

“We all know the reason you hide behind your drones, Mastermind! It's because you're too weak to fight, and too dumb to develop something else to help you!”

Mastermind's Dynamo quivered in anger. “Kkkkh, you're the guy who punches everything that moves,” he spat. “And you call me dumb? Keke, you wouldn't know dumb if it pole-danced in front of you in the shape of Elbrat!”

Esper really did NOT need that image in his mind. He rubbed his forehead, thinking. Perhaps it was time to use the blackmail he had so carefully collected.

Mastermind stood up angrily as he heard Psyker's latest taunt, which involved a fair amount of creative swearing. “That's it, kek! You-”

Suddenly, Esper was between them, laughing maniacally. A rip in the air quivered behind him, giving Mastermind a glimpse of purple and black.

“Pathetic! You're both so pathetic!” Esper laughed. “Fools, complete and utter fools. Don't you see, kek? Do you have no idea what you have done for each other?”

Mastermind was stopped in the middle of his insult. He stared at Psyker, horrified, as Esper's laughter echoed through the room. Blessed El, if Esper knew about even one of the times he had checked up on Psyker while the other man slept..... And that was the least embarrassing.

He swallowed. “Esper, what, uh, brought this on?” His Dynamo swirled around him, their master not sure whether to attack or run and hide.

Esper ignored Mastermind, turning to Psyker. “Kek, should I start with you, LP?”

“Please, no.” Psyker's eyes were pleading, and some of Mastermind's nervousness was overridden by curiosity. What is he hiding?

“Oh, I think I will,” Esper purred, still half-laughing. “What about the times when you've called out his name when you awake from a nightmare, before you know what you're doing? Or the time that you stole the headband he wore last year, with a few of his his hairs still stuck in it, just to have something of his? Or-”

“Shut up!” Psyker was blushing profusely, stealing glances at Mastermind. Mastermind was nonplussed for a moment, then a flash of realization hit him – is Esper referring to me?

Esper shook his head slowly, taking a breath to continue laughing. “Kahahaha, even breaking the heater was a lie. You weren't practicing your Hyperactive, kuku? No, you were trying to find a way to create a complete AI. The experiment went wrong, though, didn't it?”

“I said shut UP!” Psyker's Dynamo weapons flew downward into position, ready for Psyker to activate them with a kick. Mastermind spoke up before the Lunatic Psyker could act, curious.

“You don't work with AI, though. Why were you trying to create one?” he asked.

Psyker froze, and Esper turned to Mastermind. The long-haired Add wanted to run when he saw the crazy grin on Esper's face. “Because he wanted to give it to you,” he laughed.

Mastermind's brain seemed to short out. What....?

“Of course, it's not like you're any less obsessed.” Esper chuckled. “You're the one who follows Psyker secretly when he goes out to run dungeons, quietly eliminating anything that could kill him. You're the one who finds yourself listening at his door during your late-night coffee runs, curious as to what he's doing. You're the one who planted a blood-sensing drone just outside his room, so that you'll know if he ever comes back with horrible injuries. And do I even need to mention the fact that you kept his old Dynamo?”

“They're for research purposes.” The researcher tried to defend himself, but judging by Esper's knowing look, he fell short.

“Of course,” Esper purred, before falling silent, seemingly happy to survey the damage he had caused. Mastermind glanced uncomfortably at Psyker, his Dynamo pressing closer to him in embarrassment. He didn't even try to process what he'd learned about the inventor.

“How.... How did you find this information?” Psyker was still blushing ferociously. From the heat in Mastermind's face, he was no different.

Esper sneered. “I control time and space, imbeciles. Why would it be hard for me to watch you now and then-?”

Mastermind cut him off. “Were you stalking us?”

“Kek, what a stupid question.” Esper tried to scoff at the accusation, but stumbled over his words.

Psyker cracked his knuckles, somehow making the gesture look completely natural. “You were stalking us. What, is there a bit of a crush going on with your end?”

Esper fled without another word.

As the portal closed, Mastermind returned to staring awkwardly at Psyker. The brawler stared back, absentmindedly clenching and unclenching a fist.

Mastermind was the first to speak. “Did he.... Was that....true?”

Psyker's silence was a reply in itself.

Mastermind pressed his lips together. “If you want your old Dynamo back, I can get them for you,” he offered stiffly. In all honesty, he didn't want to give them up, but he didn't want Psyker to think he was a creep.

Psyker shook his head. “I have no use for them now, kek. Would you like your old headband?” The offer was as stiff as Mastermind's had been.

One of Mastermind's Dynamos rose to tap the band circling the back of Mastermind's head. “I replaced it with this, remember? Perhaps you can learn something from it,” he offered.

Psyker shrugged, and the chilly silence returned.

Mastermind suddenly realized just how cold it was in the room, and twisted suddenly to look at the thermostat. It was just a few degrees above freezing.

“Would you mind working on the heater with me?” He rushed the words out of his mouth, not looking at the lunatic he was addressing.

Psyker's heavy footsteps crossed the kitchen. He passed into Mastermind's field of vision, checking the thermostat for himself. “Bloody hell.” He seemed to share the same aversion to eye contact as Mastermind, carefully staring at the temperature. “We should probably work on that.”

Mastermind turned on his heel, walking out of the kitchen. “You might want a jacket,” he called over his shoulder. “It's cold out.”

When she reached the Mastermind's door, she hesitated to knock. What if Add was sleeping? The first thing she'd learned when she started dating Add was never to try and wake him up. He substituted sleep for coffee far too much, and when his rest-deprived body actually got the chance to sleep, almost nothing could stir him.

Before Elesis could come to a decision, the door opened. Add looked out, a mug of coffee in his hand, still dressed in his normal vest and tie. His coat was nowhere to be seen.

For a split second, Elesis saw him as he had been in her nightmare, broken and bleeding. His white clothes had been stained with blood and dirt.

“You should be asleep,” Add said by way of greeting, and Elesis' mind was jerked back to reality.

“Been there, done that, got the T-shirt,” she replied, hoping her voice was nonchalant enough. “Can I come in?”

Add regarded her silently for a couple more seconds, then stepped aside. Elesis walked into the lab.

“How did you know I was out there?” she asked as Add closed the door.

“I recently installed a facial-recognition scanner into the door. Elbrat was annoying me, and I wanted a method of keeping him out, kek.” The Mastermind pointed to his neatly made bed. It looked like nobody had touched it for at least a day, and his coat was folded neatly on top of the sheets. “You can sit down, if you want.”

Elesis sat, drawing her knees up to her chest. “So, how does the scanner work?” she asked, mainly wanting to keep Add talking.

“I built a drone that can map and recognize patterns. It was simple enough to input the Elgang's facial patterns and connect it to my Dynamo.” Add walked back to the deactivated Apocalypse on his desk. “You're welcome to watch me work, but be quiet, alright?”

Elesis nodded and looked around, noticing Add's coat next to her. She picked it up, unfolding it and draping it around her. It smelled like him.

She watched him for a couple of minutes, memorizing the grace with which Add moved and the way his Dynamos jumped at any chance to help him. The way he rubbed his throat uncomfortably sometimes, like his tie was too tight, but never loosened it. The way his hair shifted when he moved his head, and how one Dynamo would sometimes flit up to adjust his ponytail. The way he would twitch his coffee mug as he set it down after taking a drink, adjusting its position to perfection. Seeing these little details, watching the living, breathing Add, helped Elesis forget a little bit of the horror of her nightmare.

Finally, Add activated Apocalypse again. The cube hummed to life, rising off the table a bit and hovering.

A small chuckle escaped from Add. “Good,” he muttered, and shut the drone off. He turned to Elesis, magenta eyes roaming over her face.

“Cold?” he asked as his gaze came to rest on the coat wrapped around the Blazing Heart. Elesis shook her head.

“Not really,” she said. She moved to take off Add's coat, but his Dynamo flew towards Elesis, tucking the fabric more securely around her.

“Don't get it dirty, kek.” Add strode towards the bed, his Dynamo hurrying to form a seat for him in front of Elesis. As he sat down on the hovering drones, he gave Elesis another searching look. “So, why are you here?”

“I couldn't sleep.”

Add's reply was dripping with pure sarcasm. “You couldn't sleep. Of course not, keke. Who could ever do something so complicated as that? It's not like sleeping is a chemical reaction that's hardwired into the brain or anything.”

“Shut up, Add.” Elesis' tone wasn't mean, just tired.

The researcher raised an eyebrow at Elesis. “Are you going to tell me what your nightmare was about?”

“How did you know I had a nightmare?!” Elesis' mind raced over what she had said to Add – she hadn't spoken about her nightmare.

“I put a camera in your room to keep an eye on you.”

Elesis tried to read Add's face, unsure for a second if he was joking or not. Then she realized, Of course he's not joking. This was the guy who had stalked Eve across two continents, after all.

“You know, most people might think that's a bit creepy,” she informed Add.

“Keke, is it?” The Mastermind seemed supremely disinterested in this information, quickly going back to the previous topic. “Out with it. What is it that scared my phoenix so badly?”

Elesis didn't even react to the nickname, drawing Add's coat more tightly around her body. She shut her eyes, bending her head and willing away the image of a broken and bleeding Add next to an unconscious Elsword.

A hot tear escaped from one corner of her closed eyes. She felt a gloved finger work its way under her chin, urging her to lift her head up. A hard, cool edge – the edge of a Dynamo – scraped across her cheek, removing the tear.

“Do I need to send Apocalypse after someone, keke?” Add's voice was softer than usual, concerned.

Elesis opened her eyes, locking her watery gaze onto Add's face. He was leaning forward, the scar on his face distinct in the half-light. The Dynamos that usually formed his armrest were hovering around Elesis, tucking Add's coat more securely around her.

“I.... You....” The Blazing Heart couldn't finish her sentence, and Add frowned. Elesis buried her face in her hands.

She felt Add shift positions, and a warm arm slid around her shoulders. Three more Dynamos joined their companions in nudging Elesis comfortingly, humming a gentle tune.

Elesis leaned into Add, her head resting on his shoulder. “You and Elsword were running through a demon-infested area, and Elsword got knifed from behind. You tried to protect him, but couldn't....”

Add's thin shoulders heaved under Elesis' head as he laughed derisively. “Me? Lose? Impossible. My calculations disallow it.”

Elesis elbowed him in the ribs, finally opening tear-filled scarlet eyes to look up at his face. “You were on the ground, Add. Bleeding. Your Dynamo weren't moving, either. And your coat.... It was ripped, and stained with blood....” She stroked the article of clothing in question, reassuring herself that it was intact. The tears spilled from her eyes.

The Dynamo pushed Elesis into Add as the Mastermind shifted his position. Elesis sobbed into Add's chest, her forehead resting on his jutting collarbone, her arms going out to encircle his thin waist.

Add awkwardly stroked Elesis' hair, feeling the wet patch on his vest slowly seep into his shirt. Strangely, his sense of disgust at having messed-up clothing wasn't as strong as it usually was. He adjusted his coat, twitching it to lay more securely over the crying red-haired knight.

“And I couldn't do anything.” Elesis' words were barely coherent. Add only heard her because his Dynamo clarified the words for him through the band at the back of his head. “I tried to stop it, but my claymore did nothing, and my fire wasn't working. It's never failed me before, but it failed when it mattered.” Elesis hiccuped.

Add continued stroking the Blazing Heart's heaving back. His Dynamo told him that Rena was at the door, most likely drawn by the sound of crying and wanting to know what was the matter. Add sent three Dynamos to go chase the elf away.

Finally, Elesis' sobs quieted. She pulled her head up, looking at Add with puffy red eyes. “I.... I'm sorry I kept you up,” she murmured.

Add bent his head to gently kiss her on the forehead. “Well, as long as you know that it'd never happen,” he purred. “My Dynamo wouldn't allow it, kek. And besides, if Elbra- Elsword was strong enough to destroy King Nasod, I don't doubt that he would be able to defend against a knife in the back.”

Elesis looked down, raising a hand and running it over the soaked patch of Add's vest. “And I got your clothes messed up.”

“Ugh. Let's not talk about that.” Add made a face, and Elesis laughed. It was a hesitant, short laugh, but still a laugh.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Elesis suddenly asked, then blushed. “I mean, um-”

“Sure,” Add told her gently. “Just let me change into pajamas.” He detached himself from Elesis, standing up and striding to the bathroom, grabbing fluffy pajamas from the closet on his way.

Elesis took a shaky breath, attempting to calm herself down. Add's Dynamo were still humming around her, and she smiled. Add trusted her enough to leave his primary tools with her.

Elesis scooted to one side of the bed, stretching out and laying down on top of the sheets.  The Dynamo pulled Add's coat over her.

=====

Add paced. Did I actually forget New Year's Day? he wondered. And after that, my birthday.... He traced the band around the back of his head, lost in thought. Before the whole slavery thing happened, Mother was always so hyped about the new year. She loved the idea that you could start over, and I remember her using the time between Christmas and New Years to prepare for my birthday. Add ran a hand through his white hair, smoothing the long, silky locks, trying and failing to shake off the memories of his last birthday before everything went to hell in a handbasket.

--flashback--

“Add! Wake up!”

Add reluctantly looked up from his book. He had been awake for the past hour, intrigued by the intricacies of quantum theory. Admittedly, physics wasn't exactly the normal subject matter for a eight-year-old boy, however, most boys Add's age didn't have his intelligence.

Light footsteps came down the hall, and someone knocked at Add's door. “Add?”

“Coming,” Add muttered, carefully marking his spot and setting the book aside. Then he got up off his bed, straightening his shirt as he walked to the door. Apocalypse, Add's favorite cat, looked up from her spot on the bed and meowed at him.

“Shush,” Add said to the kitty, and pulled open his door.

His mother was waiting outside, hand raised to knock again. As Add opened the door, she grinned and hugged him.

“Happy New Years!” she whispered into his ear. Add squirmed, like any other nearly nine-year-old male would when hugged.

“Mama! Let go!” he whined, and she did, standing straight again. She smoothed her long white braid.

“Your father and I were debating giving you one of your presents today,” she mused. “You wouldn't mind, would you?” The question was obviously rhetorical, as she started down the stairs. “Take your jacket,” she called.

Add tilted his head, confused. Why would he need a jacket? He grabbed one, though, and shrugged it on as he ran down the stairs. He almost fell at the bottom as he tripped over another one of their four cats, but righted himself in time.

“Stupid Dynamo,” he muttered at the feline, who simply meowed in reply and flopped back down at the bottom of the stairs. Dynamo was always in the way, unlike Paranoia or Doomsday. Apocalypse just followed Add around. All. The. Time. It was annoying, but endearing at the same time.

“Don't call the cat stupid,” Add's father chided him as the older scientist came out of the kitchen. “It's got less intelligence than a Nasod, which is slightly depressing.” He tossed a piece of toast to Add, who caught it. “Come on. We've got a ways to walk.”

“We have to walk?” Add whined, speed-walking to catch up with his father's pace. “But....”

“It's not that far,” Add's father chuckled. “Besides, I'm missing a couple pieces for the calculations for Nasod-agumented flight. Will you help me look for them?”

The words sank in slowly, but when Add got it, he started grinning. “We're going to your research site, Daddy?!”

“Yep,” Add's father said, smiling. “And you can pick up as many pieces you want, to experiment on.”

Add nearly danced out the door.

--flashback end--

Add shook away the memory, remembering how excited he had been when he found the completed Nasod flight calculations in the Library. Too bad his father was dead by then.

A new thought occurred to him, and he paused in his pacing. If Esper and Lusa had the same background as he did, the same memories, did that mean that they too had gone to the Return Plains on that birthday? Assuming the specific site was still there....

The door to Add's lab closed behind him as the Mastermind walked out, his six Dynamos floating in their normal spots at his waist. He had research to do.

=====

“Why the hell do you want us to help with clearing this place?” Lusa complained. The Lunatic Psyker dusted off his clothes angrily, trying to figure out where Esper was in the sparsely lit Return Plains. The Mastermind was easily visible, his white clothes showing up clearly in the moonlight. “You couldn't have done it yourself?”

His complaints fell on deaf ears, as Add used Panzer Buster to clear the stage in front of them. He put out an arm to stop Esper from moving forward.

“This way,” he said quietly, ducking to the side and weaving his way through piles of junk. Esper and Lusa exchanged puzzled looks – what was with Mastermind today? and followed.

The towers of old Nasodic parts started looking more familiar as Add navigated them. His Dynamos scanned the ground before him, reading the electronic trail he had left earlier to guide him.

Add heard Lusa curse behind him, and he rolled his eyes. Stupid berserker, always so clumsy.

“Do we have to walk?” Esper whined.

“It's not that far,” Add replied, repeating his father's words. Esper didn't recognize it, though, and a pang of doubt shot through Add. If Esper and Lusa didn't have the exact same memories as he did.....

Add's Dynamos rushed forward to shove aside a piece of metal that might have once been part of an energy generator. Add walked forward a few more steps, then stopped when he realized that Esper and Luna weren't following. “... Guys?”

He turned, to see his other two forms staring. Add had found the exact place that his father had taken him a decade ago. Or, at least, it felt like a decade to the three geniuses. They didn't count the time distortion in their ages.

“You....” Lusa's voice came out as a whisper as he took a step forward. His gloved finger gently stroked a generator, which was missing an entire side of casing.

“What pieces did you take?” Add asked softly, looking at both Lusa and Esper in turn. Lusa was the first to answer, reaching into the generator and deftly disconnecting something inside it.

“A force field that was missing a piece,” he said softly, toying with the bit of technology that he had taken from the generator. “This piece.” The tech got turned over in his black-gloved hands, and Add pretended not to notice as Lusa blinked away sentimental tears. “Kkkkh, if I had known what I know now, I could have fixed that damn thing,” he growled.

“Esper?” Add prompted, switching his gaze from the furiously blinking Lusa to the stunned time-traveler. “What did you take?”

Esper stood still for a couple more seconds before moving, taking hesitant steps toward where Lusa's generator stood. He went to his knees beside it, Dynamos spreading out to scan the area.

“The Al-deprived remnants of a Nasod cat,” he said quietly. “I wanted to investigate its abilities, keke. But....”

Add raised an eyebrow as Esper went silent. “But?” he prompted.

Esper's head turned into his shoulder, the two metal plates at his shoulders squishing closer in a protective gesture. “But it sent out a mental ray when I was experimenting. It hit Paranoia, and she started running around and never stopped until Mama decided to catch her and anesthetize her. Paranoia died because I was stupid, kekeke.”

Add's mind raced back to what he remembered of the cat called Paranoia. She had been a quiet black cat, who slipped around the house a lot and liked sleeping in weird places. Sort of like Esper, actually, minus the creepy laughter.

The three were silent for a moment, before Lusa broke the quiet. “Mastermind? What did you take?”

Add looked over to where a small niche, created by the protective sides of two broken Nasods, was unfilled. “I.... I simply took data,” he muttered.

“Data on what?” Lusa asked. “Come on, we shared our stories. You get to do the same.”

“Yeah, MM,” Esper chipped in, trying (and failing) to regain the normal chirp in his voice.

Add sighed, his Dynamos ranging away from him as they flitted over the old pieces of Nasods. “Kkkkh. It was data on.... merging carbon-based organisms with Nasods,” he said quietly. His hand raised, tracing the band attached to the back of his head. “It was what gave me the idea to connect my Dynamos to my mind, actually, a few years ago.”

“Better than Paranoia dying,” Lusa said. “Hey, did we all name our best skills after the cats?”

Esper didn't reply, but his silence was a response in itself.

Add shrugged. “Apocalypse would always follow me around – I don't know if it was the same way for you guys. When I created Appy, it was meant for the same purpose. Appy tends to be more useful than the cat was, though, kahaha!” He laughed.