Sharp Porcupine got an e-can and made her way to the storage room, a data pad ready in her lab coat dress pocket. 

She was…tense to say the least…realistically, she had no idea of what the other Rose Thorns said was true…If it was true that he ran away as Bomb Possum had stated…that he had so yelled that his creator’s name meant nothing to him…

This could be for an interesting study. She had her quill Buster prepped and ready, anyways. 

And the more she stepped near that door, her excitement grew…to learn. To see what made him tick…to see why he left. 

And maybe to get more answers…

for her brother. 

She opened the door and walked down the steps.  

She knew what to do.  

Step 1: be polite. Ask how his day had been.  

Step 2: Ask for details. Maybe lie and say she was ordered to ask some personal things. 

Step 3: Ask about…him.  “Hello, there!” She beamed; lookin’ lovely. Her eyes widened a bit.  

He looked rather dashing for a creation of Sigma. He was tall and sturdy, and his armor even looked like a suit!- 

NO! Stay. Focused!  “Wow! Uh-“. 

He seemed to glare at her with his singular red eye.  

“Sorry! Um…hello! I’m Sharp Porcupine! And I’m here to-um, ho-how was your day?”.  

“Ha! I’m hiding in the storage room of a boat! How do you think I’m doing!” He laughed.  

“Oh…sorry. Um, you must have had a very rough day…”.  

“Believe me…it’s always been rough for me.” He sighed, wings lowering a bit.  

“Well, I was sent down here to ask you questions-“.  

“Oh, gosh.” He grumbled, his ears flattening in annoyance.  

“I just wanna know some things! Nothin’ too invasive.  

“Why should I trust you?” He snapped, whipping his head at her. 

“Because…I’m a Rose Thorn…and a Rose Thorn’s job is to help people…human. Reploid. Animal…you’re safe here, sug…”.  

And with this, he cautiously turned around.  

“Now, I just wanna know some things about you…” she repeated, turning on her data pad and pulling out the pen.  She cleared her throat.  “What are your abilities?” She asked.  

“I was gifted the ability to stop time, and I can summon buttons at will, to attack or to cover me to make a dramatic entrance.”; she nodded and took notes.  

“I have taken to…caring for them as pets. Since I heard that’s what humans do…”.  

“Aww!” Sharp said.  

Necrobat darted his eye at that. 

“Hey, hey, it’s nothin’ to be ashamed of, sugar! We all need a friend sometimes…you must not have had any. And there ain’t anythin’ wrong with bein’ sweet. Remember that here!”.  

Necrobat nodded at her words, as if to say “fair!”.

“Okay. Um, let’s see here-any other abilities we should be made aware of?” Porcupine further queried. 

“…That is all.”.  

“Are you sure? I mean-you were created by Sigma-“. 

He whipped around, pointing at her. 

“Let’s get one thing clear: I’m not affiliated with him. His name-means nothing to me! Alright?” He growled, his voice having switched from a stoney cool and wrapping itself in bitter frustration. 

“Oh…” Sharp let out, shock overcoming her. 

She could sense this was a genuine sentiment. 

Then plagued her mind a few theories. 

Was it that he had developed a moral conscience at some point in his life? Or was he frustrated with him in general? Or was he…

“Let me guess: you thought this was some…”; he took a break to chuckle. “Some sort of rouse? For him? Like I’m-…he isn’t worth anything to me, I assure you that.” He spoke mirthlessly. 

And it hit her…

Hard…

“You were mistreated, weren’t you?” She asked softly, stepping over to him. 

“What do you think?” He inquired darkly, turning his head over again. “I don’t trust Mavericks, or Hunters, or the star spangled Repliforce, or even humans…but they at least know the truth about him.”. 

She stepped over and stretched out her arm to comfort him. 

“I don’t need your pity.” He hissed. 

“Suga’, this ain’t pity! I’m trying to comfort you!”. 

He scoffed. 

“Try all you want!…but it’s too late. I will never forgive him…”. 

Sharp looked down, her heart saddened with empathy. 

“You have no idea what it’s like…to have your own creator hate you…and beat you down and all that dares to show an ounce of sympathy…”. 

She looked up. 

She inhaled. 

She knew what she had to say…

“Actually…I may know…a little somethin’ similar…” She spoke softly. 

He turned his head around; his ruby eye shone in the shadows. 

“You could never know my pain…” he bemoaned bitterly. 

“No, I can’t…but I was mistreated, too.”. 

His eye widened, though only slightly. 

“You see, back in my days as a simple weapons engineer for the Maverick Hunters-“ He glared once more. 

“…I was bullied a whole lot…I was too weird for some folks…too loud…too fast-or talked too fast. Too giddy. Naive. I was even considered too girly, by some!…and I knew what they said wasn’t true, that there was no point in changin’ myself, that I wouldn’t be happy…but it still hurt…” She explained. 

His eyes softened, then glared again. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have worked for the Hunters…” He said. 

“The hunters are really good people-“. 

“I don’t trust them!” He raised his voice at her. 

“They could have helped you-“. 

“They know who created me!” He continued. 

She realized this…that was probably true… 

“Have…have any-“. 

“Yes…”. 

“Hm…that is a problem…but maybe someone would have figured it out…that you weren’t him…that you weren’t like him…” she softly assured. 

He didn’t respond. 

“Anyways, I was one of the best there! And I should know, because I got awarded for it a few years back!…but then my mental health started to slip…after my brother died…and I was still bein’ bullied too, and there were threats of more wars going on…and one day, because I was so anxious and depressed, I forgot to properly stabilize one of the weapons we were makin, and it blew up. I ended up fired as a result…and I had to go looking for a new job…and the. I met this guy, a real friendly fella, at a coffee shop, and no, I was not interested in him! He wasn’t exactly my type, though there-oh right, this is Ratchet I’m takin’ about, there’s no way a lady would want a Reploid like him.”; she exhaled. 

“He recruited me to be one of the scientists at Soyada Prison. Have you heard of it?”. 

“Some prison humans built for reploids.” He said. “Why?”. 

She inhaled; this was a gamble…

He may not trust her after this…

But she knew it would help…on some scale at least, for him to know she too was lied to and harmed. 

“It was fine at first…I mostly built security systems for them! And they really, really loved it! I mean-loved them…”; she sighed a heavy, sullen sigh.

She hated this part…

“Well, I…then they started tellin’ me things…”. 

He turned his head fully. 

“…that a reploid’s only purpose was to serve humans…kind of silly, right?” She chuckled softly, laughing at it now…but it hurt…

“And you believed them?”. 

“Not at first!…I tried to leave, but they told me that if I did, they’d be obligated to warn other companies of my little fluke back at the hunters…”. 

His eye widened, then softened. 

“…so…I figured, “Hey! Let’s agree to disagree!”. And that’s what I did…and I wish I hadn’t…”. 

“…and why is that?” Necrobat asked her. 

“Well…they started giving me little arguments. Or, us little arguments, it wasn’t just me. But yeah…it started first with them talkin’ about Maverick attacks that had happened recently…but then it got worse. They began telling me personal arguments for what they said…and I’m not gonna say ‘em because you’re vulnerable right now…but they seemed so logical at the time. And when I went to prove them wrong…but when I looked it up, I…well, let’s just say, turns out they were controllin’ my feed and what results popped up. Then they started sellin’ me conspiracy theories. I-I ain’t tellin’ you them either because I don’t wanna mess your head up!” She continued. 

She felt anxious just thinking about them. 

“They…they actually said a reploid’s only purpose was to serve humans?” He hesitantly queried, eyes squinting. 

“Well, yeah! That’s what I just said, didn’t I?” She asked. 

He shook his head. 

“A-anyhow…they asked me with handlin’ the security systems, but also had me…help with some…other things as well…really…really nasty things.”; she hated this part…

He gazed at her, curious, yet tense. 

“At first, we would do some experiments on some of the prisoners…Mavericks like thieves a-and murderer…”; she hesitated.

“…so why are you upset then? Aren’t those things wrong? Or at least to you people?” He asked. 

“I-it’s not that!” She rose her voice, shaking her hands. 

She sighed once more. 

“…but then it wasn’t just those types of people…”. 

His eye widened again, seeming to realize the dreadful implications. 

She felt herself spiraling into a panic at the thought of it. 

“A-and they-I-I tried to-I tried to protest-but-but they were able to convince me that it was right. They told me nobody would hire me after my accident back as an engineer…a-and I-I wanted to learn more about how things worked or how they could work, so…I…I did I was told-as I was told-things they made me do…they told me crime was crime…”; her voice had become brittle. 

“And I believed them…”. 

She held herself; she shook, full of adrenaline…

and yet… 

how so good it felt to get it out…

“They…they made you do all that…” Dark Necrobat finally spoke. 

“Yes…you probably don’t wanna be near me after…after all that…” She said softly, resigning to the possibility that he might loathe her after all that. 

There was a moment of silence…

Then he let out a hum. 

Then he spoke. 

“Well…it seems they convinced you to do that…you knew it was wrong.”. 

“I-I know-but-but the fact that I went through with them-“. 

“No, no, no, no, no, no!” She whined in her head. 

The guilt. 

The trauma. 

The…the everything. 

“…if it helps…Sigma trained me to kill humans and reploids.”. 

She turned around, concerned where this was going. 

“I haven’t, save for two who trespassed into my territory and tried to kill me.” He clarified. “Two hunters, I mean.”. 

She…didn’t know how to respond for a moment…

but then she realized; this had been a frightened Reploid, most likely having gone from place to place to avoid his sordid creator, as well as the well meaning, but ignorant hunters and soldiers. 

“I’ve seen Sigma do something similar.” The bat Reploid spoke. 

“You…I mean, obviously he’s probably-he has!” Sharp Porcupine agree; a familiar pain struck her. The anger and grief and dumbfoundedness and heartbreak, and her mind flashed back to that one fateful day, when everything went wrong. When her beloved brother…

never came back…

No! No! Focus! Focus…

No…he needed to hear this…

“…He did it to my brother…he was so-my brother-he was so loyal. Too much for his own good, and it showed…” She spoke solemnly. 

“You…your brother worked for him?” He asked. 

“Yeah…”; she sat down. 

“Sigma used to be the commander of the 17th Unit back in the Maverick Hunters…but he was a leader to all. And my brother, he respected him. Obeyed him. Never dared to question him…his name was Armored Armadillo. We were made in the same assembly line, and share a human creator. Then, one day…”; her voice caught in her throat. She let in a shaky inhale, putting her hand to her mouth. 

“…he told me…that he was gonna follow him…I begged him not too, but he told me he was just followin’ orders. I begged him-I begged him not too! To stay! To come to his senses…but he wouldn’t listen…he wouldn’t listen…he wouldn’t…he just wouldn’t listen…”. 

For a moment, it was nothing but pained silence. 

She didn’t bother looking at Dark Necrobat. 

“He never came back…” She mumbled. 

She sat there, wallowing in her grief. 

“Oh…I see.” He spoke; she looked up with a “huh?”. 

“So…Sigma…brainwashed your brother? Is that what you are saying?” Dark Necrobat carefully inquired. 

“I…I believe so…” Sharp Porcupine answered. “Or-or maybe he didn’t believe everything he did, I just…I don’t know…but you ain’t the only one who hates the bald bastard, sweetheart…” she added bitterly, a rough edge tying into her voice. 

“Well…it’s most likely he has. As when I was under his “care”, I came across some fellow reploids that chose to work for him. Strangely enough, he treated them better than he did I…” Dark Necrobat said, a bit of resentment filtering in. 

“I’m so sorry…”; she looked up at him once more, sympathy and pain in her eyes. 

“Well…I suppose I am sorry for you as well.” Dark Necrobat told her. 

“Really?” She quipped, genuinely surprised. 

“To be told lies. By someone you are under the control of. To have guilt festering inside of you. To never know freedom. To know peace. That. I know all too well. And if that strange Australian punk Reploid can give me sympathy, a-and-squeak!”. 

Sharp smiled a bit, stifling a snicker. 

He looked at her, and she could tell he was suspecting mockery. 

“I am so, so sorry! I-it’s nothin’ to be ashamed of, sugar! I’m sorry-i-it was just so-unexpected! I-if it makes you feel better, I-I sometimes have moments like that!”. 

“You…squeak too?” He inquired. 

“Well, no! Bu-but sometimes I’ll quote a phrase from somethin’ I used to watch back in the day! There was some magical girl shows and science documentaries I used to watch back in Abel City! Like, I-I’ll say, “For love! Justice! And hooope!”; okay, now it was her turn to be embarrassed. 

“Hm…I like it.” He quipped. 

“You watch Eclipse Princess Magica too!?” She exclaimed excitedly. 

“I have not heard of that show. Though I remember seeing a manga with its name in one of the libraries I would hide out in. I merely like how it sounds.”. 

“You used to hide in libraries? Are ya a big reader?” Sharp Porcupine inquired, getting closer. 

“I used to read in secret while under that bastard’s reign.”. 

“Really? What’s ya favorite book?” She asked. 

“A classic. Frankenstein. By Mary Shelley.”. 

“Not gonna lie, I thought you were gonna say Dracula!”. 

“By Bram Stoker? No, Dracula reminds me too much of Sigma.”. 

Then Sharp got a bit suspicious. 

“Wait, if you have read Frankenstein, say somethin’ from it!”. 

““I expected this reception,” said the daemon. “All men hate the wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature, to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life? Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of mankind.” He directly quoted, his voice soft, yet coated with a distinct hardness.

Upon hearing it, Sharp Porcupine’s power core skipped a beat, her face going red; how beautiful, she thought. The way he said it, calm yet passionate. It had a small dramatic flair, and strangely…romantic-. 

She mentally slapped herself and shook her head. 

“W-wow! That was-um-that was beautiful!” She stammered. 

“I’d hope so. It was…it got me through those times…it was a comfort…to see a monster like me…going through my pain…” Dark Necrobat spoke. 

“Go figure. You deserved better…” she spoke gently. 

“As did you. I am glad you have chosen the way of freedom.” Dark Necrobat told her.

“Yeah…you know what? Maria and Rudy’s names don’t mean nothin’ to me either!” Sharp Porcupine decided, clenching her fists. 

“This is great news! And I hope nothing but the worst for them, engineer.” Dark Necrobat said.

“And I hope nothin’ but the worst for Sigma, sugar.” Sharp Porcupine retorted; from the look of his eye, the bat Reploid was full of glee. 

“You are a very interesting woman!” He told her.

“Woah, woah, woah! Now don’t go on sayin’ that I ain’t like other girls! Because other girls are amazin’! They are talented, smart, beautiful, and unique! And I am proud to be like ‘em!” Sharp Porcupine made clear. 

“I-I was merely saying-squeak! That you were interesting! I didn’t say anything about other women!” Dark Necrobat made clear as well. 

“Oh! I-I’m sorry. Just-when men say that, they usually think that there’s-somethin’ wrong with other ladies. Just because they’re girly or emotional or other things like that.”. 

“Well, I don’t see why there’d be anything wrong with that…” Dark Necrobat spoke thoughtfully. 

“I know!” Sharp Porcupine yelled. 

“I mean, I never saw anything wrong with those things. In fact, was Frankenstein not written by a woman? One with emotions and femininity?” Dark Necrobat inquired. 

“Yes! A-and girly women are just as fun and capable as men and tomboys are! It’s just-I-“; another flashback occurred. 

“Nevermind! I-I don’t need to-“; she sighed. 

“Well, if it helps, I trust that you are a capable engineer.” Dark Necrobat affirmed. 

“Really?”. 

“You must have been hired for a reason. Weren’t you? If you were telling the truth, that is.”; a hint of doubt threaded itself into his voice. 

“I am tellin’ the truth!…are you?”. 

“I am! Squeak!”. 

She knew she couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. However, judging from his behavior, as well as the quoted excerpt from Frankenstein, she calculated there was a 75% chance of him speaking the truth.

“Well, then…alright. Well…I hope you recover…from whatever Sigma did to you.”. 

“Never.” Dark Necrobat simply responded. 

“Recovery’s always possible…I’m still recoverin’ from what happened, but I-I’m recoverin’, nonetheless.” She assured. 

“But not for me.”. 

“Well, here in the Rose Thorns, everyone gets a second chance, sug’…”. 

“…Thank you…”. 

She turned around to head back up to the deck. 

Then she realized something, and then turned around. 

“You wanna come up with me?”. 

He seemed to ponder this. 

“I don’t trust anyone up there yet! Squeak! And they won’t trust me-squeak!”. 

“Oh…okay. Well, okay then. You’re always free to come up. It ain’t healthy to stay here in the dark, anyways! I mean, isolation ain’t good for a Reploid!”. 

“I isolated myself and I turned out fine!”. 

“Mm…I don’t think so. You need friends. You need socialization. You need to get out and do stuff-or work on somethin’ here! I know from experience!”. 

“Please! Like they’d ever trust me.”. 

“Well, Bomb Possum seemed to trust you. And X. And Marty…and me! Come on, give em a chance!”. 

Dark Necrobat pondered this apparently. 

“This is your chance to move on from him…”. 

“…If you are recovering from those foul humans, then fine. I will recover from Sigma the same way! But I’m always ready to fight!”. 

He stood up. And walked to the door. 

She led him upstairs, and he followed. 

The sun was setting, and there were very few of the pirates on deck. 

He looked out. 

The ship was moving, the waters rolling by, the sky an ombré of pink, blue and orange, as the sun set below the horizon. 

Sharp Porcupine looked at him as he gazed at the sunset and the sea. 

He put his hands on the railing. 

“Well…what do ya think?” She asked. 

“It’s beautiful…I’ve never been on a moving boat before.” Dark Necrobat answered. 

She smiled a bit, then maneuvered herself up the railing to get a closer look. 

She looked at him, and could see him in awe. 

She hoped he’d recover from whatever Sigma did to him…

She had a lot of trust that he was far from the Maverick people suspected he was. 

But she trusted him. 

And, from the way he talked to her casually, and seemed to relax a bit around her… 

“Ugh…”. 

Speed Lacewing was disoriented, looking up at the wooden ceiling. 

She barely remembered how she got here. All she remembered was being surrounded by greenery, as well as her own desperation…and what else…? 

“Well, good morning. Or, afternoon, I should say.”. 

She turned to the woman next to her. 

“Where are my manners? My name is Pearl. I’m a nurse for the Rose Thorns. You are currently on our ship. I take it you’re another defector from Repliforce?”. 

“Huh? I-I guess-yeah.” Lacewing stammered, slowly sitting up. 

Her wings were immensely tired from flying all night. 

Fear filled her chest again, still wondering how she’s be treated for deserting the mission…especially after what she found out just a few days ago…

“I just got back from the Kagikira forest…my unit was stationed there…” she told the nurse. 

“Interesting. Need anything? Energy can? Water? Tea?”. 

“Nah…well, okay, maybe an energy can.”. 

“Alright.”; the nurse got up; she wore a white armor dress that looked similar to that of the Reploid nurses she had frequent encounters with, but with a more rustic, vintage pirate feel. 

She normally hated being cooped up, but it was better than feeling like she was being hunted down. 

The nurse came back with an e-can. 

“Need anything else?”. 

“Nah.”. 

She eventually left the lacewing Reploid there.

BAM, BAM, BAM! 

Pearl came quickly stepping to the door. 

She opened it. 

“Hello, Necrobat. Did you get hurt again?”. 

Lacewing moved a bit; she saw a looming, purple bat Reploid in a black jacket, which had a similar pirate-esque vibe that the nurse’s armor dress donned. 

“Hey, yeah, uh, no! But-squeak!-I need to talk to her. Apparently, my girlfriend knows her!”. 

“Oh, really? Well, I can’t just let you in here. Maybe bring her here?”. 

“Alright, what’s goin’ on?”; Speed couldn’t stand it any longer. 

She walked over to the door-. 

SLAM! 

Pearl was thrown against the wall as the other Reploid flew towards the lacewing one. 

“Alright, so based off of the news coverage, we still have some time to go before the war officially ends.” Blade Axolotl calculated; he was no longer covered in bandages. His ability, after all, was for wounds he had to be closed or any amputated limbs to be replaced, though it required material repletion often. 

“Storm Owl’s already been dealt with. Mind Rat told us that Storm Owl was about to off himself.” Dash retorted, his arms crossed and a foot under the railing. 

“Maybe not sit there.” He told the Axolotl Reploid. 

“I’ll be fine, I can swim. I was bui-“. 

“You’re still recovering from internal bullet wounds.”. 

“Yeah, no-“. 

BAM! 

The door leading to the lower decks was smashed wide open. 

Everyone saw a bug reploid-like a dragonfly or some form of moth-dash out and look behind her. 

And behind her was a furious Dark Necrobat. 

“GET BACK HERE! Squeak-squeak!”. 

“NECROBAT!”. 

Zero ran over to him, but he was already airborne, chasing the other reploid. 

“For the love of everything that still stands after all this, she has to control her stupid boyfriend-Sharp!”; he immediately ran into the lower decks, but occasionally winced in pain. 

“What’s going on!?” Marty exclaimed. 

Pearl came rushing out as well. 

“Dark Necrobat just barged in and started going after her!”. 

“Who?”. 

“The defector we just picked up!”; Pearl panted. “Said she was an acquaintance of Porcupine.”. 

“Hm…”. 

Blade Axolotl and all the other engineers followed suit. 

“Oh, his is my fault!” The porcupine reploid said.

Blade Axolotl’a gills perked up as he remembered. 

“I put trackers in everyone! I’ll ask Radio Mosquito to be your guide!”; and with that, Blade ran to the lower decks. 

Sharp Porcupine went inside as well and took off her frilly lab coat and came rushing back with the jet pack she had built a few weeks ago. 

“Alright, I’m getting Mosquito online!”. 

Bee-beep! 

“Alright, which one is this-ah! Porcupine! Our favorite scientist!-“. 

“Hey!”. 

“Sorry, Blade. One of our favorite scientists! Anywho, the question we’re all asking: why is-“. 

“Sorry, sir!”; she activated the jet pack. 

“Alright. Locating her boyfriend…”. 

Sharp was already in the air. 

“Okay. So, they’re turning, obviously. Keep going forward. Does he have his cellular device on?”. 

“I can contact him!”. 

“Okie dokie! Actually, I’ll bring him into the line.”. 

There was some more beeping.

“WHAT!?”. 

“Top of the afternoon, Necro. And-“. 

“What are you doing!?”; Sharp’s loud voice caused Mosquito to wince. 

“Sorry!”.

“Itsfinehappensallthetime.”. 

“Sorry, love. Just getting this disgusting pile of scrap for you~.” Necrobat spoke. 

“Pile of scrap-sugar, what are you on about?”. 

“You told me Lacewing made fun of you asked you out as a joke! How dare she!?”. 

“Sugar, that was a long time ago! Sure, it hurt-a-and it still hurts-“. 

“Not exactly helping, Porcupine.” Radio Mosquiot spoke nervously. 

“Shut up!”; Mosquito yelped in surprise as Dark Necrobat boomed into the speakers. 

“Babe, it ain’t worth it! Just bring her back!”. 

“No! I have a responsibility! Anyone who hurts you must be punished!”. 

“Champ, let’s talk this out. Sure, making fun of somebody and asking them out as a joke-“. 

“Hey, I didn’t ask for your import-phew, this girl is fast-.”. 

“Dark Necrobat!” His girlfriend exclaimed. 

“Fine!”. 

If the silhouettes in the distance weren’t a big enough sign, a bubble surrounded said silhouettes, turning the colors inside out. 

Necrobat’s silhouette swooped up the lacewing reploid. He sped over as the colors reverted, but he seemed to be struggling. 

Lacewing was thrown onto the deck; the pirates had to hold her back together. 

X and Marty, as well as Dark Necrobat, stood above her. 

“Alright…has this been resolved?” X inquired, his arms crossed; he was still shaken up from the battle with Jet Stingray and his army, as well as saving Kaia. 

“Wh-what are you-…”; Lacewing looked at Sharp Porcupine. 

She looked…tired and disappointed. 

“Wait…”; she said up. 

And asked the bat Reploid…

“You’re dating Sharp Porcupine?”. 

“Yes…”; he kneeled to her level. 

“And you…”; he inhaled. “have a lot of explaining to do.” He panted. 

“Is-is-what are you-“. 

“Stop playing dumb!”. 

“Enough!” Marty yelled. 

“Sharp, Necro, our office! Now!”. 

The couple obeyed, following the couple nervously. 

“What did you do?”; Lacewing looked up; it was the eyepatched Reploid that picked her up! 

“Ugh…”. 

Speed Lacewing was disoriented, looking up at the wooden ceiling. 

She barely remembered how she got here. All she remembered was being surrounded by greenery, as well as her own desperation…and what else…? 

“Well, good morning. Or, afternoon, I should say.”. 

She turned to the woman next to her. 

“Where are my manners? My name is Pearl. I’m a nurse for the Rose Thorns. You are currently on our ship. I take it you’re another defector from Repliforce?”. 

“Huh? I-I guess-yeah.” Lacewing stammered, slowly sitting up. 

Her wings were immensely tired from flying all night. 

Fear filled her chest again, still wondering how she’s be treated for deserting the mission…especially after what she found out just a few days ago…

“I just got back from the Kagikira forest…my unit was stationed there…” she told the nurse. 

“Interesting. Need anything? Energy can? Water? Tea?”. 

“Nah…well, okay, maybe an energy can.”. 

“Alright.”; the nurse got up; she wore a white armor dress that looked similar to that of the Reploid nurses she had frequent encounters with, but with a more rustic, vintage pirate feel. 

She normally hated being cooped up, but it was better than feeling like she was being hunted down. 

The nurse came back with an e-can. 

“Need anything else?”. 

“Nah.”. 

She eventually left the lacewing Reploid there.

BAM, BAM, BAM! 

Pearl came quickly stepping to the door. 

She opened it. 

“Hello, Necrobat. Did you get hurt again?”. 

Lacewing moved a bit; she saw a looming, purple bat Reploid in a black jacket, which had a similar pirate-esque vibe that the nurse’s armor dress donned. 

“Hey, yeah, uh, no! But-squeak!-I need to talk to her. Apparently, my girlfriend knows her!”. 

“Oh, really? Well, I can’t just let you in here. Maybe bring her here?”. 

“Alright, what’s goin’ on?”; Speed couldn’t stand it any longer. 

She walked over to the door-. 

SLAM! 

Pearl was thrown against the wall as the other Reploid flew towards the lacewing one. 

The sun shone upon the Rose Thorns’ ship. The sea helped provide a cool breeze. Mind Rat inhaled the salty air, then exhaled. He had been thankful that the Rose Thorns let him climb aboard. And he was glad X joined them, giving him the courage to sojourn there himself…it had been quite peaceful here, in spite of the war that would soon be ensuing. 

He needed to figure out what to do from here. 

He hadn’t read the minds of the commanders or some of the bigger soldiers. He could make an attempt right now. Yes, that would be best for everyone-.

BAM! 

The door leading to the lower decks was smashed wide open. 

Everyone saw a bug reploid-like a dragonfly or some form of moth-dash out and look behind her. 

And behind her was a furious Dark Necrobat. 

“GET BACK HERE! Squeak-squeak!”. 

“NECROBAT!”. 

Zero ran over to him, but he was already airborne, chasing the other reploid. 

The other reploid turned around and began shooting a buster at him. 

He flew upwards and maneuvered in the air, but she was rapid, and he had barely dodged them all, before, with frenetic thinking, he stopped time. However, a buster shot made its way into the purple field surrounding him, and with that, he was blasted into the frigid, brackish waters.  

Mind Rat took a moment to try and recognize her. Then it hit him: this was Speed Lacewing! One of the combat soldiers for the Guerilla Unit! 

She was known to be quite a virago, in spite of being an excellent soldier and marksman. She would say particularly negative, and even cruel, things of the “girlier” women, and respected soldiers more than she did the navigators, nurses and mechanics, thinking of their positions as the “lame” jobs. 

So, why did Necrobat have a particular grudge against this woman? Most of those whom had made an attempt to track him in an attempt to rid the world of Sigma’s creations and raise the people’s opinion on Repliforce were usually the commanders alone, though a few soldiers had attempted to get the job done, such as Spiral Pegasus and Shock Macaw. They had also attempted to track down a mutant formed in Ukraine. 

Heeled footsteps thumped on the floorboards of the deck. 

“What’s going on!?” Marty exclaimed. 

Pearl came rushing out as well. 

“Dark Necrobat just barged in and started going after her!”. 

“Who?”. 

“The defector we just picked up!”; Pearl panted. “Said she was an acquaintance of Porcupine.”. 

“Hm…”. 

Sharp Porcupine and all the other engineers followed suit. 

The porcupine Reploid gasped, completely stunned. 

“Porcupine, you know her!?” Antonio inquired. 

Sharp stared…

Her limbs were locked in shock, a gesture of being taken aback…

Then-. 

It had all happened so fast. One minute, the other Reploid was panting, buster out in fear, shaking. 

The next minute and there he was: holding her in a grip, about to sink his fangs into her neck. 

“Necrobat, stop!”; Necrobat looked up. 

It was X. He made his way down the mast and went to him. 

Mind Rat made his way there as well, as did Marty and Zero. 

“I did not join this crew to allow more violence to happen! And neither did you!” X exclaimed. 

“No! This woman, this cockroach, bullied the love of my life!” Necrobat yelled. 

“Huh?”; then X got a closer look at her. 

“What the hell are you talking about!?” Zero raised his voice. 

“Hey, I-I’ve seen you before…with Sting Chameleon! You were his best friend…”. 

“Yes! And now she-“; POW! 

With him being distracted, Lacewing was able to wriggle one of her arms free and uppercut him, before she wriggled the other one out and pointed her buster at him. 

Mind Rat shut his eyes and focused, sneaking his way into the bat reploid’s mind to have a peak at what he was thinking currently…

A memory. 

“Well…there was a lacewing reploid that I tried to be friends with…she seemed really lonely, and I knew that feeling before I got to know my fellow engineers…”. 

“Yes?”. 

“…but she told me she wasn’t interested…and that would have been fine! If…if she hadn’t started bullying me with them…”. 

“That’s it!” Mind Rat concluded internally. 

Dark Necrobat was about to attempt to use dark hold again, but X got in front of him. 

“Let’s talk this out!” He yelled. 

“No! She made Porcupine’s life a living hell!”. 

“Porcupine, get a control of your boyfriend!” Electric Monarch exclaimed. 

But Sharp Porcupine was frozen, staring blankly now…

“Porcupine!” Antonio yelled. 

“Blade, why isn’t she doing anything!?” Monarch exclaimed frantically.  

“We are not helping her! Especially with how she treated us! What Necrobat is doing is justice served!” Blade Axolotl retorted, crossing his arms. 

“Huh?” The other mechanics said in unison. 

“Dark Necrobat, this won’t resolve anything!” Mind Rat scorned. 

“Mind Rat?”. 

“Hello, Speed Lacewing of the Guerilla Unit.”. 

“Guerilla Unit!?” Electric Monarch yelled in disgust; she quickly flew over. 

“You didn’t tell me…that this woman…worked for the Guerilla Unit in Repliforce…” She growled at Marty. 

“And what’s wrong with that, you some kinda hippie?” Speed Lacewing sneered. 

“Hippie!?”. 

“Now everyone, calm down!” X exclaimed. 

“There is a reason why she is here! Lacewing, state your case…” Mind Rat spoke. 

Zero and Marty wrestled the infuriated bat Reploid away from her. 

“You traitors! She tormented my lover!” Dark Necrobat yelled, his voice shrouded in pure, vengeful fury. 

Speed Lacewing looked around her, debating just shooting them all at this point in a panic. 

Then she noticed something…

…or someone…

A familiar quilled Reploid walked over to Dark Necrobat. 

Marty and Zero glanced at her. 

She seemed to say something quietly to them. 

“Oh, so you can watch him suck her energy and kill her!?” Zero burst out. 

“She continued speaking softly to them…and they let him go…

But instead of charging at Lacewing once more, he…seemed to heed her.

She reached up and he bent over a bit…and she caressed his face…

Lacewing looked at Sharp Porcupine. 

She looked…tired and sad. 

“Wait…”; she said, and ran over; immediately, Dark Necrobat got into a battle stance, his wings unfurling. 

Speed Lacewing asked the bat Reploid…

“You’re dating Sharp Porcupine?”. 

“Yes…”; he stepped over to her, fists quaking. 

“And you…”; he inhaled. “have a lot of explaining to do.” He panted. 

“Is-is-what are you-“. 

“Stop playing dumb!”. 

“Enough!” Marty yelled. 

“Sharp, Necro, our office! Now!”. 

The couple obeyed, following the couple nervously. 

“What did you do?”; Lacewing looked up; it was the eyepatched Reploid that picked her up!