Helena groaned and ran her hands over her scalp. "It's not fair," she said, sinking onto a steel bench laden with gaps. "Everything was fine before this. I had plans, R.D.. I wanted to go to college, get into business. How can I do that now? I'm a risk. When I go back home, you won't be around. How can I know that I won't be a danger to anyone?"

R.D. crossed his arms, looking at Helena with a concerned frown as she began to fret. He remained standing, next to the bench, finally deciding to lean against the concrete wall next to it.

"You need to find a way to control it," R.D. said finally. "And maybe we can find someone to tell you how. There's some people I know who would be able to figure it out easily enough."

He hoped so, at any rate. Ondal, the Child, any of the members of the Dragon Tribes should know. Maybe if he could get a hold of Relayia if they returned to his world...

Helena sat up. "Can we find them anytime soon?"

"We can try, if we go to my world," R.D. said, nodding. "It depends on whether or not the Scale takes us there."

"What're we going to do if it doesn't?"

"We find someone who does on another world," R.D. said. "You turn into a dragon when it happens, right? If that's the case, we just need to find another dragon to ask."

"I'm not sure a dragon can help me," Helena said. "Not with what I have."

"We'll have to see about that," he replied. "Your problem is genetic, according to Samus... and I think the dragons I know can work on a genetic level. They did with my eyes, after all."

"What did they do to your eyes?" Helena asked.

He chuckled a bit. "My eyes used to be brown," he said, looking off to the side a bit. "Brown, and they didn't do anything. Then a dragon saved my life and did something called a Binding Ritual on me, binding his soul to mine. The armor I have... its because of that ritual. My eyes changed to green, and they light up sometimes when I want them to."

He demonstrated for Helena, looking right at her. His expression didn't change at all, but briefly, R.D.'s eyes glowed a bright yellow before fading back to their current bright green.

"I asked Samus about it, after she said she already knew what your problem was," he said, recalling briefly when he asked during their short break at Samus' Hunter-class Gunship, just before they went to the Cradle. "She told me that the change in me was genetic as well. She said from what her scan could tell, it wasn't something I should worry about."

"You're not the one turning into a monster," Helena said.

R.D. shook his head. "I know that. But the point remains is that the Dragon Tribes I know can work on a genetic level," he explained. "So if they can change my genetics, I'm sure they can figure out yours and show you how to control it."

And if not, they'd just have to strangle the Chronomancer or Ondal into telling her how. If that was even possible.

He laid a hand on Helena's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Don't fret too much about it," R.D. said. "There's a way to control it, I know. We'll find it."

She looked at his hand, then up at him. The gesture was warm. "Okay. I hope so, too."

Edited by The Helldragon on February 12, 2009 at 21:11:37.

R.D. nodded, then let go. "Alright. Let's go back in now," he said, standing up straight. "Hopefully Matt hasn't burned down a rack of clothing or something."

They found him sitting down, bored, as Ileyna was still browsing. He straightened up once he saw them. "Hey, I thought you were heading back to the car."

"I changed my mind," Helena said. "I'm okay now."

"You sure?" Matt asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. Now!" He rose, clapping his hands together. "Let's get out of here. I'm bored and Volfogg's probably getting mad."

They quickly paid for their things and left, heading back out of the store. At the end of the parking lot, they found Volfogg, with Hugo still inside.

As they boarded, Volfogg's voice greeted them through a computer set into the dash.

"Have you completed your task?" he inquired calmly. R.D. nodded.

"Yeah, we've got all the supplies we need for now," he confirmed. "You can take us back to GGG headquarters now."

"Affirmative," Volfogg stated, moving out of the parking lot and taking them on a path to the hidden tunnels underneath G-Island.

"That took too long," Hugo said. "What were you doing in there?"

"Finding the best deal takes a while," Matt said.

"They're just clothes."

Helena pulled out a shirt and showed it to Hugo. "I just wanted to look good, Hugo."

"If you're ripping them all the time, then it's a waste of your money."

Helena quietly put the shirt back in her bag, and looked out the window without another word.

"Well, luckily we have the gemstone to fix them," R.D. said pointedly, looking at Hugo. Volfogg remained silent on the entire matter.

It wasn't long before they were back in the underwater tunnels, headed for the hanger room of GGG's Barrier Reef, where they departed. There, some personnel lead them back to the Main Order Room.

Taiga was the first to notice them as they entered the Main Order Room. "Good. You're back." He laid his hands on the table, like now he was deciding to get personal. "We've come to a decision. We've decided to help you locate this Omega Core fragment you're searching for."

"Sweet," Matt said.

"Ileyna can cover a lot of distance easily with Volfogg," the Professor said. "And, since you say you both have been granted power from the Omega Core, we made a copy of your unique signature and gave it to HyoRyu and EnRyu. They're out scanning the city now. Hopefully we'll be able to make a match."

"Nice. I really appreciate it. And hey-if any giant monsters get their hands on it, we'll help as best as we can."

Taiga smiled. "Thank you."

"Well, that's one less worry for us," R.D. said, crossing his arms.

"When can we start searching for it?" Ileyna asked, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Immediately," Taiga said. "Guy and Hyuuma are waiting for you in the hangar. I want you to team up with them and help them search."

"All right," Matt said. "Let's split up. R.D., you can stay with Ileyna as she scopes out the city. I'll hook up with Hyuuma, and Helena, you and Hugo can go with Guy."

"Sounds good," said the Mettaur.

"Right!" Taiga made a gesture. "Let's get moving! We'll monitor operations from here and notify you in case we find anything."

Matt straightened up and saluted. "Yes, sir!" Heh. Force of habit, huh?

R.D. nodded and kept a straight face, but felt like he was beginning to memorize the path to from the Main Order Room to the armory hanger. Honestly, they just kept going back and forth...

"C'mon, Ileyna," he said. The girl nodded and held out her hand for him to take almost as a force of habit, leading her out of the room.

It wasn't long before they had returned to the hanger. There, they found Volfogg and Hyuuma waiting for them, with Guy alongside the GunDober and Volfogg still in his police car mode.

A technician, already notified upon the group's exodus from the Main Order Room, signaled to Helena and Hugo. "Please, follow me," he said courteously. "I'll take you up to the helipad."

"A helipad?" Helena looked down at Hugo. "We're going on a helicopter!"

"Yeah. So?"

Matt eyed GunDober as he walked up. "Uh...we taking that?"

"Yes," Guy said, handing a shiny blue motorcycle helmet to Matt.

Matt put it on carefully. It would be good not to mention that he was afraid of motorcycles. Oh, sure, he could probably take a fall with the powers he had now.

But still. The principle of it all.

"Are we ready to begin?" Volfogg said through the dash computer once R.D. and Ileyna got inside. R.D. nodded as he strapped in, with Ileyna strapping in only moments after.

"Yeah, we're ready. Let's see if we can find the fragment."

Idly, R.D. wondered if HyoRyu and EnRyu would be able to detect the shard or anyone using the Essence's powers using the scan they were given of himself. After all, he didn't actually have Omega Essence bonded to him--just Lumiya, still recovering from the damage the one shard had done to it when he had picked it up.

But if they did, what in the world would that mean?

Meanwhile, as Volfogg quickly left the hanger, Helena and Hugo were led up into the Space Development Corporation, and outside to a helipad. There, the two of them found Hyuuma, standing next to a black and white helicopter, which looked like a cross between a military helicopter and a police helicopter.

"You two ready to go?" GGG's second in command asked the two of them as they were led to the helipad.

"Uh huh!" Helena picked up Hugo and plated herself in the passenger seat.

"You're really looking foward to this, aren't you?" Hugo asked.

Hyuuma got in and closed the cockpit around them and initiated the startup procedure, placing a headset over his green mohawk. Within minutes, they were airborne and flying out over the city. A display noted the locations of HyoRyu, EnRyu, Volfogg, and the GunDober motorcycle in the city.

The search was underway.

Meanwhile, buried deep underneath a steel tower, within an area hidden away from the eyes of man...

Awake, my four Machine Kings.

From a swirling, violent portal, a face emerged, like a metallic skull with bulging red lenses for eyes and wires streaming from its form.

Chaotic, striating light that could shred through the eyes and sight of any normal man blazed through the room, creating a fire-like pain through the mind of any human. Within violet-black, tubular walls and bulbous ground, four formations of metal bubbled up, warped and twisted as a quartet of figures formed within the light-torn shadows.

One jutted out from the wall like spikes, splitting and separating from it and molding into a single, tall man in a blue and green, jagged cloak, with gray-green three-fingered claws reaching out from the being's shoulders, standing tall on long, lanky, yellow-clad legs, and a glaring, blood-red helmet of avian design crowning his head, grayish-tan hair spraying out wildly from the back.

"Pizza has now arrived," he said in a calm, confident voice.

In a bulbous, circular protrusion in the wall at one end of the mind-destroying room, a single, glaring orange eye opened up from a single green stone, and bulged outwards, elongating and spreading out, mutating smoothly in a weird, ship-like entity of white and red metal, standing on red metallic pontoons, grayish-black claws extending out from the red wheel on its body. The yellow eye was set into its bow, and a comical sailor's hat molded onto its "head".

"I, Penchernone, can start at any time!" he cried out in a high-pitched monotonous voice, staring up at the unholy visage within the monstrous portal.

Edited by RisingDragon on February 14, 2009 at 12:55:14.

From a section of the floor wracked with raised lines, another formation reformed into a stout humanoid, wearing a blue conductor's uniform that one would see on any normal human. His head was like a large, armored catepillar settling on his shoulders, its length drapping down to lie across the floor behind him.

"Polonaise is here, Lord Pasder," he said. Placing his massive pipes to his face, he blew out a long burst of smoke, accompanied by the whistle of a train.

Near him, three radial tires of varying sizes floated in the air, and the metal formation rose into them, morphing into the guise of a slim pink woman, who now wore the tires like an alien ballerina.

"Primada as well," she said, constantly twirling with graceful movements.

I have sensed powerful energies manifesting above, the face of Lord Pasder intoned. These energies now charge the atmosphere. Something of great power has appeared on this planet.

"I have felt it as well," Polonaise said. "A variety of various energy signatures at different strengths. I wonder what it could mean."

Primada sailed toward Polonaise, encircling him at her own pace. "Whatever it is, perhaps it could be of some use to us."

Yes. Whatever this power may be, I desire it. Once we have it, we will see what it is truly capable of, and use its power to achieve our own ends.

"It won't be a simple task, I can assure you of that."

Between the Machine Kings, a gateway of pure blackness spawned, and from it, a young man in a black coat arose, his face split with a toothy grin.

"Intruder!" Pinchernone cried out at the sight of his irritatingly-high voice, distress ringing through it.

Pizza's hand lifted, flexing once as he stared at the newcomer--in an instant, long, sharp talons had appeared, gleaming as the striating light struck them.

"Identify yourself," he demanded coolly, readying himself for battle with this black-coated stranger with the shark-like grin.