The bullets shattered the window and struck Malvettix in the face and chest. He fell back with a whump, while Matt and Helena continued to scream. The Firebird whirlpooled around, tires screeching as Matt dug into the brakes until the car came to a complete stop.

"Get out, get out, get out!" Matt hollered. He threw open the door and dived out, Helena following suit.

Ileyna scrambled out the door as it swung open from the damage and the spinning, quickly taking to the air. The Thunder King shot past the car before everyone's reaction, pulling ahead and then skidding sideways to a stop.

R.D. cursed as he cracked open the Bone Jack and reloaded it, chambering the new shells with a pump. "Alli, get the others," he ordered, causing the girl to jump off his motorcycle.

Once the others were clear, Matt turned back around and summoned his blade. "All right, you bastard," he snapped, leaping back towards the car, swooping in and jabbing his sword into the back seat. "Come out with your hands -"

There was no one there.

"...where'd he go?"

"No idea," Alasea said, stepping back and summoning the Megami Tsurugi to her hand. "Stay sharp."

"Guess this cinches it," R.D. said, his eyes glowing dimly as he scanned the area, the Thunder King still rumbling beneath him. "The bastard's working with Magister."

Matt mock-gasped. "Malvettix is EVIL? What gave you THAT idea?"

"Everybody shut up and stay alert," Hugo barked, leaping down from Ileyna's grasp and sweeping his armed pickaxe around, trying to find anything suspicious. "There isn't any place to hide, so he might try anything to get the advantage."

Matt stepped back, bent down and peered underneath the Firebird. "...let's flip the car. Make sure he's not hiding underneath."

The Firebird suddenly jolted, and lifted up into the air. Up above, Ileyna held her arm out, pointed directly at the modified car as she raised it using telekinesis. The girl was grimacing, apprehensive of what they might find.

All they found was the shadow the Firebird cast on the spectral ground as it dangled above. Matt gave the underside a glance, and when nothing popped out, he said, "All clear. You can put it down now, Ileyna."

"He can't have gone far," Helena said. "Where could he have gone?"

Matt scoffed. "This is probably the part where he jumps out of fucking nowhere and takes one of us hostage, I bet."

This was answered by a scream from Helena.

"You gotta be FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Matt snapped, swirling around, finding his suspicions confirmed - Malvettix had intertwined his arms around Helena from her back, with a large claw dangling dangerously close to her favorite throat.

"Sometimes the simple plans are the best," Malvettix hissed.

"Where the fuck did YOU come from?!" Matt said.

"Hopped between your shadows. Slipped on yours, actually, when you stepped underneath the car. Next time, don't stand so close together."

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" R.D. snarled, his shotgun in one hand and a Phase Blade in the other.

Malvettix laughed, and he tightened his hold around Helena's arms. Despite her massive strength, the clone seemed like he had no problems keeping her at bay. "I was built to be tenacious! However, I can't play around with you any more. Seeing as how the Omega Core's almost complete, it's time I finally killed you once and for all."

"No big surprise you're working with Magister," Hugo growled, pickaxe aimed steady. "You didn't have any problems fighting us directly before, why act like a coward now?"

"Good question!" Malvettix said. "That's because I've found out a way to drag this out for a bit longer. In fact-" and here his arm bulged upwards, as if a solid object was passing through it towards his palm - "I've been planning this for a while now. Figured now was the best time to spring it."

Helena struggled to free herself. "Then what do you want with me?" With a yell she tore a hand loose, gathering flame to attack, but fanged serpents burst from Malvettix and recaptured her again, binding her more tightly.

"Just one last bit of fun. Some pleasure before business." Malvettix clenched his fist tight, then slowly, his fingers panned open. "And for those of you who don't know what this is..." The pause seemed to underline his grin. "Well, you can tell them what it is, Matt."

Matt blinked, piecing together the deep purple, pulsing ball of tech in Malvettix's hand, and wondering out of all the places he could have gone, where the hell did he get it. "...A Zonder Core."

Alasea could only look confused at the term, unsure as to the significance.

But the look of shock and rage in the others' faces told her all she needed to know.

"Been hanging around with the Zonders, have you?" R.D. remarked. "It was you. You're the one who was handing out the Omega Essence to them and everyone else."

"On the nose," Malvettix said. "Can't tell you why, though. Even I have rules to follow."

"Malvettix, if you do what I think you're about to do, you will be in a world of fucking pain," Matt said. "I will personally ruin your day. And I don't know how I can stop you regenerating, but I swear to God, I will keep trying everything I know on you to see if they all work."

Malvettix tipped his head back and just laughed and laughed. "I like you a lot better when you're mad! Makes fighting you more fun." He swapped the Zonder Metal to his other hand. "But again, I don't want to do that just yet. Not until everything's perfect."

He lifted the Zonder Metal up high. "So let's get this going already."

"Help me!" Helena screamed.

Hugo's gun fired, blasting Malvettix clean through the wrist as his hand swooped down. It wasn't enough to stop the Zonder Metal from hitting her forehead, the ball of metal shattering like wet glass, and tendrils unfurling, their tips embedding themselves into Helena's hide.

"Helena!" Alasea shouted, horrified as the transformation took place. She tried to get to her, but R.D. held her back.

"Don't! Keep away from her!" he commanded.

Helena grasped at her face, rearing back, and screamed a garbled roar. Wires dug under her hide, pushing up scales as they passed.

The gem on Matt's arm shifted to yellow, and he fired a tremendous burst of lightning at Malvettix. "Malvettix, you bastard!" The bolt struck home, knocking Malvettix away from Helena and crumpling him.

"Everyone get behind me!" Hugo shouted, and his G-Stone flared. "Zonder Metal can't stand up to the power of the G-Stone!"

R.D. leaped off the Thunder King as it warped back into its cube form, taking his shotgun with it--he couldn't risk losing the damn thing to a Zonder.

"What's going on?" Alasea demanded as they retreated. "What's happening to Helena!?"

"She's turning into a Zonder!" Ileyna shouted, dismayed. "And we don't have any way of stopping it!"

R.D. cursed, realizing she was right--without Mamoru, they had no way of changing Helena back after they tore the Zonder Core out of its constructed body.

"I don't get it, though," he muttered. "There's nothing else here for her to bond with...!"

Hugo's eyes widened. "Damn it! The car!"

Helena seized up, then hunched over. Her body had dulled in color, taking on a strange purple tint, and as she looked up at the group with wild eyes, they could see the wires extending from the Zonder Metal embedded in her forehead, expanding out from under her skin like spiderweb.

"SHIT!" Matt shouted, bolting towards the Firebird with the power of electricity just as Helena leapt into action. He slid in front of the driver's side door and caught Helena, wrestling with the Zonderized weredragon. "Helena, come on, don't do this to me, snap out of it!" He fought back an arm, only to notice her claws lose solidity, lancing out like wiry slime and strike the Firebird's chassis. "Ah, shit, ah, shit, ah, SHIT!"

Helena unfurled into a mass of churning purple and tubes, her entire body draining into the Firebird and blending in, matching the car's exact paintjob.

Matt stepped back. "Oh, no. Ohhhh, man. This is not good."

"Shit!" R.D. swore, backing away. He knew they were in trouble now--with Leeron's upgrades to the Firebird, combined with the might of Helena as a Zonder...

"Find the Core!" he shouted. "Blast it if it moves!"

"What!?" Alasea exclaimed, horrified at the remark. "But... that's Helena!"

Edited by RisingDragon on April 14, 2011 at 0:12:26

The Firebird trembled, and seams ran over the car's chassis, seperating into intricate sections.

"Now you see why this was such a good idea," Malvettix said, now upright, pacing away from them on a curve. "Because...well, there's no better way to mess with you." He spun around on his heel. "Actually, it reminds me a lot about the first time this happened. You know what I'm talking about, right? Did you ever explain it to her?"

The Firebird began unfolding, panels swinging out into new places, chunks of the car splitting apart. They bent, driven by gears and pistons, and sharp structures resembling claws unfolded from them. The middle of the car slid away from both halves flanking it and stretched out behind, unfurling into a coiling mass as the two halves interlocked together. The front also split, both sides topping strange robotic limbs while the middle section changed, opening like a toothy maw.

"Well...too late now."

As the hood of the car snapped open into winglike structures, and a very distinct noise rang from the changed machine, it raised its draconic head with a garbled roar, flames issuing from its metal jaws.

R.D. sneered, taking a step back as the Zonder Robot took form. "What do we do, Matt?" he called out, glancing over at him.

"I-I don't know!" Matt shouted, throwing up his arms. Without Mamoru to purify Helena, how the hell were they gonna stop her outside of...

"Malvettix, I am going to drop kick your ass across the entire Multiverse!" he resorted to screaming.

"We'll talk after you deal with this," said Malvettix, and he began melting into the floor. "Have fun."

"Thundeeeeeeeer-!" Matt called, revving up for a powerful electricity attack, but at that moment Helena burst towards them in a clack of grinding joints and a burst of rocket propulsion along her back. The Zonder tackled Matt into the yielding floor, and its jaws snapped out. Only a catch from Matt prevented them from taking off his face.

"God damn it!" Matt said. "I can't fight her!"

Hugo's Hammer Option armed. "You don't have a choice!" the Mettaur shouted. "Give me the chance to run a diagnostic! Maybe I can figure out a way to use the G-Stone!"

"How can we stop her without hurting her!?" Alasea demanded, scared and confused by the new turn of events.

"Don't think about it!" R.D. shouted, sweeping his Phase Blade around to a ready position. "Helena's in the Zonder's core! The rest is just a construct!"

And with that, he ran forward and jumped, shoving his feet out at the Zonder's side, hoping to knock her off of Matt.

R.D.'s jump kick knocked away the Zonder, who rolled back onto its feet in a clanking of metal. With a mechanized growl, it began drawing heat, its maw glowing white-hot.

"Damn it!" Matt shouted, throwing up his hand and summoning wall of rock to leap up in front of R.D. just as the Zonder fired a beam of fire. But already the middle shone white, the beam so hot that it was melting straight through the rock.

R.D. hopped up and swung himself over the rock barrier as it came up, and used it to launch over the beam at Helena. Energy exploded around his fist and caused the lights to flare through his body, and he sent the Godhand hurtling at the center of the Zonder's head.

Edited by RisingDragon on April 18, 2011 at 17:41:30

The Godhand smashed clean into the Zonder's head, bringing the entire mechanical beast down flat with the single blow.

"Alli, bind it down! Find the core!" he called out, landing next to the Zonder Robot. Soon, chains made up of magic burst up from the crystalline ground, sweeping over Helena to try and tie her up.

"I don't know if this will hold her!" Alasea shouted, gathering up more magic for another spell.

Hugo followed up by launching his Capture Option at the Zonder, ensnaring what it could in heavy weights and coils. "Matt! You need to copy my G-Stone!"

Matt scrambled to his feet. "Will that work?"

"It has to! Then you can purify the Zonder core and save her!"

Matt shot a glance back at Helena, who struggled and fought to burst free. "But I'm not the same kind of person Mamoru was, I don't even know if I can do it!"

"Do it anyway!" Ileyna cried from up above. "We gotta help her before the Convergence happens!"

"Worth a shot, Matt!" R.D. agreed, his Phase Blade out and ready to cut open the Robot.

Damn it fucking shit HELL. "Be careful with cutting!" Matt shouted. "Less car means less room for the Core!"

The Zonder pressed up, the Capture Option easily snapping from its struggle. For a moment, it seemed like Alasea's magic would keep it bound, but then a high-pitched whine crossed the air, and the gaps within the segmented Zonder form shone with brilliant green power.

"What the hell is it DOING?" Matt shouted, just about to reach down and copy the G-Stone.

"The energy output...it's through the roof!" Hugo said. "That must be the Spiral Power manifesting itself!"

With a roar, the chains of magic burst into sparkling dust as gaps in the Zonder's body hummed, glowing brighter and brighter green with each moment.

Alasea yelped from shock and the feedback of her obliterated binding spell, and R.D. leaped backwards, away from the glowing Zonder.

His other hand flashed to his waist and brought out the second Phase Blade, activating it as he dropped into a defensive stance ahead of Alasea. Soon, though, he faltered and paled when Lumiya detected just how much Spiral Energy it was putting out.

"Matt, if you're going to do something, do it quick!" he shouted, panicking.

"Hold it offffffff!" Matt shouted. "You ready, Hugo?"

"Do it!" said the Mettaur. Matt's hand slapped against Hugo's G-Stone, and the Genesis Arm shone as the two were engulfed in light, throwing them apart. Fortunately, Matt's trajectory sent him flying right into the Zonder, who was momentarily distracted as it shook off Matt's form.

"OW, that hurt!" Matt said, and his arm shot out, shining emerald, with a blow strong enough to knock the Zonder back. As he stood, his changed Genesis Arm glistened, surfaces reflecting like a diamond. "All right...let's just hope this works...and it's with that faith that I dub this G-Saviour!"

R.D. and Alasea quickly regrouped with Matt as the Zonder staggered, and Ileyna was soon hovering over all of them, her right hand held out, fingers splayed into a hand sign to attack.

"Spotted the Core yet?" R.D. asked, glancing sideways at Matt. If they could find the Core, he knew he could rip it away with a Dragon Soul.