Chapter 50: Warmth

"Yes, No. 7. I am ordering you…

...to kill more of them."

"W… what?"

And once more, it would seem No. 7's vocabulary has been reduced to a single word. He had thought that the nightmare was finally over, but it turns out that all of his fettered breaths were just the beginning… this white-haired demon will not let go of them until their breaths are completely gone.

"You think we're going to do that for you!?"

With the only two of them left, the whisper of a light thud rolled from the ground as No. 12 removed his-- her helmet. It would seem their helmet had some sort of device installed in it that was able to change their voice.

Riley should probably get something like that when he comes out of his retirement, he thought. He had always been using his telekinesis to alter the way his voice comes out from his mouth whenever he was in costume, so this should help take away that minor convenience.

No. 12 continued to voice out all of her fears and frustrations, the high-pitched tone of her voice reflecting her looks which did not even seem to be older than Hannah. Her eyes were that of an auburn color, her hair which now flowed across her shoulders glimmered in a luscious brown.

"..."

"I'm out!" No. 12 yelled once more, "I'm out! I didn't sign up for thweth-- ha?"

Her words then abruptly stopped as she felt her speech disgruntled. But as she turned her head down, she felt her chin lightly hitting her throat.

"E… eh?" No. 12 then looked towards No. 7, wanting to ask him what just happened. However, the only response she got from No. 7 was him slightly backing away. And then, ever so slowly, she felt her vision shift; with No. 7 now standing upside down.

"Why… You promised not to kill her!"-- were the last words that No. 12 heard before her vision completely faded.

"I didn't kill her, Green Defender did," Riley then said as he waved his hand… or more specifically, he waved Green Defender's sharp arms with his hand, "I am retired, you see. I won't kill people for now."

"You just killed 8 people here!" No. 7 wailed.  Are… are you insane!?"

"That's debatable, No. 7," Riley once again waved Green Defender's arm as he shooed No. 7 away, "Now, off you go. Kill the students of Class 1-F, you should have a list of them, correct?"

"I… I can't possibly kill all of them."

"Just do what you can, No.7."

"!!!"

No. 7 suddenly felt a thin pressure around his neck, like there was a pair of small arms wrapping around--

"Eek!" No. 7 then jumped in shock, as there really were a small pair of arms strangling him; not just arms, but a whole silhouette. He could not see it clearly since the majority of the silhouette was out of his view; but he was sure about something-- the silhouette was a person, a literal small person.

"Get… get it away!" No. 7 tried to pull it away, but as he did so, he could feel a slight burn on his skin as it was almost ripped apart.

"Please don't be rude, No. 7," Riley then let out a sigh as he carefully placed Green Defender's arm on the ground, "Its brain is dramatically smaller than my other human-sized copies, so it would be best to treat it like you would me… or it would probably kill you on the spot."

"W… what?" No. 7 could hear his heavy breaths circling inside his helmet as the pressure around his neck slowly disappeared. He then felt a trickle walking on his shoulders, he looked; only for him to see another Riley sitting on it.

"Everything it sees, I see," Riley muttered, "And if you don't do as I tell you, it will kill you. If you try to leave without killing at least 5 more students, it will kill you. If you do anything it doesn't like, it will kill you. If you are captured, it will kill you."

"Wh--"

But before No. 7 could finish the words he had been uttering for a dozen times now, Riley suddenly grabbed something from his pocket, causing him to take in a huge nervous gulp. What he did not expect, however, was that Riley was only grabbing a pair of sunglasses.

"I will find you and your… group when you're done. I have some business to attend to with your so-called leader," Riley then said before wearing his sunglasses, and abruptly walking away while flipping his coat to the side; leaving No. 7 all on his own, completely and utterly confused as to what just happened.

"..." No. 7 then slowly turned his head towards the miniature person sitting on his shoulder, only for it to slap him on his helmet, causing him to stumble a few meters from where he stood. And without any warning, it climbed inside his helmet.

"Go. Now."

It then whispered into his ear, its voice incredibly high-pitched; but even then... 

...it sounded like a death sentence.

And while No. 7 was digging his resolve to do what he has to do to survive, Riley Ross was currently casually walking… floating around Toronto, his eyes as if trying to search for something.

Minutes passed, and he found himself in the middle of a wasteland. There were no buildings, no cars, no sound. Clean; completely silent as if even the tiniest of organisms refuse to live on it. The only thing it contained were craters. Dozens of craters and some almost a quarter of a mile wide.

It would be akin to say that he was in a desert of concrete, but no. He was still in Toronto, right in the middle where the fateful battle between him and Mega Woman ended.

"..." Riley then descended from the air as he landed on the largest crater in the area. And as soon as he landed, he closed his eyes and kneeled on the ground; raising both of his arms into some sort of embrace as his breaths echoed through the emptiness… the loneliness he now found himself in.

Mega Woman's warmth… it was as if he could feel it here. He could remember the feeling of Mega Woman's skin around his arms as he snapped his neck right here, in this exact same spot.

She screamed, but not like everyone else he had heard. She did not scream for herself, but for the people… always for the people. She did not beg for her life, but for the people.

Even as he snapped her legs, broke her ribs; not once did she worry about herself. Such selflessness even in pain, even in suffering-- it truly reminded Riley of his sister.

He misses her, he wants to feel her warmth again. Everything and everyone else he destroys is meaningless without her. 

Were there actually more?

Is there actually more like her out there?

What if she was the last? What if she was the last and Riley will never be able to see her again?

"Mega Woman… Mega Woman… Mega Woman…"

Riley's embrace then tightened as his whispers once again echoed throughout the vast emptiness, "Should I go now? Should I break my promise and find you? Should I kill everyone until I find my way to you?"

"I… I shouldn't have ended things between us, Mega Woman," Riley then looked at the palm of his hands, trembling uncontrollably, "And now these urges… the urges I have been trying to imprison within me want to go out. I am afraid if this continues…

...I would have no choice but to kill he--"

"You… You're Dark- Huk!"

Riley's eyes immediately widened as he quickly stretched his arm towards the voice that rudely interrupted him from talking. He was about to close his hand into a fist, but as soon as he saw who it was, he slowly put down his arm.

"Y… you're Dark… you're Darkday!" The owner of the voice stuttered, vehemently coughing as she quickly removed her helmet, letting her beautiful jet-black hair smoothly flow through her sides.

"Did you follow me here, Dark-- Tomoe Reynolds?"

"I… I saw you," Tomoe then gently held her neck as she continued to cough; and even as a sliver of tears started to form in her eyes, they could not be any clearer, "I saw what you did earlier… It's you, isn't it? You…

...You're Darkday!" Tomoe then let out a small and fettered chuckle as she tried her best to recover herself from almost having her neck snapped.

"And what makes you think that, Tomoe Reynolds?"

"The… the way you talk, your mannerisms; even though your voice is completely different, I know it. It's… It's you!" Tomoe continued to stutter, the monotonous voice she always had was completely gone as her hands started to tremble, seemingly trying to reach for Riley's face but restraining herself from doing so.

"I… I know I'm right. I have… I have collected every sighting of you in my room," Tomoe then slightly blushed as she looked to the side. But then, after a few seconds, she let out a small gasp as her face suddenly twisted, "I… I disrespected you earlier, oh no… no… no…

...Please, please forgive me, Darkday!"

"..." Even as Tomoe's words were starting to turn into a cry, Riley only held a curious expression on his face as he stared at her, "And what will you be doing with that information, Tomoe?"

"N… nothing, nothing. I… I will treasure it and keep it a secret forever," Tomoe once again stuttered. And soon, as she was only a meter away from Riley, her legs suddenly fell to the ground,

"Please, please let me serve you, Darkday!" Tomoe groveled, her lips almost kissing the ground, "I will do anything for you, please--"

"Hm…

...Okay."