Part 09 - Mind Games

Contributed by Robert Huse

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Suddenly, the knight held his head, as he felt a powerful presence within his mind. "Negorion, what are you doing," a metallic voice spoke inside his positronic brain.

"I'm terminating the traitor!" the knight spoke out loud.

"That is not in cohesion with the Mistress' plan," the voice replied; though only the black knight heard him. "You do realize that you are operating outside of your jurisdiction, don't know. Are you trying to alert Mistress Yuna of our activities?"

"Silence!" the dark warrior snapped to the voice in his head. "Trigger is an enemy of the System! He terminated Juno for no justifiable cause! I shall be the unit to deactivate him!"

"Negative," the voice insisted, increasing the pain in the knight's mind. "Our Mistress has her own designs for Trigger, and in order for them to come to fruition, we need him fully functional. You forget, Trigger contains the Master's genetic code within his shell, which is cardinal to the Mistress' plan. These erratic actions of yours are jeopardizing our master plan. This unit commands you to cease your assault and return to Telmar at once. Understand, Negorion?"



A few feet away, Megaman stood dumbfounded. He was about to engage the knight in battle yet again, before his opponent became stricken by an unseen force, and started talking out loud to seemingly nobody.

"Megaman," Roll's voice asked over the radio, "What's going on up there? It's too quiet."

"I'm... not sure," Megaman replied. "He was about to attack me again, but now, it's looks like he's talking to someone else."

"Talking to who?"

"That's just it, Roll. There's no one else up here. Still, I'm not gonna fight him while he's not defending himself. I'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

"Alright, Megaman. Please be careful."



Far away from Yttrium Island, a tall figure watched the scene unfolding, his arms behind his back. A troubled look crossed his dusky countenance.

"Is something wrong," a female voice asked behind him.

The figure didn't turn, but rather dropped to one knee. "It appears that our agent is deviating from your plan, Mistress. He is attempting to terminate Trigger as we speak. I've warned him not to endanger your plans with his actions. This unit wonders if he is malfunctioning."

"I cannot say I am surprised," the voice said casually. "Negorion was always prone to erratic behavior. Most likely a glitch in his programming that escaped Yuna's notice. No matter, he should prove to be quite a challenge for Trigger. He's going to need the practice if he's to enact our agenda." The voice paused for a moment to collect its thoughts. "Yuna believes I am helpless within this prison, that is her biggest mistake, one she shall realize soon enough. Now that Trigger is functioning again, my own reactivation is inevitable. Then, we can proceed with the rest of our plan. Continue to monitor his activities at Yttrium."

The tall figure bowed his head. "As you wish, Mistress."

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