The Crystal Room

[doctorzero]

"Yes."

Kaitlin leaned against the wall, sweating. It was too much. Far, far too much.

"You..." Max struggled to find the right words. "I..."

"Bear in mind," Kavma said gently, "that I held no enjoyment for my actions. None of us did. Not Evan, not Alexander, not Animula--not even Summer. We all have regrets. If I had an alternative for what had happened, a better alternative, then I would've chosen it. But even my reason for doing so cannot justify what I--what we did."

Max sat down in a nearby chair. "So...that's why you asked him..."

"Why I asked Jaron if he thought if he should forgive me or not?" Kavma asked.

They both nodded.

"Has he come to a decision?"

They shook their heads.

"Good."

There was a moment of silence, then Kaitlin broke it.

"Get back to Zero."

Kavma nodded. He seemed to be relieved for the change in subject. "Zero rejected my offer and stole a prototype Demon Gear. He also managed to break into containment, stole the infected D.E.V.A. sample, and used it as a power source for his gear."

He shifted a little. "I believe--though I have no proof--that Demetrius tampered with it because Thadeus influenced him. When I examined the strain, I saw--much to my horror--that Demetrius had somehow inserted Thadeus's genetic code into it. That was the primary reason I could not destroy it.

"Because of all the things in the universe, Thadeus is the one thing I am powerless against."

More silence. The thought that someone like Kavma--a nigh-omniscient, nigh-omnipotent being--was utterly powerless against a monster like Thadeus was too horrifying for words.

"...Why does he exist?" Max asked quietly. "Just...why? How did he start existing? If he's so...wrong...then why...?"

More silence. Kavma's face was blank.

"...You...you do not want to know. You just don't." His voice had cracked. "Please...don't ask me."

...Was that a tear dripping down his cheek?

Kavma sniffed and wiped it away. "Zero vanished for the next few years. We would've gone to find him, but we became preoccupied with the...Subspace Incident."

"He tried to find me during that interval, intending to force me to return him back to his original world.

...I'm sure you remember the forms that Nightmare's armor and Wally had taken. The reason is because Zero had infected them with the strain."

He looked through the papers on his desk and pullled one out, showing it to them. "Perhaps this would make it a bit more clear."

---

Identification: D.E.V.A. Jonathan, ‘The Murderer’
Danger Level: Maximum
Special Containment Procedures: Until the D.E.V.A. strain created by Dr. Black has been retrieved, any possibility of Jonathan manifesting again is 100% possible.
Description: D.E.V.A. Jonathan is one of the eight (REDACTED) listed in Dr. Black’s report. Jonathan first manifested during the (REDACTED) incident in Konoha Village, which occurred three months after the Subspace Incident. Jonathan manifested from the body of Na(REDACTED), who had been abducted and experimented on by Black a few days prior. (REDACTED)’s body had been heavily augmented by surgery, as well as D.E.V.A. application. Jonathan manifested after (REDACTED) received heavy physical trauma from Jaron Aubade. After engaging Aubade in combat, Jonathan was destroyed, restoring (REDACTED) to his normal form.
Jonathan’s upper torso appears as a humanoid fox. Its skin and fur is missing, showing the muscle underneath. Its legs are replaced with eight equally skinless tails; Jonathan moves via levitation. Jonathan as a whole is five times larger than an average human.
Jonathan is incapable of human dialogue; its speech is comprised of yells and feral growls. It is capable of flight and vast physical strength.
Jonathan will manifest if an individual is infected with the D.E.V.A. strain produced by Dr. Black before his death. As of this time of writing, the strain remains in R&D for further testing. As of this writing, the strain is in possession of Zero. Capturing Zero and receiving the strain is Level (REDACTED) priority.
Jonathan is extremely resistant to all forms of physical battery, though it is not invincible and can in fact be destroyed. If it manifests using a host, the host is restored upon Jonathan’s destruction and the D.E.V.A. strain will be purged.
Jonathan manifests via (REDACTED).
Any signs of Jonathan is considered a Class Omega emergency. All personnel are to evacuate the area and call for Omega Team upon D.E.V.A. Jonathan’s manifestation.
Addendum: The following is an excerpt from Dr. Black’s personal report.
Upon further experimentation, I have discovered that there are a total of eight possibilities. I have listed them below.
1. Jonathan, the Murderer
2. Adrian, the Schemer
3. Annabelle, the Seamstress
4. Olivia, the Seductress
5. Oswald, the Gutton
6. Alexander, the Liar
7. Salvatore, the Tyrant
8. (REDACTED)

---

"Ah, Evan, there you are."

They all turned to see--surprise surprise--Superior Jihl motherf*cking Nabaat walking towards them. She had donned a green, star-studded dress for the night, making her look like some celebrity or gang member to a bunch of green morons.

"Oh, Jihl. Don't YOU look hot," Evan said sarcastically. It was immediately clear to them that he didn't like her a single bit.

Jihl flatly ignored him and examined the other three, her lip curling at the sight of A.J. "You're that intruder."

A.J. shrugged. "I prefer musical genius."

"I'm sure. And I see that the cyborg replica accompanied you. Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose," she said condescendingly. A.J. glared at her. She directed her gaze at Lilia and raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you--"

Evan dashed forward and clamped his hand over her mouth before she could finish. "Hey, Superior, mind if I talk to you for a quick sec? In private?"

A.J. looked puzzled. What's with him all of a sudden?

Jihl glared at him. "Evan, I need to speak with Lord Kavma--"

"Who is currently busy, Jihl, and will be for the next few minutes. I, on the other hand, need to talk to you NOW."

Jihl maintained her glare, walked with him a slight distance away, giving the others a look that said Listen in and death will come to you SLOWLY.

---

Evan started as soon as they went out of earshot. "Garrington doesn't know about Summer, Jihl!"

"And I should I care about that?" she huffed.

"She was her mother, for God's sake!"

"Your point? From what I've heard her father threw his lot in with that Haze person, and look what happened. I honestly don't understand why you should care about some insignificant girl's feelings, even if she's the daughter of your former Superior."

Evan was quickly becoming infuriated. "I cannot BELIEVE how insufferable you are. And now that I think about it, where the hell have you been tonight, anyway? You were supposed to come in an hour ago!"

"I was busy checking in the whereabouts of Zero, Evan, which is something you ought to be doing as well. You know full well what will happen if Thadeus manifests on this island, and here you are pandering to some schoolgirl with a gun!"

Evan's eyes narrowed. "Don't you DARE, you little bitch. Don't you even DARE."

[gantzgun74]

Gantz looked at the list a moment, and quickly figured out that the creature Nightmare became was none other then Jonathan... But what about Wally? Which one had he became?

................

Well... He supposed it wouldn't have mattered. No matter which one he became, it would be a legitimate threat...

Hold on...

"Wait... I want to know something."

When Kavma saw his face, he saw that there was true terror and pain in his expression. "Wally's okay right? And what about Lea, Otto and Rin-Rin? I heard they were there too."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lilia watched as Jihl and Evan talked on from a distance...

And to be frank, the more she watched the conversation, the more she grew to hate the one known as Jihl Nabaat herself.

With Rosaline, she watched in growing resentment as well. Seemed her earlier dislike of Jihl wasn't misplaced in the SLIGHTEST. "Kavma must have some LOOOOW standards if she's working in this company..."

[doctorzero]

"Yeah, he's right," said Max, "Is Wally going to be okay?"

He and Kaitlin couldn't help but worry about Wally's status. Apart from the D.E.V.A. thing, they didn't like the idea of him being on Kavma's airship.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Kavma said reassuringly. "Wally is currently being treated for his injuries on the Regnum Dei. From what I have been told, all traces of D.E.V.A. have been completely purged from his system. He won't have any memory of what happened, but he will otherwise make a full recovery by tomorrow."

They all sighed in relief. "Well, what about Otto and Lea?"

"Otto and Rin are with Wally at the moment. Otto is currently being treated for his own injuries and his little...problem."

Another pause. "Meaning...?" Kaitlin asked.

"Suffice it to say that a certain reptile will be staying quiet for a while." He left it at that.

"...okay...well, let's get back on track--" Kaitlin tapped the file. "There's supposed to be eight of these things?"

Kavma nodded. "Yes. The reason why we are tracking down Zero is so that we can prevent him from infecting anyone else, and allowing all eight of these...D.E.V.A. monsters from manifesting. Apart from the obvious danger they represent..."

---

Allow me to elaborate: Thadeus is unable to enter the dimension this island resides on. The specifics on why are unimportant. But from what we have discovered, whenever one of these creatures manifest, the protection keeping him out weakens. If all eight were to manifest, whether it would be at the same time or simply one at a time, the protection would shatter.

I don't mean to frighten you...

But the dimension we are currently in is connected to many others.

If Thadeus were to enter here, he could assimilate virtually anything connected to this place.

Now do you understand why I am so stressed?

---

A.J. sweatdropped as the two argued. "Really, REALLY low standards."

"We can HEAR you!"

A.J. strove for a change of subject. "So, um, guys, any of you like music?" he asked, his voice strained.

---

Evan and Jihl glared heatedly at each other. After a moment, Jihl pushed up her glasses and said, "Very well, Evan, if that is all, I shall wait in the lobby until Lord Raleigh is available. And before I forget, Jenkin's wife has asked (for which, read: Demand) that I remind you that Ralph hasn't submitted his paperwork for a week."

Evan snorted. "Jihl, last thing we need is for that bitch to get on our case."

Jihl rolled her eyes, then turned away to leave.

"Evan, you should not withhold information just to spare someone their feelings. This is a dog-eat-dog world. Start acting like a Captain for once."

She walked off, flatly ignoring Evan's glare.

[gantzgun74]

.......................

Gantz looked absolutely horrified at what he just heard.

"... Jesus CHRIST."

Suddenly it all made sense... All of the sense.

"Then... Then we have to find Zero... We have to find him NOW!!!"

[doctorzero]

Kaitlin and Max became increasingly horrified as Kavma explained what would happen if Thadeus were to be unleashed.

Thus, they completely agreed with Gantz.

"Heck, less of now, we need to find him yesterday, let's go and--" Kaitlin turned to the door, ready to kick it down and scour the entire island for Zero.

Before she could cause havoc, however, Max grabbed her by the shoulder, saying, "Kaitlin, hold on a minute! What about Jaron?"

Kaitlin had almost forgotten about Jaron, to be honest. She mentally kicked herself for not interrogating Kavma about that.

...And now that she thought about it...

She slowly turned to Kavma, her eyes narrowed. "Oh, yeah, nearly forgot about that. Oh, that also reminds me--"

FWACK!

Kaitlin had stepped forward and actually punched Kavma in the face, knocking him out of his chair and onto the floor. "Oh, man, that felt good!"

Max and Gantz looked at her, sweatdropping. "Kaitlin, was that necessary?"

"No," she admitted, "And Gantz is right, he's really not worth it...but I just really needed to hit something."

[gantzgun74]

....... Groaning, Gantz facepalmed...

But then, something came to his attention.

"Wait a second......"

As Kavma picked himself off the ground, he noticed a hand reach down and take his collar. A second later, he was yanked to his feet to see an unhappy looking Gantz glaring at him.

.....................

A second later, the hand unclenched the man's fancy collar, and his gaze lightened.... Only a little. "Look, regardless of what you did, I am still INCREDIBLY mad at you. And you and I both know it's with reason. But I'm not going to hit you like a certain Someone..." He motioned to Kaitlin...

...............

"HOWEVER."

Gantz's glare returned a second later "Now that I think about it. There is ONE thing you have yet to explain." He crossed his arms. "While we need to find Zero and get that machine back, there is one piece of information you haven't told us... Such as what your entire test earlier was FOR. The reason why Jaron, after everything that's happened, is stumbling around in the mines WITH NO Memory, of who he is, why you had to threaten me and my friends to not mention his name, and above all why he's on this island to begin with."

[doctorzero]

What Gantz had just said was the exact point that the two of them wanted to bring up.

Max stepped forward and poked Kavma in the chest. "He's right, you need to explain. You just show up one morning, steal Jaron's sword, lead us on a wild goose chase, and THEN separate the three of us while luring Jaron onto this island, just so you can steal his memory?! What is the MATTER with you?!"

Kavma remained silent for a moment, not meeting his gaze. Max was just about to take Kaitlin's example and punch him too when he spoke.

"I would not have been able to bring you here otherwise. If I had appeared to you and asked you to come here, would you have agreed?"

There was a pause. "Well, no," Kaitlin admitted. With all the crap they had gone through, actually trusting Kavma was not high on their list. "But you're saying that you stole his sword just because we wouldn't come otherwise?"

"Yes."

She facepalmed. "Oh, for...okay, that's ONE question answered, but that doesn't explain his memory loss. Was that just you being sadistic?"

Kavma looked away again.

...

Was he looking sheepish?

"Actually...the memory loss was rather unexpected."

Loaded silence.

"...huh?"

Kavma met their gaze again. He actually looked somewhat embarrassed. "There was an...accident. It caused Jaron to lose his memory. It wasn't planned at all."

....

"Lemme get this straight..." Max said slowly. "Are you telling me that Jaron came all the way here...and he wound up getting amnesia by accident?"

He hoped--PRAYED--that he was lying, because really--

"Yes."

Oh, for crying out loud.

...

Kavma coughed. "Perhaps I should elaborate further..."

---

"Kavma."

The man himself turned to see the newcomer. "Ah, you've come."

"Well, duh. It's not nice to steal things, you know."

"True, true, but if I hadn't you wouldn't have come here."

"Yeah, yeah. Why'd you do it?"

"Do you think I would give a straight answer?"

"Well, I guess not. Can I please have it back anyway?"

"Now, now, my boy, you know that nothing is free in this world. If you would like it back..." Kavma spread his arms. "Then you must be prepared to make sacrifices."

A brief moment of silence as they faced each other, Jaron's expression that of grim determination.

Kavma lowered his arms. "Care to make a wager?"

"Huh?"

"You are here. So am I. Perhaps the two of us would like to play a game?"

Jaron narrowed his eyes. "What kind of game?"

"A scavenger hunt, if you will--but with my own twist. I shall have a series of challenges for you. If you complete all of them, I shall offer you whatever you wish, in addition to your sword."

Jaron's eyes widened. "Anything? Like what?"

"Well, not necessarily EVERYTHING. I do have my limits. But I could, say, grant you a gift, or--"

"My past?"

Kavma smiled. "Still curious as to who you are, are you?"

Jaron nodded. "That is what you wish for?"

Another nod. "Wait," said Jaron, "why should I trust you?"

"You don't," Kavma said simply. "But perhaps you should ask your little friend what he or she thinks."

Jaron looked confused. "Who do you mean?"

Kavma pointed at his chest.

Jaron didn't understand at first. When he did, he lifted his hand to his chest. "...you know about...?"

"I had my suspicions, but enough about that. Go ahead. Ask, Jaron."

There was a moment of silence, then Jaron slowly nodded.

"He...says he thinks I can trust you. For now, anyway. But...Kaitlin and Max..."

"You believe that they would get upset if you agree?"

Jaron nodded.

"Well, I hardly think you're in a position to argue, seeing as how I have one of your precious possessions."

"So, you're basically forcing me into this."

"You make it sound like you aren't used to it."

Jaron looked away from him. "...I don't want to make them unhappy or anything...but you..." He met his gaze. "Fine. But on one condition."

"Hmm?"

"You don't hurt them. Ever."

Kavma nodded. "You have my word, Jaron Roxai. Now, perhaps we should begin your first challenge."

Jaron stepped back, surprised. "Whoa, what?! Already?"

"Did you expect it to happen later?" Kavma was grinning. "You first challenge is simple...

"You must defeat me!"


Kavma paused, allowing them to speak.

...

"Lemme get this straight," Kaitlin started, "You brought Jaron onto this island just so you could challenge him to some contest in exchange for prizes--like his history, you sick maniac--regardless of what we had to say on the matter--and I cannot BELIEVE he agreed with you--and no doubt during your epic duel with him or whatever, he wound up getting hit on the head and this gave him AMNESIA?!" Her voice had risen into a shout. "DID I LEAVE ANYTHING OUT?!"

"No. As in, no, you left nothing out. You're quite correct...somewhat."

Kaitlin preformed a FACEPALM X2 COMBO right there. Max, meanwhile, looked quite annoyed.

"A contest in exchange for a prize?" he said scathingly. "Gee, I wonder why THAT sounds familiar! And also--" He slammed his hands onto the desk Phoenix Wright Style. "How did you even knowabout THAT?!"

He and Kavma were nose to nose at this point. "Do you mean the--" Kavma began.

"Yes."

"This is me we're talking about. And I believe that Gantz is regarding me with a large amount of anger and confusion at the moment...?"

[gantzgun74]

Gantz was indeed pretty angry, and pretty confused. As if this story couldn't possibly get MORE complicated. "I am pretty pissed yes..."

He let's out a sigh. "But... My curiosity as to what the hell your talking about can wait." He crossed his arms. "What matters right here and right now is that we find Zero and Jaron. Once we do, THEN we can come back to this little arguement..." He looked to the three, yes not just Kavma, but also Kaitlin and Max, before him with a cross look. "Maybe then a few of us might be willing to say a little bit more about what's going on, whether it might be with Jaron or otherwise."

He nodded to Kavma with glare. "And depending on what I find or learn, I may or may not kick your ass.... AGAIN."

With that said, he walked to the door an air of anger about him.

[doctorzero]

Kaitlin gave Kavma one final glare, then she and Max followed Gantz to the door--

"I'm not done."

They all sighed in exasperation and turned back to Kavma. "What now?" Max demanded. He was really getting tired of the exposition.

Kavma stood up from his chair. "Zero is our responsibility, not yours. If you think I'm going to allow any of you to go after him, you are mistaken. It will be us who will take care of it, not you. And as for Jaron, we will be sure to locate him and bring him back to you, but other than that, you should not be involved any further."

They stared at him in disbelief. "...Are you serious?" Kaitlin asked incredulously. "After what he did to Wally?! You're just going to let some maniac prance about the place infecting whoever he wants just because--"


Kavma raised a hand and made a 'shut up gesture'. "Zero is unaware of the infectious properties of his Gear."

Their jaws dropped. "...WHAT."

"I'm not joking."

Kaitlin opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again, then shook her head. "Okay, you can't be serious. How long has he had that thing?"

"Several years."

"...And not ONCE has he ever noticed how anyone he's tried to kill with it turned into horrific monsters?!"

Kavma sighed. "Sadly, he was never present whenever the transformation occurred. Rather unlucky."

...

"And no one has ever TOLD HIM?!" Kaitlin demanded, her eye twitching.

Kavma shrugged. "Even if anyone tried, it wouldn't work. Zero wouldn't believe it was his fault, even if the evidence were thrown into his face."

"No one can be that closeminded," Max pointed out.

"Zero has been lied to most of his life. He isn't willing to believe that ANYONE would be honest with him."

[gantzgun74]

.................. "Maybe... Maybe not."

Gantz appeared to think a second, "There are a few main factors we know about Zero; He's paranoid, He has a lot of power, He's from the Real World, and he hates you Kavma." He snapped his fingers. "We share two of those personality traits right there... Maybe he might listen to me."

He noticed the looks. "I know my chances are slim. But I have to try." He then looked straight at Kavma. "You can tell me what you want Rayleigh, but I'm still facing Zero. Not just for Wally, but for the rest of the island. Someone has to, and something tells me your thugs aren't going to cut it."

[doctorzero]

"It won't be my men who will be confronting him," Kavma replied.

"Oh, so you're going to do it?" Kaitlin scoffed. "Yeah, I'll bet he'll like THAT--"

"Do you think I am just going to allow any of you to confront him?!" Kavma asked heatedly. "Suppose it was you who becomes infected, Kaitlin? Or Max? Or Aubade? Or Rosaline, or Misty, or even Miss Red? Or even you, Alex? There is too much of a risk! Even if you do speak with him, Alex, he will only assume that you are working with me, and will attempt to murder you on the spot! Can't you understand that I do not wish for ANY of you to be harmed on my part any more?!"

The weird thing was that he actually sounded honest about it. He calmed down a little and said, in a calm tone, "I do not wish to force you to do anything, but if you attempt to go after Zero, any of you, then I will stop you, and I will do it personally. But if any of you are smart, you will do as I ask and stay away from him!"

Kaitlin crossed her arms. "Kavma...I kind of get that you're freaking out about this, and that you're worried and everything (and that is BEYOND weird in my opinion), but we do understand what you're saying. We know there are risks, that's why we want to do this. What makes you think you can stop us, anyway?"

"I could simply warp every single one of you into Alex's estate and lock you inside with over a hundred men--plus Evan--surrounding the house along with a number of barriers that not even YOU could be able to break, Alex," was his reply.

...

"Can you actu--"

"Are you honestly doubting me, even now?"

They all stared at him lividly. "You're not being very fair," said Max.

"This is hardly a matter of being fair, you three. Not a single one of you seem to comprehend how dangerous and delicate this situation is. I and my forces are more equipped to deal with it--"

"Last I checked, Zero wiped the floor with your pals on that mountain," Max countered.

"They were scientists, not soldiers. And if that fails, he's terrified of Evan."

Well, THAT was new.

"..." Kaitlin wordlessly pointed at the door.

"Yes, that guy."

"..."

"Now, do any of you understand what I am trying to say here?"

"You can't force us--" Max started.

"Watch me." There was a frightening look on his face.

[gantzgun74]

The three glared at Kavma with a great amount of malice. "You... You can't do that!!!" Gantz said with a growl. "Look, I get Zero's dangerous, and you don't want us to get in trouble, but come on! We can take that jackass, and deep down I'm sure you know it."

He opened the door. "We're going to go find Zero and that's that."

[doctorzero]

The door slammed shut before the three of them could go through it. "What the--" The all turned to see Kavma standing directly in front of them, actually looking pretty angry for once.

And as stated before, it was TERRIFYING.

"What part of you do not understand the risks do you dunderheads not get?!" he demanded--he had never actually insulted them before, Max noted.

Kaitlin matched his glare. "We do understand, you bastard, we've handled you, Black, and all those other freaks, didn't we?!"

"Even if Zero didn;t have that Gear, and if it WAS much safer for you to do this, I would not allow it!" he thundered. "Zero is how he is now because of my mistakes, and I will be the one to rectify this problem! For once, do not assume that you can handle the problem and actually let someone ELSE do it!"

None of them said a word for a few moments.

"Even if you do stop us," said Max, "Jaron's still on the island. He might run into Zero too. Even if he knew about how dangerous Zero was, do you think you can stop him? We all know how he is, he's always trying to help people. He'd want to try to stop Zero too, with or without his memory."

Kavma turned away from him, gritting his teeth. "Jaron is..." He shook his head. "...Gantz, are you telling me you are willing to risk Rosaline and Red, and your other companions? Which would you pick, boy?"

[gantzgun74]

..........................

Gantz let out a sigh. "I won't lie, I do see your point... I would rather if Rose or Red, or any of the others were kept from becoming monsters..."

Before Kavma could relax however...

"But... I know them. They'll never let me do this by myself. And to be honest... I'm glad for it. I trust them with my life..." He looked to Kavma, unafraid. "I can understand how you want to fix a problem you caused Kavma. But... Zero isn't solely YOUR problem. He's ours too. He's the island's problem too when you really think about it. And we're the island's defenders."

With that said, he crossed his arms. "I'm sorry, Kavma. But you can't tell us everything you just told us, and HONESTLY EXPECT US to just sit back and do nothing."

[doctorzero]

"Alex is right," said Kaitlin, "what makes you think we're just going to lean back and let you do it? Because you're more capable? Besides, Zero hurt our friends, nearly killed Wally, and even brought out that stupid dinosaur. We aren't going to sit this one down."

Max nodded and pulled out his Pokeballs. "Sorry, Kavma, but if you try to stop us we'll have to fight back."

The mere thought of it was suicidal, they knew that. But Kavma could tell by the determined looks on their faces that they were serious.

Kavma seemed to struggle for a few seconds, his fist shaking. He made several attempts to speak, then stopped, hung his head, and went back behind his desk and sat down.

"Leave," he said quietly. "Tell Ms. Garrington I'm willing to answer her questions. Tell Evan to come in here as well. But if any of you attempt to leave the building, you WILL be detained and locked up into your estate."

The three of them regarded each other with confusion. "Lilia? Why would you want to--" Kaitlin began.

"Just go. I'll speak with you again when I'm done with her."