Reconfigure by Aileen Rose

Outside Force

Mgh... Where am I...?

Lightning 95 slowly opened his eyes... finding himself in a Medical Bay room.

This... isn't the Out Lands Medical Ba-

He gasped, looking around.

"Easy now."

He jumped as heard the female voice. He looked towards the source to see a program with orange glow marks approach him. She was dark skinned and had short hair. She was making his way towards him.

Lightning 95 backed up against the wall that the bed he was on was near.

"S-Stay away r-rogue!"

She shook her head, offering a cup of water to him. "First drink your water, then I'll back off."

Lightning 95 looked at it with questioning look. "... Not till you drink it."

She shook her head again, taking some water out and drinking it. "See? Not poisoned. I promise."

Lightning 95 waited a moment to see if she was telling the truth before accepting the water, drinking it begrudgingly. Who the heck helps their prisoners?

"There we go... I'm Ishani 6 by the way." the program said as she tended to other things in the room. "And well, you already know what I am just based by my circuit colors, I'm a rogue."

"Why are you helping me?" He questioned.

"Because I was told to." she answered, looking to him. "That's why."

"By who? Nero?"

Ishani 6 shook her head. "We rogues only listen to our own kind... we're not fond of Hackers... But we are currently taking orders from someone else, but I can not reveal who. It's classified."

Lightning 95 groaned. "Well that's just PEACHY."

"Ishani 6."

Ishani 6 looked to the door way to see a car roll in. Lightning 95's eyes went wide at the sight of the machine as he rolled over to Ishani 6. He had the same color glow marks as her.

"What is it FiN?" she asked.

"We just got word that Loopin' 302 has returned to his original state."

She nodded. "Good."

Lightning 95 gasped. "Loopin'..!?" Alright... That's it... He jumped off the table he was on. "Alright how do you even know about Loopin'!?"

FiN looked to him. "Ah you must be Lightning 95. Hornet 51's student, right?"

"....Yes... But how do you...? I mean... I thought..." He brought a hand to his head. "Cannot compute..."

"Just because we're rogues doesn't mean were ignorant." Ishani 6 said bluntly. "Besides, we originate from the same coding as you do. Brody08 is well respected by us. He gave all of us life."

Lightning 95 shook his head in disbelief. "Amazing... Simply... Amazing... I thought we were the only ones from his line that survived..."

"We're... as he would put it, the deep cover line of programs." FiN explained. "A back up if you will. He just gave us our own wills so in case something happened we wouldn't be completely helpless."

"We're the shadows of the system." Ishani 6 added.

"I see... How long have you been active?"

"Quite a few cycles." FiN mused. "I knew Hornet 51 back at the beginning of the system. I'm more or less the boss of the rogues, they all look to me."

"Well helps you're very sharp." Ishani 6 commented. "Though of course we're under someone else because the times call for it... Can't wait till things are back to the way they were."

"You and me both.. actually, all of N-Gin I'm sure can't wait."

"Where IS Hornet 51?" Lightning 95 questioned raising an eyebrow. "He was with me when..." He remembered the fight and growled. "Rip 13.... Oh I am going to derezz that jerk...."

"Well, to calm your mind, Hornet 51 is safe. He was brought to a Medical Bay in your territory and was taken care of." FiN answered. "Still alive and well."

He sighed in relief sitting back on the table. "Thank Brody08..."

"FiN... shouldn't we start making arrangements?" Ishani 6 chimed in.

FiN nodded. "Yes... Hol-E has everything ready to go in the lab with Sid-LEE. MA-ter just needs to put the final touches into the programming."

Just what are they planning? And... Should I really trust them...?

"Lightning 95." FiN started, looking at him. "Override Lightning Strike 95... developed before Nero arrived."

His eyes widened. "No one knew that callsign... Or my directive except for my team... " These guys aren't kidding... "... How does this involve me?"

"You were developed as one of the first override programs of a set. You and one other program hold the keys of getting this system back to the way it was."

".... Don't tell me..." It can't be... It can't be HIM!

"As our sources know, his name is Crophopper 7. He was sent here not too long ago, he's the other part of the set."

Lightning 95 let out a shaky sigh rubbing the back of his neck. He knew Crophopper 7 wouldn't have been sent in just for the sake of Brody08 watching his creations be slaughtered... He knew that was DEFINITELY not the reason... But it was hard to take in. So I wasn't alone.... I wasn't meant to be alone....

Does that make him my brother...? Ugh... Deal with that later. Right now focus on the plan.

"Well genius car... He can't remember his past. He was reconfigured by Nero."

"We know." FiN retorted as he rolled around. "Our current leader is working on fixing that as we speak. We just had to get you first before we thought about getting Crophopper 7. We know how to fix him."

Lightning 95 sighed. That was one thing he couldn't question... Not even their best programs could fix him. He wasn't stupid, he heard the whispers... That Crophopper 7 may have been unfixable. "Alright... You got me... But let me make one thing clear... He isn't afraid to fight for his life and he can and will get REALLY freaking angry if you so much as try to threaten him. He woke up swinging."

"Noted." FiN said, his radio going on. "FiN here."

Lightning 95 couldn't hear who FiN was talking to, but the serious look in FiN's eyes showed concern.

"I see... Alright, if you need back up- ... Okay, I'll send someone over to help. Alright, end of line."

"Everything alright?" Ishani 6 asked with concern.

"Our boss has run into some trouble... he might need some assistance with getting to Crophopper 7... If you wouldn't mind..."

"I'm on it."

"Our boss will radio his coordinates to you."

Ishani 6 nodded before hurrying out of the room.

"You know... He's not going to go willingly with programs he doesn't know." Lightning 95 pointed out with an annoyed look.

"We're aware and as is our boss. We improvise."

"... You know... Your really starting to creep me out."

"What did you expect from a bunch of rogues?"

Lightning 95 thought back to stories he heard when he was smaller and cringed. "You don't wanna know... But the whole: "Oh yeah we've been watching your life for who knows how many cycles!" thing? REALLY unsettling."

"Understandable. As for the whole not wanting to know, we're aware of what others think of us." FiN smirked. "It's how we want it to be... It's how Brody08 wanted it to be."

Lightning 95 sighed shaking his head. "Can't argue with our creators wishes..." Oh it's going to get embarrassing if they saw all the crying I did when I was first found... That was not a fun time... "So... Do I get the honor of knowing who the head creeper is or is it classified?"

FiN thought for a moment. "You know our secret... so... might as well know the secret of who we're working under..."

FiN rolled up to him, giving a serious look.

"Our boss is..."