A/N: Hey!
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Disclaimer: See first chapter
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Psi had fallen asleep somewhere between his last string of curses and arriving back at HQ; waking up to a bright white room and the plush fabrics of a bed under him. The continuous beeping of the medical equipment slowly seeped into his ears as his eyes adjusted to the light. A flash of colour made him smile at the ceiling; spotting a big bouquet of flowers sitting on the bedside table. Considering the way they were styled (Large, bright and surprisingly well thought out), he immediately pinned it on little Lime. As if the thought of the flowers initiated a switch, the smell of the beautiful flora reached his nostrils and in turn made Psi take a deep breath. Man, that girl really knew how to make someone feel calm. Trying to roll onto his side, Psi immediately felt the stinging strain of his shoulder and yelped; reflexively going onto his back. He could see the door open out of the corner of his eye, sighing in relief at the familiar presence. The wound will heal nicely thanks to Zen, so you won't need to stay h-here any longer. I do suggest you get a lot of rest and take a couple p-pain killers if the pain esca-escalates, and you will report to me at least three times a day until I s-say otherwise "It whispered, two long antennae flicking sideways as it spoke. With a small sigh, it added, you know, Maurice is thoroughly annoyed." A small humanoid being floated onto the bed, gloved hands going to check Psi's wound as bright eyes surveyed his face; well, whatever it could see behind the thick curls of hair, as blue as a clear summer sky. The creature's skin never seemed to stop shining; simmering like the deepest parts of space but looking as fragile as sand. Psi relaxed into the mattress, wincing as a gloved hand checked the bullet wound. "I know Azure, has he stopped by?"
When Azure was done strapping the shoulder, Psi ran his hand over the sterilized fabric. As the question came out, Psi immediately knew the answer. Even if he had been out for 20 minutes or 3 days, his best mate would have moved Hell to Heaven if Maurice had to check on him; no matter how annoyed he was. Azure rolled his eyes, or didn't?-It was hard to read him with his hair like that. You've been out for a day, but he visits every c-couple hours with Lime. If I were you, I'd go see him first." Offering a hand, Azure helped lift Psi back onto his feet before discarding the gloves and going to clean up the room. Psi sat on the bed for a while, watching the star-child at work before zoning back into reality. Azure had finished what he was doing, floating in mid-air with his arms folded; a stance of disappointment etched onto his features. Psi stared back, frowning deeply while slowly raising his eyebrow.
The stare-off continued for some time, though neither relented as the tension got thicker.
Psi decided to strike first. "You know he's going to eat me alive.' That was parried easily by Azure. "He won't, h-he's just concerned. W-we all were." Psi snorted, "He'll show his concern after skewering my head to a stick-" Azure shrugged, musing softly. "I doubt he could find a big enough stick to accommodate your head, Psi" The silence stretched on for a couple moments before it dawned on Psi, who took a breathy laugh. "Did you just- You sassed!" He congratulated, raising his hands to give a celebratory clap only to wince at the sharp pain in his shoulder. His voice dwindled back to nothing as he stared ahead at Azure. Psi could have sworn he saw a smile tug at the being's lip-area. Azure let his feet touch the ground, walking slowly towards Psi and proceeding to crane his head upwards; just to stay within eye-contact. His hair that gave him his name fell out of his face, leaving the bright eyes to soften into a pleading gaze. "D-despite the threats he's given you, he truly just wants to know you're okay Psi. So please, just go see him. For me?" Azure's eyes widened with every word, pouting deeply. Psi looked down and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
He reached for his jacket and gingerly put it back on, nodding solemnly. "I guess I should go see him...Thank you Azure" Azure's eyes lit up with joy, quickly going to the door and fumbling with the key-pad. A part of the wall disappeared with a flicker, allowing Psi to venture onto the main corridor. The star-child looked down as Psi passed, only looking back up when he felt someone bend down to give him a hug. Azure couldn't help but chuckle softly, returning it and then gently pushing Psi away. "Anytime, now go make sure He's okay..."
******
Mainframe HQ is a network of corridors and rooms, all linking or intersecting in some way or another. Besides the main corridors, there are various known and relatively unknown ways to get from one place to another. The crew may be small based on various other universal heist teams, but they got along well enough to be a close knit squadron. Psi decided to use the main corridors this time, not wanting to strain his shoulder on climbing through his ferret holes or other forms of networked systems. Two streaks of starry pink and green respectively caught his attention from the glass transportation tubes traversing above him, stopping to smile at the two remaining star-children. He managed to hear Lime's voice echoing in the distance, followed by a jeer from Salmon, but couldn't decipher the words. "Probably testing out the new courses." He mused, before veering into another expanse of corridors until he stopped at a red door. Psi's hand went to knock on the door, but was halted by a voice. "Come in Psi."
Crap. The door opened by itself, causing Psi to step into the room. Here we go.
It wasn't really a 'bedroom' so to speak, considering the fact that there was no bed anywhere. In fact, it looked more like a control centre or an aviary instead a bedroom. The silvers and blacks were accented by the red lighting, mostly coming from the various holograms shining from the central piece of furniture: a control panel of sorts. Hanging from the high ceiling, several metallic pods varying in size faced the swirling holograms and swung slowly like a rocking horse. Between those, perches and other overhanging things swung slowly. The floor was littered with gadgets and gizmos; some unfinished, some resembling bombs and weapons of mass destruction. If one was to stumble in here, it would probably be mistaken for a futuristic dungeon and get their being as far as possible. For Maurice, however, it was home.
To top it all off, classical music was filtering through unseen speakers.
Psi cleared his throat, eyes focusing on the pod nearest to the control panel. The closed part was facing him, but he knew that Maurice was inside. "Hi...Okay-I know you're mad, but I had to shut you out." He started, just as the pod seemed to shift. Psi continued. "You don't have to talk to me. Heck, you can shun me forever- but I'm sorry Maurice. I was an idiot, yes, a big idiot who doesn't listen to the voices in his head." He closed his eyes and carried on talking. "But I got the statues that we said we'd get- I know you hate failed heists- so that should be fine, right? I shouldn't have been so reckless, impulsive and a prick-"
There was a flutter from afar, making Psi open his eyes to see a figure staring back at him from a nearby pod; crimson eyes helping him make out the silhouette. A long period of silence followed, before something cleared its throat. "...You can say that again. Now shut your mouth, kid. I forgave you after the third time I visited." Maurice hopped onto the floor, crouching down to walk forward into the light, before deciding otherwise and flying back to the centre controls and settling back into the main pod. Psi shook his head with a chuckle and followed. "Thanks Chiropetra-"
The large ears of the crew's resident bat flicked in annoyance. "What did I say about calling me that!" Maurice Chiropetra was indeed a bat, in most of the word; but being a victim of evolution, he couldn't be classified in that order anymore despite his given surname. Though he had his domestic-cat size, Maurice had the basics of his bat brethren: The membranous wings, the large ears. However, his fur (being grey in colour) was slightly shaggier; spreading down into a tail like appendage. Contrary to all those figurative expressions relating to bats, His eyesight was perfect, with crimson eyes fighting off a bat's normal glazed eye. Maurice lifted a wing to swipe a hologram closer: revealing the two flickering statues of Drezt without a word. Getting the gist of it, Psi waited patiently for Maurice to start talking. "So...what have you got?" Maurice frowned, clearing his throat while he wrapped his wings around him. "Well, we're lucky we got those statues when we did; that's for sure. Apparently we aren't the only crew who is brave enough to go for them-" Psi wrinkled his nose in disdain, already feeling the pressure. If another crew was gunning for the same mark, then The Mainframe is obviously on their radar after they lost. "Do you know who they are?" He asked, mind already wandering to scan any potential threats in the world of thieves. The Augmented Human knew that this business was cut-throat, 'Survival-of-the-sneakiest' as Zenmaka put it. He was so immersed in his own thoughts that he didn't hear what Maurice said. "I told Zen- well, she demanded I show her- and she almost flipped out at the message. Psi? Are you listening?! You know what-"
Thwack!
Psi yelped in shock, rubbing his shoulder. "Hey! That's my injured shoulder!" He spat, only to simmer down at Maurice's frantic apologizes. The bat really did care...
Maurice calmed down, before giving Psi a pointed look. "I know who did it, but I didn't find them so to speak..." With that, a hologram covered the others; a picture of a scroll glowing red with words. Psi quickly read through the letter in unmasked shock, gripping the edge of the pod. Maurice nudged Psi in concern, frowning deeply while he tried to figure out his friend's thoughts as he continued. "I didn't find them...They found us. Psi, we've got Hierarchy on our tail."
Psi stared at the rotating crown, Hierarchy's signature, and let out a deep breath. Why in hell would one of the top crews in the universe wage something with them?! "Call a crew meeting. Things just got real."
Footsteps echoed throughout Maurice's room, causing Psi to turn and spot Zenmaka leaning on the door frame. Behind her, the Star-child trio were craning into the room with various emotions. The Goddess stepped in and nodded at Psi, walking past them and towards the hologram. "No need to call it. Fellas, we got work to do."