//------------------------------//
// CM: Through the Woods 
// Story: Melody of the Future 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	With the path open, the group made their way forward through the facility, the paths identical in appearance around them, with only the occasional elevator to break up the monotony.  The halls were patrolled by Preons, Security Dog drones, gorilla mechs, and the occasional hunting bug or bunny robot.  Despite the hallways being too narrow to fight efficiently more than three abreast, they encountered no real resistance that could stand up to them.  After a time, they approached a room where they could see an unusual being backed by two black Elite Preons speaking to someone.

The Reploid was roughly humanoid, with white lab coat like armor with a smattering of other colors.  His face was a white gas mask shaped face plate beneath a glowing pink skull dome.  "Gaudile, I've come for you," he proclaimed in a cultured, urbane voice.  "I've been nice since we go back a while, but you've brushed me off for the last time.  Seriously, conflicting ideals or not, this is no way to treat your brother-in-law.  It's about time you came to your senses and joined the Rebellion Army."

"I don't think so, pal!" X proclaimed angrily as he led the group into the room.

The figure rocked back, waving his arms crazily in surprise.  "Whoah!  Are you X?  How did you get past the guards?"

"The same way we're going to get past you, Dr. Psyche," Spider boasted, taking a combat stance after identifying the figure.

"I don't think he-"

Octavia lightly bopped Massimo on the head.  "Intimidation," she muttered in his ear.

"Oh, yeah, right," Massimo agreed, chuckling softly.  "I knew that."

"Quit your bumbling and get them!" Dr. Psyche ordered the Elite Preons, who immediately began hopping towards the group.  Dr. Psyche promptly ran for it.

As the Preons approached, Massimo reached out and wrapped his large hand around the first one's dome.  Lifting it up, he smashed it down into the other one, causing both to drop their shields and guns.  A few more slams and they were inoperative.  "...I should do that more often," Massimo mused idly.

"Okay, I'm impressed," Spider offered jokingly.

"You weren't when he thrashed Silver Horn?" X asked in surprise.

"Hey, moments of epic badassery in the heat of emotion are one thing," Spider pointed out logically.  "Managing an effective use of such combat skills in an ordinary fight?  That's something else."

X found he could not gainsay him there.





Marino raced down the hall, cursing the squeaking of her shoes for ruining her stealth.  She needed this payday so she could afford the tuneups to fix that.  The whole Government/Rebellion/Resistance conflict had made things almost impossible for an honest thief to make a decent payday.  As she ran, she was glad to hear a great deal of noise from elsewhere in the facility.  "Sounds like quite the scuffle.  Guess they could handle themselves.  Now...where's that treasure?"

Slowing down, she entered another chamber...only to find herself face to face with a young girl...no, a young woman only a few years her junior, physically at least.  She was obviously a Terran, and with how slow Terrans aged it was impossible to guess age accurately.  The young woman was blonde, somewhat shorter than Marino, had green eyes, pale skin, an overall slimmer figure, and was dressed in a white and blue nurse's outfit, complete with a cap with a red cross on it.  The bottom of the nurse outfit was a short skirt with leggings going all the way up underneath.  "Hey there, kiddo," Marino greeted carefully.  "You live here?"

"Yes!" the girl replied as she hopped off the crate she was sitting on.  "I'm Cinnamon.  Hello!"

Marino hesitated.  There was something about the girl's voice...a little too eager.  "Uh...I'm Marino."

"Can I help you with something, Marino?" Cinnamon asked eagerly.  "We so rarely have guests here.  In fact...we've never had guests.  Are you...not a guest?"

Marino decided to talk quickly.  "Uh...I heard there was some treasure here, so I thought I'd take it off your hands."

"Oh, you're a thief!" Cinnamon proclaimed happily, almost vibrating with excitement.  "Daddy told me what I'm supposed to do if a thief shows up.  If they're male and corner me, I'm supposed to make a lot of noise and use the self defense lessons he programmed for me.  Otherwise, I'm supposed to let them take what they want, stay out of the way, and alert the authorities after the situation has ended.  So what did you want?"

Marino blinked.  The kid seemed a little too eager to cooperate with a thief.  Must be pretty dull here if she's that hard up for excitement, she thought to herself.  She decided to humor the kid.  "I'm looking for something called a Force Metal Generator.  Have you heard of it?"

"Oh, you mean this!" Cinnamon responded eagerly, popping open the chest plate of her nurse armor and activating an interface port underneath, revealing a coruscating energy core and miniaturized manufacturing circuitry.

"...that's the Force Metal Generator?" Marino murmured in awe.

"Yup!" Cinnamon confirmed as she closed the plate.  "It's a part of me, and can't be separated, or function independently of me.  So...does that mean you're going to steal me?"

Marino blinked.  "You sound...pretty eager to be stolen."

"Do you have any idea how boring it is here?" Cinnamon complained.  "I've lived here for nearly two decades!  I saw everything there was to see before the end of the first!  I've snuck out a half dozen times, but I was never able to stay out long enough to actually see anything.  At least if I'm being stolen, I might have a chance to take in some sights!"

Marino sighed, hanging her head.  So much for that payday, she thought to herself.  There were some things she did not tolerate in her Court, and Human, Reploid, or Terran trafficking was strictly off limits.  Still, I might as well show her a harmless good time.  Maybe I can get her to make me some Force Metal.  That'd turn a nice profit.  "Yup," she concluded finally.  "Guess I have to steal you..."

"Yay!" Cinnamon proclaimed happily, bouncing up and down eagerly.

Marino frowned as the bouncing demonstrated that Cinnamon was not as slim bodied as she first appeared in certain areas.  Okay, maybe she's not a kid...