Cyborg 009 Fan Fiction ❯ "The Ballad of 0014" ❯ Chapter 2: ~Beloved~ ( Chapter 2 )

This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past.
Agathon (448 BC - 400 BC), from Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

The Ballad of 0014
by DigistarDBZ

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Chapter 2: ~Beloved~

* * * *

"Hilda?" Joe inquired as he repeated the name that Albert whispered. He had heard Albert and even Dr. Gilmore speak of someone by that name before, but he never realized that she would have such a profound impact on him- of all of the women, all of the missions that they had been on- he didn't even think that this 'Hilda' would mean that much.. "Who is she?"

Albert's response didn't wish to leave his throat. The entire team looked dumbstruck at his response- 004, the collected one, never one to reveal his feelings in such a manner, was in a state of disbelief and shock the likes of which they hadn't seen before!

"Then... you know 0014!" Dr. Gilmore said to break the uneasy silence. He definitely knew who this 'Hilda' was- after all, he had to do thorough background checks for all nine of the cyborgs. Still, he thought that she, who had been dead for over 40 years, was the necromancy prototype that he had been told about. "Tell me, did you ever see her when--"

Albert shook his head 'no'. "..She's supposed to be dead..." He then turned and grasped the professor's shoulders. "How?! What did they do to her?! How did they get their hands on her!?"

"Calm down, 004!!" Dr. Gilmore said to keep Albert from becoming hysterical. "I didn't even know they went ahead and skipped to 0014 back then! The only way I found out that there were more 00-number cyborgs was through a colleague of mine, Doctor Asimov Cosmo!"

"Asimov Cosmo?" Joe repeated in question. "Who's he?"

"An old workmate of mine from the 1980's that specializes in astrophysics and deep space research. He had taken an great interest in the 00-number project, but it appears he didn't get directly involved because of what terrible things Black Ghost was about!"

"So if he's an astrophysicist, why did he go around and find out about more 00-number cyborgs?" Pyunma asked.

"He had a friend involved in the 0014 project as well- he was killed before any more information could be passed to him, but all he got was the location and security codes to the 00-number warehouse in Italy!"

"So he was the one who told you about 0014 being stolen." Albert meant it to be a question but came out as a statement instead.

"Yes, he, too fears that Black Ghost is coming back to life- neither of us know how, but... now that we are in possession of 0014, perhaps we'll be able to stop whatever this madness is before it even begins!"

Out of the corner of Britain's eye, he noticed the comatose figure on the table begin to stir.

"Um, I appreciate the information about who got us to this point," he started before pointing to the table. "But I think Albert's lost girl is coming around!"

Albert immediately let go of Dr. Gilmore's shoulders and before anyone even realized it, he was on his knees against the table. He was waiting on heated breath to see what had happened to her... if she could still talk, if she could still see him, if she would even be able to recognize what he had become...

"....Hilda....?" He said shakily, waiting anxiously for the answer from the cyborg on the table. "Is.. is it you? Hilda?"

A soft noise came from her throat, as if she was reacting to the questions that were being asked to her.

"Hilda? Hilda, it's me!! It's Albert... please, wake up!!"

Her eyes sluggishly started to open, the blinding light of the lamp overhead eclipsed by what felt like a familiar face above hers. She had to make sure... that this wasn't a dream.

"Al..bert.....?"

He wanted to fall to the floor and cry until he shriveled at that moment.

But to see her look at him again- those same beautiful, shining green eyes- Albert's mind went completely numb. He wasn't sure what he was to do.

And... to hear her say his name again... after all this time! After all of the time that he had been apart from her, always believing that only death could bring them together once more...

The other cyborgs were as shocked out of their minds as well- perhaps nowhere near Albert's level, but the fact that their teammate, the ever-stoic and quiet Cyborg 004... that the appearance of one woman could come so close to bringing him to his knees to the point of weeping...

That was cause for even Geronimo Junior's eyes to widen.

"Albert..." she said again, trying to sit up, but still very weak from her long sleep. "...Why are you crying...?"

His hand shook violently as he reached to touch her clammy cheek. "H....Hilda......this....this isn't a...a dream.... is it?"

She was so focused on seeing Albert again for the first time since she couldn't remember, she didn't even feel the lukewarm tears start to stream from her eyes. 'He's alive.....'

"It's really you... I thought you... I thought that you..." she started before any more words that she wanted to say died on her tongue.

"..Am I dreaming or is he *crying*?" Britain said with his jaw hung open. "I never dreamed I'd see the day!!"

"Apparently you are!" Chang replied, his stout jaw hung open not quite as wide, but was visibly shocked. "This is unbelievable!"

Francoise gave a loud 'hush' to everyone. "Let them be! This is incredibly important to him!"

Feeling herself scooped up into his arms, all Hilda felt she could do was return the embrace by wrapping her arms around his neck, riding the sharp, heavy gasps that she could've sworn were attempts to hold back choking sobs. "Are you... you all right...?"

He never thought he could be brought to the point where he couldn't hold back tears anymore. Years of emotion, of pain, of joy, of sorrow... all of it was undammed just by holding her in his arms again, just like he did in Berlin after the truck crashed...

...Only this time, she was alive. Alive.

This time, she was able to return his embrace. This time, she could say 'hello' instead of 'farewell'. This time...

"...Albert...?"

"I..." He gasped in reply, trying to regain his voice, which he felt like he lost as soon as he started to hold her. "...I've... I've never... never been better..."

"I've missed you so much..." she replied, "I felt like I could never be happy again until I found you...you wouldn't believe what those people have done to me, what they turned me into--"

"They're never going to hurt you again." Albert choked in reply. "They'll never hurt you again. They're gone, and they'll be gone forever... I swear it to you..."

Hilda wasn't sure what else to say, but still, it felt right to simply say, "Thank you..."

If there was ever a moment that Albert wanted to last forever, ever a moment that he wanted to never end no matter what..

It was now. Most definitely.

"So, we find another 00-number cyborg, it's friendly, and it's 004's wife?!" Jet said in disbelief as he paced about the office room. "What kind of nutcase sequence of events is this turning into, anyways!?"

"Jealous that it wasn't any of your old girlfriends, 002?" Britain joked, nudging Jet with his elbow.

"Sh... shut up!!" Jet yelled, his face flushing with red. "I'm not jealous!"

"But I still don't understand..." Joe said, looking at the floor. "They sent 0010, 0011, 0012 and 0013 after us... so why not her? Why didn't they send any more 00-number cyborgs after us after that?"

Dr. Gilmore sighed sadly. "I wish I knew, otherwise I would have told you after 0013 was destroyed." He turned his chair to face the seaside landscape out of the window. "My best guess is that they got impatient and decided to make a huge 00-number army to eventually face us. But there must've been something about 0014 that was different, or they would've sent her right after that."

"Different?"

"We won't know for sure until she's completely awake and moving freely.. she's been asleep for who knows how long, she might even forget some of the events that she had been through during her time with Black Ghost.""But if that's the case, how would we be able to bring those memories back?"

"I'm not sure," Dr. Gilmore said, getting up again to face the window more directly. "She'd have to find it out on her own, I'm afraid."

The door opened and Francoise walked inside the office. "Dr. Gilmore?"

"Ah, 003! How's our new cyborg friend doing?" Dr. Gilmore said cheerfully to her, as if he had completely forgotten the gloomy words that he had told 009 only mere moments before. "Is she adjusting well to her new surroundings?"

"I doubt that if she didn't have 004 around, she'd be doing very well. She still looks so tired, as if she had been through some terrible ordeal before waking up again..."

"I don't doubt that she did, Black Ghost doesn't take kindly to anyone who even thinks about getting away from them. Take me to her, I need to see if I can talk to her."

"Of course. Joe, why don't you come along?"

Joe stood up from his chair as well. "I suppose, maybe we should introduce ourselves to her."

"Duh." Jet uttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he and Britain walked past him to the door.

The cardiograph beeped in a slow, but steady rhythm as it monitored its subject through the numerous pads that were attached to her. Things had become so overwhelming to her, all she could do was just stay laying down in the soft hospital-style bed. Her long sigh alerted Albert's attention from the cardiograph monitor and its jagged, beeping green lines.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her, turning his head to hers.

"Nothing," Hilda replied, putting a hand to her head. "I just have this headache..."

"If you want, I can get you something," He replied as he placed his left hand over the hand on her head. "I'm sure Dr. Gilmore has something around here."

"No, it's all right-" Hilda suddenly stopped when she noticed a strange glint that the light cast on Albert's right hand. Something about it seemed.. almost familiar. But she knew that had to be impossible- he never had anything like the shine on his hand before. "Albert? What's that on your other hand?"

Albert tensed. He knew exactly what she was talking about, and he figured she knew it. "I- it's nothing, really."

"What's wrong?" She knew he had to be a cyborg just like her- how else would he still be alive and wearing almost the same uniform as hers? "What did Black Ghost do to you?"

Albert looked ashamed at the question. He was almost afraid to answer as he swallowed hard. How would she be able to take the news that he had to tell her?

"Albert? Please, you can tell me!"

"..They made me a weapon." He replied as he put his gunmetal gray right hand on the railing for her to see. " A living arsenal of weapons."

Hilda tilted back in shock as she took his hand in hers. It seemed even more familiar than before, like she had seen it somewhere in the past. "They made you a weapon? Then.. what did they do to your hand? It looks almost like--"

"A machine gun." Albert confessed after an uneasy silence, turning his gaze away from her. "Every day, I wish it wasn't. I wish it was a normal right hand, just like yours."

"Just like mine?" Hilda felt taken aback. 'My hands can't be any more bizarre than his own.. I'm still trying to figure out why..'

Their conversation was interrupted when the medical office doors were opened and the rest of the team, leading behind Dr. Gilmore, poured in to meet them.

"Welcome, 0014," Dr. Gilmore started with a warm smile as he stood at the foot of the bed. "I assume you've been catching up on what's happened since Black Ghost was destroyed."

"So it's true, isn't it?" She asked Albert. "Black Ghost is really gone?"

"Yes, thankfully," he said in response. "They're gone.. at least, we hope they are."

"What do you mean?" Her heart clenched with anxiety with the thought that the organization that had taken her away, took her away from Albert and brought her back to a place that was worse than death could be, could still be out there, looking for her. "Please, sir--"

"Doctor Isaac Gilmore," he said as he held out his hand for a shake. "004 tells me your real name is Hilda."

"Yes, I'm Hilda.." she replied. "...You call Albert '004'?"

"That's his 00-number. We usually call each other by our numbers, but not all the time, I suppose.."

"So you're all cyborgs just like I am?"

"We are." Joe replied for the professor. "I'm Joe Shimamura, Cyborg Soldier 009. Guys, perhaps you should introduce yourselves."

"Of course," Francoise said. "My name is Francoise Arnoul, 003. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Geronimo Junior, 005."

"Jet Link, 002."

"Pyunma, 008."

"Great Britain, 007 at your service, m'lady." He said with a bow.

"Chang Changku, 006. I assume you like Chinese cuisine?"

Hilda giggled in amusement. "I've never had Chinese food before."

"Well, then, I guess we'll be having a big dinner tonight for 0014!"

"We have big dinners every night when we're all together!" Francoise said as everyone laughed.

But while the laugher was good for a moment, Hilda then slowed her laughter to a depressed sigh, looking away from the others.

"Hilda? What's wrong?" Albert asked, placing his left hand on her shoulder. The others looked in befuddlement at her sudden swing in mood.

"I just don't know how much has changed in 40 years.." she replied. "I don't feel like I should be happy at all, I realize all of our friends and family are gone.. that I don't belong here!"

Francoise took her lament to heart- for a long time, she too felt like a stranger in a strange time. She missed her brother Jean-Paul, her friends, family- she knew what it felt like.

"Don't worry," she comforted, kneeling to Hilda's bed side. "I know what you're going through.. we'll try to make this as easy as we can. You have Albert with you, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then as long as you stand by his side, the pain won't be as bad as having no one you know and love with you to comfort you." She suppressed the urge to flash back to her blissful years with her brother and dreaming of being a dancer at her own words of encouragement. She dearly wished Jean was there to comfort her in her times of need like Hilda now had Albert once again. "You don't realize how precious a gift you have in him."

"I do," she said. "I can't help but wish that all of this was just a dream, that I'd wake up and he'd be at my side, the both of us human and Black Ghost never existing.."

"We all do." Joe added. "But we fight against them to make sure that everyone on earth can realize that dream."

"I'm sorry if I intrude upon anything you may be thinking," Dr. Gilmore started as he motioned Francoise to stand aside for a moment. "But since you're here, I might as well tell you about what's been going on around you before you woke up."

"All right." Hilda replied, wondering just how many more revelations she'd be able to take without overloading her mind.

"You see, there are people that were trying to find you and use you for something. We're not exactly sure what, but we had to wake you up to find out what it is that they want from you."

"But I'm not a warrior!" She said, scootching back as if she was being threatened. "I can't fight.. why would they want me?"

"Well, do you at least know what you can do?"

"What?"

"Your abilities. Do you know what kind of abilities that Black Ghost gave you?"

Dr. Gilmore's question left her mind in a haze. She was trying to remember... only seeing things like herself on a strange table, running down a hallway, strange machines coming at her left and right...

'Why? Why can't I remember any of that??'

"No... I don't know.. I can't remember anything when Black Ghost had me..." She suddenly looked panicked. "Please don't put me back in that pod, please! You don't know what it's like to be held solid in time, all of that feeling of cold... terrible, terrible cold..."

"Shh, shh.. it's all right!" Dr. Gilmore said, waving his hands around to signal that he wouldn't even dream of doing such a terrible thing to her. "You're never going back in that pod again, I swear to you! We freed you, and unlike Black Ghost, we want everyone to be free and able to live their lives without that kind of deathly cold! You're not going back in that pod, I promise!"

Hilda's breathing calmed as she realized he was telling the truth. She could tell that he was much different than the other doctors that she could remember, if only barely. 'He reminds me of someone... but who?'

"Doctor, I hate to interrupt, but you told us about a doctor in the 0014 project," Pyunma started to ask. "Do you know the name of the one who Dr. Cosmo kept in contact with?"

"Dr. Samson Garameade, why?" Dr. Gilmore replied.

"Dr.. Garameade?" Hilda suddenly perked. "Dr. Garameade, right?"

"That's why," Pyunma said, noting Hilda's reaction. "The name must be familiar to her."

"Yes, Dr. Samson Garameade. Is the name familiar?" Dr. Gilmore said to her.

"It is," Hilda replied, putting her hands on her head as if to force any memories into the forefront of her mind. "I know I've heard it before, but I just don't know where!"

"Don't worry, we won't force anything upon you, I promise." Dr. Gilmore reassured, taking Hilda's hand in his. "These things take time, and we can wait for as long as we need to." He then turned to the other cyborgs, telling them, "Listen, I need you all to keep an eye on the area in case those people who attacked us on that cargo ship decide to come looking for her. Chances are, they know the tracking code for the pod, and as long as it ended up here and stopped traveling, they'll find her and no doubt try to capture her again."

"Are they Black Ghost people...?" Hilda asked anxiously, praying that it wasn't the case.

"I don't know at this point," Dr. Gilmore replied. "For all I know they could be terrorists who need something dangerous on their side. All that I do know is that they wouldn't defend their capture and just let us get away with it."

A sudden ringing sound in 003's ears alerted her to the front office. "Doctor, your phone is ringing in the office!"

Dr. Gilmore suddenly smiled. "Ah, it's Asimov! I got a message from him and he told me that he would call me later to check on things."

"Dr. Cosmo?" Joe inquired. Dr. Gilmore nodded, motioning for the others to leave.

"Hold on, 004," Dr. Gilmore said as Albert was about to leave at the doctor's request with the others. "0014 needs someone to stay with her, I doubt she would want to be alone right now."

"If you need him, he can go with you, I'll be fine." Hilda replied, but Dr. Gilmore shook his head.

"You're still weak from that freeze, and with those people no doubt looking for you, I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone. 004 is your husband, isn't he?"

Hilda nodded. "You'd better get the phone."

"Oh, that's right!" Dr. Gilmore said as he ran out to catch up with the others, leaving Albert and Hilda alone again.

"So... about what you said about being a weapon.." Hilda continued, bringing Albert's attention back to her.

"Hmm?"

"What's it like?"

Albert wasn't sure how to answer the question. To have all of that artillery at his disposal was an incredible feeling of power and authority, but at the cost of his humanity, it didn't even seem worth it. His right hand still glared at him, even as he leaned over the steel railing and he could only see his hands out of the bottom of his eyes.

"I try to answer that to myself all the time." He finally answered after heavily pondering how to put the words into a response.

"You mean you don't know?"

"I do," he replied. "...I just don't know how to put it into words very effectively."

"Albert?"

"Yes?"

"Can you crawl in with me?" She motioned that she had made a free space in her bed for him to crawl into. Albert was a little surprised at the gesture, but since he probably wasn't going to be going anywhere away from her (not that he wished for it, God forbid), it was an tender offer he couldn't refuse.

"Of course." Albert said with a smile, already getting to pulling the bulky black boots off of his feet before doing just that. She smiled warmly, welcoming him onto the mattress.

"It's not very soft, is it?" Hilda asked him, tilting her head to the side.

"I don't mind." He replied softly, holding his arms out to welcome her. "I don't mind one bit."

She continued to smile as she returned the embrace, and the two of them laid back down as the feeling of absolute comfort settled in. "I'm glad." Going back to sleep was much easier than in a stasis pod- for one thing, it was very warm and she had Albert next to her.

And that made all the difference.

"Perhaps you all might not completely understand the importance of this cyborg," The woman told a small group of four men standing before her in her office. They looked straight at her as she paced in front of them, carefully selecting each of the words she was about to say. "Those 00-number cyborgs were a nuisance that we initially underestimated. However, the situation is becoming critical and our timetables are running out. We need 0014 back immediately, and I don't care who you have to kill or what you have to destroy to get her back. Do you understand?"

"Yes, madam!" The men said in unison, standing to full attention.

"Good. You," She said as she pointed to a man in a black cloak and turban, carrying a backpack. "You're going first, your spy and seizure equipment should do the job. We want this to be as quiet as possible, and if you screw this up, don't bother coming back here alive."

The black-cloaked man swallowed quietly before replying, "Yes, madam! You can trust me with your life!"

"Don't go that far. Now all of you, get out of my sight and don't come back until further notice."

After the four men left, she returned to her desk and pressed a button, bringing a small television screen up. The screen flashed to life as she pressed the communication start button.

"Well?" A voice said from the speaker. "Do you have Cyborg 0014 in your possession yet?"

"Unfortunately not," The woman said, placing her hands on the table pensively. "Those 00-number cyborgs you warned us about came and took us by surprise. I sent my best assassins to recapture her, and she should be in our possession again very soon."

"That had better be the case, as we are growing impatient," another voice said from the speakers. "This plan will not succeed unless we have her. Make sure these assassins of yours don't fail."

"Of course they won't, they are my best assassins, and outdated technology such as those 00-number cyborgs will be no match for their prowess."

"Don't underestimate them like the ones before you," A third voice warned her. "There is something about these prototypes that make them more than what you call 'outdated technology'."

"I shall not fail, you can rest assured. I am much smarter than all of them, and I will not allow myself to join their pathetic ranks."

The connection was then closed, and the TV screen retracted back to the desk.

"I most certainly will not be like the last ones. That cyborg will be mine."

* * * *

"So technology has finally caught up with us," the doctor said as he and his colleagues looked over the cryonic suspension tube. "Apparently, this subject dates back to... 1965, from what used to be East Germany. Status of the body inside?"

"DOA, Doctor Syrrin," another doctor said as he looked over his clipboard. "But are you sure that, even with our technology, we'll be able to revive a long-dead frozen corpse?"

"Well, what do you think cryonics are for, Doctor Garameade?" a third doctor in the room replied matter-of-factly. "After all, the 00-number project is back underway with those four cyborgs already produced."

"Four?" Dr. Garameade said in disbelief. "I didn't realize they were still functional after all this time."

"I would imagine, as you've had your nose in all of the other projects." Dr. Syrrin joked, and the other doctors in the room chuckled in amusement at Dr. Garameade's offense. "I assume you've done research on the concept of the 00-number Cyborgs?"

"All of us here had to," Dr. Garameade replied, shuffling through the documents on his clipboard. "The ultimate human fighting machines. If I recall, the first four were originally designed and began reconstruction back in the late 1960's."

It was true, the first four cyborgs were truly ahead of their time then. Crude compared to the technology of the early 21st century, but to create cyborgs at a time when computers were 7 feet tall and weighed several tons, it was an astounding feat if ever there was one.

"How many cyborg implants will have to be given to the cadaver in order to reanimate it?"

Dr. Syrrin turned to the doctor that asked the question to reply, "The only way we'll know is if we bring the body out of suspension and see what kind of injuries were the cause of death." He then directed two of the doctors in the room to begin the process of thawing out the body. All injuries had to be assessed before any kinds of designs for reconstruction could take place- if any were possible, that is. "We must work quickly, the body is still dead until this experiment is a success."

"And if it's not?" Dr. Garameade asked, his eyebrow arched in question.

"..Then we do what we always do to failed experiments." Dr. Syrrin replied bluntly.

That was the part that Dr. Garameade always despised.

* * * *

Hilda awoke with a start. '...Where did that come from...?'

She looked around the room. The cardiograph was still beeping, the room was still rather dimly-lit, and a quick glance to the side indicated that Albert was still sleeping peacefully beside her. She tried to sit up, but then remembered that he was holding her. She laid back down, realizing that it would just be cruel to break out of his arms like that.

'That man, that was Dr. Garameade,' she thought, rubbing her temples to collect her thoughts. 'He does seem so familiar, but how could I remember seeing myself in that tube?' It was so confusing how she could have memories like that, as if she was watching them happen before she came right back down to earth.

'Like an angel that had its wings taken away..'

"Hey," a voice said to her softly. She felt her heart jump in surprise before realizing that the voice belonged to Albert. "You all right now?"

'How silly of me,' she thought. "I guess," she then replied sleepily, stretching and yawning. "I've been so tired, and.. I had a strange dream."

"A dream? Of what?"

"I'm not sure, but it had to do with that Doctor Garameade that the professor was talking about. I saw him so clearly, as if I was standing right there."

"Maybe you were," Albert replied, stroking his hand on her cheek. "Who knows? Things work in mysterious ways."

Hilda sat up, and Albert did the same to anticipate her next move. "Should I get up? Do you think Dr. Gilmore would mind if--"

"Don't worry about it, I don't think he'd mind. I'd vouch for you if it was otherwise." He replied, climbing out of the bed and putting his boots back on before taking her hand. "I'll help you, it looks like you haven't walked in ages."

"Thank you," she replied. She still felt very weak, even after talking with Albert's new friends and resting peacefully. "I think we should go get something to eat, I'm so hungry.."

"Well, if 006 was 003, he'd be over here with a big plate of food for you right now." He replied, smirking.

"Why, what does 003 do?"

"She has super-hearing, she can hear anything up to several miles away."

"Oh! And 006 said.. right!" She then giggled, realizing the joke that he had made. It felt good, and Albert's presence made it feel all right to actually laugh without feeling guilty, unlike before.

"Now up we go," Albert said as he took Hilda's waist and helped lift her over the steel railing. When her feet touched the ground, she faltered, and shakily used Albert as a support to keep herself up. It was a while since she last walked- she had to get her bearings back before she could walk on her own again.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said as he helped her stay up. She reached into her uniform to pull the cardiograph sensors off of her, and declined Albert's help when he offered to help her. She wasn't sure why, but she felt uncomfortable with the prospect. "I can do it myself."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing, silly." She smiled as she pulled the last one off of her wrist. "Come on, show me where the kitchen is."

"Of course." he said in a similar fashion to the last time he said it. Albert opened the door before her, and neither noticed the small roach that was watching them from the walls.

"Madam, I've found her, she's with this silver-haired 00-number cyborg in a small medical room. They're just leaving to go to a kitchen, from what I hear."

The black robed man looked into the screen of a small device filled with buttons, small levers and a tiny plasma screen with the woman's face on it. She looked pleased, and that made him relieved.

"Good, Terdios. Get out of that vent, head outside and get your spy ready. When the time is right, get her."

"At once, madam." Terdios said as the connection closed, and then began to shuffle through the vent towards the outside. Once he was out, he pressed several buttons on the device and the screen showed Albert and Hilda walking down the hallway, the camera never faltering too far towards or too far behind them.

"If madam wants 0014, 0014 she gets..." Terdios smirked, striking another series of buttons...

"And here we are," Albert finally said as he opened the door to a lounge- it looked a lot like a regular office lounge, with cabinets, two microwaves, a large countertop stove and oven and two long tables with at least twelve chairs. "I'm sure there's plenty of things to eat here. Is there anything you would like?"

Hilda was in awe. By this time, she was able to walk a little bit on her own, and managed to get as far as one of the cabinets. She drew a surprised gasp as she saw the food inside- it wasn't much by anyone else's standards- chips, drink mixes, microwaveable popcorn and crackers, but to someone who had spent most of her life in East Germany, it was more than enough.

"Oh, Albert! This is wonderful! I don't know what to start with!"

"Are you really sure? I mean, there's more in the other cabinets if you--"

"No, this is fine! I can't believe this, there's so much good food!" She interrupted, taking a box of salted wheat biscuits and pretzels out before walking towards the fridge. "Oh, and so much to drink, too!"

Albert gave up trying to explain things to her and watched as she grabbed fruits, juices and other items out. 'She's been frozen for a long time, I'd expect she'd be a little hungry,' he thought, slightly smiling while shaking his head. 'I'd just let her eat and get her strength back.'

"Albert, try some, it's delicious!" Hilda said through a mouthful of leftover turkey sandwich she had been hastily planting in her mouth.

Albert shook his head, "No, you go ahead and eat, you need it." He turned to the other cabinets before saying, "I'll cook you something if you want, I don't know when you last had a home-cooked meal."

"You can cook?" She replied after washing her second sandwich down with grape juice. "Where did you learn?"

"Remember 006?"

"Ohh..." she replied in realization. "That's right." She then bit into an apple, quickly finishing that off before continuing to speak. "What did you have in mind to cook?"

"I'm not sure, perhaps I could dig into the freezer and pull out something microwaveable."

"Microwaveable? What's that?"

Albert felt a little stupid for mentioning that. Even if they were from the same time so long ago, he knew more about this day and age than she did. "Umm.. perhaps I should show you how it works."

"Take your time, I can wait." Hilda replied, waving her hand before sitting down at one of the tables to eat the bag of pretzels she grabbed.

"Come on... just stay like that for a little longer...." Terdios nervously bent the small joysticks on the remote. His spy was so close. "It's just one 00-number, he can't possibly be any of the powerful ones..."

"Let's see, we have herb chicken and pasta, or maybe potatoes.." Hilda listened as Albert mused over what frozen foods he could 'microwave' for her. Whatever it was, she assumed that it had to make food. And at the moment, all she could do was think about food. She had eaten quite a bit, but she was still incredibly hungry! "Have you become familiar with any of these foods when you last woke up?"

Hilda thought about the question, she wasn't exactly sure, her memories were still foggy at best, even though her dream was as clear as if she was standing right there. "I don't know. Some of them sound familiar, but go ahead and make as much as you can."

There was a soft clattering sound that caught her by surprise. "Albert, what was that?"

He looked over at her as he put a bowl of steak and marinara sauce in the microwave. "What was what?"

Hilda sighed as she rubbed her temples again. "It's nothing, might be machinery here."

She returned to her bag of pretzels, only to find the bag already empty. She 'hmm'ed and opened a blueberry granola bar as if nothing happened.

"That was close.." Terdios said in relief. "Damn robot, you're too loud. Now, to get you ready..."

"Three minutes, you think you can wait that long?"

Hilda looked at him with a look of shock. "Only three minutes? For steak?"

"Yes, I guess you could say microwaves are like ovens supercharged." Albert explained, taking a seat next to her. "Is there anything else?"

"There's just so much about this day and age that I just don't quite understand yet," she replied, trying to curb her want to eat more to actually talk to him without stuffing her face in the process. "You'll be able to show me all the good things that have happened, right?"

"Like the fact that Germany is just one country again? That the oppression of the Iron Curtain is finally gone?" He almost expected Hilda to be in gaping surprise, but in his own surprise, she simply nodded.

"I know that, I think I remember someone telling me that after I asked him where I was." Hilda wasn't sure how she remembered that, but she had to remind herself what the professor told her earlier, about her memories slowly coming back if and when something familiar was mentioned to her. "But I don't know if I can face that world again, I'm a stranger there from another time."

"We both are," Albert reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "But somehow, both you and the world around you adapt. I should know, I live in Germany and I've made new friends, created a new life. But it was never the same without you." He paused to collect his thoughts before smiling at her. "I guess.. I just never expected you'd come right back into my life like this."

Hilda returned his smile with her own, then returning to her food only to yelp loudly before swatting a strange grey cockroach off the table. "Oh, disgusting!!"

"How did that get in here?" Albert asked in surprise as he slowly got up out of his chair to get a closer look. "Dr. Gilmore usually keeps this place spotless."

"When was the first time you came here?" Hilda asked in an attempt to change the subject, the thought about roaches and the like always made her nervous. "Was it when you first became a cyborg?"

"Actually no," he replied as he picked the roach up with his right hand, looking at its peculiar gray- sliver, if you will- color. "It was a little after we defeated Black Ghost once and for all. After that, he decided to establish a lab for his own personal studies in advanced robotics and computers, the last time we all saw each other in the same place was a little less than two years ago. That's when he opened its doors to the world for the first time."

"So you haven't been here since then?"

"No. Joe has, though. He does a bit of work here when he's not racing." He tried his best to continue the conversation while trying to figure out what was so strange about the roach that Hilda swatted. "..I'll just toss this outside, maybe it got lost."

Albert opened the lounge door and prepared to open a window to toss it out. Hilda was surprised at his compassion- usually he'd just squash them. 'I can't remember the last time he actually didn't squash an insect,' she thought. 'It's Albert, but something's different about him. Something more than being just a cyborg...'

A flash of red out of the corner of Albert's eyes caught his attention. The small eyes of the gray roach flashed a strange red light before leaping out of his fingers and back into the lounge.

"What in the--?!"

He ran to catch it, but as he did, the form of the tiny roach began to lurch and make the hideous creaking and squealing noises that Hilda heard moments before. It spread its wings and, part by part, began to unfold itself into a larger, circular shaped droid with the same six legs, which had now grown and unfolded to long, sharp points.

"Albert!!! What is that thing?!" Hilda lept out of her seat. Albert motioned for Hilda to get out of the way as he cocked his gun arm.

"Move!! This thing might be after you!" He told her firmly before unleashing a barrage of sub-automatic bullets at the robot. It only flinched the first few moments it was shot, but then regained its bearings before lunging towards the terrified Hilda.

"Albert!! HELP!!" She screamed as she tried to run, but was stopped dead in her tracks when the back of the robot opened up to reveal many long, steel-like cables. They ensared her, and before she could call out for Albert again, a clamp firmly planted itself on her mouth, muffling everything she was saying.

"HILDA!!!" He began to charge, but was stopped by something- a vision. 'Oh, no!! No, no, no!!!' He clutched his head, finding the scene of a struggling Hilda caught by at least half a dozen cables too familiar for his liking. 'It's not true, it can't be just like my nightmare!!!'

He had to come to his senses. "I won't let it be like that!!!"

The robot started to run, rushing past Albert and it slammed through the narrow doorframe.

At least, not before Albert took a chance and grabbed onto whatever he could of the robot before it did so.

Like a roller coaster, he cringed as he was dragged at full speed across the carpet, struggling to stay on as he tried to grab ahold of more of the robot. He had to get closer to Hilda, just so he could be able to try to cut the cables binding her.

It took several tries of trying to grasp at least one of the cables, the only thing keeping his weaking grip strong was the sight of Hilda bound and trying as much as she could to get out. "Hilda, don't panic, I'll get you out of this, just watch me!!"

With that, he triggered a subconcious switch that caused a dull, but piercingly white light to buzz loudly from the edge of his left palm. "This should get out out!" With a mighty grunt, he slammed the whirring laser knife down on the cable holding one of her arms.... and it did nothing.

'What the hell?!' He thought as he tried again- his knife was designed to cut through anything, how could this be too tough for him to cut through?!

Hilda's screams and pleas for Albert to get her out were muffled by the clamp over her mouth. Albert struggled, smashing the laser knife on his left hand against the machine repeatedly. And while the knife could cut through pretty much anything, this material was so tough the glowing blade couldn't cut through it at all.

"Hang on Hilda, I'm trying!!" He shouted as he continued to try in vain to slash open the robot's grip.

Dr. Gilmore's conversation with the cyborgs was suddenly cut off when they saw the robot skittle down the hallway with Hilda in its cables and Albert hanging on for dear life to hack through them.

"What the devil--?!?!" The professor said in shock as Joe ran forward.

"005, come on! We have to catch it!" He said to Geronimo as the two took off down the hallway. "Hang on, 004! Help is on the way!!"

Sparks trailed from Albert's knife, his boots skidding against the carpet to try and break the robot's speed. "009, hurry!! I can't hold on much longer!!"

There was only one thing that Joe could do to get his teammates out of this situation.

"Acceleration Mode!!!"

Pressing his jaw down on the switch inside his back tooth, the entire chase slowed to an almost complete halt around him. The once-swift robot was now barely topping a mile an hour as Joe ran in front of it. Reaching his arms out, he grabbed the robot by its underside and lifted it up off the carpet, with both occupants still hanging on.

Time then resumed to normal as the robot suddenly began struggling against 009's iron grip. "004, let go! We've got it covered! 005, I need your help over here!"

Geronimo met up to him and with a confirmation from Joe, proceeded to break all six legs off. While the robot was technically immobile, he didn't want to take the chance that it would have a backup system in case this sort of situation happened.

"005, get her out of that thing! I can't risk this thing having backup!"

"Not a problem," Geronimo replied as he grabbed one of the cables on the robot's back and with a loud straining grunt, he ripped the cable apart. Then he did the same with the rest of the cables that were pinning Hilda to its back.

"Are you all right, 0014?" He asked Hilda as she fell into his arms.

"I.. I think so..." She replied, breathing heavily in her shock of the past few moments. "Albert, where are you??"

Geronimo turned around to hand Hilda over to Albert, who gladly accepted her from the ironman cyborg.

"0014!!" Dr. Gilmore called out as he and the other cyborgs managed to catch up with them. "Are you all right?!"

"She's still in shock, I think that the recapture attempt knocked some sense out of her." Joe replied, still hanging onto the robot. "What exactly is this thing, anyways?"

He was about to get his answer as two rockets popped out of the robot's sides. Before he knew it, Joe was airborne with a shout of surprise.

"009!!" Francoise cried out as he was flown down the hallway and straight out a window with a loud shatter.

"Hang on, we'll catch him!" Jet replied as he and Geronimo ran down the hall and out through the window that Joe was flown through.

"What?!?! That's not 0014!!!" Terdios said in shock as he saw the figure that was riding on his spy robot. He ran up to see, but only got to see so much before he saw Joe rush up to tackle him.

"All right, you!!" Joe demanded angrily, holding Terdios' robe by the collar. "What do you think you're doing trying to take 0014?!"

"I'm doing my job, you stupid prototype!!" Terdios sneered. "And I won't tell you anything else!!"

"Is that so?" Joe heard Jet's voice say. He looked up to see him and Geronimo standing above him, pointing their pistols at Terdios. "Well, as they say in America, 'We have ways of makin' you talk'."

"Like I said, you're not getting anything from me," Terdios said as he reached over for his remote, grasping it by the antenna. "I still have one more trick up my sleeve, 00-number cyborgs!!"

He pressed a red and blue button and grinned at Joe's confused reaction. Only he knew that the broken robot was aiming straight for Joe's back.

"009!!! Get out of the way, NOW!!" Geronimo shouted as he used all of his strength to shove Joe out from above Terdios. If the force of Geronimo's push didn't throw him back far enough, the ensuing explosion from the robot's self-destruction mechanism did.

When Joe finally regained his senses moments later, he realized that Jet and Geronimo were at the blast point, and rushed towards the fire to find them. "002!! 005!!"

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Geronimo walk out of the flames- singe and flame marks all over his skin and uniform, but thanks to his near-indestructible construction, he was able to walk straight forward with very little problems.

"005, where's 002?!" Joe asked, while still relieved that the taller cyborg was alive and mostly unharmed.

"Don't worry, he ended up a lot like you did," He reassured Joe as the other cyborgs ran out of the lab to see what caused the explosion. "He should be over here once he finds a way past the flames."

"Joe!!!" He heard Francoise's voice call. "Joe, what happened?? Are you all right?!"

She threw herself into his arms, filled with delight and relief that he wasn't killed.

"Don't worry, we're all right," He replied, returning the French girl's embrace. "...I don't think we can say the same about the man controlling that seizure robot."

"He blew himself up, that's what!" Jet said as he managed to walk past the flames with the other cyborgs. A wave of relief washed over Joe, knowing that everyone that he cared for was still all right. "Apparently he was serious about his threat to not go back to wherever he came from alive."

"There will be more like him, that is for certain," Geronimo said, looking up at the sky. "As long as they want 0014, he won't be the last of them."

Hilda's stomach cramped again. "Albert, I can't keep you all in danger like this! It's me they want, but.."

"They won't take you back. We're all tougher than we look, believe me." Albert replied, cupping Hilda's chin in his hand. "As long as we work together to protect you, you'll be safe."

"But I still don't know why they want me!"

"We'll find out soon enough, 0014- right now, all we can do is meet the threats as they come," Dr. Gilmore replied to her, bowing his head. "However, we won't be completely alone in this. The call I received from Dr. Cosmo was one of news that he was coming here to Japan to get a look at all of you."

"You're serious?" Albert asked. Joe nodded in confirmation, as he and the other cyborgs were in the room after the call was over.

"Apparently he might have some ideas as to what she's about and what this could mean for us." Joe added. "Perhaps he might be able to shed some light on why these new people would want her."

"But until then," Dr. Gilmore continued. "We have to be extra careful. These people are very serious on getting their hands on 0014 again. You all have to stay on your toes and keep your eyes on her at all costs."

Francoise was holding her head, shaking it as Joe looked at her.

"Francoise, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I should've been able to see that, see the man that tried to kidnap 0014," she said shamefully. "I don't understand, I could bearly even hear any gunfire! Am I going to..."

"I don't think you are," Albert told her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I couldn't even cut the cables, something tells me that whoever is after her knows all about us."

"But how? The only ones who would know about us is Black Ghost.."

"Documents and records could've been stolen or auctioned off," Dr. Gilmore replied, placing his hands behind his back as he looked up at her. "I pray to God it's not Black Ghost, but... we have to be prepared for anything."

The cyborgs could only watch the fire burn, even with the efforts of Britain, now a firehose that dipped into the ocean below for water.

* * * *

to be continued

* * * *

Quote taken from "The Quotation Page" at http://www.quotationspage.com/