{OOC, Memory 3} The Virus, and His Lament
"Go look for him, okay? We need to get going!" Said the female robot with the blonde pigtails. Locket remembered seeing her before, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. This time, however, her expression was grave as she looked up from her workstation. Locket knew she had to move quickly, and departed from the blonde and her laboratory. She and Bridge would get along famously, Locket thought to herself with a fond smile, and continued to delve into the provided memory.
It looked to be terribly late, no sunlight peeking in from the windows as she searched the familiar compounds. Nothing but the lights of the city she could not remember and the endless sea of stars high above was to be seen of the outdoors. ...But where was he?
She turned a corner, one of many in the building, and stopped. Standing alone, arms folded over his chest, upper back leaning against the wall of the empty hallway was Maverick. He made no move to return, not even to look at her.
"-i--... --ma... Just like old times," he then said, Locket losing the first two words in static. There was no humor in his words, and she saw disdain very lightly written in his expression.
"----... Does it remind you of the virus?" She asked quietly, carefully taking a few steps forward. Why she asked, Locket wouldn't know, but she heard the hesitation in her voice. Maverick lifted his head, but his gaze was turned away. The silence that followed for the next minute felt like hours.
"So, you heard about that?" He finally asked. He pushed himself away from the wall and his hands fell to his sides.
"He tried to use me to destroy the world." Locket's head began to feel a phantom ache. All of this was sounding familiar... terribly familiar... what did he do? Who used him?
"That's why I've got to find him and turn him into a pile of molten scrap!" Maverick spat, his hands clenching into fists. She could hear the material of his gloves stress from the pressure. She'd never seen him so agitated, but even Locket - viewing the memory - knew that it wasn't as simple as patting his shoulder and telling him it'd be okay. What if the truth was that they haven't defeated this enemy? What if he was still out there... or worse, in Edensphere? Locket had no words to say, but felt herself frown, eyes turning to the floor. What could she do?
"Be my Navigator."
Her gaze lifted once more, and she saw that Maverick had turned and was looking directly at her now. His expression was unreadable... something she was accustomed to, but her legs still felt like jelly. She didn't let that feeling through.
"Help me find that ---- before he fulfills his plan!" He said, and Locket drew in a breath. Whoever used him... she'd help bring them to justice.
---
"I will," Locket breathed, lips moving of their own volition, but with a blink and a bolt to her feet she noticed she was back in her house. She looked into her right hand where the spent memory crystal nestled into her palm, and gripped it tightly. After a moment's pause, she tucked the crystal into her bed stand drawer and briskly walked to her coat rack to dress warmly.
There was somewhere she needed to be, and right now.
[All-five-sense crystal. I'm proud of how this one came out.]