After getting signed up to the marriage class without problems, Shard and Ditzy walked outside the school to see their friends standing there waiting for them with Ruby and Dinky. "Hey guys, what's up?" Shard asked as they reached the group. "Please don't tell me Ruby told you something embarrassing." He groaned as he glared at his little sister who began whistling innocently.

"No, I've made sure she kept her mouth shut about any of your secrets." Turner reassured the swordsman with a kind smile. "We were just thinking about where we should go this afternoon to hang out, Sunsets group has grown so large that they take up all of Sugarcube Corner, so we're trying to find a new place to make our usual hangout."

"So far we've come up with nothing, it's gotta be close to the school or at most a bit into the city, we know about this coffee place in Maretropolis that would be perfect but it's too far away." Lyra complained while folding her arms.

"Well, I wish I could help you guys find some place, but I really need to get going." Shard said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Where're you going?" Bonbon asked curiously.

"It's uh...kinda personal...I'd rather just get it over with as soon as possible. Let's just say I'm meeting an old friend."

"Then why don't we come with you, maybe it'll make things less awkward." Carrot suggested.

"I don't think you wanna see what's about to go down Carrot, it's not gonna be pretty I can tell you that much." Shard countered.

"Well, too bad, we're coming with you to wherever this friend of yours is, and if you try to leave us here and speed away we'll find you." Lyra stated with a stern tone, putting a finger to Shards chest and staring him dead in the eye. "You aren't getting out of this."

"She's right, she will not stop until she finds out what's going on." Turner said with a shrug. "You've got no choice here Shard, they'll hunt you to hell and back."

Shard looked around and saw that the girls were turned towards him with stern expressions and their hands on their hips, refusing to back down and staring deep into his soul. "Alright fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Later, outside the CyCorp building

Shard pulled up to the plaza outside CyCorp with another car following his into the parking lot. Shard held the car door open for Ditzy before reaching into the back seat of the car and retrieving a sword which was wrapped in a thick layer of black cloth. The rest of the group,got out of the other car, save for Dinky and Ruby who were hanging out with three other girls back at the school.

"Wait, why're we at this place? Does your friend work here or something?" Lyra asked as she looked up at the tall white building.

"Ditzy, do you remember where the viewing room is?" Shard asked, his voice devoid of emotion. He recieved a nod from his partner who then planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Promise me you'll be careful Shard." She said with worry, causing Shard to cup her cheek before walking off.

"In a situation like this...I'll need to be." With that he disappeared through the front doors.

"Follow me guys." Ditzy instructed as she motioned for the group to follow her into the building. Once they entered the lobby they saw Shard walk through a door on the far side of the room which slid closed behind him, locking anyone from getting in. Plas Proto walked out of another door and greeted the group and then guided them to the viewing area.

As Shard walked down the white hallway that would lead him to the chamber that would hold his next battle he saw a monitor on a wall light up and the screen turned green, two white cubes appearing as well. "Hello, Shard Storm." Soledad greeted.

"An A.I huh? What did they call you?"

"My name is Soledad, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"They named you a word that means 'alone?' Was the guy that programmed you into Of Mice And Men or something?" Shard asked the computer.

"Nope, I chose this name myself, as I am the only self aware A.I In this facility."

Shard stopped for a moment and glared at the screen. "Self aware? That's usually bad news when it comes to A.Is, give me one good reason why I shouldn't wander around until I find your core and pull the plug?"

"I can help you defeat Cybe Catcher."

Shard just growled at the screen and turned to walk away. "I am not having anyone assist me in this fight, I will fight him one on one, no outside help." With that Shard turned a corner, leaving Soledad to blink and groan.

"Well, looks like I need to resort to sabotage if I want control of this place."

Shard stood in a small room just outside the main chamber. He pulled the cloth off of the sword he was carrying to reveal his oldest blade. The pure obsidian black colour of the blade was cold but warm, not scratches or signs of dullness. The hilt was wrapped in orange straps and the gaurd was a simple black and orange circle. He attached his Swingshot to his right arm, yes it's still there, and turned to a table nearby which held small prices of armour.

He strained the arm and leg guards on and placed the orange and black samurai helmet on his head while tying a black bandana over the bottom half of his face, his orange eyes seeming to flicker.

He gripped his sword tightly and walked into the chamber, the small guards on hai limbs expanding out and covering hai body in armour as he stared down his opponent that was standing on the opposite side of the chamber, also wearing armour, but with a more modern design and was more like armour you'd see in Halo or something.

"Hello again, old friend." Cybe spoke through his metal mask. "It seems it is time for us to trade blows get again."

Shard just sighed and took a fighting stance. "Let's just get this over with."

Author's Notes:

Shards armour