Wagner made his way to the supply room, swiping his keycard and heading inside. Moving to get to the bin where the collars were kept, pulling out two.

Azazel walks into the supply room and would see wagner grinning as he walks up to him. “Left your pets?” He ask. “Did you leave them unattended or in cages?” He ask

“Yes sir.” Wagner said at the first question. “Unattended, sir.” He admitted, he knew better than to outright lie to him, and it wasn’t as if Azazel couldn’t check the footage.

Azazel reached to grab wagner chin “tsk tsk. You left that infection alone?” He leans down “so are you in control of this lab or him?” He ask flatly

He didn’t resist as his chin was grabbed, that same glint of fear in his eye as his mouth pulled into its characteristic grin. “Yes sir.” Wagner then anwsers Azazel question”Me, sir,I’ll see that they’re all properly collared and put in cells immediately.” He said.

Azazel arch a brow “uh huh….sure you are.” He chuckles. “I want the one known as Virus in chair strap near 24. I have an experiment I wish to run.” Letting thay metal claw slide slowly out from wagner chin.

This wasn’t going to end well… but he’d have to play along. So he simply kept smiling. “Yes sir. I’ll see that he’s brought immediately.” Wagner bowed his head once that claw slid out from his chin.

Azazel reach to the rose at his eye “sweet Wagner. I think maybe if my assessment goes well….I might take virus and 24 to my lab for abit.” He says with a grin. He was curious to wagner reaction. As he plucked a petal from the rose and stuck it in his mouth.

He didn’t move as Azazel reached for the rose. “If it pleases you sir.” He smiled, no change in tone or expression. Just like the good old days when he was an obedient little intern. He didn’t move as the petal was pulled free. “Yes sir.” He nodded, but repressed any derision. “If that is your wish, I will gladly serve.” He nodded as Azazel headed off. He was seething mad but he kept the smile on his face as he walked back to his quarters.

Voltaire skulk behind wagner silently, as death always did. Just watching him, before saying. “Its always a pain….demons….” he grins.

Wagner whipped around at the voice, relaxing as he saw the speaker. “Tell me about it.” He sighed, and lowered his voice. “I need your help to repair Virus’ malfunctions and give him new directives.”

Voltaire leans closer to wagner and whispers “why…..why should I help him? Also…” leans to wagner ear “I do nothing for free and you have nothing to barter with.” Leaning back and shrugged.

He frowned a bit at his whispered words. He took a step closer to whisper back. “Because your new buddy is going to turn him into his latest collared lab rat and that’ll be just the beginning. Once he sees him malfunction… he’ll probably carry out his plan to make Virus a more obedient version of you to serve him.” Wagner stared up at Voltaire “If that doesn’t convince you.. then I will find a way to get you whatever you want. Owe you a favor. Take my magic. I don’t care.” Wagner hissed.

Voltaire stared at wagner ” its come to my attention you don’t know who I am. I do nothing for free. Do you really think those are worth bartering?” He repeated. “please…if our creators couldn’t, what makes you so sure he can?” Voltaire listen and thought some and then says ” how desperate are you….how much does a broken thing like him mean to you? Don’t you just want to control him too?”

“Yes, that part was crystal clear. I may not know who you are, truly.” Wagner smiled. “Are you willing to take that risk? I had thought you wished to see him exist as something other than just a lab rat, considering he said you set him up with Stahs. He just wants to be able to think clearly when you turn up and not malfunction, which if you want him away from you it would seem productive to give him further freedom from his programming.” He shrugged. “Originally yes, but that has changed since I became part of the hive. I don’t need control, I just need Virus and Gears.” He said.

Voltaire just watched wagner, never one to really judge a person. He knew evil was necessary and so was good. “Yes but that choice is his, I will not hold his hand. No one held mine when I broke away. No one learns by being coddle.” He told him. Voltaire sighs ” what a shit show that turned out?” When Stahs was mentioned. Voltaire smiled “he needs to learn to break it….though i suppose his brain is damaged. I don’t see why he hasn’t force rebooted. Though his damaged is different.” Voltaire shook his head “honestly your no different then Azazel. You have no understanding of emotions. Virus is full of raw emotions. You only wish to control a new lab rat as it were. What if my price was cutting you from that hive and gifting you to Azazel?” He ask.” Is that price worth fixing Virus?”

“Yes, but he isn’t you, is he? He’s been anything but coddled and it hasn’t improved his condition.” Wagner said. “Turned out pretty good from my perspective until Azazel dropped in, but one man’s mirth is another’s misery.” Wagner rolled his eye”Yes, which is why we need your help fixing him.” He said. To Voltaires quetion if he would give Virus up, he didn’t want to but to ensure Virus was fix and happy he could pay this price “Yes.” He said without hesitation. “If that is your price then he will have to understand… he will have Gears. It is better than what Azazel will try if he remains unfixed.”

Voltaire smirked “hasn’t improved? Went from mindlessly obeying, to giving himself a voice he never meant to have. Emassed an army of cyborgs, legit infects a place with his hive should anything go south for him. Manage to take one of the most paranoid controlling doctors of any lab and made them his puppet. Oh yes he hasn’t improved at all.” He smirked. “Hes literally surrounded himself in protection should he malfunction, your experiments will attack who tries to take advantage of him. I’ve kept my eye on him.” He watch wagner “willing to lose him…to fix him.” Voltaire nods “my dear doctor. It seems…you have a heart…for virus.” He tap his claws. “High urge to ask for bex…but fate has plans..oh the plans….” he huff. “You owe me….you owe me and I will call it on, when the times right.” He told wagner.

“Yes, that is all true.”Wagner rolled his eye again, “You know what I meant, though. Hasn’t prevented the malfunctions from occurring.” he would listen as Voltaire went on “Hm, even so. I wouldn’t put it past Azazel to find a way around that.” Wagner frowned. “If that’s what it takes.” Wagner nodded, “I have never known feelings like this for anyone else… maybe I can’t understand most emotions… but I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe, especially from Azazel.” Upon hearing Voltaires deal, Wagner would reply “You have a deal.” rather grateful he decided against asking for Bex, for the moment at least. “How quick can you fix him? I’m supposed to collar him and bring him to Azazel for testing.”

Voltaire watch wagner “Azazel really scares you….interesting.” he murmur “how funny…you didn’t let Azazel near the fledglings you obsessed over….cause of well obsession and yet here you are trying something for love….life is humorous sometimes.” Voltaire nods to the deal and says “let Azazel try then. If he’s asking. Cause unless you know how to distract him…..good, he’ll just get in my way right now. So let him and I’ll get to Virus after.”

“Mm. True enough. Even so though.” Wagner sighed. “Considering he is in possession of my soul, yes. He does scare me.” Wagner grumbled, even as the corners of his mouth pulled upward. “Isn’t it?” He smirked with a touch of amusement, “Of course with Bex here I’m not going to have much of a choice as far as fledglings when Bloody turns up looking for him.” “Alright.” He nodded. “I’ll leave it to you to handle the rest.” He gave a nod to Voltaire before turning quicklyto see to carrying out Azazel’s orders. It wouldn’t do to keep him waiting.

Voltaire chuckles “always funny how a person crumbles when not in possession of their soul. Voltaire looks at wagner “Stahs is outside, funny enough….hes pissed. Didn’t take much to push him over. You’re just lucky However, that Nines not with him or this becomes an even bigger issue.” Voltaire nods slowly as he let wagner leave, before pointingly looking at a camera and smirking and moving to leave as well.

“Yeah, funny how that works.” Wagner smiled without humor.

“Lovely. Hopefully smart enough to stay out of sight of the cameras.” Wagner grumbled. “True, could always be worse.” He’d agreed before taking his leave.

Back in Wagner Private quarters where Gears and Virus had ran off too, embracing each other and speaking their love for one another. He nodded at his words, he’d never liked Azazel and now he loathed him even more. “Yeah. Smiley’s gotta go.”

He reviewed the footage, of what Wagner was up to, glad to see he managed to keep an even keel when Azazel approached him in the supply room. He frowned at Azazel’s orders to Wagner. At least Voltaire also found Wagner. This was going to be unpleasant.

“Wagner is doing well. Smiley cornered him while gathering collars.” Gears said, looking at Virus. “He’s already testing him. Gave him orders none of us are going to like.”

Virus watch gears, stroking his face and listens as he spoke “ugh…..and what order is that?” He ask. Gears was glad for Virus stroking his face, trying to make the most of the fleeting time.

“He ordered the doctor to strap you into the chair next to 24. Wants to run some kind of test.” Gears growled. He knew he was doing it to test Wagner but it pissed him off all the same. “Said he wants to take you and 24 to his lab.”

Virus made a face as he growled “why with 24….whats so interesting about 24?” He ask. Virus screamed a little making the electronics going haywire. “No….ugh…no…thats not going to happen”

“I don’t know.” Gears expression was pure disgust as he growled in agreement, “24 is nothing. Why him?” Gears reached up to hold his face as he screamed, nodding at his words. “We won’t let him do that.”

Virus slouched as he look down ” i hate him soo much…i want him dead…” he growled and then laid ontop of Gears, burying his face on him.

“Me too. He shouldn’t exist. He just ruins everything.” He hugged him tight as Virus laid against him and buried his face. His eyes stung as they started to leak again. 24 and that smiling bastard had to go.

Wagner walked in, closing the door behind him and leaning against it for a moment before moving to sit beside the others, tossing the collars to the side. “Good news and bad news.”

“We know the bad news. What’s the good news?” Gears asked quietly.

“Voltaire has agreed to assist in fixing you.” Wagner set a hand on Virus’ back.

Virus lifted up hearing the door and saw Wagner. He then let his claws come out “let us just kill smily and 24.” He told him ” its not fair….that 24 is seen interesting enough.” He growled.

“I know. I’d like nothing more. You’re welcome to do so once we get there but we’ll need to make it look like we’re being compliant first. Can you attack while strapped down?” Wagner asked.

Gears wiped at his eyes, taking a deep if shaky breath to try and settle himself and stop his eyes leaking.

Virus huffed as he grind his teeth some “no strap can keep us back….but we can play along if that is your wish.” Looking at wagner.

“Just for now.” Wagner nodded. “We should go now, I’m certain he’s already noticed the delay.”

“Tell him I put up a little resistance to wearing the collar or something but you got it under control.” Gears said.

“Right.” Wagner nodded, “Alright. Let’s get these collars on and I’ll call for a guard to escort Gears to his cell while I bring you to him.”

Virus would pout some, but he move to get off gears. ” hold on.” He told wagner, he called two shapeshifters to be guards and get gears. So that the cell not be locked. ” I got guards coming.” He then grab the collar “such a useless feeble thing.” Placing it on his neck.

Gears pouted a bit as well as Virus moved off of him. He didn’t want to leave Virus, but they had to adhere to the plan. He grabbed one of the other collars, placing it around his neck.

Wagner nodded, “Perfect. That will work.”

“We will fix this.” Gears squeezed Virus’ shoulder. “We are always together in the hive.”

“Yes. We will not let them win. We belong to each other.” Wagner agreed, nodding to Virus once he heard a knock at the door that indicated the guards were there. “Alright, let’s go.”

Virus nods “yes…just have to play along” he grimace. He look to gears “don’t worry, I’ll return to you.” He smiled. He then move to follow wagner, growling some.

“Hell pay tenfold for this.” Wagner said softly. He just needed to wait and let Azazel think he’d won.

“I’ll be waiting.” Gears nodded, smiling at Virus.

Gears stepped out, glaring at the guards but obediently started walking as one silently aimed their gun at him. He knew they wouldn’t actually shoot him, but it was standard procedure.

Wagner pulled on his usual cheshire cat smile, leading Virus with him to the procedure room. Virus watched some before he put the dazed lost look he kept. To look as if he was helpless creature. He was good at that.