Hi, there! I've brought in a new chapter! Thanks to those who favorited and the two people who reviewed. I hope that you enjoy this next chapter! :) I've been working on all my stories, including a Dragon Booster story called "Winds of Change", so if you're a fan of my work and of that show, go check it out!

I thank those who have reviewed, and all those who have viewed, for taking this journey with me as we finish out this story. I hope it comes out okay and you all enjoy it!

.~*Epilogue*~.

Weeks passed and the Hyperforce fell back into their usual-ish routine. It had taken some time to get used to all being back together, but none took their days together for granted anymore. Things had drastically for the Monkey Team, some for the better, some for the worse.

Nova often dreamed about her counterpart and what she could be going through after betraying Skeleton King like she had. She had known Cogs very little, but when they had been separated, it had felt like part of her had been ripped away. Was it because Cogs had been her prototype of sorts? Or was it something more? Perhaps it was a sisterly bond she had felt, something strange to her since all she had ever felt was brotherly.

Would Cogs be reprogrammed? Mandarin would probably make sure of it, which meant that their next meeting would most likely be on opposing sides, something Nova was not looking forward to. After the injuries Antauri had received, it was well known that Cogs could be lethal, even if she did not have weapons like they did.

As for Chiro... Nova wasn't sure what to think. So many things had changed with him. Panic attacks, nightmares... and flinching away from the team. Nova hoped that Gibson or Antauri would be able to find a solution.

Working on his usual experiments, Gibson began to question things once again. Had he been too late in getting Chiro to sickbay? Was that why the boy had changed so drastically? Or was it because of the psychological effects of what he had been through? Either way, Gibson was not pleased. How was he supposed to help the boy when he wouldn't even let him near?

No experiments were allowed on the boy, for each time they tried, Chiro would flip out and refuse treatments. Wouldn't even allow Antauri to search his mind to help him sort things out anymore after the black monkey had accidentally unlocked some images of the past few months that Chiro had managed to block.

There were also the hours of silence where the teen brooded, slipping in and out of awareness, or snapping at people. He always mumbled an apology after such occurrences, but it had set the Team on edge.

Sprx, meanwhile, sat in his room, polishing his magnets with pride. He was always pleased at how much they sparkled and reflected his face back to him. It was a simple thing, these magnets. They were his to control and never did anything he didn't want them to. Well, except for that time with Scrapperton.

Magnets were easy to understand. They were cold and held only the life he gave them. Teenage boys, on the other hand, were the opposite. So moody and ever shifting. Of course, it probably wasn't just that, but, to Sprx, things had to be that simple. He didn't want to think on other possibilities.

He had been forcing the events of the Citadel out of his mind, trying to rid himself of the memories of pain and suffering. It wasn't often they were captured and harmed in such a way. To be filled with such agony and evil. If Chiro hadn't regained himself when he had, they would have been lost like him and Cogs.

Antauri often dreamt of how close he had come to losing his battle with the bone lord, unable to protect Chiro. His nightmares would have him seeing the teen's corpse lay before him, bloodied and mutilated, with an accusing stare in the boy's lifeless eyes focused on him. It was those dreams that often sent him running towards Chiro's bedroom just to make sure he was still there.

There had been some nights where he had had to go in search of the boy, only to find him sitting in his cockpit or up in the Brain Scrambler just thinking. Antauri never made his presence known in those instances, simply waiting for Chiro to go back to bed, or taking him back himself when the teen fell asleep.

Even then, Antauri would spend most nights watching the boy as he fitfully slept, trapped in his own world of nightmares. It was early on in Chiro's recovery that the Team had learned of his dreams that often kept him awake at night. There were words, too, that the monkeys and Jinmay had to dodge around lest they trigger a panic attack in the child, though those were thankfully becoming less and less often.

Too often had the Team noticed Chiro zoning out during the day, during training, and sometimes even during battles from random space invaders or home threats. During those times, Jinmay would have to step in, especially in battle, to take his place.

Some of the Team had even talked about Chiro leaving the group, worried that if one of his panic attacks caused someone else to get hurt. The teen wouldn't even train if he was facing one of them, which Antauri knew was due to him blaming himself for what happened to cause them to be captured; not to mention his fear of being hurt by them again. Yes, Antauri was well aware of the things Chiro tried to hide, such as his flinching away from them if they came too close or startled him.

In one way, Skeleton King had succeeded. He had fractured the Team in a way they may not recover. If Chiro could not conquer the fears placed within his very being by the skeletal lord, he would never be able to lead the Hyperforce again.

In another part of the Super Robot, Otto walked along the catwalks, following Chiro as he wandered around the Robot on one of his usual walks to stay alone. The green monkey had seen how Chiro no longer left the place they called home to walk among the citizens of Shuggazoom like he used to. Instead, Chiro spent his bad days in his room, and his good days wandering about, but never outside. If Otto didn't know any better, he would have said that Chiro was afraid.

However, Otto did know better, and he knew that Chiro wasn't afraid, not really. He was nervous and anxious, but afraid? Pshaw, that's what Otto said to that! He had seen Chiro smile a few times since being back, but the smiles never lasted. Otto wanted to change that, which was why the green mechanic had taken to going out in the city with Jinmay and picking up ice cream or hover burgers and bringing them back to place in front of Chiro's door. The times that Chiro found them, the child would smile and glance around in confusion.

Otto was pleased with the progress he had made, and today he was going to step it up a notch. He was going to try to have a full conversation with his best friend. First, though, he had to see where Chiro was going to put his plan into effect.

Realizing that Chiro was heading to the engine room, the monkey quickened his pace to where he had been working the night before. He climbed down and set to work, waiting on Chiro to walk past.

Chiro did enter the massive room and looked around before picking a little-used path and continuing his walk. He was deep in thought, questioning his self-worth yet again. In the days since his return, the Team seemed to return to normal, but he could see that they were cautious around him, always watching.

Sure, he might zone out every so often or snap, but when they treated him like a glass figure that could break at any moment, he got annoyed. He was trying to work through this, but their constant questions were driving him nuts. Even Antauri was guilty of it!

'Maybe I should just leave. It'd get me away from the stares, and it would keep them from danger caused by me. But where would I go? I can't stay on Shuggazoom. It's not like I belong here, anyway. I suppose I could catch the next transport ship heading for Woij, the planet where people go to be lost. Skeleton King wouldn't look for me there, and neither would the Team,' he thought to himself. 'But it's my power that Skeleton King wants... he'll find me, somehow, and then it'll just repeat all over again. I have to face this, but... but I have to do it alone. I don't want them hurt again because of me.'

He hated what had been done to them because of him. How they had been tortured, put through the same thing he had, though on a much lesser scale. He knew, deep down, that it wasn't his fault. That the Aoiaus larvae controlling him had prevented him from really helping them, and that Mandarin and Skeleton King were to blame, but he was still wary and nervous. What if they did actually blame him and that's why they walked on eggshells? If that was the case, then it was definitely time for Chiro to leave and fight this on his own.

Yet, something nagged at him. If they blamed him, why did he randomly find his favorite ice cream or a hover burger in front of his door? Someone obviously still cared and wanted to let him know that. But who? He had asked Jinmay, but she had denied it.

"Aw, darn it!"

Blinking, Chiro stopped walking and looked around before noticing the green monkey working on something in front of him. Nervously, he thought about turning around and leaving, but he fought against it. "Otto?" he asked.

The monkey didn't look up, focused on whatever he was working on. "Oh, hey, Chiro."

"What's wrong?"

"This." Otto held up a broken object. "This transfigamafier broke, and I can't fix it without the right piece, and I can only get that in town."

"Oh. Jinmay could take you and translate."

"Nope. She's out on patrol, as are the others," Otto explained. "Problem is, if we don't get the piece, the Super Robot's gonna be dead in the water."

"Oh." Chiro frowned, knowing that was a big problem. "I..." He knew that he was the only other person other than Jinmay who could translate the monkeys, and if she was gone and the Super Robot was in that big of trouble, he'd just have to face going outside, no matter how anxious he was about it. Taking a deep breath and clenching his fists, he told Otto he would take him.

"Great!" Otto beamed happily. "Can I ride on your back?"

The teen blinked. "Uh, sure? Oof!" He managed a laugh at the joker's antics and smiled when Otto held onto his shoulders. "Well, then."

"Onward, noble steed!"

This time Chiro laughed for real and began walking, heading for the air tube shafts. Getting into the orange one, he left the engine room and went all the way down to the bottom exit level.

Shaking slightly, Chiro slowly approached the main doors, reaching out with a trembling hand to open them. He almost froze and asked Otto if the part was really necessary, but his sense of duty forbade him from doing so. Without another moment's hesitation, he opened the doors and, blinking, stepped into the sun.

Familiar scents filled his nostrils. The flowers in the park, the smell of freshly cooking hover burgers, the sweat of joggers, and the fresh air. He could hear children playing on a nearby playground, couples talking sweetly to each other as they walked past, and the random singing of a street musician. Everything seemed to be the same, and yet he looked at them all with a new perspective.

"This... It's just..." He lightly tugged at his sweater vest, glancing around. A few people stopped and stared at him in surprise, and whispers started up.

Otto, sensing his distress, quickly struck up a conversation. "It's so weird being out here with you! I feel so much taller!"

The teen blinked and glanced back at him. "Taller? Oh! Yeah, you kinda are now since you're on my back."

Otto grinned and climbed up higher, putting his feet on Chiro's shoulders and arms on his hair and looked around. "Wow, you have such a great view from up here! I should do this more often!" He smiled, pleased, when he heard Chiro's bark of laughter. He was making progress! "Hey, Chiro, do you think we could get some ice cream quick?"

"I thought you needed that part?"

"We do. But it's hot and I want ice cream!"

"Sure, sure, I suppose. Got my wallet, so order whatever you want."

"Woohoo!"

And so the afternoon went, with Otto purposely suggesting stops on the way to the store, and Chiro just going along with it, knowing that Otto didn't get out much. Truthfully, Chiro was starting to have as much fun as the green monkey was, and soon forgot about their main target and the stares he received as people began to realize that he was the human that lived with monkeys, the leader of the Hyperforce. The one who had disappeared.

Chiro was happy to finally have someone to walk and talk with outside the Super Robot, even if Otto was standing on his shoulders. It made him start to forget his troubles and fears and live normally again. The anxiousness was still there, but nowhere near as apparent as it had been.

Otto was pleased with how things were going. He was having fun with one of his best friends and was getting to see the city through Chiro's eyes, not the eyes of a protector. He wished the others were here to see it, to see how happy Chiro had become in just the span of a few hours. Perhaps if they had done like he had, Chiro would have come back to his usual self a lot sooner.

"Hey, Chiro, you remember when we first started training you? Hahaha, your powers were so raw and out of control. You barely had any control. When you zapped Sprx, it was so funny!"

"Uh, yeah, I do remember that... he wasn't exactly happy with me about it, if I recall. I didn't know what I was doing." He frowned a moment. "Weren't you mad at me for frying the robot, too?"

"Yeah, actually. That's when we knew we had to focus your powers, so we built you your armor!"

"It's worked pretty good, too. Given me the ability to focus my energies. Antauri actually forbade me from using my abilities until it was done. That didn't exactly work out very well, though."

"No... it didn't. I almost fried Gibson because of a buildup of static." He sighed and shook his head.

"I haven't seen Sprx laugh that hard in ages! And then he got shocked, too!"

Laughing, the duo walked back to the ice cream shop before heading to somewhere to sit.

"Hey, Otto, aren't we supposed to be getting something?" Chiro asked finally as they sat on a hill watching the sunset while eating their third ice cream cone.

"Huh? Oh. That part. Well, actually-" Otto paused, hearing a scream in the distance, followed by an explosion. He jumped up, shoving his cone in his mouth. "Come on, let's check it out!"

"I..." the teen hesitated, rooted to the spot.

"Chiro, come on! Someone could be hurt!"

Slowly, he nodded and got up, legs feeling like jelly. "L-Let's..." He swallowed back his fear. "Let's go."

Otto grabbed him and they began flying towards the scene with the green monkey carrying the boy, stopping when they realized what was going on. Formless invasion.

Chiro stumbled back, eyes wide and heart pounding. Where were the others? Why weren't they here, fighting these things?! Feeling a metal paw on his trembling hand, he looked down, spotting Otto beside him.

"You hang back. I got this." Otto gave him a reassuring smile and ran off into the fray.

Chiro stood, watching as his friend battled on his own, glancing occasionally to the skies and wondering where the others were. He glanced behind him and realized that this wasn't the only invasion force. The others were probably battling the other ones all over the city! There were multiple entrances to the city, after all, so it wasn't surprising. They were probably in teams of two or three, with Jinmay, and here was Otto, alone, because Chiro was too afraid to act.

"I... I have to help him," he whispered to himself, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his communicator transformer, but not activating it. He looked back, trying to spot Otto. There were so many Formless! Where was TV Monster? Mandarin? Even Cogs... Why was it just the ooze people?

"Ah, my hairless monkey... there you are. I was wondering if you were still too much of a coward to come fight."

Shivers ran down his spine at the voice of Mandarin, and he slowly turned around to stare at the floating orange monkey. "M-Mandarin..." he whispered, taking a step back.

Mandarin cackled and kicked him, sending him flying into a tree and knocking the transformer out of his hand. "Pathetic creature. You aren't even worth the effort to get you back!" He kicked him again. "No one's coming to your aid, either. They are too busy with bigger problems than worrying about you."

The teen groaned, cradling his bruised rib with an arm. "G-Go away! I-I defe-defeated you!"

"Yet, here I am. Pathetic boy, did you really think you could ever escape? You really are a foolish child!" Mandarin attacked him again, kicking him back and forth, laughing at his feeble attempts to fight back. "You won't even defend yourself! Have you fallen so low? Let your fears take control of you? Weakling!"

"I..." Chiro turned his gaze in the direction of Otto, who was currently being held hostage by several Formless, his limbs stretched out. "Otto!" he cried, struggling to get up.

"I don't think so." Mandarin hit him again, sending him rolling and skidding across the pavement.

Breathing heavily, the teen lifted his throbbing head to Otto's cries of his name. He was dazed and confused, partially forgetting what had just happened. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Leave him alone, Mandarin!" Otto growled, struggling to break free.

"Oh, I think not. Tell me, boy, how does it feel being so weak? How does it feel, I wonder, to leave behind your guardian, the monkey sworn to protect you? Oh, what fun I have picking at her circuits!"

Something began to stir in the teen at that. A warmth spread out from his chest, filling his entire body. Nearby, his transformer began to buckle from where it lay.

"Picking apart her memories and reprogramming her! Oh, splendid, splendid! She'll never disobey another order again when we're through with her! If she survives the proc-" Mandarin yelped as he was suddenly kicked to the side. Tumbling and rolling, he looked up when he came to a stop. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Transformer having flown to his hand, a Hyperformed-Chiro's eyes had turned a full green, and the glow of the Power Primate surrounded him as he growled fierce like an animal. The glow began to take form as Chiro rose off the ground and stood encased in the transparent body of a mighty ape.

Otto and Mandarin both stared at this transformation in slack-jawed shock. The teenager had activated the Inner Primate! But how? That move was fairly advanced, and Chiro had only just begun grasping his powers!

"But, h-how?!" Mandarin screeched, fear gripping his heart. "That move!"

"MONKEY MIND SCREAM!" the teen shouted, and waves of green-ringed energy flowed from the ape's mouth against Mandarin, sending him flying far, far away and out of the picture. Satisfied that the orange menace was gone, Chiro turned to Otto and began smashing Formless left and right, freeing the green simian from his imprisonment as he wiped the floor with the ooze creatures.

Otto jumped out of the way, not wanting to be squished at this sudden development. He was just barely aware of the other battle-worn monkeys and Jinmay flying down beside him, all staring in shock.

"W-What the..." Sprx's eyes widened. "Is that..."

"It is," Antauri said gravely. "Chiro has activated his Inner Primate."

"He seems animal-like," Gibson muttered, brow creasing.

"It's the Inner Primate, Gibson. Of course it's going to be animal-like!" Nova said, elbowing him in the side.

Jinmay glanced at Otto. "How'd this happen? What's the Inner Primate?"

"Let Antauri explain." He raised his voice. "Hey, Chiro! Problem's over! You got them all!"

Chiro turned to them, his eyes still a full fierce green. In his current state, he couldn't distinguish friend from foe. He was enraged at what Mandarin had said, and his mind had snapped. Raising a fist, he brought it down powerfully in front of them, sending out shockwaves that sent them all flying.

Antauri was the first to recover, and he was up in the air in seconds, realizing that Chiro had lost control. After all, he had had no prior training on the Inner Primate, so it was no wonder this was happening. "Chiro! Listen to me! The battle is over! It is time to wake up!" He held a ghost claw out in front of him, using the added help to reach the child's mind.

Chiro struggled against it for a moment, but finally his eyes returned to his normal blue and the ape fizzled and vanished.

Antauri grabbed him before he could fall to the ground. Worriedly, he looked him over, but was unable to find any permanent damage as he brought him back down to the grass, gently laying him down. Gibson hurried over, making sure he wasn't injured.

The teen groaned, opening his eyes and looking up at him. "Ow... What happened?" His voice was hoarse and pain-filled, exhaustion creeping in.

"Something that we will have to work on now that you have awoken it," the black monkey chuckled.

"I... I didn't hurt anybody, did I?"

"Psh, only Mandarin, kid, and a few dozen Formless." Sprx grinned, knowing that now was not the time to mention that Chiro had turned on them. After all, it had been out of his control. "Good job."

"I... I fought Mandarin?"

"And won!" Gibson responded, pleased. "Now, let's get you back to the Robot so the cleaning crews can get to work." He looked beyond the others at the orange-jumpsuit workers, who were already setting to work on cleaning up the city. His eyes lingered on one that had a long, awkwardly shaped neck, but paid him no mind, despite his staring.

"What about Otto's part?"

"Part?" Nova glanced at the green mechanic.

"Oh, uh... about that. It's not actually broken. I just wanted ice cream!" Otto said cheerfully.

"Otto! You endangered Chiro for ice cream?!" Nova scowled.

Before the others could get a word in, they all turned at the sound they had thought was lost.

Chiro was laughing his head off. He couldn't believe he had fallen for Otto's scheme, but he was glad he had. He felt like his old self again, strong and true. "Monkey Team," he said finally, regaining his composure, "let's go home."

.~*~.

The screams had long since died away from her lips as she stared forward, her connecting helmet pulled back and wires connected to the computer her brain. New signals and codes went through her matrix as rewiring began on her circuitry. After weeks of modifications being done to her body, with new weapons, the time to finish their work had come.

Mandarin scowled, glad he was hovering as he worked, as he had hurt his leg in the battle with the empowered child. He had asked Skeleton King to allow him to work solo on the project of Cogs' reprogramming and modifications, and to his surprise, his lord had granted him the permission, despite his failure with the Aoiaus.

The orange monkey did not want to have anyone else work on his purple simian other than himself. It had already been proven that forcing evil into her had not worked, but if they could reprogram her, the odds of success were that much higher.

Rewiring the last circuit, Mandarin began to disconnect the cables and reattached her helmet. Flicking a switch on her back, he brought her back to life.

It took a few moments for her to warm up and come on-line, but she opened her emerald eyes and stared at him.

"Ah, my dear CG-5. Splendid that you are back online. Let's run some tests, shall we?" He ran her through walking, running, speaking, problem solving, and every kind of test he could think of, and when she was done, he smiled and produced a holographic device. Throwing it to the floor and activating it, he stepped back as a form of Chiro appeared. "CG-5, what is your mission?"

Her eyes narrowed at the projection and she aimed a swift throw of her sharp pinchers at his throat. Had he been really there, his neck would have two deep gouges in it if not severed completely. "Mission prerogative, eliminate Chiro," she growled fiercely.

.~*~.

Chiro knew none of this, however, having believed that Mandarin's words were just that; words. Instead, he had finished a delicious dinner with his Team, eating with them for the first time in weeks, and laughing again. The Team had played video games together well into the night, just having one night to goof off, and the party didn't stop until Chiro fell asleep on the floor, Otto also fast asleep beside him, using him as a pillow.

The others eventually, too, after having fetched blankets and cord rechargers and plugged themselves in [making sure Otto was, too], and set up their slumber party of sorts beside the boy. While they had each set to sleep in their own spot, by the time morning rolled around and Jinmay discovered them after her night patrol, they were all curled up together around Chiro, fast asleep.

It was the dawn of a new day.

Hi! Thanks for reading my first SRMT story! I originally wrote this seven years ago and decided to rewrite it since I had never published it. So many things changed and my ideas grew. I hope you've enjoyed reading! Please leave a review!

I hope the ending to this story was worthwhile!