Hardman's Bar
By Hadrian Howell (Hardman)
Chapter 21
“It doesn’t matter,” The voice came back. I noticed his mouth never moved. Like it was painted on. “No matter what happens, the outcome here will always be the same. I wrote the show that way.”
“This is a lame show,” I remarked.
“And yet, it is not the show that is important, but rather the outcome,” Mesmerman chuckled. “All that matters is that you are destroyed. How I do it is up to me, really. I just have to write out an ending for each of you pathetic, would-be heroes.”
Topman cracked his knuckles. “Man, am I sick of listening to you.”
“Hang on, Topman,” Gauntlet’s voice stopped my smaller team mate’s advance. “I have a question for him.”
“Then get it over with,” Top grumbled. “I REALLY want to pound this guy.”
“Okay, Mesmerman,” Gauntlet said, setting his sister down gently on the pavement. “You’ve got us where you want us, but I just want to ask, ‘Why now?’”
“What do you mean, why now?”
“Why act now? Why do this to us now? Why not before, when we were weaker as a team? Why not spring into action when we all split up and went our separate ways a while back? Why not take advantage of a situation like that, and instead wait until now, with some oddball, crackpot scheme?”
There was a silence before the laughter, and Mesmerman laughed in a cold and high tone that betrayed no amount of amusement. “Why now? Why not? Duo left me unfinished, so I had to complete myself. Only now was I strong enough to destroy you all, piece by piece, and when I accomplish that, there only remains a few other minute obstacles.”
“Are you fergettin’ th’ other teams?” I asked him.
“On the contrary, I’m prepared for them. Once I’ve destroyed your individual personalities and memories, your robotic shells with be free to pump full of evil energy, and when the Mechanical Maniacs go mad and start destroying everything, the anger, pain, and feelings of betrayal will provide me more than enough evil energy to do this to every single person and robot on the planet!”
“Oh,” I said, thinking about it. Evil energy was, after all, a concentration of negative emotions and pain. “Good ta know ya planned fer that.”
Topman glared at me. “Can we do this now?”
Gauntlet narrowed his eyes. “Maniacs, GO!”
Unthinkingly, I charged into action, along with Topman and Magnetman. Only during that rush did Magnetman ask in a low voice “Did Gauntlet just ‘Teen Titans’ us?” As we approached Mesmerman, though, he simply vanished. Topman had done a three-sixty and was charging back the other way before I’d even realized he’d mavoed behind us. This guy was FAST.
Or was that just some illusion of his? He was capable of creating an entire dark facsimile of Monsteropolis, so it stood to reason he could make copies of himself here. Were we even fighting against the real Mesmerman?
I swore and pivoted, firing off one Hard Knuckle that caught up to and passed Topman on its way to Mesmerman. He’d been charging Gauntlet, so when the fist caught him in the back of the head, he was still dazed enough for Topman to crash into him at full spin. Pieces of the disjointed Mesmerman flew everywhere before regrouping in the air.
“You little maggot!” He screeched as he swooped down, a massive scythe materializing in his hands. If he needed to, Topman could have easily dodged the attack, but Mesmerman was slammed from both sides by Magnet Missiles and Shadow Blades. He hit the ground hard, but reassembled into a standing position, the scythe held ready.
“Your attacks cannot hurt me,” he laughed. “This is MY world!”
He’d just reached the word ‘my’ when Shadowman was already in front of him, using a speed born from a total and complete, driven anger I’d never seen in the Boss before. Mesmerman tried to bring the scythe forward, but Gauntlet slipped inside his arms length and drove a katana home in Mesmerman’s torso. Shock registered in the newest enemy of the Maniacs’ face.
Not done with the object of his ire, Gauntlet took a Shadow Blade and drove it into Mesmerman’s neck, and with brutal efficiency tore them in opposite directions. Mesmerman’s head snapped left while his body snapped right, and the pieces that made up his form tumbled into a feeble pile. The scythe hit the concrete with a heavy clang.
“NEVER mess with my sister,” Gauntlet spat at the pieces.
Then he suddenly let out a cry of surprised pain and sank to his knees. Topman and Magnet were at his side in an instant, and I was on my way. “What happened?” I cried from the distance.
Topman and Magnetman could only gape as Gauntlet stood back up and turned around slowly. I could see now his back was covered with needles. A deep down sinking feeling made my gut go cold. I shuddered to a halt next to Gauntlet and the others and watched as Mesmerman reassembled himself near his newest ally.
“Quite a piece of work, isn’t she?” Mesmerman laughed, his wounds completely healed over, like they’d never even been there. “She’s been under my control for almost two weeks now.”
Eyes dull and listless, exuding a smoky gray light, Needlegal showed no sign of effort or emotion as she pointed twin needle cannons at us. She didn’t even twitch as Mesmerman’s disembodied hand rested on he shoulder, or when the scythe flew past her and into his other hand. The smile fixed on his face seemed even more malevolent now.
“You bastard,” Gauntlet coughed.
“I wish I could take all the credit,” Mesmerman chuckled, “but taking over her mind was hardly my idea. Shocking, I know, that I’m not the mastermind here, but as a Robot Master, I was created to serve, just like this delicate flower you call Needlegal here.”
I barely processed his words as I stared down one of my own friends. Had she been under his control the entire time? Or did he control her in sessions, relinquishing control back to her occasionally so we wouldn’t get suspicious? Either way, he’d made Gauntlet angrier than I’d ever seen him before. Something about the Boss’s bad side made a chill go down my side.
Magnetman had been paying attention, though. “Well, if you’re just another pawn, then who IS the genius here?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“That IS a question, isn’t it? Suffice to say, you’ll never know. Even if I can’t beat you here, one way or the other, at least ONE Maniac DIES tonight!” Mesmerman laughed, cold, high, and hard.
“Now, my dear rose, kill them all, and don’t leave anything left but a memory,” he said with his malevolent smile.
“Yes, boss,” she intoned.
