The Unnamed: A Mechanical Maniacs Mini-Novel

By Gauntlet (Shadowman)

Chapter 2

The Mechanical Maniacs walk out of the building with their heads hung low. No one really knew what to say. What could you say when someone threw everything that you thought made you unique and special in your face? What was there to say?

"They need to die!" Shadowman always had an answer. "Seriously, we need to go right back in there and kill them. Like, right now."

"I agree!" shouted Geminiman. "And I second the motion!" Chirped in Geminiman's copy.

"I dunno guys. They were tough, but fair. I say, we take the criticisms and become a more solid team." Said Hardman in a very reasonable tone.

"They didn't call you useless! That British guy is just plain mean!" Needlegal yelled.

"All in favor?" asked Shadowman. The 'Maniacs cheered in response. "And opposed?"

"Nay," said Hardman flatly.

.....

"They Ayes have it!" Shouted Shadowman, thrusting his fist into the air for dramatic effect.

Wasting no time, the Mechanical Maniacs barrel back into the hotel where auditions were being held, stunning security guards and hotel personnel along the way. The Mechanical Maniacs auditioned to be world-class superheroes, and the auditions were to be held here in a hotel. However, instead of finding reasonable judging, they were mocked. Such evil is not to be tolerated!

Smashing into the room the Mechanical Maniacs find the judges ...... in a way they had not expected! With their heads revealed to be mere masks, the judges for this competition weren't human at all, but in reality....

"The Evil Eight!" shouted Geminiman, "And since you're here, Wily can't be far behind!"

"Oh no! We've been spotted!" said a blue robot with a huge cannon for his right arm. Artilleryman.

"Wily won't like this," said another robot. Grey with a disk on his head. Spinman.

The fat judge was revealed to be the gigantic Golemman. With huge hands and feet, Golemman was a powerful robot with protective armor resistant to most attacks.

The rest of the evil eight - Cleaveman, Clawman, Warman, Chimeraman, and Omniman came out of hiding along with their creator. The diminutive old scientist Doctor Wily.  The evil Eight were all bulky and disproportioned.  It seemed like some of them were made of different parts of existing robots, especially Chimeraman who's left arm was huge in contrast with his right.  Wily himself was a diminutive, nearly bald old man dressed in a lab coat.  While the top of his head was nice and shiny, the mad scientist sported wild, unkempt hair and an equally wild and unkempt moustache.  He was probably too busy ranting to take proper care of himself.  He actually looked like a miniature Albert Einstein.

"So, you've figured it out," laughed the doctor. "My plans to make the people lose faith in their heroes. Disguised as judges my robots were to humiliate all the heroes that came to audition for "Hero Idol." I was hoping Megaman would come to audition so that I could humiliate him in front of our audience and crush his fighting spirit.... but you've put a stop to that plan, haven't you? I must ask you, how did you find me out? I thought my disguises were fool proof."

Shadowman laughed loudly at the Doctor's foolish ideas. "You're the fool if you think those stupid robots of yours could ever get the drop on us, Wily! I've heard of some lame plots before, but this takes the cake! We weren't fooled for a second - we knew your plan all along, but wanted to see for ourselves what these "auditions" were like. Your plan sucked like all your other plans!" Of course the Mechanical Maniacs knew nothing of Wily's plans, but there's no reason anyone had to know that little detail.

Wily, however, was unimpressed at Shadowman's bravado. "HAH! So what are you planning to do now, Mechanical Maniacs? This set is legal. I haven't committed any crime against human society this time around. In fact, by attacking this place it is you who are the renegades!"

The 'Maniacs shifted uneasily. Some of the newer members were worried Wily may very well be right. "You feel like attacking me?" Wily went on, "You were so caught up in beating me you didn't consider that you may very well be vilified. But leave and you may be able to salvage the situation. With your history, I'm sure you can get off light. So what do you say, Mechanical Maniacs?"

"What are you going to do?"

The Maniacs leapt into battle, startling the Evil Eight with the sheer ferocity of their attack! In a flurry of motion, the team targeted the strongest member - Omniman. In a flash Shadowman and Needlegal used their bladed weapons to pierce the slight crack between the robot's joints and Spark-Chan used her electrical powers to run a strong current through Omniman's internal systems. With a scream, Omniman fell to the floor.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them, you dunderheads!" Wily bellowed commands while hiding behind a podium.

You heard the boss," said Warman, "kill the vermin!" Warman let loose a barrage of missiles. All of them deadly, all of them easily dodged by the Megaman three team. They've faced these robots so long, they hardly seemed challenging anymore. Not in a straight fight.

Hardman and Golemman met in a contest of strength. Golemman was incredibly strong..... however Hardman was built to destroy the strong. "Golem will ...... crush puny ....... robot....." Golemman as he grappled with Hardman. Each was a master of strength, but Hardman had an edge.

"Time to go for a ride, big guy." said Hardman as he used anti-gravity devices to lift himself and Golemman into the air. With a slight delay Hardman sent both himself and Golemman crashing to the ground causing shockwaves to shake the building. The weight was almost too much for the floor of the hotel to take.

"Gemini, you're mine!" shouted Artilleryman as he leapt to confront his rival. "And you're mine!" shouted Clawman as he confronted his fellow ninja - Shadowman. Neither was especially worried. Artilleryman fired his weapon at a distance, but that didn't matter to Gemini. Splitting into two his clone soared across the room and landed right on top of Artilleryman. Meanwhile Shadowman turned into a log just as Cleaveman swept down for a landing blow, thereby deflecting his attack. As he attacked, Needlegal came up from behind and delivered a crushing blow to the distracted robot with her Needle Cannon.

"That'll teach you to mess with my bro," Needlegal said with a smile.  Shadowman muttered his thanks as he got to his feet.

Spinman entered the scene heading straight for Shadowman! Reasoning that since Shadowman is weak to Topman's Top Spin, he'll be weak to his own spin attack as well! Spinman was so giddy thinking about destroying the 'Maniac's leader that he didn't even notice Topman spinning at full speeds towards him until it was too late. Spinman was sent flying in the wake of Topman's Super Top Spin attack.

"The-there's too many of them!" Chimeraman said. With fear in his heart he began to back away from the fighting.

"Stand your grown you oaf!" Wheezed Doctor Wily. After so many defeats, he grew tired of these stupid lunkheads ruining his schemes.

"Perhaps a strategic withdrawn will -" Cleaveman was about to suggest a regrouping of forces when Wily cut him off.

"You're useless! All of you!" Wily had to escape. Let these useless piles of scrap take the fall. He was more important, damn it!

"Fight them off! Buy me time." Wily said as he ran off.

"What!? That old man wants us to take a dive!?" Chimeraman couldn't believe what he was haring.

"We must honor his wishes. He is our creator after all." Cleaveman responded.

"Who cares!? I say -"

Shadowman cleared his throat to get the attention of the two bickering robots. Cleaveman and Chimeraman slowly turned to face their attackers.

They were not surprised to see the rest of the Evil Eight lying motionless on the ground.

***********

"We knew it was Wily all along," Explained Shadowman to the reporters circling around the team." "We knew it was Wily and he had to be stopped. Megaman does so much for this fair city that we felt it was our duty to help him!"

"But what about the destruction of the set? Technically you did commit a crime," Said a reporter.

Shadowman dismissed the charge with a wave of his hand. "Do you people want Wily to rein terror in this city once again? Really, now, it's a dangerous situation. I don't think the police will fault us for shutting those maniacs down once again. And, as an added perk, we finally got those "Evil Eight" people. After they've been dismantled, they'll never hurt anyone ever again!"

The reporters went wild As Shadowman detailed their battle. Naturally it was longer and more intense than it was described here. As leader of the Mechanical Maniacs, Shadowman has learned to play for the crowd.

"We entered the room and confronted Wily with what we knew his plan to be!" said Shadow, summing up the story for the reporters, "Wily sent his minions after us! It was a tough, well coordinated battle. They had us in their trap ..." Shadowman went on about the battle, while the rest of the team slinked away from the cameras.

"Gaunt-hun can sure ham it up," commented Spark-Chan.

"He just likes to show off," said Magnetman. "I can't blame him. But I'm sick of these reporters. I just wanna go home and watch some nice TV."

"Yeah, that would be nice," said Shadowman, emerging from the shadows. The rest of the team was shocked to see him. Wasn't he giving a statement just now?

Shadowman grinned at their confusion. "Holograms. Gotta love 'em."

********

Wily hovered in the sky in his blue and gold flying saucer looking at those Mechanical Maniacs gloat from far above. They think they've won. They think they're so special for beating a bunch of idiots? He'll show them.

The Evil Eight are incompetent morons who deserve to be dismantled! Let their CPUs rot. Wily had other creations. More powerful creations.

Yes ....... those Mechanical Maniacs needed to be taught a lesson. And Doctor Wily was just the scientist to do it!