The Unnamed: A Mechanical Maniacs Mini-Novel

By Gauntlet (Shadowman)

Chapter 8

“I don’t get it!” cried Geminiman in frustration, “whenever Gauntlet throws a party everyone shows up! But when I do ….. Only Xelloss shows up!”

“Well, to be fair, Mr. Gemini, I would have showed up just to bug you anyway.”

“Thanks. That’s real classy.”

What a disappointment! Sure, it was last minute, but these sort of parties always worked so well for Shadowman. It wasn’t fair!

“Maybe it’s your personality,” Xelloss added. So helpful.

“Shut it Xelloss.”

“Well, you have to admit this is all very sudden. I mean people do have lives you know.”

“Shut it, Xelloss.”

“I mean, you’re basically expecting everyone to just drop what their doing and go on to your little party because you’re ….. What? Cool? Honestly, now.”

“I said shut it, Xelloss!” Geminiman had a hard time taking Xelloss’ abuse. He was always just hanging around trying to bug people. And since he was so powerful, there’s not anything anyone can do to get Xelloss to leave if he doesn’t want to.

“Well, it’s not like you’re the most popular ‘Maniac. That’d be Shadowman of course!” Xelloss piped in from behind Geminiman. Gemini decided to ignore Xelloss and play video games on his TV.

Xelloss silently disappeared and reappeared only when Gemini got to his room.

“I hope you don’t plan on playing any video games,” said the trickster-priest Xelloss “remember Bizarro Shadowman shorted out all the electronics during his attack.”

“I was not planning on playing any games!” Shouted Gemini, even though he did forget about that.

“Well, that’s good. Although I must know, how did you plan on having a party with no music, food, or games?” Asked the purple-haired monster.

Gemini was in no mood for Xelloss’ smart-ass remarks. He rubbed his buster-arm unconsciously. If only it was so easy.

“I’m going out!” Shouted the crystalline encrusted robot, making for the door.

“Nuh-uh-uh, Mr. Gemini,” said Xelloss while appearing right in front of the startled robot, “didn’t you promise you’re esteemed leader to protect the base while he was away?”

Gemini hesitated. Damn it!

€œYou know what? I don€™t care! What€™s gonna happen, this place€™ll get wrecked even more!€

“Oh, my. So you’ll just abandon your duty?” Asked Xelloss with mock concern.

“Well, why don’t you look after the base?” Asked Gemini, in a hurry to leave.

“Oh, I’m, sorry, but I simply could not do that!” Replied the monster with a smirk. “If Lord Beast Master learned I was helping you ‘heroes’ in any way she would be quite displeased. And besides, this is your base, not mine. I’m just here as a guest!”

“An uninvited guest!”

Geminiman sighed. It seemed that Xelloss was resigned to keep him here. Even though there really was no use guarding this place. All their villains were morons! All the good ones were gone. Galvatron was captured by the Autobots, Extant was probably vaporized, Sigma was scared away from this time for good, and Megaman Juno was probably dead …… It just wasn’t the same anymore.

“You know,” said Xelloss, “It really isn’t the same as the old days is it?”

“You read my mind,” replied Gemini while sagging his shoulders. The adventures simply weren’t as exciting.

“I suppose that just comes with age,” said the purple-haired priest while taking a seat on Gemini’s bed. “All your greatest adventured are behind you. I mean, what could top that road trip where all of you were presumed dead?”

“Which you were one of the masterminds of!”

“Oh, that’s in the past! Which is exactly my point. All of it is in the past.”

Geminiman eyed Xelloss cautiously. He was leading him somewhere.

“What are you getting at, Xelloss.”

“To put it bluntly, Mr. Gemini ….. This place doesn’t have much of a future left.”

Geminiman backed quickly away from the trickster-priest. :”You don’t know anything!” he shouted, “We’re stronger than ever before! Why, with the Sinister Six gone we’re the top ranked Megaman team around!”

“Ahhhhh,” said Xelloss, “but is it all really worth it anymore? All the old teams are gone now. Cossack’s Creations have disbanded long ago, the X-Force killed in a battle with Red (uh, don’t ask me how I know), and now the Sinister Six have disbanded as well! Yeah, you’re the top ranked team …. Since there are no other teams left!”

Geminiman was on the defensive,” There are plenty of teams left! A new Wily’s Warriors, a new Megaman six team, a new –“

“Yes, yes, yes,” said the priest, “all new teams, but where are all the old ones? Even your team has had its membership completely changed over the years. Is there anything really left?”

“There’s plenty left!” Shouted the crystal-blue robot! With that se stormed out of the room and made his way to the front entrance. He intended to leave the base and get some air. To clear his head.

Xelloss would have nothing of that.

“Oh, come now, Mr. Gemini! Don’t lie to yourself! Success has done what Torchman never could! It’s brought ruin to your once-great team!” Said Xelloss as he once again materialized right in front of Geminiman. Geminiman was frustrated at Xelloss. He split into two to intimidate the humbly clad monster.

“Oh, is that so,” said one of the Geminis, “You think that being the top ranked team is bad? It’s all we were trying for! We deserve it!”

“All out enemies are beaten! We’ve bested them all!” said the other robot. “And that’s a sign of a teak team? Are you nuts? We’ve had more adventures than anyone other team in all of team history! We’ve even outlasted the first Megaman team! Does that sound like a failure to you?”

Xelloss was far from intimidated. “Yes, you’ve beaten all your enemies and went on a great many adventures. You’ve went on road trips, faced doppelgangers (more than I can count even), and you’ve even saved the world more than once! You’ve outlasted your all your friends … so much so that you’re a relic in the greater community as it is now! Would you even recognize it anymore?”

Geminiman was silent. Unfortunately, what Xelloss was saying made a freaky sorta sense!

“All you’re old friends have left. You’ve peaked! But, not to worry, Gemini ….. I’ve come to offer you a way out.”

***********

Doctor Wily began his offensive right away! Launching missiles he rocketed the Mechanical Maniacs, latest base with his current ingenious device!

It looks like those Mechs will have to look for yet another base of theirs!

His latest mech was a giant skull hovering on large rocket boosters emitting blue flame! But that wasn’t all! The skull served as a protective force field which could withstand against any robot master weapon …. Except for the Bubble Lead. But no one on the team possessed the bubble lead! And even if they did it would be hard to hit him since he was flying in the air! Wily’s genius was fool-proof!

“Mini Wily bots …. Attack!” Wily screamed, directing many miniature versions of his larger mech to attack the team inside their own base. His verbal directions were unnecessary as they already had preprogrammed orders, but sometimes dramatics were a nice touch. Wily rubbed his hands in anticipation. Very soon now the Mechanical Maniacs would be dead.

Odd. The mini Wily Mechs should have dragged out the dead carcasses of his enemies by now. What was taking them so long? Propping up his vital stats display on his monitor Wily accessed the data on the mini Mechs. There was no transmission!

They can’t have been destroyed!

Wily fought his controls until he realized the impossible. All his mechanical minions were destroyed. But there were so many …… It seemed impossible. Wily only stopped when he noticed two lone individuals step out of the Ark. Or rather … on individual.

Geminiman. With his power to split into two people it sometimes seemed as if there was two of him at once. But it didn’t make any sense. Geminiman couldn’t have destroyed all the robots with or without his twin, not alone! And yet … there was something different about him this time.

***********

“You want me to join the monster race? Me?” Geminiman asked incredulously.

“Why not you?” Asked Xelloss in return, still forcing the blue crystal robot away from the exist.

“I dunno … but wouldn’t you want Gauntlet? I mean you’re always after him, right?”

Xelloss laughed. “Not everything’s about him.”

“But isn’t he the most powerful Mechanical Maniac?”

“Is he? As I recall you were the one who had sword master abilities. You had those odd card powers. You had a great many powers. All of them may have been stripped away, but the potential is still there. At least my superiors seem to think so … and I must admit their assessment seems accurate to me.”

Gemini stood stunned. He was the most powerful? Him? It almost didn’t seem possible and yet ….

“I don’t want to be Evil Lennon,” said Geminiman with his hands raised as if to ward off further attacks.

Xelloss chuckled. “Evil Lennon? I don’t see why you always have to be ‘Evil Lennon’ just to be angry. Well, rest assured, it doesn’t work that way. No, you’re still yourself after the process is complete. We can’t change who you are, after all. You’ll still be you, just with power. And wouldn’t you like that?”

“No!” Gemini shouted.

“Oh, really? Aren’t you the least bit curious? To feel what it’s like? Don’t tell em the great Lennon is afraid of trying something new!”

Geminiman snorted. “If I had that power I’d use it to kick your ass.”

“Well, then. Why not try your luck?” Said the trickster priest extending his hand.

Geminiman hesitated. Should he do it? Suddenly the two heard explosions outside, shaking the base. Geminiman whirled to Xelloss in silent accusation.

“That wasn’t me!” said Xelloss with a smirk, “That was Doctor Wily! I imagine he’s miffed at being beaten at the ‘hero idol’ fiasco of his. Honestly he takes these defeats so personally!”

Wily! And none of the others are here either! What can I do?

***********

Something was wrong with Geminiman’s eyes. Wily couldn’t help but notice how cold they were. But, whatever happened to him Geminiman was the same loser he experimented on before. He’d fall as easily as he did before! Wily let the robot have it with a barrage of missiles!

Explosions rocked the area bringing up dust and debits. Wily laughed his maniacal laugh. So much for Geminiman. He fell easily! If only he thought to do this in the first place!

But wait …… What was this? As the smoke cleared Wily could make out two distinct humanoid forms …… Geminiman! Somehow his Gemini Shield blocked the attack? How?

It didn’t matter. His Neutron Beam would make short work of that meddler! With a flip of a switch Wily fired a burst of concentrated neutron electricity. This could vaporize the entire Mechanical Maniacs team! Gemini alone could not survive.

And yet he did.

Gemini smiled to himself. Wily couldn’t understand what was going on. Had he accessed the modifications Wily once made on him? Weren’t those abilities destroyed? No, even with those abilities Geminiman shouldn’t be this powerful. What could have - ?

Wily was sent flying from his chair as the two Geminis fired their Gemini Laser. So powerful was this new Gemini Laser that it destroyed the large protective Skull Shield on Wily’s ship. Inconceivable!

Wily thought he saw Gemini smirk in satisfaction.

Wily deployed every cannon he had. He had to stop this …. This monstrosity! Again, Gemini merely smirked. Every cannon, ever plasma bullet, every missile was destroyed upon impact as they hit his Gemini Shield. It didn’t seem possible.

And certainly Gemini destroying Wily’s newest piece of metallic genius didn’t seem possible either and yet that’s exactly what happened. Gemini teleported on top of his vehicle and used his powerful Gemini Laser to blast a hole in the machine. The damage was critical and the Wily mech shuddered to a halt and fell to the ground with a thud. Wily was relieved that it didn’t blow up. The relief didn’t last long as Geminiman hauled Wily out of his ruined mecha.

Gemini grinned. “First you’re going to the cops and then …. “ Gemini looked up to the sky as Wily writhed and squirmed in his grip.

“And then I’ll do whatever I want.”