Wanted

By C.M. Rich (Magnetman)

Episode 23 - In Vain

May 31st, 20XX, 6:14 PM

It was far from being a welcome sight for the weary Mechs.

This massive…thing.

“It’s got to be at least fifteen feet tall…”, Topman guestimated.

“Does it really matter how tall it is?”, quipped Snakeman.

Indeed, it was a towering machine, plated in a polished finish, like a fine dinette set. It had an almost regal air to it, but the monster’s stance directly conflicted with this as it hunched over, its feet far apart, smashed into the Earth. Draping over part of its body was what appeared to be a tarp or other sort of cover, which it must have torn free of when Victory activated it.

Victory…

Gauntlet’s mind suddenly realized the white armored would-be revolutionary had the opportunity to sneak away in the shock of seeing this “Requiem Mass”.

And he did.

“God damn it…”, Gauntlet bemoaned aloud.

The polished monster took notice of this with its camera-like eyes, set deep in a rigid, fully enclosed helmet.

“…Thou hast taken the Lord’s name in vain.”

Topman squinted at the great goliath. “…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“A religious robot? That’s a new one.”, Snakeman observed.

“Speak for yourself.” Gauntlet commented. “Victory’s run off.”

“He hasn’t gone very far. He’s not going to leave Alicia behind in that chopper.”

Requiem Mass took another thunderous, Earth-torturing step.

“Thou shalt not take thy Lord’s name in vain!”

“That thing’s going to guard the chopper.”, Topman assumed. “Let’s take it down.”

Topman, whose confidence had never waned during the day, sped off towards the being that was at least three times his own height, zooming towards it with his criminally infamous, chase-ending speed.

He had seen giant robots like this before. Sure, they were tough, but you learn a few things about them after fighting your share of them- without a leg to stand on, they’re pretty harmless most of the time.

Topman leapt into the air when he reached within twenty feet of the monster, and with a machinist’s precision aimed for the plate-protected knee of Requiem Mass, energy crackling from his woefully under-estimated feet.

SD’s foot struck true. But, the dull thud his foot made on the giant’s armor, and his own energy splashing off of it like raindrops, all told Topman this wasn’t any ordinary steel plating.

“It’s…It’s LCT, guys!”

“TOP! Get the hell outta there!”, Snakeman screamed a warning.

It was too late. Requiem Mass was far, far quicker than anyone could have predicted, and almost as soon as Topman had landed, he was in mid swing with his bus-sized arm, the back of his hand crushing the Spinning Demon like a fly as it brushed him away in one fluid motion.

Topman landed almost a hundred feet away, lifeless.

“…Oh…Oh God…T-Top!”, Lennon wailed mournfully, watching his ally’s body smack and roll across the broken blacktop so far away like a discarded toy.

“He’s…”, Snakeman began, unable to finish his thought.

“You…bastard!”, Geminiman accused, launching his Gemini Laser towards the giant beast’s head, it having as little effect as Topman’s normally crippling kick.

Requiem Mass did nothing to acknowledge any pain, or even the laser beams' very existence. He did, however, start marching towards the remaining Mechs. Then, a full bore sprint.

“G-get the hell out of here!”, Shadowman ordered, already running away. It was a moot order, given Snake was helping the wounded Geminiman away already.

Shadowman knew the two were sitting ducks with Geminiman incapacitated, still shooting his bright lasers at the monstrous machine and still garnering its attention. Shadowman leapt towards the machine as it pursued the robot pair, hoping to gain its attention long enough for Snakeman to find suitable cover, but not get himself killed in the process.

Gauntlet was on Requiem’s back now in that hard-to-reach spot in the center. Shinobigatana in hand, the cyber shinobi tried a straight stab through the charging robot’s armor, that too failing. When that didn’t work, he tried prying away at the edges of a plate of the famously resilient alloy, to about the same effect as the previous attacks.

Mass still hadn’t noticed Gauntlet. That, or he just didn’t care.

“Goddamned LCT!”, he cursed.

Requiem Mass broke stride at that very instant, clawing at his own back in an attempt to snatch and crush the offending Robot Master.

“Thou shalt NOT take the Lord’s name in vain!”, it demanded angrily.

“Go to Hell!”, Shadowman demanded back, leaning away from the enraged zealot robot’s grasp.

“The Good Lord hath commanded me to send thee sinners there first!”

“God’s…not…here!”, Gauntlet insisted, now trying his phantom Shadow Blade’s ability on the tough armor. By now, Snakeman was taking shots on the face of the rampaging robot’s head and chest, achieving zero success.

“Non-believer! God IS here! I have seen the Lord personally!”

Gauntlet’s Shadow Blades were also having no effect on the machine. Pondering what Requiem meant by having seen God, he peered around at the helicopter, noticing Victory was still nowhere in sight.

Finally, Gauntlet leapt away from the robot’s back, realizing his arsenal would have no effect on the machine, and he was only putting himself at risk at this point. Shadow warping away, he joined up with Snakeman behind the remains of another building.

“No luck?”, Snakeman asked.

“No.”, Shadowman grunted as Requiem Mass still clawed at his back, unaware that Shadowman wasn’t there anymore. “It’s like Top said- he’s practically made from LCT.”

LCT, or Light ceramic-titanium, was a laboratory-forged alloy named after its inventor, Dr Light. It was the metal of choice for battle-born robots, as it was even lighter than regular titanium with the heat-diffusing capabilities of ceramic armor plating, but it was hard to produce in vast quantities and very expensive. Hence, most robots were not completely armored with LCT, but used regular titanium on non-vital areas.

The Mechs, in their newest bodies, had the benefit of LCT-rich skeletons and more real LCT armor than most, but were still not completely armored in it. Even Hardman had a few areas on his body that used run-of-the-mill titanium. At a mere inch in thickness, LCT was claimed to be completely bulletproof against any currently existing gun.

Unfortunately, Requiem Mass appeared to have been built by an especially well-funded team of engineers, as the slightly bluish-tint of the unpainted, highly polished armor of Mass definitely told the truth. LCT made up ALL of its armor.

“This is insane. Who the hell could afford to make something like that?” Raijin wondered. “That much LCT…his armor alone would cost several million dollars!”

“We’re not dealing with a Dr Wily-type.”, Lennon muttered, pain and exhaustion starting to catch up with him. “These men may very well have the resources to do what they claim they can.”

“Focus, guys.”, Gauntlet hushed. “Right now, we had better worry about how to stop this thing.”

“You’re right.”, Lennon agreed.

Snakeman was peering over part of the building at Mass, who was now in the process of searching them out a few dozen yards away. “He can’t be completely made of it.”, he explained. “His body has to bend in certain places.”

“His joints.”, Lennon clarified. “Those might be well protected, but those are his weakness.”

“…Backs of his knees…Inner groin…Elbows…Abdomen…Neck…Those are the best places…”, Snakeman observed using his scope.

“Do what Top had planned.” Gauntlet offered. “I’m going to check on him and move him out of harm’s way.”

With that, Shadowman melted against the darkness of the building’s husk, surfacing a few feet away from Topman’s body.

“Top.”, he whispered, keeping low to the ground as he heard Snakeman attempt to take a few shots on the massive Requiem, gaining its full attention. “Top, are you still with us?”

Shadowman crept over to the unmoving high speed artist, putting his fingers against his neck, feeling the electric pulse and fluid movement beneath the synthiflesh.

He was still alive.

“Top, I’m gonna get you out of here.”, he whispered, taking up the orange speedster over his shoulder.

He looked up, watching Lennon and Raijin taking shots at the rampaging creation, moving the fight away from the barren plain and into the more boneyard-like ruins scattered about. In there, the pair could use the wreckage as cover, though with Requiem’s hellish strength tearing away the poor buildings like houses of cards, the tactic had a limited lifespan.

Shadowman warped far away from the scene, away from the helicopter. There was a small, somewhat enclosed building, and in there he deposited the barely-living Topman inside. A few minutes later, SparkChan’s unconscious form joined him. Gauntlet frowned as he looked over his wounded teammates.

He hated seeing his comrades…his friends…like this. Sure, it came with the job- the job of protecting people. The job of being a hero, a cop, or whatever they were now. Still, they didn’t deserve this. They didn’t deserve to be beaten to death, or tortured. They didn’t deserve to be forced to sacrifice themselves in such a horrible way, like Kenta or Hadrian had.

“When we get back…”, Gauntlet mused to himself. “Things need to change…”

Something stole Gauntlet’s attention from this thought. A sound.

The sound of a helicopter engine of considerable size whirring to life.