Orchestrated By C.M. Rich (Magnetman)
By Makenshi, Nytris Oxyde, Seadragon
RPD Headquarters
Well, we did it. We save that stinking fatass senator from Dr. Wolfland's
clutches. Finally, we had a successful mission for once. It sure felt
good for me to get the memories of what went wrong out on our previous
missions.
I sat on a windowsill over looking the city. The people down there
look like ants from up here. It's funny how we protect the people from
whatever can cause them the most harm, yet we're perceived as the biggest
threat to them. It's hard to understand for me, you know. I sat there
and thought about what we have gone through so far.
We had to fight a former friend in Geminiman in Toronto. We saw our
faithful friend and ally Freezeman getting sliced like he was a damn
tomato in Hong Kong. We had to deal with the psychotic mind games of
that damned priest Xelloss in Monte Carlo. Yet, I felt good about this
moment. That was before the news came breaking in...
Someone heard on the news that apparently the Citadel for Cossack's
forces, the group that Slashman and Shademan left us for, was destroyed.
The Scissor Army, lead by that monster General Cutman, tore the land
apart. The rumors were spreading that Cossack himself died in the battle
and whatever was left of the group fled for safety. This caused concern
for the others because they still see Slashman as a friend and as a
team mate.
"God.. I hope Slash is OK." muttered Burstgirl. "It
would be awful if we lost another friend."
"I agree, Burst." said Turbo. "It would be awful for
us if he was killed..."
That's when I spoke up. "Heh. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I
say. I could care less if that treacherous Wolverine wannabe dies at
the hand that psychopath."
This shocked everyone on the team. "How... How could you say such
a thing, Junk?" asked Burstgirl. "Yeah. This is not like
you, Junk. Why now?" mentioned Springman.
"You guys really want to know how I feel? I could care less what
happens to Slash now. He and Shademan left us for no reason! NONE!
At least Freezeman knew why he didn't want to fight, and that was because
he wanted a peaceful solution to this. Those two didn't want jack shit.
They wanted an easy way out, and that easy way came in the form of
Cossack. Look at it now. The Citadel is wiped off the map, the doctor
is good as dead and the followers are more or less like a damn chicken
with it's head cut off: It's gonna be a matter of time before that
monster and his army get to them and tears them to shreds. They deserve
what they're getting, if you ask me."
"Are you crazy, Junk? No one deserves death!" shouted out
Turboman.
"No one deserves death except for a traitor. He left us high and
dry, god dammit! I say he deserves the coward's death sentence that
he's been given."
With that, I left the room and headed to a quiet place. I decided to
sit in a small, empty room and just let myself... go. I fell in a heap,
down to my knees wondering if there is any hope whatsoever in this
war. I may not make it.. This war isn't worth it.. It's not worth it.
--------------------
((occurs
five days after Stage 4))
Makenshi ran as fast as he could, but it wasn't enough to get away
from his pursuer. Finally, he tripped over something, and he began
falling in slow-motion as his assailant continued to advance rapidly.
Waveman seized him by the color and lifted him high into the air. Their
eyes met, the psychotic Android's red eyes glaring, and that mad, voracious
grin. His shrill laughter reverberated through Makenshi's body, gripping
him with absolute terror.
And suddenly, Waveman thrust his cranium forth. Only until Makenshi's
mouth was pried open that he realized to his horror what the aquatic
demon was doing. Makenshi tried to scream, but asphyxiated gurgling
noises only came out as the liquidy mass forced itself down his throat.
The water's icy touch began consuming him from the inside, until his
entire body went numb.
With a startled gasp he awoke. He was in a cold sweat, laying in an
awkward position in his cot. For once he felt relieved to find himself
in his office, safe inside RPD headquarters.
He was still gasping for air as if he were still being suffocated.
Waveman couldn't be in HQ. But he still kept imagining that the mad
robot would burst through the walls at any moment.
Makenshi got up, turned on the lights, and began pacing back and forth
to calm himself down.
--------------------
Conduct Report for: Shiken Max--------------------
(Post-Stage
4)
Turn after turn, Nox was led through the hallways towards the Interrogation
Room. Guards flanking all sides made sure he kept pace, getting only
glimpses in open doors of offices of the humans and robots working
side by side, immersed in paperwork. Finally, they reached a metal
door, marked with the name
"Interrogation Room B". One of the officers turned to face
Nox, who was silent during the entire trip.
"Human, you are being held under suspicion of conspiring with
outlaws wanted by the Robot Police Department. You are expected to
cooperate with all directions until such time that you are cleared
of any charges. Any attempt to use force will be punished to the full
extent of the law. Do you understand?"
Nox nodded in assent. The officer unlocked the door, and Nox was lightly
prodded into the room and left alone by the robot officers.
He was met by the gaze of a human in a nicely kept suit, with his badge
neatly pinned onto his jacket. Though he looked nicely dressed, his
face was tired and slightly unkempt as evidenced by his unkempt goatee
and wild hair. When he spoke to Nox, the words came out in a slightly
deep tone.
"Alright slick," the officer said, "you heard what guard
said outside, so I don't want to have to repeat myself. So let's start
with your name, age, occupation...all that vital stuff."
Nox stood at attention, straight up as if he were a soldier. "My
name is Nox, I am nineteen years of age, and I am a nomad," he
replied without missing a step.
"Nineteen? A nomad? Kinda ambitious, aren't you? Striking out
at such a young age, alone in a battle zone with no protection except
some rags. What the HELL were you thinking going out there? You could've
been dead, kid! Sit down, and tell me the truth. I'd love to hear it."
The officer motioned to a chair next to Nox, which he quickly sat down
in.
"In truth, officer..."
"Horn."
"...officer Horn, I was seeking the aid of the Robot Police Department
in getting out of the area. I was passing through, I heard a robot
shout about evacuation, and I made my way over to the first officers
I saw."
"Kid, I was born at night, but not last night. One of our officers
saw you teleport out of there with some crazy magic or something...magic,
that's another thing, how do you know stuff like that?"
"Officer, I am a Mage. Teleportation is a basic matter to accomplish,
provided you have a spot to go to. I assure you, I do it all the time."
"A magician? Do they really exist?"
"Officer, you have surely seen stranger things in your time," Nox
calmly replied, "you are surrounded by robots, and as far as I
have seen, this world has aliens, ghosts and all other sorts of inhuman
beings. You must have some faith that Magi, not magicians, can exist."
"Fine, assume they do. That doesn't explain why the hell you had
your escape point already made before the evacuation. Some of our robot
units caught a guy dressed in a cloak EXACTLY like yours walking in
at about a quarter past eleven. Wait, didn't you also have another
guy with you?"
"He is my guardian, Tempest. He is resting, and he cannot come
out now.
"
Horn looked at Nox with an annoyed look on his face. "Well kid,
you still haven't answered me! Now what were you REALLY doing there?"
Nox stood up and held his hand out, as if to congratulate Horn. "Very
good, very good indeed. You saw right through my lie, very observant.
If you must know, it is because I seek to join the RPD, here and now."
"Join?" Horn said, clearly surprised. "You want to join
the guys who are keeping the peace, and you lie to me about it? Why
didn't you just come out and say it?"
"To be honest, I wished to speak to the man I talked to back out
in Niagara Falls."
"Lieutenant Riley? He's a very busy man. Right now, you are dealing
with me, and as far as I see, you have no choice in the matter. Were
you expecting to be welcomed with open arms here or something?"
Nox lowered his hand back to his side. "I was expecting to be
treated with mistrust and fear. I am not stupid, Officer Horn, I understand
that you are in the middle of a war, and any stranger asking to join
out of the blue would be laughed at, if not thrown in prison on sight."
"Good answer," Horn said, "but it doesn't change a thing."
He pondered something for a few minutes, and looked back to Nox. "You
know what? I should let you try anyway. I can't do much in the way
of information, but our Processing Department will put you through
the wringer, they're so thorough. Yeah, that's a great idea! If you're
a spy, they'll catch you no problem, and if you're clean, you can join
all you want! Sounds like a win-win deal to me."
"I find no problem with it, though you will not find any sort
of thing like spying. I assure you of that."
"Yeah, we'll see kid."
Horn radioed for officers to take Nox to the Processing Department.
As they came in, Nox turned to follow them.
"Oh wait, Officer Horn, one more question. I noticed you haven't
once asked me to remove my mask. Is there any specific reason why?"
"Easy one kid. You'd probably refuse to take it off anyway, like
you're a superhero or something. That, and I know guys who wear a mask
like you have some real messed-up reason for doing so, and I'd rather
not know it. Now get going, I have a stack of papers sitting at my
desk and the boss wants them pronto."
Horn waved Nox off, and he exited the interrogation room with the robot
officers. Nox remained silent for the rest of the walk, and he went
through the rest of the "processing" with no incident. Shockingly,
the rest of the officers he met were not surprised that he was a Mage,
nor did they ask him to remove his mask. Nox could only guess that
they were either too scared of him, or they thought he was some sort
of freak--both possible, given that such behavior was to be expected
from non-Mages.
As Nox sat in a waiting room after filling out more paperwork, waiting
on the decision from the RPD, he seemed to be contemplative, almost
asleep. In the back of his mind however, Nytris Oxyde knew that his
guise was working, and that things were going all as he expected.
--------------------
9:15 AM, Unknown Location
"Wow, this place hasn't changed at all."
Nick and Crys wandered into a familiar underground lab, nostalgia hitting
on them. It appeared that it had remained undisturbed since the last
time they were in here, so the Scissor Army must not have found it
yet.
Nick opened the mini-fridge. Surprisingly it was still working, keeping
an assorted amount of beverages cold for all these months. "Hey,
look what I found!" Nick exclaimed, waving an unopened bottle
of White Russian with a grin plastered on his face.
"We'll drink it when we're done here," Crys said.
"Oh alright..." Nick put the bottle on top of the mini-fridge.
"So what are we looking for here, Crys?" he inquired, examining
stacks of blueprints scattered messily on a table.
"Just need to make some finishing touches on our stuff," she
replied. Crys moved across the dusty lab, scanning the counter at the
end of the room until she found what she was looking for. It was a
large box-like machine with a plain looking orb nestled at the top. "Nick,
give me the watch."
"Oh, right." He walked across the room and produced three
plain-looking digital watches from his pocket. Crys took them and retrieved
various tools from a nearby shelf. "Let's see if I can still make
these things," she muttered.
All of a sudden, laughter cut through the air. Crys and Nick darted
around.
"Hahahaha! This place sure brings back memories! I was just wandering
around, but I didn't expect to find you two here!"
The former Ascendant Androids recognized the voice of this unwanted
presence and a feeling of dread came to them. All they had were weak
plasma pistols, hardly enough to defeat this guy...
9:15 AM, RPD headquarters
"Natalie, you do maintenance on the SF units, right? Do you know
happened to my bodyguards?"
Doctor Beeson looked up from her work. "Oh... Well, the officials
didn't like how you tampered with them, so they reverted the upgrades
you gave to them. They're also not your bodyguards anymore."
Makenshi yawned, drinking a smoothie and mending his tattered coat.
Some of the hidden minuscule protective plates had fallen out from
the inside. "Oi, well that's a shame. I spent quite some time
on them."
"Honestly, I'm not sure why you cared so much about them. They're
only machines, without any individuality..."
Makenshi was now picking at one of his revolver cartridges. "I
was one of those machines once... And really it's a shame that sentient
beings like them have constraints put on them that limit who they can
be. Maybe if I treated them differently than how everyone else treats
them, then maybe I could teach them things that would break those constraints..."
Beeson nodded absentmindedly, though she didn't quite understand what
her accomplice was talking about. "You're a strange one, Shiken.
But you're nice."
"Heh, I've been described along the lines of 'strange' all the
time, but 'nice' is a rare one."
"Oh." The doctor walked away from her lab table towards Makenshi.
"Well, I'm finished patching up your revolvers. Is there anything
else you want me to do?"
"Yeah," he said, arm outstretched with an empty plastic cup
in his hand. "Get me another smoothie and you're done for today."
One day later
4:23 PM
"Okay, what the hell happened here?!" Spiegel demanded.
"He collapsed half an hour ago in the lobby. He's been neglecting
all of his injuries and it's finally taken its toll on him," the
doctor explained.
"What the hell?! I thought he was supposed to make full recoveries
before going back on the battlefield!"
"Yeah.... All those times he'd been.... releasing himself early."
"GRAGH!" the captain yelled in frustration.
"You're being too loud, Nick," came a groan from the infirmary
bed.
"Shut up, Max," Spiegel grumbled. Then he turned to the doctor.
"Well, Beeson? How long's it gonna be?"
"Oh, he's free to move around after a few days, but I don't think
he'll be seeing any action for a while. Not until he's healed completely.
I'll make sure of that."
"Hah! Now that I think about it, this is gonna take a great load
off of my shoulders! Well then, I'll check up on ya later, Max!" and
with that, the captain walked out.
Doctor Beeson blinked, then looked down at Makenshi. "I'm going
to run diagnostics on the SF units. Bye." Then she left as well.
Makenshi sighed.
4 days later
3:22 AM
Another long, sleepless night. Makenshi was familiar with these times.
The halls were completely deserted, save for the security that worked
night shifts. But otherwise he was free to wander around without the
human officers' contemptuous glances.
It felt like such a long time since he had been completely pardoned
and released from prison. But some people still saw him as a criminal,
a criminal who had committed horrible acts many, many years ago....
And they have every right to think that, Makenshi thought bitterly.
He had been stuck inside headquarters for 4 days straight. He yearned
to go out and fight, but he was being kept under close watch by Doctor
Beeson and Spiegel to heal completely before going back into active
duty.
Wandering aimlessly through the vast corridors, sipping a hot can of
coffee, his mind continued to drift on to other matters. Cossack had
fallen. Could he have done anything to prevent it? How was Vulcan doing?
What about Crys and Nick? And where could his other long lost teammates
have gone to? And why-
He ducked and whipped out one of his pistols with his free hand, aiming
behind him at the intruder, who also had a gun fixed on him.
"My, my, you're still the sharp one. It's okay, I've jammed all
frequencies around us including the bug on, so you can turn around."
Pistol still fixated on the figure, Makenshi whirled around to face
the mysterious guest. He gasped as he saw who it was. "You....." he
growled.
"Yeah, it's me," Pride said.
"How did you get in here?"
"It's quite simple, really. If you can transform yourself into
a sound wave you can go anywhere you want," the white-haired robot
replied.
"You know, out of my two grandpas, you're certainly the more favorable
one."
"Grandpa?" Makenshi echoed with exasperation. "Are you
trying to act cute now?"
"Well it's true. You and Wily-"
"I'm surprised you're not working with that incompetent scumbag."
"Oh, I was. That is until I found out that he was indeed a scumbag."
Makenshi lowered his gun. "What do you mean?"
"Are you aware of a Robot Master by the name of Spark-Chan?"
"Of the Mechanical Maniacs? Yes, I do."
"Dr. Wily reprogrammed her to be his wench. And to top it off,
he's threatening the same treatment for anyone who is disloyal." Pride
paused to examine Makenshi's shocked expression. "Yes," he
continued.
"I wanted to see what my other grandfather was like, and now I
know. He's just another example of why humanity sucks."
"Well then, I assume you've already set up bombs in this place?"
"No, that's not why I'm here. I've lost my spark to fight, honestly,"
Pride answered with a yawn. "I'm here to make a delivery."
Makenshi raised an eyebrow. "And what is it you're delivering?"
"Your armor's complete." Pride tossed something in the air,
and Makenshi caught it. The gunslinger's eyes widened as he saw that
it was a blue, customized digital watch with an envelope attached,
recognizing it as a certain scientist's handiwork. He looked back at
Pride. "Are you trying to tell me Crys trusted you to give this
to me?"
The robot grinned. "Well, they said they couldn't find any other
way any other way to get this to you, and I am quite the charmer, am
I right?"
Makenshi scowled. "I still don't trust you."
Pride shrugged. "Fine, then. I've done what I had to, see if you'll
excuse me, I'll be on my way." He then took out his red guitar
and struck a chord. Instantly he dematerialized into a flash of light
that sped off to placed unknown.
Makenshi was alone now. He carefully scrutinized the watch in his hand.
There was no doubt that it was made by Crys. Everything that he had
planned from the very beginning of this war led up to this. This watch
not only gave him power, but it also had a secondary function that
served as his ticket to freedom, his ticket to escape from the RPD.
But now? Things had changed since the war began. Did he really want
to run away from this place? He had to, didn't he? He couldn't fight
for something that he didn't believe in. He couldn't fight on the side
that supported the Shutdown Code.
No, that wasn't his real reason for running away, he realized. Stating
that he didn't believe in it was sugarcoating it. In actuality, he
was just scared of the Shutdown Code. He was scared that he would have
to have it installed in him. He had been willing to abandon everyone
in the RPD..... Vulcan, Drastic Measures, and the Mechanical Maniacs.....
All because he was scared.
He couldn't run away. He won't.
Makenshi dumped his empty coffee can into the trashcan and made his
way back to his office.
--------------------
Alright Maks, here's some important stuff I felt like telling you just to refresh your memory.--------------------