The Business of War

Orchestrated By C.M. Rich (Magnetman)

Combat in London

By Snipe, Makenshi, Classi-Cal, Rich

---

Scenario H
Participants:
Pride (W)
SparkChan (W)
Slash & Shade (C)

Location: London, England
SA Troops: 1501
RPD Troops: 1242
Wily Troops: 673

Analysis:
Battlefield: London, United Kingdom

COs:
Pride (Wily)
Spark Chan (Wily)
Slashman (Cossack)
Shademan (Cossack)

Scissor Army units: 1501
RPD units: 1242 Wily units: 673

Length of combat:
Approx. 48 hours

Decoding transmission...

--------------------

Day 1:

"Okay, Cossack. We're both here. What's the deal?" asked Slashman.

Dr. Cossack nodded. "I need you two to go to London."

Shademan seemed a little put-off by this. "London? It's an important landmark, yes, but it doesn't favor us strategy-wise. The scrapyards have a constant exposure to the country's harsh climate, and we might not salvage anything sturdy enough."

"I've taken that into account. This isn't a mission where you two will salvage anything. I need you two to find something out." said Dr. Cossack as he accessed the databanks.

"Which is?" asked Slashman.

Cossack finally brought up some records on his computer. "According to our limited intel, the Scissor Army and the RPD sent a large briggade of troops with no COs. The RPD can get away with that, but why the General wouldn't send a proper CO along with such a vast quantity of troops is beyond me." He pointed to the map, showing that while there were indeed several Sniper Joes in the area, there was no commanding officer to be found.

"So, your hunch is that they're hidding something?" asked Shademan.

Dr. Cossack nodded. "Exactally. What's even stranger is that Wily's forces are there, as well. That might not be strange in itself, but look at this."

Cossack pointed to a small area of the map.

"Wily has the smallest platoon in this area, yet they are commanded by two COs." explained Cossack.

"Well, there's a touch of irony for ya." said Slashman while maintaining a streight face. "Any idea who they are?"

Dr. Cossack shook his head. "We couldn't identify them."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" asked Shademan.

Dr. Cossack closed down the computer, and turned to the two Robot Masters. "I need you two to find out what exactally General Cutman is hidding here. The Scissor Army is your top priority. Don't try to negotiate with Wily's forces or the RPD if they open fire on you."

"Understood." said Slashman and Shademan in unison.

"I'll be sending you two a few miles south of the city. You guys don't want to attract attention, after all." said Cossack. "Good luck to both of you."

With that, Slashman and Shademan teleported just south of the battlefeild. As soon as they materialized, the two Drastic Measures renegades took a brief look around. There appeared to be no one guarding the parimeter.

"So, what's the plan?" asked the vampire Robot Master.

Slashman took another cautionary look around, and whispered to Shademan, "The plan is, we go after the Scissor Army. No one else. Like the doctor said, only attack the other groups if they fire on us. I guess our first priority would be taking out the higher-ranking Joes in the group, judging that they have no proper CO. I need you to fly up, and try to give me some locations, enemy and otherwise. If you're spotted, come back to me right away."

Shademan nodded without a word, and took off into the sky. Meanwhile, Slashman crouched onto the ground, ready for anything that might come his way...

--------------------

London Borough of Croydon

Pride felt nostalgic as he was thrown into the battlefield for the first time in one and a half years.

He was hoping that there would be some big boss to take down for his first mission, and perhaps even meet with his old rivals, the Ascendant Androids, as a longshot, but he was disappointed to find that the place was only teeming with peons from the Scissor Army and the RPD.

Oh well, this will just be a warmup, he thought.

He along with his troops turned the corner of the street, and to his amusement he found tons of SA and RPD units fighting amongst eachother. But why were they here, when there wasn't even an officer around on either side? It was suspicious, but Pride could not come up with a reason that made sense.

The robot ordered his squad to turn around, deciding to leave the two armies to destroy themselves, but he found himself face to face with a mob of about 25 Sniper Joes on the other end that began to open fire.

Alright, time for some action.

"Attack!" he roared to his squad, though he didn't need to because they were already returning fire. Leaping to the front lines, he brandished his electric guitar and struck a chord. A rocket flew out of the bazooka barrel attached to the guitar, homing in on the center of the Joes, and a couple of them almost comically flew into the air. He then took his hand on the highest string of his guitar and began strumming it furiously, his other hand darting up and down the frets at an inhuman speed. Sonic waves shot out of the guitar, hitting many of the Joes and immobilizing them, if not completely rupturing their insides. Wily's forces then took care of the remaining dozen or so Sniper Joes.

Pride turned back to his squad, seeing that there were only a few casualties. He then realized the stinging pain in his shoulder, and saw that there was a bullet hole in it. Whoops, he thought. He was getting careless already. Nevertheless, he grinned and spoke to his troops, "Alright, everyone! We're outnumbered greatly compared to the RPD and the SA, so split up, but fight smart! Your objective is to find out why they're here in the first place, so if you find anything suspicious, alert me right away!"

Wily's army saluted and scattered into groups of around one hundred. Pride gazed at the group that remained with him. "Alright, you lucky folks who are staying with me are gonna have some fun," he declared with a chuckle.

Then he turned to the orange robot beside him. He had almost forgotten that she was there in the first place. "Yo," he said. "You're quite the silent one. What's up with you?"

--------------------

It seemed Wily had spared her this time around. Having found out who was her savior and captor was a surprise no doubt. But perhaps it wasn't too big of a surprise considering the war. Some enemies were more of a priority than others.

She was highly trained in mechanical repairs, but also human medical support. For the young boy that Forte took away, she requested to see him again. His arm had been shot and looked like someone atleast half attempted to bandage it. Unraveling the cloth she found the messy wound.

Spark: There there... you're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you.

Her voice was gentle when speaking to the weak and distressed child. He only recently lost his mother. As she numbed his arm and began to look into his injury... she tried to keep his mind on other things.

Spark: Hey sweety, do you have a name?

The boy replied in a quiet tone.

Boy: Benny...

She laughed and smiled to him behind her little working curtain. The boy's injury hidden from his sight so he wouldn't become nervous or scared.

Spark: Benny? As in Benjamin? Well what do you know... you share the name of one of my oldest friends.

She smiled more softly to herself, unable to forget her old beloved leader. She knew that he had to be safe... But then it hit her. Wasn't he with Wily? Did that mean HeatMan was here??? The procedure didn't take long at all, not with her experience. She stitched the boy up and rebandaged his arm with new gauze.

Spark: My name is Classi-Cal... but most refer to me as Spark-Chan.

Benny: Are we... going to die?

It wasn't a question she was used to, but perhaps in time from this war it might almost be common place. She closed her violet eyes letting out a sigh.

Spark: Dr. Wily's base is actually safer than any other at the moment. We'll be fine here Benny. I'll make sure of it.

The way the boy partly smiled was enough to keep Spark's 'heart' running. Sometimes her existance was just to see just that, a smiling child. She wiped a few tears that came from his eyes, her motherly nature kicking in... promising to do her best for his life and his safety.

--------------------

"You're quite the silent one. What's up with you?"

The woman bot shook her head and smiled to him.

Spark: Forgive me, I was just thinking.

She was out here in London of all places, this small task force out to investigate and perhaps take over a weaker line of SA and RPD troops. Wily's reason to her was because she owed him her life. He repaired her armor, her wounds, and even promised the child Benny to her care afterwards. She looked forward to it...

Spark: They say this region is being swept over a second time by the other troops. I'd say that one of them certainly knows what to be looking for. But which?

Of course Wily would love to have his hands on something his enemies wanted, even if he had no use for it. Anything to stop their rise in power or their ideas against him. What they didn't know was that Cossack deployed two RMs into the vicinity as well.

Spark: Well hun, um... he said your name is Pride? It's nice to meet you. I'm Spark-Chan. It would seem we've landed in a national park. It'd be wise for us to move into the city for more cover. I'm positive that whatever they are after must be hidden somewhere there.

She hadn't an idea what they would be running into in the city further, and probably should have looked up to take note of the RM in the sky observing them. All she knew was that if she got through this... she could get back to Benny and perhaps tuck him in.

--------------------

"Well, nothing unusual so far." muttered Shademan to himself. "Still want to know what the Scissor Army is up to."

As he flew over Wily's briggade, he managed to find the two COs. One of them was a man he didn't recognize. The other, however...

"Classi? But she's with the Mechs. Why would she be with Wily?"

Shademan circled around the area again, but he wasn't that careful this time.

"Hey! What's that?"

As he flew around, a group of Wily troops spotted the vampire-like robot. Immidietally, he flew out of attack range.

--------------------

Slashman remained poised at his spot. What was taking Shademan so long? It wasn't like there was a lot to take note of. Just then, a familiar purple shade drifted out of the sky.

"What took you?" asked Slashman.

Shademan sighed. "Wanted to check something out, but got caught."

"By whom?"

"Wily troops. Probably scouts."

Slashman frowned in disgust. Now that the Wily faction knew that they were here, they were probably going to be looking for them.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. What info did you gather?"

Shademan nodded. "The Scissor Army is destroying everything they see. Probably just a final sweep, making sure they got everything. They're moving Northwest, but they are not in one group."

"That's nothing new. What about the RPD?"

"They appear to be looking for something, or someone."

"Hmm. Not much info there. What about the two Wily COs."

"One robot I couldn't identify, and the other is Spark Chan of the Mechs."

Slashman could scarecly believe it. "Spark Chan? What's she doing with Wily?"

Shademan shook his head. "Hey, you're asking the wrong guy. So, now what?"

The wolverine pondered for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Okay, here's the plan. We aren't going to salvage anything here, so we can't take any substantial damage. We'll need some gurrilla tactics. You attack from the buildings, and I'll strike from the allyways. Remember, our main targets are the higher-ranking Sniper Joes of the Scissor Army. Attack no one else unless you're fired upon."

Shademan nodded and started to fly into the sky again.

"Oh, one more thing." said Slashman. "If Wily's bots spot us again, our goose is cooked, so we want to avoid that. Alright, Shade, let's move!"

Shademan nodded, and flew back towards the location he spotted one of the platoons of Sniper Joes, and pearched himself above the fray. Meanwhile, Slashman dashed from allyway to allyway, finding a good place to strike from...

--------------------

Pride nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense," he said.

They had just entered the city when Pride sensed that something was wrong. He scanned ahead of him, at first seeing no one. Then, something large and blue leaped out of a corner. He judged that the Special Forces unit's glowing hands were aimed at Spark-Chan, and instinctively he jumped, pushing her out of the way just as the shot was fired. Due to past experiences he had thought that he would have been accustomed to pain, but he reconsidered as the white-hot energy blast seemed to incinerate his entire body. He couldn't help but cry out in pain before landing hard on the ground. Struggling to his feet and coughing up mechanical fluids, he yelled to his troops, "Scramble and attack!"

As the Wily bots scattered to attack the SF unit from all sides, Pride turned to Classi. "We're going to have to sacrifice our troops if we plan on getting away. Let's hurry and get outta here while that bot is still busy."

--------------------

Shocked at their sudden attack, all she could do was go along with Pride's plan. Pride was in very bad condition, human and robot alike were in serious damage if internal fluids came from the mouth. As the Wily bots faced off with the Special Forces... she scrambled to Pride's side and pulled his arm over her shoulder... running with him out of harm's way.

Spark: We have to get you somewhere safe!

She knew only so much of the layout of Greater London. Without information on true objectives, she and Pride were walking into a massacre. Not that London looked any better. This area of Croydan looked horrid. Some buildings were still ablaze and many others crumbling. The streets were covered in papers, powdery dust of old cement, and the smell of charred mixed materials. It almost hurt her own nose sensors.

She held tighter to Pride as she heard the commotion behind her begin to fade. Either she ran far from the Special Force Unit... or all their men had been destroyed. Her eyes squint at the thought. Continuing to run down the empty roads... she found herself diving with Pride into an alley way. The RPD's units giving a quick jog down the road reporting to one another on current findings. With a fire burning just behind her... her orange hide hid the two bots from being seen. It looked like it was only humans in that march... but soon robots would come along and track them. If there was definately something she couldn't defeat... it would be a Special Force Unit bot. Once the humans passed she looked down to Pride.

Spark: I'll find us a place to hide. I can repair you. Just trust me.

She didn't give him time to reply... standing and lifting him to lean on her shoulder again. There was a building that looked to still be in tact though with some small fires. She saw the RPD's men leave the building when she peaked from her current hiding place. She'd head there since it was deemed 'clear'. As soon as she got the chance... she ran out and across the street... up the brick stairs passed the broken gate and into the torn down doorway.

--------------------

The Special Forces lost track of the two Commanding Officers of Wily... but their troops were completely devastated. Seeing as this area of Croydan was empty they began to move northward towards the two unknowing Cossack commanders. Apparently... they too saw ShadeMan freeflying in the open. The man in charge of this team was an old war veteran and a real steel hearted man. He went by the title Marshall Willow, and commanding every movement from here to the north of the Greater London area.

His voice thundered through communicators, civilians who survied the SA onslaught were being retrieved by this Special Force and it's 20 platoons. The rest of the men outside of these platoons weren't nearly as much trouble as this one unit was going to be.

Marshall Willow: We have an all clear! Men! Forward!

With the survivors being carried in ironplated vehicles, it looked to be a rescue mission. An important one at that.

--------------------

Inside of the building, Spark-Chan had carried her co-commander in. It was a beautiful place despite the broken furniture and other items. There was some obvious blood stains... but luckily no bodies for them to find. Atleast that's what she hoped as she stepped through some dusty residue on the floor. There was alot of church born objects in the main halls and rooms. Magnificently carved and decorated crosses. But it wasn't a church... it actually reminded her of a courtroom. Pictures of priests, royalties, and other figures hung on the walls as if to pass judgement even before they bore witness. Carefully she sat him down on a clear spot on the floor. She gave him a smile though she felt trully scared and shook up from events just moments before.

Spark: I'll need for you to relax. It won't take me long to patch you up... But you'll have to be careful as I don't have the right supplies needed to get you back 100%.

--------------------

Shademan perches up above a group of Sniper Joes like a gargoyle. Once they passed underneath him, he immidietally swooped down, and snatched the commander of the troop. In midair, he used his talons to rip off the Joe's shield, and then landed on another building. There, he griped the Scissor Army CO with his free arm, his buster arm aimed at his skull.

The Scissor Army Joes suddenally found their commader gone, and started looking around. They found their commander's shiled, and looked up. There was Shademan, holding the Sniper Joe like a human shiled. The Joes all took aim.

"Really, now." said Shademan. "Is that any way to treat your superior?"

"Ignore me, men! Take him down!" yelled the Sniper Joe.

The other Joes nodded, and took aim again. As soon as they did, Shademan flew out of reach. The Scissor Army troops tried to pursue the enemy, but found their feet to be stuck to the ground. Red paste kept them from chasing the vampire Robot Master. One of them heard something from behind him. He turned to see what it was.

He was too late.

Slashman sprang from the allyways, slashing the Joe into two peices. The other members of the squad opened fire. Slashman, running on all fours, circle strafed around the enemies before looping back and charging, claws extended. His motions a blur, he managed to decapitate every Sniper Joe. He gave a nod to Shademan, who dropped the commanding officer of the now-deceaded Scissor Army troop onto the pavement.

"Good work." said Slashman. "No damage, and I do believe this strategy is working well."

"I agree. Let's move on-"

Shademan stopped mid-sentance. Two clicking noises where heard from behind.

"Alright, you two! Put your hands where we can see 'em!"

RPD Police Bots. They must have found Shademan while he was flying.

"What seems to be the problem, officer?" joked Slashman.

"Don't toy with me, Cossack dog!" barked the officer. "Marshall Willow wants your heads on silver platters."

Slashman smiled. "Really, now?" He winked at Shademan.

Shademan nodded. "Nice spotting me while I was flying. Wow, you guys must really be sharp."

"Enough blather out of both of you! You're coming with us!" barked the second soldier.

"You'll have to catch us first." said Slashman.

"Wha-?"

Slashman launched two goo bombs in the direction of the two police bots. As soon as they were stuck fast, he and Shademan dashed into the allyways.

"This isn't good." said Slashman while he caught his breath. "The RPD and Wily's COs know we're here. The only good thing is that the Scissor Army doesn't know, but we can't continue our attacks with the other two groups out to get us."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Shademan.

Slashman thought it over for a bit as another Scissor Army platoon engaded some of the RPD Special Forces.

"Alright, we'll have to be more covert. We continue as planned, only with one major change. If the RPD or Wily's troops spot us, we hide. If they find us in our hidding place, we incapacitate them and move on. Got it?"

Shademan nodded.

"Alright, let's wait for these two platoons to finish beating each other up, and then we can clean up the remains."

--------------------

Pride watched as Spark-Chan tended to his wounds. He felt exhausted, and the concentrated blast he received from the SF unit had hit him square in the stomach, rattling up some of his inner mechanisms. With the aid of his fellow commander and his own auto-repair system, he would hopefully be in an acceptable condition by morning. The guitar wielding robot glanced out a window. The orangish haze of sunset filtered through the large windows, giving the inside of the building a warm glow.

Once Classi had finished her job, Pride felt a tiny boost of energy. It was enough for him to stand up and be at full awareness now. On the other hand, the Mechanical Maniac appeared to be getting fatigued.

"Um," he said to the orange android. "Do you think you have enough energy to scout around? We're not entirely sure if this place is safe yet..."

--------------------

The day was already ending, and here they were... out of a troop and only half manned. She gave him a reassuring smile though she felt weak. Her energy levels put out fast since she was more or less programmed to need rest like a human would. Slowly she got to her feet.

Spark: I don't want you to move for a while. My repairs can only do you so well if you don't rest. We should be safe as long as we're alert and quiet.

She folded her arms as she looked towards the old thickly glassed windows. The place was once a very important building. She could tell from all the old inscribed plaques on the walls and portraits everywhere. Unable to rest with the thought of looking after him... she sort of paced to and fro.

Spark: Hm?

The woman bot questioned audibly. She found her eyes scanning in closely on some of the portraits. There were many fancy dressed men holding crosses, goblets, family crests and other things. But there also was a portrait of a fair woman. These were no doubt old... but were these very important people of this area?

Spark: I still don't know what we're to be looking for. If only it was easier...

She sighed and finally took a seat near him... over looking her work on him. Still her eyes drifted to the portraits.

Spark: Strange that a house of law would allow for pictures of religion. In America... they tend to keep law and religion seperate.

That gave her a sudden thought... her eyes returning to him wondering if he understood too. Was this mission a little more than they were thinking? England wasn't well known for resources or technology. Maybe the RPD was here for something political?

--------------------

Pride looked back at her and blinked. Evidently he was completely clueless.

Striding over to a bench that was still intact, he laid down on it. Unstrapping, his guitar, he took the tremolo arm and bended it in an unnatural position. This turned it into an alarm that would alert him if any intruder got within a 50 meter radius of them.

Though he was not capable of sleeping, he closed his eyes. He thought about his colleague and a strange feeling came over him. In fact, ever since she had started repairing him, he had felt this foreign feeling. Yes, with some female robots he had encountered before he had made some..... lecherous acts, but this was completely different.

No, it was the feeling of being cared about. Spark-Chan was the first person to actually give a damn about him.

But the feeling was still far too strange to him, and he wished that it would go away.

"Hey," he said to his comrade, but glancing over he saw that she was fast asleep on a bench on the other side of the room.

--------------------

Slashman and Shademan continued fighting during the night, even though they were gradually getting tired. Unlike their enemies, they needed rest. However, lingering for even a second would mean that they would be killed or captured.

They managed to eliminate a total of 3 Scissor Army COs, which wasn't bad, but there were many more lurking around. The RPD didn't help matter, either. On more than one occation, they would spoil their sneak attacks, forcing them to flee. It wasn't their finest our, that was for sure.

"Alright, let's assess our situation." said Slashman as they hid in a dark allyway for a breather. "Just as I expected, we didn't sustain too much damage out there, but we're still in a bit of trouble. As good as we are at doing this kind of thing, we aren't going to be able to keep it up forever. We need to find a safe haven to rest."

"But where?" asked Shademan. "This place is crawling with soldiers that either want us dead or enslaved. How are we going to find a place to rest?"

Slashman considered this for a while, and then saw a broken-down building a few feet from them. "I think I have an idea." said Slashman. "Come with me."

Shademan followed Slashman towards the building, only to find it being guarded by RPD officers.

"Some find." said Shademan sarcastically. "Now what?"

"We wait until dawn." said Slashman. "I have an idea. It'll be risky, but it's sure to get the job done..."

--------------------

Day 2:

The sun rose. Pride peered out of the window, and to his disappointment saw that there were still RPD troops lingering about, although their numbers had dramatically decreased. He sighed, then turned to see that Classi was awakening from her slumber. He decided that while waiting for the RPD to leave completely, they could kill time by looking around the large building.

--------------------

A few hours after sunrise, long after Pride and Classi woke up, Shademan flew down towards the RPD soldiers. He landed right behind them, and took a deep breath.

I hope this works... he thought to himself. And then, out loud, he stated. "Sun jurested." while doing his trademark bow.

The soldiers immidietally turned around.

"Hey! It's that Cossack dog! Get him!"

Shademan immidietally took flight as a good protion of the RPD gave chase. Noticing a group of Wily bots combatting Scissor Army soldiers nearby, he led the RPD troops into the crossfire. As soon as they were engaged with the enemy, they forgot about Shademan. The vampire Robot Master sighed in relief, and flew back towards the building.

Meanwhile, Slashman managed to find a small hole in the side of the building, a good ten feet above him. Using his claws, he crawled up the building towards the hole when he thought the coast was clear. He was five feet up when...

"Huh? It's one of those Cossack bots! Get him down here!"

Special Officers started firing at Slashman from below. The wolverine Robot Master found it difficult to dodge and focus on climbing. One blast his just above his claw, shattering the rock. Losing his grip, Slashman struggled to keep going. Another hit above the claw, and he lost his grip completely.

It would have been the end of his freedom, has Shademan not come right then and there. Scooping up Slashman, he flew him into the hole before the Special Forces could get a proper bead on him.

Once inside, Shademan set Slashman onto his feet.

"You okay?" asked Shademan.

"Such irony." snikered Slashman. "You had the more dangerous job, and it was I who nearly got captured. Thanks for the save."

"No problem. Anything damaged?"

Slashman checked himself. "Nothing major. Just got a little singed. You?"

Shademan checked his wings, which were now blackened at the tips. "Same. But now, let's rest."

As soon as he said that, Slashman's senses kicked in. He started scanning the area, sniffing the air like an animal.

"What is it?" asked Shademan.

"We aren't alone in here." answered Slashman. "Keep your wits about you."

--------------------

The halls of the building were vast, with the walls being built out of stone. It seemed to be more like a tunnel save for the fact that there were windows where sunlight poured in. Occasionally there were beautiful paintings of angels, though to Pride they weren't in good taste.

"We're going to have to regroup with whatever's left of our forces," he said. "Hopefully we can get some answers from our scouts." Spark-Chan only nodded.

They had come across an old-styled courtroom, decorated with large tapestries of medieval royal figures. The front part of the room where the jury's stand stood was completely destroyed. The two robots' footsteps echoed ominously in the room, and it reminded them of the banging of a gavel.

Onward, they found themselves at a spiral staircase. They ascended it, and at a landing there was a window. Gazing out, Pride saw that the troops at ground level were thinning out even more, almost completely gone. He hoped that it would at least stay that way until noon.

Then, the alarm from his guitar sounded off, only heard by him as a high-pitched chord. "Someone's nearby," he said cautiously. The entire building was silent, so he didn't suspect that it would be the RPD, SA, or Wily troops. So who could it be?

They made their way up another winding flight of stairs, only to find that the path was blocked by debris. Half-buried in the rubble was a young woman who was trapped in the rubble.

"Ah, it's just a human," he said in relief and leaped over the debris, continuing up the stairs. He turned and saw that Classi wasn't following him, and ran back down to see that she was still by the human.

--------------------

"They don't seem to be aproaching our locatioin for now." said Slashman. "We should be safe here."

Shademan shook his head. "Slash, we can't be too careful, not in the situation we're in right now. Those RPD troops could be trying to come up here after us."

Slashman nodded. "It's a possibility. What do you suggest?"

Shademan pointed to the hole they just crawled through. "I'll stay here and watch for enemies. You follow your scanners and find out what exactally is in this building."

Slashman smirked. "Y'know, Shade? We do make a good team. It anything hostile is here, I'll let you know."

With that, Slashman bounded down a dark stairwell.

--------------------

Spark: We can't just leave her here! She's injured!

Spark-Chan knelt down and dug the woman out of the rubble, her clothes and skin dusty from the debris. Her limbs were intact and nothing seemed broken... all except some blood running from her forhead down her face. Spark immediately scanned her vital signs... finding she was alright but unconcious. Slipping her arms under the girl she lift her up and got her onto her own back, carrying her piggyback style.

Spark: We'll have to take her with us. She'll die if she stays here.

It was what she did for a living, helping humans wether they appreciated or not. Her eyes looked over towards Pride, sensing he probably wouldn't agree with this... but she was determined to get this girl out safetly. The troops outside had desipated immensely, giving them the time to escape. It had to be now.

Spark: We do need to regroup with our units... ... but we'll need to follow the Robot Police forces first. This woman can't stay here with the Scissor Army's men running around clearing out human life.

It was going to be very dangerous, risking their life for a human woman they didn't know. They'd go into enemy territory to drop her off? That was Spark-Chan's plan...

--------------------

After a while of sneaking, his senses started to go wild. Whoever was in the building, they were nearby. Slashman slowly made his way down the stairs, and stopped suddenally. There he found the two Wily COs, one robot he didn't recognize, and one who was no other than Spark Chan of the Mechs.

Shademan, blending in with that dark background, appeared above Slashman. "Slash, the RPD are considering breaking in. To make matters worse, Scissor Army troops are coming in from the South, 50 of them." he whispered

Slashman scowled. "We have bigger fish to fry. Look who I found."

Shademan looked down at the two Wily COs, and frowned. "It looks like close combat is going to be unavoidable." he sighed.

"Yeah," said Slashman, "but let's see if we can't catch them by surprise."

Shademan nodded, and kept himself hidden in the shadows. Slashman crouched on the stairs like a lion, waiting to pounce...

--------------------

As she began down the steps they came... her silent inner alarms were going off. There was robots within the vicinity, but she couldn't detect how far or in what area. Worriedly she moved aside and into a room... only to bump face to face with one of Cossack's bots!

Spark: Sh-- ShadeMan!

She was in a pincer, ShadeMan before her, SlashMan on the steps behind her, that and she had this woman in her arms. What could she do other than keep the peace? She was a pacifist.

Spark: I'm not here to fight you.

Would they attack? Or would they recognize she was currently incapable of attacking?

--------------------

Shademan nodded. "I understand, Spark Chan. After all, you are helping a civilian." The vampire then chuckled. "You never cease to amaze me. You're with Wily, and still you help the innosent."

Slashman maintain his stance, growling. "Who we're most concerned about is your little friend. The one with the guitar." He quickly turned around, trying to see if the robot he just mentioned was there.

"Listen, we can't stay here either way." said Shademan. "RPD and Scissor Army forces are heading this way. We need to get out of here, and quick."

"She won't make it far alone," stated the wolverine as he tried to find Pride. "Are your troops around the area?"

"I don't think that'll be enough." mused Shademan. "Spark Chan, we have similar goals, even if we are on opposite sides. We have more of a chance of survival if we escort you to wherever you need to go."

Slashman snorted. "Good reasoning, Shade, but one minor flaw. I'm all for helping Spark, but if the other CO finds out, we might be in trouble." He continued to search the room sniffing around like a wild animal. "He's close by. I can sense him."

Shademan, keeping a cool head, turned to Spark Chan. "You know your partner better than we do. Do you think he'd allow us to help you? Even if he won't, we won't take no for an answer."

Slashman nodded, still crouching and ready to pounce. "That's right. We protect the innosent, robot and human alike, without sacrfising our freedom. That's the Cossack way."

--------------------

Pride walked right in front of Slashman. "I heard ya, I heard ya. But what I don't understand is," he began, looking at the girl in Classi's arms, but after seeing Spark's concerned face he stopped. Shaking his head, he changed the course of his speech. "We'll regroup with our forces, and you two can tag along with us. Hopefully we'll be able to know what's going on."

The four made their way up the clocktower, then, ascended a ladder to get to the rooftop. They watched as the last of the troops entered the building, with only a few remaining outside. There was another structure beside them.

"All of you can jump pretty far, right?" Pride asked. They all nodded. "Good. Let's go!" And he leaped to the other building, with Slashman behind him, Shademan flying close by, and Spark trailing a bit behind, but still managing despite having to carry the woman.

They continued their rooftop jumping until a bullet was fired in their direction. A group of Police bots had spotted them. Pride fired a rocket from his guitar at them, wiping most of the bots out and providing enough distraction for them to jump off and continue their run on ground level. For what seemed like forever, they continued to move up the city stealthily, making sure to always take as much cover as possible.

--------------------

The newly formed group were surrounded on all sides by the sparce RPD troops. It wouldn't be so bad if they weren't trapped upon these rooftops and had more cover. Taking Pride's idea they began to hop the tops of the buildings nearby. SlashMan was doing alright as his clawed feet and hands could grip. ShadeMan had to land as his wing was almost clipped by a few blasts from below, his feet too were shaped as claws so the withering building tops weren't treacherous to scale across.

Spark-Chan and Pride were having the most trouble. They weren't built with this sort of climbing in mind. With each step their heels could be heard creaking the wooden structure below, or accidentally peeling off the already charred shingles. With all the fighting that destroyed most of London... these buildings were about as sturdy as an old ghost town's rotten skeletons.

They continued to leap around these buildings, Spark was a nicely figured bot and looked to weigh no more than a normal girl... but the truth was she probably weighed three times as much. Her heels sometimes stomping right through the roof. All the while she held the unconcious woman she and Pride found earlier... refusing to let her go. About 3 buildings from the courthouse she was picking up mentions of reinforcements below. If these RPD units were going to call reinforcements... that meant the Special Forces were going to turn around and return. THAT was going to be one very drastic turn of events for them.

Spark: They're calling for backup! We're going to need to change our plan! They're going to pin us in and--

Before she could finish a huge explosion rumbled below, causing their current building to collapse on one side and slant the remainder dangerously steep.

Slash: Hang on!!

Slash had grabbed a hold of Shade who almost stumbled... the two of them staying still as the aftershocks continued to rip around the building. Spark slipped immediately, her arms locking protectively as she slid at freefall speed towards the ledge of the roof. Her arms protected the woman with each tumble and roll, her weight kept from squishing her, her arms keeping the roof from slicing her. Just as she was nearing the edge she picked up a faint voice through the smoke.

Pride Spark-Chan!!! Reach out to me!!!!

Unable to see him through the dark clouds and her green hair matted around her face, she flung her arm out in the direction of his voice, hoping she didn't reach out aimlessly. To her luck she stopped just as her heels reached the edge of the building. Another explosion cried out, and behind it she could hear Slash struggling to hold Shade, at the same time her legs moved another foot off the edge. Obviously Pride was slipping from his hold on the worn roof.

Pride: Spark-Chan! You can't let us all fall! Let go of that woman! She's not our responsibility!

His words shocked her. Not their responsibility? The woman was taken from the builing and up onto a roof. Another few loud bursts rang out... cries and gunfire from below clogging up her own scream. They slipped even further... but she could never forget. These very same arms lost grip of Benny's mother... which made him an orphan. If she let go of her... would she create yet another orphan? There was no way this woman would sustain the 30 foot drop to the surface. She promised to save Benny's mother... and somehow she felt by saving this woman... it'd be a sort of penance to her heart. Ignoring Pride's call for her to let go... she instead tried to infuse a sense of strengthened morale in him.

Spark: Pride! Pull as hard as you can!! We're going to make it as long as we stay strong!

At the same time she was inching herself back up with her knees and elbows, the woman still quietly lying against her chest. Finally both women and Pride were lying in a safe flat at the top of the building. All fire at the foursome had haulted, the SA had spotted the RPD and instead made them refocus on the SA Joes who were there to exterminate them. This gave them a chance to to run out of there unnoticed. Somehow it seemed this happened at perfect timing. Was it their luck? Or was there some purpose behind it? The four recollected themselves and hopped across these buildings both cautious and quickly.

--------------------

The Marshall was informed of a SA invasion on the sweep team in the south. His group was heading towards the City of London from their own reports. The Special Force unit had no troubles with any SA Joes or Wily bots scattered in the north. They plowed through with ease, and on the border of their destination.

Marshall Willow: Just some bit further boys, then we can get back home!

They obviously knew where they were heading and what to be looking for. Sources to them came through walky talky about some 'object' in safety. Some Wily Spy Bats happened to pick up on the signals... going to alert their commanders of what they found.

--------------------

Buckingham Palace, Westminster

"Oh my gosh...."

That was all Spark could say. The gates to the palace were flattened entirely, and the once majestic abode of royalty was in flames. Yet the Victoria Memorial was almost unscathed. The nautical statues all remained, and the bronze angels at the top prevailed through the chaos. Was this supposed to be a sign.... of hope?

But the building that had housed the monarchs of England was destroyed. Surely, the country had fallen.

A squad of Wily's units met the four robots. There were about one hundred of them.

"Is this all that's left?" Pride inquired.

"Yes," a Wily Sniper Joe confirmed.

"Also," another Joe continued, "We've found from overhearing some RPD units that the queen of England is alive. Rumor has it that she's hiding in the City of London."

"Ah, that explains why the RPD and Scissor Army is here," Pride said. He appeared to be deep in thought, and a smirk appeared on his face.

--------------------

"Anything on your sensors?" asked Shademan.

Slashman sniffed the air a few times. "I'm getting nothing. They probably bailed out of here."

Spark Chan looked up, concerned. "Do you think the Queen's alright?" she asked.

Shademan nodded. "Not to worry. Slashman's built-in sensors can detect anything up to 3 yards. If anyone can find the Queen, it's him."

"And they're built into his nose?" asked Spark Chan.

Shademan laughed. "Not at all. It's just one of Slashman's manerisms. He tends to act like a wild beast, but he still maintains a sense of rational-"

Slashman interrupted his comrad. "I'm getting something. Very faint. It's definetally human."

"Nearby?" asked Shademan.

Slashman shook his head. "Not in this building, but probably the one adjacent to it."

Shademan nodded again. "Think you can follow it?"

Slashman sniffed the air again. It was very faint, but he still thought that it could be followed. "Yeah, I think so. C'mon!"

Without another word, Slashman darted deeper into the palace. Shademan opened up his wings, and turned to Classi.

"Spark Chan, the girl is not safe here, and I doubt she will be safe if we bring her along. She'll need someone to escort her to a safe haven. I'd suggest myself, but I don't know how much you trust me. Either way, we need to follow Slashman. He's definetally onto something."

Shademan looked Classi straight in the eye. A sense of kindness and pity could be found in the vampire's eyes. You are such a fragile girl. he thought. Why did you allow yourself to be thrown into this war?

--------------------

Upon reaching the inside of the ruins of Bunkingham Palace they found that the scent of humans came only from the onslaught that was inside. Dead bodies lied all about, most of which were government officials, their families, and of course servants. They all stopped dead on their tracks.

Spark: ....my.... goodness...

She turned her head saddly. The scent came from this... and she couldn't sense any life forms left alive inside. It broke her to see this.

Pride had no trouble going through the mess and seeing if anyone was alive. A body near him twitched... causing him to grab the old man by the collar and ring him.

Pride: Hey you! What hapened here!? Where is the queen!?


The old man was with such a small life force... but his eyes rolled back and they were left in emptiness once again. Pride dropped the man... turning back to only see the other bots in a much different state. SlashMan was looking amongst them carefully, a few explicits emitting as he frowned. ShadeMan stood silently watching before lowering his own head.

Shade: There is nothing here... we must leave this place and keep looking.

They all sort of agreed. Pride though found his eyes fixated on Spark. The woman in her arms kind of stirred... letting out a mutter.

Pride: She's not worth all this effort. She slows us down and is of no help. Leave her with her kind here.

Spark-Chan looked up to him both angered and hurt. For him to just press these things aside, and to degrade the helpless.

Spark: Since when has our lives become top priority? How is this woman any different than us? She has suffered with us and deserves to live! It's true that I may not be able to save her... but I would rather risk my life to do so... than drop her here to later remember what I've done. ....

She refused to let the woman go until she really was in safety.

Spark: She and I are alot alike. I can feel she's struggling to hang on... just as we robots were built to continue our own way to still exist. But if I am holding you back... Pride sir... then leave me behind.

She turned with Shade and walked back towards the front to leave. SlashMan also joined... upset with himself that he couldn't find anyone alive despite his nose picking up human scents.

As soon as she stepped outside... some Spy Bats appeared before her. They projected a hologram image to her in the form of two RPD unit men speak.

Man1: How much further can the City of London be? My back is killing me.

Man2: Do you want the Marshall to overhear you? Just keep walking. We'll make it to St. Paul's Cathedral in no time.

Man1: I want to just rescue the old woman and get the heck out of this place.

The image sizzled away and her eyes brightened. The St. Paul Cathedral! They couldn't be that far themselves!

Spark: Perhaps we should go! They're going to rescue her and everything should be fine! She'll be with humans again and taken out of here.

Of course, she wasn't taking into account of Pride's reasons of being deployed here, or her own promise to do as Wily ordered.


Pride dashed out of the palace entrance to catch up with the others. "Hey, don't forget about me," he panted. Then, he gazed with a frown at the woman in Spark's arms, then to Spark.

"Look, it's not you that's holding anyone back, it's just that woman. Honestly, I can't understand how you can care so much about a complete stranger, let alone a simple human..."

Spark: I maybe a robot, but I was built by a human with a human in mind. To think the comparisons between myself and her are all that different... then I would be in denial.

They had been trudging along the beaten roads and fallen buildings in Westminster. Infact it was hard to tell that these were once streets. that lead anywhere with all the debris.

Spark: ...Pride... let me ask you something.

SlashMan was ahead of the group, they were going to rely on his sense of direction to make it to the City of London. He felt the urge to defend Spark and rebuke Pride, but decided that his current job was of far more importance.

"Go ahead," Pride said with a rather quizzical look. He looked around and saw that the other troops silently marched on, completely ignoring the conversation, which relieved him only a little. Shademan flew ahead to catch up with his comrade.

Spark: What if I was a human woman, and this girl was a robot woman? Back there on that roof... would you have let me go? Would you then try and save her instead?

She looked to him with all seriousness. He'd have to think hard. Was Spark only worth as much as the metal she was built with?

"I..." but he couldn't find any more words to say. His thoughts became a jumbled mess.

And there was also the time when he had pushed her out of the way of that SF unit's blast. If she had been a human..... He didn't have to think twice about it.

He would have done absolutely nothing.

He would have let the first person who actually acted kind towards him, simply die.

But if she were a human, she wouldn't be like that, right? Humans cared only for themselves, and they dug their own graves burying themselves in sin and war...

At least, that was what he was programmed to believe. And besides, robots acted that way as well.

Nothing was making any sense.

Finally, he spoke. "I can't answer that," he said through clenched teeth. Then, he bolted ahead, not wanting to talk any further.

--------------------

An unknown force had appeared in lower Croydon just about the same time as when Pride and Spark-Chan were deployed. It was a lone force made up of one 'commander' and a Redworm

DocRobot: That woman bot! Master won't even listen to me now that she's gotten in such an uproar with her!

He came on his own accord. Wily's attachment to the green haired Mechanical Maniac was very fustrating. He already despised the Mechanical Maniacs from earlier reasons, but here they were infiltrating his Master's base and now toying with his brain? He was set on finding that girl, waiting for her to make a mistake. But Spark-Chan had such a perfect slate... he'd have to frame her maybe. But how? He did't know. He marched forward riding the large worm's head until he eventually climbed through the hatch in it's head. The worm drove into the ground.... they would track Spark and her co-commander from under the surface. Not even Wily knew he tagged himself along.

But who ever really cared to recognize Doc Robot?

--------------------

The Marshall's team had put up a large barricade 5 miles from the cathedral and surrounded the perimeter. His own units got reports of a small group of Wily bots with 4 Robot Masters leading the way. He knew which direction they were heading and the Special Forces were waiting to do some battle.

Marshall Willow: We've done a good job but the object hasn't been recaptured. I don't want anyone or anything within the perimeter until it is recieved. Understood!?

His voice was like thunder, his troops rushing faster than before to their stations. The RPD's Special Forces were well arranged. No one seemed scattered at random, and all troops coordinated like a peice of one big machine. They weren't powerful just because they had powerful bots. They also had a well versed leader and talented troops, both robotic and human. A group of rescuers had went into the cathedral, 12 in all, 6 specially equipped to find and treat survivors, the other 6 trained as weapons themselves. Strangely... none of them had resurfaced from the standing structure. It began to really irritate the Marshall.

Marshall Willow: Men, keep your eye on the horizen!

He hopped down from the transport vehicle he had been riding on the back of. His specially trained arms following him towards the entrance of the cathedral. He looked over his shoulder to them and nodded.

Marshall Willow: Captain, we're timing this mission. Start the time. We go in and get out with the object as quick as possible. Go!

The 'Captian' he spoke to was a dull eyed young girl. Her eyes darkened, almost lifeless looking. Her armor was designed differently, obviously being that of a robot and not a human like the other specially certified with Willow. She looked no older than 10 or so but was apparently a bot programmed with a prime mission. She wore blue but had parts of her armor that looked dingy and yellow. Almost like FlashMan's color scheme. He set their timer and moved in as an essential part to this task force.

The timer was set, and they raced inside. But were they ready for what was inside? Battle hardened or not?

Slashman pondered this a bit. "That might be, but we still have problems. The Scissor Army still has quiet a few troops out there. Leaving the area won't be easy-"

Slashman stopped mid-sentance. His senses were reacting strongly.

"What's gotten into you all of the sudden?" asked Pride.

Slashman growled, and got into his battle pose. "We've got company." he said in a low voice.

Sure enough, several Scissor Army Sniper Joes surrounded the four COs, busters at the ready. The four robots stood back to back, guarding every point of the compass. The tension was peaking as the standoff started to drag on.

"Spark Chan, you're not safe, and neither is the human." said Shademan. "Please, trust me and let me defend her so that you can fight." He started into Classi's eyes, which showed that she was visablly scared. "I know you're a pacifist, Spark Chan," continued the vampire Robot Master, "but this is war. We all have to fight sometime."

Slashman smiled. "This is the part of my job that I like the best." he said as he continued to bide his time, waiting for his prey to make the first move.

--------------------

The Joes opened fire.

"Get down!" Shademan hollared. He dashed behind Spark Chan, shielding her with his wings.

Slashman, however, dove right into battle. Using his agility, he managed to tear one of the shileds off of the Sniper Joes, and tossed it over to Spark Chan. "Here, you need this more than I." he said, and then proceeded to slice at another Sniper Joe.

Classi nodded, and hid herself behind the shield.

"Alright, listen up!" said Shademan as he blocked another blast from the Sniper Joes. "Spark Chan is defenseless. We have to defend her at all costs. Understood?"

Slashman gave a quick nod. Pride, however, ignored the statement and attacked a Joe that was getting dangerousally close. Shademan was disturbed by this, but knew that there was no time for responces. The three Robot Masters continued their attack.

--------------------

As the battle raged on, Wily reinforcements helped to even the playing feild, and the Scissor Army forces were dwindaling. Using the tactics that the Cossack COs were origionally planning to use, Shademan managed to pick off the higher-ranking Sniper Joes one by one as Slashman, Pride, and the Wily bots took advantage of the distractions. Slashman's goo bombs were a godsend, as it prevented the Sniper Joes from getting within firing range of Spark Chan. Once during the battle, Shademan managed to lift Pride into the air, allowing the mysterious robot to fire rockets at masses of enemy troops.

After a long, tiring battle, The last of the Sniper Joes started to withdraw. The singe marks on Shademan's wings had turned into full-fledged burn marks. Slashman managed to sustain quiet a few burns and scrapes himself, but thankfully, nothing serious was damaged. Pride seemed to be the most fit out of the three, suffering only a somewhat minor wound in his shoulder. All in all, they had done well.

--------------------

The group of androids focused intently on the cathedral from their vantage point, intent on following the events inside. For a few moments, nothing really stirred, and nothing really indicated action.

Perhaps, the Queen really was inside, safe and sound?

SparkChan surveyed the area, war torn as it was. Taking stock of the buildings, all bearing the scars of bombing, battle, and brutality, doubt snuck into her consciousness. But more than that…something like…dread.

Her attention was snapped back up by Pride, who silently padded her on the shoulder to get her attention back on the holy ground. Something was going on, now, confirmed by the spy bats that relayed the supposedly private conversation amongst the human and robotic rescue team.

"Initial check reveals…no survivors, Marshall…", came the voice of the woman captain.

"Keep searching.", Willow insisted. "She's definitely inside. Intel's sure of it."

"Roger."

A few more seconds of no activity from the outside.

And then…

"Holy shit! What is that?!", came a frantic voice from the inside over the hijacked intercom.

The four androids peered even more intensely to the inside as stained glass lit up with gunfire.

"It's…It's him!"

"Him who?!", Marshall Willow demanded. "Captain, fall back immediately! I repeat, fall back-"

"Oh god…Leonard is down! He killed him! Oh god…"

"Captain, get those men out of there NOW!!"

"He's behind us?! He's-"

"Captain…CAPTAIN!?"

Willow was alone on the communication line just like that. His only speaking partner now was the echo of his own voice over the static.

"…Damn it.", he cursed. "Alright, clear out…We can't afford to lose any more men to some trap. We'll call in an air strike! Clear the area within 5 minutes!"

The remaining RPD units responded deftly, sprinting out of the area.

"Guess that means we should get out of here, too…", Pride mentioned.

SparkChan, however, seemed to have a different attitude.

"I want…I have to go inside."

"Are you nuts?!", Slashman screamed. "Didn't you see what was going on? There's something in there, and we don't have to fight it. In fact, we'd be stupid to even think about wasting anymore time…"

"You can stay here, then.", was all she said. "I'll be out soon enough."

SparkChan quickly left their observation point, heading towards the partially ruined cathedral. She didn't know what it was…But she felt like she was being called there. Drawn to it by some…force.

Through the heavy doors, SparkChan peered in. It was dark and musty, filled with the fog of dust from part of the roof collapsing in on the center mass area days earlier. With the sun setting, orange light filtered in through intact stained glass windows, providing an eerie setting…even without the fresh stacks of humanity strewn about.

SparkChan covered her nose, almost overcome by the smell of iron and salt, sweat and suffering. On first count, there were thirty-two people whose corpses decorated the church, including the freshly killed extraction team, who was actually arranged in a pile before the pulpit.

Classi approached the mass of bodies, and found a Bible placed before it. It was opened, laying cover-up. Reaching down to pick it up and read the passage it was opened to, she was caught slightly off guard by the first line of it, as it was underlined in blood.

"'The Lord is my Shepard…'

The voice came from behind her, saying aloud the same passage she was reading. It was…a familiar voice.

Stunned, she whirled around to the shadows to her left, peering into the darkness. Vaguely, she could see his outline, which was clear enough to recognize. But most of all, the eyes gave away his identity more than anything else. Very few creatures she's ever encountered have a set of eyes as telling, cold, and anger-filled as his.

"'I shall not want!'", Cutman proclaimed as he casually emerged from the darkness. His hands were soaked with blood all the way up to his elbows, and he brought the stench of blood with him. "Kyehehe…That passage…Do you understand the meaning behind it?"

"It…Its about God being a guide to his people…", SparkChan surmised quickly as she could. She was unsure of what exactly to say to the General, or what his intentions were. She had to fight the natural urge to run, but she knew he'd likely catch her before she reached the doors.

She was…frightened. But, she did her best to keep that from him.

"It is about man comparing himself to sheep in the eye of God.", Cutman further elaborated on. "That book is filled with many other whimsical points…I find myself agreeing with it more and more."

"You're as godless a being as I've ever met…", SparkChan hissed, anger boiling beneath her usually calm and kind demeanor. All at once, she remembered the fact that this…creature was responsible for this. For all of this…tragedy.

"Hmhmhm…You have a point!", the skull-like visage agreed. "In any case…I am here for a reason…"

Cutman strolled close to her, but she was careful not to make any sudden movements. Strangely, she didn't feel directly threatened by him; only feeling that not listening to him would be disastrous.

"I came here because I wanted to know you better." He claimed. "You're a…pureblood. An android free of the human consciousness which has infiltrated most of these other Robot Masters, you are an AI through and through."

"…I am not like you.", she argued, sensing his direction. "And I never have been."

"Oh, that much I recognize.", he agreed as he walked around her, surmising her. "And that's what befuddles me. Somehow, the human condition has infiltrated your mind, despite being initially free of it. What I want to know, from a purely scientific standpoint, is did you choose to adopt such a mindset? Of your own…free will?"

"I…I am myself. I know who I am, and I'm comfortable with that."

"Are you?", he inquired, honesty lacing his question. "Are you really, truly pleased with your direction in…life? Somehow, I doubt it."

"Yes…I am.", she asserted, realizing she was in the midst of some sort of mind game. She would not give in so easily.

"…No…You're not. Come now, you needn't lie to me…"

"Stop it right there.", she demanded. "This was a mistake- I shouldn't have come here."

Having enough already, Classi turned to leave, hoping Cutman wouldn't attempt to take her life as well. It was…strange, but somehow, she knew he wouldn't. It was in his voice, his actions.

"Mommy…", another voice called out.

SparkChan stopped in mid step, almost horrified, relied, and saddened at the same time.

"Sh…Sho?", she whispered in disbelief.

Slowly, she turned back to the General, and sure enough, the familiar, spider bot was sitting atop his right shoulder.

"Oh god…Shoryu…You're okay!"

"Yes…My Joes found her and brought her back to me.", Cutman explained. "She was in dire need of repair, so I gave her some help."

Spark looked at the pair with skepticism now. She was familiar by now with Cutman's unique brand of repairs, and what those came with.

"Sho…Is that really…you?"

Cutman chuckled to himself. "Yes…I assure you…This is her original AI. The real her, if you will. We merely had a talk…"

"Mommy…Listen to him!", Shoryu pleaded. "He's a smart man! He knows how everything works!"

"Sho…Listen to me. I want you to come here, right now.", Spark insisted with urgency.

"No…Mommy…You should come over here…"

"Shoryu…Don't…"

"Shoryu has made her choice.", Cutman elaborated. "She is a full fledged member of the Scissor Army. She understands us. She understands why we do what we do, and the vision we have!

Look beyond the violence! Beyond this era of blood and carnage! It won't last forever, SparkChan…Soon, the world will be ready for a fresh start. It will be the home of our Elysium- a world where robots care for the planet. The only kind of beings capable of respecting Mother Earth. Humanity had its chance, and it blew it.

Don't…Waste yourself, SparkChan."

The words tumbled around her mind for a few moments, mixed with confusion and sorrow over her daughter's decision.

What…Should she do?

"I…I'll…I'll think about it!", she blurted out, not really understanding the real strength of those words.

Cutman appeared to smile. "I know you will…But for now, realize that the man you serve under…Is just a man…That knowledge may be…useful."

SparkChan took this in. "Yeah…Yes, I know."

"Good…", he cooed, almost unable to be heard by the looming noise of bombers overhead. "It seems our time is at an end! Please take my offer seriously, SparkChan…I trust you'll make the right decision eventually.

Until then…Ciao…"

"W-Wait!", she pleaded as the pair of robots vanished in the bright, telltale light of teleportation, the sound of massive airplanes almost directly overhead now.

It was time to go now…

Shaken, she ran, fast as she could to the doors, leapt through them, rolled, and continued running back to the hiding place she had emerged from. She found her compatriots missing, but soon caught a glimpse of Pride waving to her from further up the street, as they too were attempting to escape the soon-to-come bombing.

And she ran, uncertainty piercing every thought.

Behind her, the formerly beautiful cathedral met a definitive end, callously wiped clean off the Earth by the explosion that ensued.

The words of the other three Robot Masters seemed lost on her for the rest of the evening, and she could barely recall them later. Her mind was elsewhere.

The four temporary allies spied a group of RPD soldiers on patrol after an hour, and finally managed to leave the woman they had been protecting with them by planting her on one of their patrol routes after some observation. With a silent "take care", she was gone, her fate beyond that unknown to them.

--------------------

DocRobot: ...it... can't be...

The shocked Doc Robot took a step back, hidden under an arch on one of the destroyed cathedral walls. He heard and saw everything, or atleast he thought he did. The 'perfect' Spark-Chan WAS infact an enemy! Collaborating with the General in order to get close to Wily. This was such news, it almost horrified and confused him. What started as a blackmailing mission turned out to be a rescue mission. He needed to warn Wily, and everyone who followed him.

Just as the bombers came overhead, he agreed to himself that he saw enough. Climbing back inside of the Red Worm, they dove into the dirt and back towards the landing point.

--------------------

Slashman smiled. "A job well done, I'd say. The Queen is safe, and the Scissor Army have been routed. Still a shame that they didn't have a proper CO."

Shademan nodded solemly, his mind elsewhere. "Spark Chan, I have just one question before we leave. Why are you with Wily if you dispise this fighting?" he asked the renegade Mech.

There was no answer. Spark Chan, too, had her mind on other matters.

Shademan closed his eyes, and nodded slowly. "I see..." he said.

"It doesn't matter now," said Slashman. "This war has divided many teams, including my own. The only point I see in this war is to destroy the General once and for all."

Shademan nodded. "Indeed. I hope we can meet on the battlefield as allies again." he said to the Wily COs.

Pride smirked. "Doubtful, but always a possibility." he responded. Spark Chan said nothing.

With that, Slashman and Shademan teleported back to Russia, their mission a success despite the several twists and turns. However, the war had just begun...

End Transmission...

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