The Business of War

Orchestrated By C.M. Rich (Magnetman)

The Puppet's Masters

By Hunter, Raijin, Cyros

---

Scenario E
Participants:
Wily's Warriors (W)
Docman (SA)(Mez)
Deep Impact (RPD)(C)(Mez)
Protoman (L)
Magnetman (Mez)

Location: London
SA Infantry: 1472
RPD Units: 941
Wily Bots: 618

 

for they saved I dunno you are are you kill now for Elysium awaits where am I never finished kill now for Elysium awaits for my friends quite touching kill now for Elysium awaits kill now for Elysium awaits kill now for Elysium awaits kill now for Elysium awaits

"What happened, where am I?"

Airman looked at the large, skull-faced robot in front of him with a look of utter confusion. "What!?"

"You...you're me! What is going on here?" The bewildered Docman inquired the annoyed-looking robot before him.

"You called me, asshole! I'm supposed to give you the report on the Wilybots! Doin' fine! There's my report! Now please dismiss me, oh glorious and brilliant Scissor Army overlord!" Airman spat his sarcastic rage into the slack-jawed face of his superior officer for this mission. He had no patience for taking orders from SA goons to begin with, much less one that came out of nowhere that somehow caught amnesia from standing in the same spot for three hours.

"No, wait! The last thing I remember...is speaking at the UN..." Docman looked around himself at his surroundings like he was seeing them for the first time. "...and then Hardman punched me, he must have knocked me out....that was right before Xellos attacked..."

Airman was flabbergasted at the nonsense being spewed by black metal skeleton. "Yeah, that's some stellar memory you got there. Think you can remember why they put a nutcase like you in charge?"

Airman's attitude to took a sudden turn when Docman's hand snapped out and lifted him up by the rim of his fan. The brass-colored skull stared maliciously into his eyes. Shadowstrike reflexively spun his fan blades, hoping to chop off the brute's fingers and blow him a safe distance away, but the blades caught on the steel digits with no apparent painful reaction from their owner.

"I alone represent the General's wishes. I alone strike fear and shame in the hearts of the RPD for striking where they least expected it. I alone have the power to do ANYTHING my minds can CONCEIVE!" Docman rasped into the frightened Warrior's face in a new voice that may have belonged to Cutman himself. "I am the Scissor Army! I am the will of God! I am the truth inscribed in blood! THAT is why you OBEY me!"

Docman threw Airman to the ground, dents remained on the upper rim of his fan where the powerful grip dug in. Shadowstrike scrambled to his feet, watching the Commanding Officer with a mixture of fear and hatred. Docman just continued to loom over him with his empty eyes staring through his soul. "Now can you please tell me who you are and why you look so familiar?" he finally asked in his original, gruff voice.

Airman didn't even bother to answer this, he just turned and exited the room to rejoin his team below decks, muttering "freak".

Docman looked around again. He stood in the center of the bridge of a Scissor Army transport ship making its way across the northern Atlantic underneath the teleportation barriers that the RPD had gathered together at the last minute to cover a fluctuating area over all of Northern Europe. This was set up soon after the SA had tracked the resurrected forces of the RPD to London, and it was obvious the Robot Police were expecting an invasion by this point and made no attempts to hide, instead erecting a slapdash defense over their last remaining bastions surrounding the British Isles.

There were numerous ways Cutman could have decided to move in through the barriers now that the rest of the world was under his control and he made use of a few of those options. At that very moment Wily's forces from Murmansk were moving down into Bergen, and the Scissor Joes that had recently marched through Spain and France were meeting up with Wilybots from Kalingrad to hit Brussels. Meanwhile, forces approached England by sea, straght from Monsteropolis, Cape Canaveral, and every other eastern North American city Cutman now held in his bony grasp. Some were already landed on the western shores and making their way across the island, with the only ship left being the lead vessel, holding Docman, Wily's Warriors, and an elite force of Scissor Joes, moving through the English Channel on its way to dock as close to the RPD's new headquarters as possible. They may be able to see the attack coming already, but they would never see him coming. The parts of Docman that remembered this mission eagerly anticipated the upcoming action.

After revealing himself violently at the UN conference, his life had been a blur (although from his perspective, his entire life was an ongoing blur, so he failed to notice the difference). Mesmerman had expected the General to Shut Down his loose end of a government plant once he had outlived his purpose. If there was the possibility Cutman could still find use for the shapeshifter, the grinning puppet master wasn't about to make things easier for his ally-turned-nemesis by keeping their shared puppet's mind in any workable condition. Cutman was more resourceful than even Mesmer gave him credit for though, and not only activated his own programming signal to bring the schizophrenic robot under his direct control, but managed to stabilize his psyche just enough to make him pass as a commander. To Docman, it was just one jarring experience after another. A switch went off in his head and he went straight from sluagtering humans in New York indiscriminately to marching alongside the Scissor Army on a quest to wipe out the remainder of the RPD. The voices in his head remained, but one voice now strained to scream louder than the rest. Kill now for Elysium awaits! As part of the personality that might be called "Docman" that occasionally drifted into center stage in his head, he remembered a loathing and disgust of Mesmerman for manipulating him, he also had similar feelings for Cutman for doing the same thing, but this was confusing to him as another personality one could call "Docman" felt nothing but respect for and rapport with the General. He wanted to crush the RPD for the glory of Elysium. He wanted to punish Mesmerman for the abuse of his powers. He wanted to kill Cutman for treating him like a tool. Amidst all that he also wished to stop himself for all the pain he was causing, but it was much easier for the stronger personalities to suppress that.

If Mesmerman could only see him now, he might not have been so quick to give his earliest toy up.

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

The atmosphere in London was tense. Even if they now worked together, the RPD and the Cossackers still had problems trusting each other. The "Commies" were still perceived by many as terrorists, while the officials were still thought of as little better than the SA. However, these divergent opinions were temporarily set aside, as all were preparing for an imminent SA attack.

The Impacters felt isolated. Reports of their actions in Grytviken, though confused, all had a common point; the freedom fighters had suddenly turned into cold-blooded murderers. The Cossackers knew of their missions in Asia as well, and the rumors about Kuwait City were still going on...

Clownman and Tenguman had finally been reunited with the rest of their team as well. There was a significant awkwardness when the Impacters were together for the first time since the deabacle in Osaka. The last time the colourful electric robot had seen Searchman, the two-headed gunman had shot him. They were all aware of the ongoing Evil Energy problem, but there still didn't seem to be any solid solution to it.

Besides their unease around the infected members, Tengu and Clown also had to deal with their own shame of splitting the team up in the first place. Tenguman was the first Impacter to suggest joining Cossack to his teammates, and had gained quick aprobation for the idea. Then, as they were evacuating their underwater base, both he and Clown had sudden second thoughts on the matter. They realized they were afraid to stand up against the whole world with just the paltry forces and funding of the Russian scientist to support them. Without the nerve to admit this to their more determined allies, they left only a brief message before turning themselves in to the RPD. Since then, both sides of Deep Impact suffered greatly along the way. Neither faction seemed to be the perfect choice in the end, but they couldn't help wondering if they could have had better chances of survival if they had only stayed together. It was a wonder the surviving Cossacker Impacters welcomed their old friends back with no apparent grudge whatsoever.

They had their own worries though. They felt lost, not knowing who to trust, with their blood-signed pact on their conscience. It was worse for Searchman, whose mechanical mind was startled. Many of his memories seemed locked away, but blurry pictures often surfaced to his mind, full of blood and emotions he didn't have.

With all of this confusion, it made it easier for the resident in his mind to take command...

I know how you can help. Try to ease the atmosphere!

"How ? I have no files on jokes."

Let me take care of this...

Mechanically, the sniper-bot rose, and headed to another area of the RPD HQ. His teammates followed from a distance. They had some experience with Frostman doing things "his own way", and they knew how to deal with that.
However, they disregarded the fact any of them could go this way from now on.

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

"Now, that's life! Anybody want a try?" Every other officer in the canteen declined the proposal from their workmate.

Amazingly, Roland Silver had found a Belgian delicatessen still intact in London. The dishes weren't that fresh, though; importation doesn't go well when one of the countries is occupied by the enemy. Still, Silver had managed to gather many specialties from nearly every part of the Kingdom : waterzooi, Flemish beef stew, charcuterie ... along with their specific beers. Desserts were present as well, with waffles and pralines.

Not many people gave it a try, though; only Silver's Belgian colleagues, or his friends from France's Nord. And they were all out for missions.

"More for me, then." he shrugged, as he helped himself with some Salade Liégeoise. He stopped eating when he heard something he wouldn't have expected in this country:

"Why do Belgians swim at the bottom of swimming pools? Deep down, they aren't that stupid!"

Hell, no. He only knew of one kind of people that would crack Belgian jokes. And he knew every of the possible ones in RPD. Which only left the Cossackers...

To prove his point, seven of them were coming his way.

"Okay, Commies. Which of you is a French guy that thinks of himself as funny?"

The camo-clad one replied. "A copter crashed in a Belgian cemetery! The Police have found 300 corpses so far!"

"You're doing this just to piss me off, right?"

"Maybe." the sniper said coyly.

"Then it doesn't work." shrugged Silver, as he took some Salade. "I mean, I survived three weeks in an abandoned boat by eating the same rat over and over, and I'd get mad at jokes? That's silly."

The clown robot blinked. "You ... you made that up, right ?"

"Nope." the Officer replied. "I could tell you how I dismantled a Russian submarine with only a knife and a matchbox, but..." he motioned at the table "I have all these goods to take care of."

The alarms rang off. Silver's arm stopped in mid-air, before he swore and ran for the HQ's arsenal. He turned to Searchman before leaving.

"Oh, and next time you tell a joke, I'll let Mr. Bazooka do the conversation. Got it, Two-Heads ?"

Searchman merely nodded as Silver went off. Something tempted him to just shoot the human, but he restrained it. He headed towards the outer defenses. His weapons would be better used there...

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

Platoons of both Scissors Joes and run-of-the-mill Wily robots marched on their way to the city limits of London. They approached from both sides of the River Thames, through which the SA's capital transport from America sped through the water. Spotting the river ahead was forcefully blocked off by a collapsed bridge, Docman ordered the juggernaut to dock with the northern shore.

He growled under his breath; this was not as close as he had hoped to get to the RPD HQ. They weren't even inside the city limits yet! Despite this fact, he ordered all of his troops to prepare for their advance. This included the Warriors and their accompanying outclassed, but expendable Joes.

Docman glared at the seven Wily robots... why where there seven of him, he wondered? He shook his head vigorously. No, these were Wily's pieces of scrap; his older, outdated models. Not like him, General- no, Docman.

"Alright, so what now Frankenstein?" Docman twitched his head toward the banged up Airman. He vaguely remembered... did he make those dents? He shook his head again. No! There was work to be done! The RPD must be destroyed!

"Listen up, all of you! The General has chosen you, out of all the machines under his command," he paused to see the discomfort in everyone's faces (minus Flashman's, which was stotic), ignored it and continued on. "You will fight for him, for me, for we are God! You WILL bring the RPD to its knees! You WILL annihilate them!"

Crashman briefly whispered something to Bubbleman, along the lines of "What a loon", as the insane franken-robot continued. "To the human race, we are the Alpha and the Omega! No! Just the Omega! THEY ARE SO GOING TO DIE!!!"

The Warriors cringed at their "superior's" outburst. Things were probably not going to turn out well one way or the other.

"Now, head across the debris and meet our forces on the South shore! March toward the human refugee district! And teach these RPD imbeciles the price for not dying like they're supposed to!" With his orders told, Docman dragged his oversized body toward London's city limits with several Joes.

A minute or so later, the Wily's Warriors made tracks as well. Bubbleman had opted to take a more direct route, swimming under the collapsed bridge, while the rest climbed over it from above. As their escort of Scissor Joes edged out of earshot, the Warriors took the time to converse with one another.

"You know, I still can't believe their's someone in the world crazier than you, Cyke." Airman turned toward the aforementioned robot master, his face mask still active for the time being. "Oh right, still in character... you take things too seriously; you know that, right?"

Woodman tapped Airman's shoulder at that moment. "It's a war. Not much room for kidding around, 'Strike."

"I know. And that's totally not awesome." Crashman mumbled an agreement to the statement. He then went to help Metalman, who had tripped a few feet back.

Walking backwards, Quickman gave his friends a grim smile. "Well if Riff's plan goes the way we want it too..." Remembering something, he turned toward Flashman. "Anything yet?"

The blue and yellow robot briefly dropped his face mask, his blood red eyes turning back to their natural blue, his monotonous facial expression melting into an uneasy one. He turned to his friend and shook his head. "Not yet. If Riff and the Fatal Five are on schedule, we'll hopefully get a signal before..."

Starnik nodded in agreement. They had no desire to kill any humans. But circumstances were going to make it hard if their plan didn't come to fruition soon. All they needed was that one, little signal...

Otherwise, they'd be properly screwed, both ways, 'til who knows when.

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

"Captain, reports show the SA's forces approaching from all sides!"

Landigarm frowned upon hearing this. "How many are we talking about?"

"In combination with the estimated count of Wily's machines, close to or just above two thousand, sir."

"HA! Let them come!" boasted Crorq. "Were it not for my required presence here, I would personally lead crushing these infidels into scrap metal! No one is greater than I, Crorq the Magnificent!"

The older human officer scoffed. Was it not long ago that the so called "Crorq the Magnificent" was Shut Down by the General? He interrupted Crorq's ranting, demanding the status of their own forces.

"Did I say you could interrupt me, human?" An angry glare from Landigarm prompted Crorq to cease and give him what he wanted. "Very well; approximately forty percent of our forces are placed on a perimeter spanning 1,000 square kilometers around our headquarters. The failures Clownman and Tenguman are preparing to escort their 'friends' to assist. Another thirty percent are enforcing the civilian refugee sector. All remaining troops are stationed here, if you already didn't know!"

"The status of the President?"

"I have personally assigned a group of seven, count that, SEVEN Special Force Units to guard the President's bunker! No infidel will make it their alive, much less get past my already BRILLIANT security detail!"

That did little to ease the Captain's anxiety. He turned to the younger officer and said, "Get Captains Spiegel and Silver up here now. As well as anyone else of the highest rank. And find out where that Watcher Amatista is while you're at it!"

"Ah, her! I forgot to mention, human; she INSISTED that she protect the civilians from the coming attack!"

Landigarm snapped his head at the walking, talking computer. "And you just let her go, like that!?"

"I am the Chief of the ROBOT police, Captain! Am I wrong to assume that she would be under your responsiblity?"

The Captain was furious at Crorq's behavior. But as it may, the perimeter alarms were blaring. The Scissor Army had begun their attack, and he knew too well they were determined to wipe them off the face of the planet.

"What are you, deaf!?" he shouted at the younger officer, who still remained. "Get those people up here, damn it!" The officer ran off as fast as he could after that. Landigarm sighed and held his head. The shit had just hit the fan, and these rookies were lolly gagging around like... like something that lolly gagged!

Crorq laughed as he saw images of the ongoing battle. "Go forth! Crush those infidels! Show them that they are no match for the RPD! No match for the brilliance that is CRORQ THE MAGNIFICENT!"

The robot reached for a nearby plate of sandwiches. He grabbed one and plopped in in his mouth as he watched the screens. He spit it out a moment later.

"CUCUMBER!? Who is the infidel that made cucumber sandwiches!?"

Silently, Landigarm wished Crorq still had his Shutdown Code, if only to shut him up.

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

The front lines were already a chaotic brawl, RPD officers of every shape and size fighting against the onslaught of the General's infantry. Wily's robots were there too for support, though it was not really necessary for the superior mass produced machines. But their numbers did provide an unwelcome challenge to the home team.

Everything the RPD could spare was at their disposal. Various Officer Bots, the Neo Officers, the SWAT Bots, the K-9s; the Special Forces were being held back to guard the main complex and the president from harm.

But alas, the Scissor Army was proving to be more than a match, as many battles have shown beforehand. Were it not for the appearance of the Deep Impact members, things would have fallen apart quickly after that.

Tenguman gave his orders swiftly and his teammates obeyed thusly (even those tainted by a certain puppetmaster). Phalanxes of Joes were cut down one after another at a steady pace. The rate of soldiers lost on both sides seemed even now.

And then Docman showed up, several hundred meters north of the DI's position. The hodge podge of a robot ordered for the charge, then prepared an attack of his own. A flicker of light later and he assumed the form of Heatman, charging up a fiery orb which he unleashed into a group of Officers that never stood a chance.

In a blink of an eye he shifted form again, this time becoming a copy of the original Sparkman. Gathering electricity in his arm conductors, he unleashed a fury of sparks at several Neo Officers, frying their circuits beyond repair.

Docman changed into his default form for a moment and shook his head viciously, keeping his thoughts together. A Mk 3 Officer tried to ambush him at that moment; its reward was a flying fist that crushed its face. The Hard Knuckle returned to its owner, the Docman-turned-Hardman, who swiftly changed back and advanced.

Searchman had spotted the psychotic SA Officer and had taken aim at him... but he could not shoot. Something... someone held him back. Familiar laughter echoed through his mind. The gun moved slighty to the left and fired. A SWAT bot met his end soon afterward.

"Hey! He was on our side!" Clownman scolded his two-headed teammate. Search swiveled his heads around.

"A misfire. I will calculate more carefully next time."

The technicolored robot master didn't really buy it; he didn't press on however, and went back to the battle at hand. Astro and Sword were doing well enough, he noted. A few Joes were trying to get the better of them, so he curled up and unleashed his Thunder Carnival unto them. His teammates thanked him, and they resumed their battle, unaware that Docman was slipping behind their line of defense.

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

At the same time, the SA was finally breaking through the defenses on the southern edge of London, not far off from the human refugee district. The Warriors did their job well, though reluctantly. They may have not been as advanced as the General's officers, or his Joes for that matter, but they were far from being useless.

The Joes saw the retreating RPD and began their advance. Though hesitant, Starnik ordered the familiar Wily Joes to advance as well, opting them to stay close to their more advanced cousins... though not for their own protection. Just a... precaution.

A team of SWAT Bots and their K-9 companions came out of a crumbling alleyway, surprising the group. But Flashman had already trained his buster on the nearest unit and fired. Several dozen shots was all that was needed to remove it of its head. The remaining machines didn't last long against a combination of SA weapons fire, Quick Boomerangs, Metal Blades and sharp metallic leaves.

They were getting close to the civilian district now, as apparent from the new influx of RPD troops. SA infantry took point, firing with devastating accuracy at the defenders. The Warriors and their escorts took a different route, going through a destroyed cluster of buildings west of the current opposition.

More Officers awaited them on the other side, weapons poised and ready. Woodman took a good look at where they were; though burnt by the ravages of war, Wood knew a park when he saw one. He stomped over to the soil and went to work.

Tangling roots came up from the ground, much to the surprise of the RPD robots. A few quickly realized the most probable source of the trap was Woodman and took pot shots at him. The thick wooden coat, not to mention his large figure, caused the fire to be quite ineffective.

Starnik, the other Warriors and the SA Joes continued on, leaving their large companion and a few Joes behind. Another large group of RPD units appeared and they opened fire. This time, the group scattered, each Warrior being followed by at least one Scissor Joe. And they sure didn't like it either.

Flashman and his escort moved toward an alleyway leading back to the main skirmish, but were interrupted by something along the way. Actually two somethings; a stray woman and her young child.

Underneath his face mask, underneath his blood red eyes, Cyros freaked out. He saw the Scissor Joe begin to raise its rifle. He had to do something! But he couldn't. Not yet. Not until...

The woman screamed, her child crying as she pulled her closer, to protect her. The Joe did not notice this feeble attempt at protection. It began to pull the trigger.

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

Docman was pleased with his progress. After some time taken to breach the outer defense, he had stumbled upon the outer limits of the RPD's headquarters. He knew what laid inside; the last opposition to the General's new order. Once they were dead, he would have his revenge... no, it was the General's revenge not his. Revenge on what, exactly?

Growling, he slammed his head into a brick wall, smashing it to bits. He needed to stay on task! Break inside, destroy everything, kill everyone, burn the building to ground! His mind blared the message, "Kill all, for Elysium awaits!" He had to obey. He WOULD obey. He WOULD-

A beeping on his communicator interrupted his thoughts. He opened the channel in mere nanoseconds. "WHAT THE $&#* IS IT!?" he yelled. But he realized it was only a one way message. And it was nothing but a series of beeps.

Using his translation software, he was able to pick up the pattern; Morse Code. A primitive and outdated human made communications code. A blink of an eye later, the message was deciphered:

"ARK OF THE COVENANT"

Docman blinked.

"What the hell does that mean!?"

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

The Joe registered something was wrong when it no longer registered its Gavel Arms J31 Custom MP rifle in its hands.

And it knew something was DEFINITELY wrong when it registered the barrel pointed right at its head.

"Bang."

One gunshot later, the Joe feel to the ground, lifeless, its core processor shot clean through. The woman and child looked upward at their savior. Still clutching the stolen rifle, Flashman smirked, his eyes no longer glowing blood red.

What did glow blood red were the visors of a squad of Joes that happened to be nearby. Their sensors had detected the shot and pinpointed the source. They saw the Wily bot, clutching SA property, its escort deactivated permanently on the ground, and two humans nearby, still alive.

Conclusion: Flashman was now an enemy.

They raised their rifles to retaliate, only to discover that Flashman and the two humans had vanished. In reality, Flash had stopped time and gotten his charges safely behind enemy lines, then back to a safe location before he deactivated his primary power. He surprised Starnik when he reappeared; to his delight, the speedster's own escort was already on the ground, cut up in several different ways.

"Well, I would be lying if I didn't say that felt good," Starnik joked. Though both did not say it, they were glad Riff sent the signal when he did; they weren't sure how much longer they could wait before sticking it to the man; Cutman that is.

Airman appeared a moment later, seconds after the Joe that followed him crashed to the ground next to the first. "Same here. I was getting tired of working for these ass-hats anyway."

Footsteps of more SA Joes caught their attention. "We better get up high. Mind giving us a lift?"

"Meh, sure, but Cyros has to pay me first." Flash didn't really protest, he just gave Airman a look. "Okay, okay! ...you can pay me later."

Grabbing hold of his two teammates, Airman flew out of the alleyway just as the Joes trampled their position. From the air, the trio saw Woodman working his magic, only this time on the SA Joes that had stay behind. The RPD officers, or what was left of them, were confused by the action, but then opted to take down the more dangerous of the two threats. Another group of Joes began firing at Woodman from the rear, safely outside his range of entanglement. But not far enough from the nearby sewer lid, which was kicked open, and from the hole came many sharp harpoons that skewered all of the Joes. Half of the group was down for the count, while the half of the remaining half turned toward the emerging Bubbleman and his barrage of Bubble Lead.

The remaing Joes scattered around him, taking shots at the disadvantaged robot, until they too were skewered; this time by Woodman's Leaf Shield. Airman laughed at the sight.

"Man, now this is what I call a- WHOA!" The fan based machine barely avoided a stray rocket, from a Joe that was perched on the roof. "Hey! That almost hit me! Moron!"

The Joe fired another rocket at the trio; a Quick Boomerang collided with it as it left the chamber, blowing the Joe to bits. This time they all laughed, before realizing they were being shot at. Again.

"Alright, I can't work like this. Time to get off!" Airman lowered and dropped Starnik and Flashman on a two-story building before going off, creating several tornadoes to do some damage.

Starnik looked over the roof edge, spotting the evacuating civilian population along with their RPD defenders. He also spotted Joes; SWAT Joes, advancing on their position. "Heh, looks like they could use some help. Wanna join me?"

Cyros shook his head. "Maybe later. Still haven't seen 'Sage or Naoshi; I'll go find them. Besides, more fame for you, right?"

"Ha, yeah, that's right! More for me!" In a display of dramatics, Starnik back flipped off the roof and onto the ground in perfect posture. The Scissor Army was already waiting for him, guns raised. He smirked and took out his large, razor sharp boomerang, and asked:

"Who's first?"

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

He looked over the reports coming in from his troops. After the weird message, they started pouring in. Not from his group, but from the one that was coming from the other side of the Thames. The one the Warriors were ordered to be a part of.

The message was clear, from all reports. The Warriors had turned, along with their Wily bots as well.

Something inside Docman snapped. The dare defy HIM? General Cutman!? No, wait- Docman!?

With an animal-like rage he roared into the sky, catching the attention of the troops guarding RPD HQ. They went to open fire, only for Docman to morph into Heatman and stream away from the compound and toward the human district. AND the Warriors.

One of the human guards gasped in horror. "Jesus Christ, he's heading right toward the civilian camp! They don't stand a chance!"

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

Back in the control room, Crorq received the news of the various new developments on the battlefield. Wilybots turning against the SA? A shapeshifting enemy moving quickly through the area? An electrical disturbance detected towards the south? The variables were stacking against each other. It seemed the operation wasn't going to be as straightforward as the Super Computer would have liked, but he still wouldn't admit it.

"You there! Human!" He bellowed at one of the Watchers that had been summoned to the room along with Spiegel and Silver.

"Um...it's R-Riley, sir?" The nervous former Watcher stuttered.

"Whatever! Make yourself useful and command Deep Impact! Make sure they stop that CO. The inductees from Cossack's camp seem to be to incompetent to handle those orders on their own, so maybe if they have someone to remind them, they'll get it done in time!"

"Er...I suppose. That is, yes sir! Someone get me their comm frequency."

Crorq stamped his foot in protest. "Forget communications! Static has been growing for the past several minutes due to a weather disturbance in the south, audio communication will be useless soon. Just go down there in person!"

Riley went white as a sheet. "Ulp! Down there!? Where all the fighting is going on?"

Lieutenant Vatnick put a reassuring hand on Riley's shoulder. "Calm down, buddy. You still have the Watcher cloak you were issued, don't you?"

"Do those things really work all that well? I heard what happened during the virus outbreak!" Riley didn't want to say it, but he half-suspected Crorq was deliberately sending him to his death. Without the Shutdown Code in place any more, how could he really be sure to trust any of the machines that used to be under mankind's thumb?

Spiegel stepped forward, brandishing his trusty bazooka. He knew he was being summoned for a command post, but wanted to make it clear to Crorq from the minute he entered that he was ready to aid in the defense personally. "I'll go instead. I'm ready for anything. I was already assigned as Tenguman and Clownman's Watcher for a while so I know how to deal with them."

Officer Breeg silently deferred. The truth was Breeg had been assigned to their squad while they were teamed with Vulcan and Hyper Storm. That squad was merged with the other 'Loners' before his first mission though. He still assisted Spiegel in his command, but had to admit the accomplished Norwegian soldier had proven himself more than capable on his own. Most of the humans present were feeling much less useful without their Watcher pads, but few felt like trying their luck in combat against the powerful robots outside.

Spiegel wasn't the only Watcher in the room carrying a large weapon though. Silver had his own bazooka on hand and was eager to use it. "With all due respect sirs, I should be out there too. We need all the firepower we can get, don't we?"

Crorq waved them away. "Fine, fine, whatever. As long as someone gets those Impacters in line! Just make sure you can properly aim those things!"

"You don't have to worry about that. I could hit a butterfly from three miles away with this thing." Silver boasted.

Spiegel, well accustomed to the aiming capabilities of bazookas, merely raised an eyebrow at the statement before shaking his head and setting out. "Come on, we got work to do."

As Spiegel and Silver activated their cloaks and moved out, Riley let out a relieved sigh. Crorq turned to Breeg, Riley, Landigarm, and Vatnick. "The rest of you can monitor communications and find out what to do about the electrical disturbance! I can hazard a guess as to where it's coming from..."

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

A human family sat huddled in fear in the dark shelter while explosions sounded outside. The sounds of battle seemed to be getting closer. They were assured by the RPD guards that the fighting would be kept as far away as possible, but now they didn't know what to believe.

After a few seconds, the frightening sounds ceased. Had the RPD repelled the attackers? The family was about to relax when the door burst open, To their relief, it was another human that entered.

"We've got to get out of here! The robots have invaded!" The fat, disheveled man in a business suit pleaded for the people to follow him.

A woman in the room was too nervous to stand. "B-but it's too dangerous out there! Shouldn't we stay here where it's safe?"

The man approached her and grabbed her shoulders. "Nowhere is safe, don't you understand? The robots are everywhere! They'll kill us all! Humans disgust them! They're all so soft and easily crushed!"

The man began to shake the woman by the shoulders and squeeze with a grip that seemed much to strong for someone apparently so out of shape. She whimpered in pain. "Please let go, you're hurting me!"

"You're so disgusting to them! You're so disgusting!" The man said in a crazed voice. The other people tried to pry him away from her. Then another voice came from the doorway.

"Keigle." A woman in black stood there, holding a rifle.

The man turned to face her and lit up. "Ah, Ms.Amatsita! What a pleasure to see you again. Still fighting the good fight, are we?"

Her stare suddenly becoming much colder, Amatista didn't hesitate to raise the rifle and fire a piercing bullet right into the fat old man's skull.

The other humans screamed and scrambled to the other end of the room as Keigle thrashed about in pain, his holographic disguise flickering away to reveal the wounded metal monster beneath. The shot was aimed for the center of his head, but the disguise threw that aiming off somewhat, the bullet hole was in his chest, apparently missing any vital components, but still causing Docman considerable pain.

"GRAAAAGGH!! You stupid biiitch! You shouldna done thaaaat!" The dark skeletal robot roared in rage and charged the Watcher with his arms swinging wildly.

Amatista backflipped away as Docman charged through the doorway, taking the frame along with him. She had gotten him away from the humans, that was the important part. Now she had to deal with him on her own, since the RPD guards nearby were all destroyed before she could arrive, and backup still hadn't come.

Dodging a crushing blow from the the large robot, she spun her jewelry and made a swing to sever the offending arm from its body. However at the last second, Docman assumed the appearance and properties of Hardman. The slicing attack had little effect on the massive blue Robot Master besides a scratched paint job.

"Puny human!" Docman bellowed while firing Hard Knuckles at the scrambling and panicking Amatista. She had no idea what to expect from this opponent, was it even aware of its actions or was this all random and reckless? What was more, how could she keep a clear head in this fight? This was that same robot that deceived her so greatly. It gave her so much hope only to tear it away. It filled her with so much rage and shame just to look at it. Of all the robotic opponents she could have faced, why did it have to be this one?

Before she knew it, Hardman had disappeared and she was suddenly facing Snakeman. "You think you're so slippery." He hissed. "Let's see you outrun my snakes!" He then shot out several Search Snakes that spread around her. She shot a few down quite accurately with the rifle but more were converging on her. "Ahh, that's my gun, isn't it?"

"Oh come off it! You're not even pretending to be the right Snakeman!" Amatista snapped back, noting the differences between the original and TM2 Snakeman bodies. She wasn't going to be goaded into feeling paranoid that easily.

"Well, it'll be mine as soon as I tear it from your cold dead hands! Get her my prettiesss!"

The snakes were just about to strike at her ankles when bright orange plasma blasts came out of nowhere and blew them away. Amatista jumped away to safety.

Protoman stood on a rooftop with his buster pointed down at Docman, his scarf billowing in the wind. "It's not really a fair fight, several robots against one human, is it?"

Amatista wasn't very grateful for the rescue when it came from a robot so arrogant. "It's just one robot, and I can handle it myself!"

Protoman chuckled. "One? I counted Snakeman and Hardman since I came in visual range. I take it this 'one' counts for a lot. I'm sure you won't mind if I step in and even things out a bit."

"I don't remember you being part of the defense forces. Don't you have somewhere else to stick your nose in?" Amatista accused indignantly.

"Hey, I go where I'm needed." The red prototype answered simply and leapt down to face Docman head on.

"You. I know you! We know you! You know me!" As Docman babbled, his form shifted again. In a moment, there were two Protomen on the ground staring each other down with equally stoic demeanors.

"Well...this can't be good." The real Protoman mumbled as he began to charge his buster.

"An impostor, eh? It's Darkman all over again." The second Protoman grumbled in the same voice as he mirrored the buster charging.

"You can't be serious..." Amatista groaned.

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

A pair of Crash Bombs impacted the ground between a half-dozen Scissor Joes, the resulting explosion sending them flying. Darksage reloaded his arm mounted launchers and turned toward the cowering Naoshi. "You know, I could use a little help you know!"

"Nuh-uh! I'm not going out there to die!" A bewildered expression came onto 'Sage's face.

"But you die all the time! And it's never permanent!"

"Well maybe those other times, but I'm not taking any chances!"

The bomber robot sighed before turning and launching a pair of missiles from his shoulders. Another explosion occured and Darksage leaned back down next to the childish robot master.

"Fine, stay here." He paused, then grinned. "...too bad those Joes are gonna steal all the cookies after they win."

"ALL THE COOKIES!?"

Naoshi leaped out from cover with as many Metal Blades as he could hold. And then he started throwing them like a nutcase.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE MY COOKIES! THEY'RE ALL MINE! MINE!!!"

The orange armored robot couldn't help but laugh. All it took was the right words to get Blade Brain into overdrive. Hopefully, he mused, he wouldn't get too hurt.

Space disorted slightly as Flashman reverted back into the normal space/time, panting. "There you guys are! How'd you get all the way out here?"

"SWAT Bot patrol got us all the way out here before we got the signal. Had to finish with them before taking out our friends." He ducked as a decapitated Joe head flew over the overturned car he was sitting against. "Then more of 'em showed up. You can guess the rest."

Cyros nodded, giving a quick glance at Naoshi' progress. "Let me guess; said they were out to steal his candy?"

Naoshi gasped. "MY CANDY TOO!?" More Metal Blades were thrown as a result. Cyros and Darksage chuckled.

"Anyway," the time stopper continued, "Let's meet up with Starnik when we're done here. I think he might be in over his head by now."

Darksage started to respond, pausing as he looked down the street. He gulped. "I think we may have to go sooner than that."

"Er, why?" Cyros asked, visibly worried.

The bomber robot pointed. "That."

Cyros followed the pointed bomb hand and gazed down the street. There was something approaching. As it got closer, he could see it wasn't a something... but a someone. Someone who who could float and drag metallic debris along with him.

"...shit."

"My thoughts exactly."

A final explosion came from the Joes. Naoshi, only slightly damaged (an amazing feat even for him) raised his arms in triumph. "I am Naoshi! Destroyer of the Sweet Stealers! Hear me roar!"

Crash and Flash ran by, yelling, "Less roaring more running!" Naoshi raised his eyebrow, then turned backward. The figure in the distance was getting closer.

Now, Metalman may be a few bolts short of a Metool, but he was able to put one and one together (two and two was too hard). Magnetic field. Metal debris. Metalman. Metalman debris. Ouch.

"...WAIT FOR ME!!!" he wailed in terror, waving his arms like a maniac.

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

Searchman's heads twirled around in response to Mesmerman's call. "Oh boys... guess what time it is?"

"I cannot guess what time it is. Elaborate." Mesmerman giggled mentally, which echoed through the trio's mind.

"Do me a BIG favor and go find Docman, will you? I think he's already made it to the human camp. My little errand boy is there too, but oh, it be SO sweet if you could do this one favor for me, 'kay?"

Mesmerman laughed again. "I mean... it's not like you have a choice."

A purple haze appeared in the sniper's eyes, just as he finished off an unsuspecting Scissor Joe. Grenademan and Aquaman were already on the move, heeding the master's call. The two Watchers, Spiegel and Silver, saw their behavior as they made their way to the Impacters.

"Where are they going?"

"It looks like... they're heading toward the refugee camp?"

Spiegel would have most likely blinked at that moment, though his cloak made it impossible to tell. "But we didn't even tell them to-"

"I know. Something's very fishy here; especially since its that Frenchie that's on the move."

Tenguman landed next to them a moment later, unaware of their presence. They actually had to duck as Tengu swung his Tengu Blade to create a small windstorm, much to their displeasure.

"Hey, watch it!" Silver deactivated his cloak and pointed at the goblinish machine. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"Ah! I didn't know you were there, honest!" Silver gave the robot an eye, then shook his head. "What ARE you doing here anyway? Can't you see we're in the middle of a battlefield?"

"I noticed!" For safety, Silver put his cloak back on and kept talking. "You got orders to intercept a dangerous CO reported heading toward the human district, post haste."

Tenguman nodded in response and turned toward his other teammates. "Clown! Sword! Astro! Sear-" He paused, not seeing Searchman. "Uh, where's Searchman?"

Silver scoffed. "Apparently your French friend got the message already... before I even got here."

The Japanese goblin gulped forcefully. He did not like the sound of that. "What about Aquaman and Grenademan?"

"Them too." Tengu swore rather loudly.

"Get back to HQ. We'll take care of the CO." He paused, uncomfortable with what he was going to say next. "AND our friends if need be."

"...good luck," said the unseen Spiegel. The sounds of two pairs of footsteps faded into the distance. Taking to the air, Tenguman flew over his comrades.

"New orders! Get to the human civilian camp, right now! We have a runaway SA Officer and he's pissed! Come on people, let's move!"

Astro, Clown and Sword wondered for a moment where their other friends were, but quickly dismissed it. The SA presence here was dwindling, and the RPD were falling back to secure more necessary sectors. And a disgruntled SA Officer was the last thing they needed at the moment.

Over the sounds of battle, however, the Impacters were unaware of their following Watchers. "Like we're going to sit back and let our special presents here go to waste, eh Spiegel?"

"True enough. Besides, we were ordered to lead them, right?"

"Right." The duo ran after their charges, only slightly hindered by their heavy weapons. "Let's teach these Joes a thing or two, shall we?"

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

One last Scissor Joe lunged, it's combat knife poised and ready. Starnik merely shifted his weight at the last second, the sharp edge just barely scratching his paint job. He didn't appreciate it. So, in turn, he delivered a 100mph punch to the Joe's head, ceasing all movement.

The quickster overlooked his surroundings and smirked. Yeah, they might have done a bit of damage on him, but not enough to stop his speedy assault. "Never knew what hit 'em," he thought.

It was then he noticed two of his teammates running toward him; Crashman and Metalman. They didn't look too worse for wear, but they were definitely running from something. His composure faltered. Wasn't Cyros going to find them?

Fearful thoughts were put to rest as the robot in question ran into view. Starnik looked closer; yes, it looked like Cyros was visibly concentrating on something... but what?

"Hey, Cyros!" he shouted to his companion, the others forgotten temporarily. "What's going on?"

The blue armored android ceased his run to talk to his friend. His voice was strained, evidence that he was really preoccupied with something. The words he said made it all but clear. "Magnetman's here."

Starnik blinked. Several times. Did he... hear that right?

"Good news, though," Cyros said, smirking with effort. "Flash Freeze works on him... so we got about five more minutes before he starts up again..." The smiled faded then and there, replaced with clenched teeth and strained synthetic muscles.

Nothing more needed to be said. The Scarlet Speedster knew what to do. "You keep trying to slow him down as long as you can. He gets too close, run, got it?" Cyros nodded with some effort. "Don't worry, I'll let the RPD and the others know what's up."

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

Protoman deflected Protoman's blast with his shield and returned fire, but Protoman skillfully dodged it. Protoman then dashed around Protoman and unleashed a Blues Strike. Protoman just barely managed to avoid the brunt of the attack by jumping and countering with a volley of regular plasma shots. Protoman took the shots directly, but shook them off. Both Protoman and Protoman then dashed to a moderate distance apart while charging up for a stonger attack to get through Protoman's shield.

Amatista just continued to watch them move about. At first she thought it would be simple to tell them apart, but Docman's uncanny ability to mimic the original robot down to the strength and fighting style coupled with the confusion brought about by their high speeds and obfuscating explosions and dust clouds quickly made it a lost cause. She didn't care though. If she had to shoot both of them, it would be all the better in the long run.

She was hesitating though. As much as she hated to admit it, she at least owed Protoman for saving her earlier. The least she could do was shoot Docman first. There may have been a chance to identify the real one as well. Amatista noticed the battle was moving farther away from the human shelters. If anything, the real Protoman would be intentionally leading his fake opponent away from the innocents. She distrusted machines for several reasons, but she couldn't deny the Light robot at least considered itself a hero, and she had to depend on that notion.

There might also be a chance if she could only get closer to one of them. Docman's disguise was clearly holographic in nature. He could somehow shift his mass and generate solid objects as part of it, such as the shield, but she doubted that a piece of the disguise could exist if it were separated from the main body. She had the idea of using her weapons to sever that extraneous scarf from one of them. Surely the real scarf would fall to the ground and stay there, while the holographic one would either disappear or remain completely intact.

She felt ridiculous even attemtping to reveal the fake in such a manner. Why couldn't she just shoot them both and be done with it?

Before she could even come to a decision, the battle was interrupted by a sudden rush of water through the street, between the two Protomen. Aquaman leapt into the fray pointing his cannon at one of them, Grenademan followed, pointing his own gun at the other. "Say, have either of you seen a Docman around here?" Grenademan grunted casually.

"That's him right over there guys." Protoman pointed to his counterpart.

"Don't fall for it, he's the impostor." Protoman said in response.

"Great, what should we do? I don't think we're allowed to hurt him." Aquaman whined.

Searchman soon entered the scene alongside his two fellow Impacters. Spectral analysis: complete. Docman synth signature matched with provided data." Searchman quickly pointed his cannon at one of the Protomen and opened fire. The shocked red robot managed to block the missile with his shield, but as he was doing that, he felt a bullet pierce his shoulder. Amatista had chosen her target to coincide with Searchman's. Grenade and Aqua began to circle around to get a clear shot past the shield as well.

"Huh." The other Protoman grunted impassively. "Wouldn't want to be that guy...in fact, I guess I'd want to be someone else entirely."

With another shift of light, the unharmed Protoman reformed into a snickering Quickman. "Nice choice, losers! Think fast!" DocQuickman then made a straight dash for Amatista.

Amatista was stupefied, she not only realized she had been firing at the real Protoman, but the Impacters were still doing it even though Docman had revealed himself, and now the lightnign fast robot master was moving in for the kill and she didn't even have time to dodge...

In a split second, Quickman was in front of her, and with a mighty swing of his large Boomerang...he knocked the incoming Quickman off course and into a wall with a crash.

It all happened so fast, Amatista had no time to register what was happening. As one Quickman struggled angrily to his feet against the wall, the other Quickman in front of her helped her to her feet. "Wily's Warriors in no way endorses the shapeshifting nutbar, honest." he said with a smirk.

Amatista finally realized what had transpired. "Warriors?...But you're with the SA...What is going on here?"

"Hrrrghh!! Yeah, just what IS going on here!" The fake Quickman roared, his image flickering. "Did we not warn you what would happen if you betrayed us? We didn't? Yes we did! No, we did! Yes! Shut up! What do you mean?! Of course! Shut up! Shut up! I'm doing it!"

After the spirited argument with himself, DocQuickman suddenly sprinted away in the opposite direction, stright for RPD HQ. Amatista could see the devastation along the path. The Scissor Joes were already making headway through their defenses.

She looked back at Protoman. The three Deep Impact members were still attacking him, though he was holding his own. Just what was going on here? "Hey you idiots! Docman went that way! You need to defend the Headquarters!" She shouted.

"Docman? That way?" Aquaman said in surprise. The other two immediately stopped attacking as well and the trio took off in pursuit of Docman. Protoman took a moment to rest. The Impacters had gotten some good hits in and the damage was piling up.

Finally, Amatista turned back to Starnik. "You! Get out of here! I don't care whose side your on, these shelters need to be secured!"

"You may want to forget about securing these shelters and get onto evacuating them..." Starnik said cryptically.

"...What does that mean?"

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

DocQuickman still continued his sprint, streaking past the enemy lines as if they didn't even exist.

no one crosses fight for kill all everlasting destroy Elysium that pest kill all for peace awaits they gonna die kill all kill all for Elysium Elysium Elysium kill kill kill kill kill

A spinning object caught the faux speedster by surprise, knocking him back hard. His face twisted with malice, then shifted into the form of Airman. Getting up, he saw the upper body of Swordman return to its place, floating above the lower half of his body.

"That's a lucky shot, punk! But you're no match for the power I possess! Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like me does that sound like me I dunno I like the sound of it do you like the sound of it?"

Swordman was downright confused... a second's pause was all Docman needed to prepare his attack. But a rain of meteorite projectiles canceled that plan. To compensate, he shifted into Hardman's bulky form, absorbing much of the damage without harm. Unluckily for him, a pair of arms snaked from the ground, grabbing his ankles and delivering a good shock. He yelped, both in pain and surprise, and jumped away. His default form emerged mid flight and crashed feet first into the ruined ground.

"Yo, geeky!" Docman swerved his skull head toward the voice. Clownman was grinning like mad, pointing a finger at him in a childish taunt. The SA Officer was not amused. He changed form once again; this time, the original Shadowman. Shadow Blade in hand, the fake ninja charged toward the colorful jester, only to be stopped by a similar blade.

Underneth his mask, Tenguman smirked, then slashed with deadly accuracy. The tri-star blade hit its mark, cutting a nice gash into the true armor of Docman underneath the disguise. But it would not be enough to take down the franken-robot just yet.

"You! YOU! I'll get you Shadowman! Cutman!? Milkman!? TENGUMAN!!!" The aerial robot ducked as Docman (now in Metalman's form) launched a fury of Metal Blades where his head was supposed to be. Gaining distance, Tengu took to the skies to launch another attack. That's when a pair of missiles impacted him simultaneously.

Clownman stared in disbelief. "What the hell!?" Growling, he turned to the source; indeed, Searchman had been the one that fired, his double barrel gun still smoking. "You traitor!"

The double headed robot laughed. A voice, a mixture of his own and another, whisper like one, spoke. "Aw, I'm so sorry, but I can't let you destroy one of my favorite toys now..." The laughter was heard again, this time from Grenademan and Aquaman along with Searchman.

DocMetalman's holographic eyes widened. The laughter... the laughter! It... it couldn't be... IT WAS!

"MESMERMAN!"

A torrent of Metal Blades were thrown, followed up by several pairs of Crash Bombs, all aimed at the three infected Impacters. The shots weren't all that accurate, due to Docman's blind rage, so Search and his companions easily weaved between the volleys. DocCrashman paused and saw the objects of his hatred still in one piece.

"Aw, you're so adorable when you're insane, Docman!" The insane shape shifter shuddered with rage at Mesmer Search's words... until a grin of his own came into being.

"I see, I see... I just need to KICK IT UP A NOTCH!" With that command, a plethora of hidden compartments appeared on the Crashman impersonator's body, each loaded to the brim with various explosive weapons. His face was twisted with insanity, which caused the sane DI members to edge back in caution. "SEND MY REGARDS TO LUCIFER, WILL YAH!?"

The Fourth of July came to England that day. Literally hundreds of missiles, bombs and shells came streaming out from the laughing fake Crashman. While many of them were missing their mark, more than enough were available to cause unavoidable damage. Searchman and Aquaman took cover from the volley; Grenademan took it head on, laughing, firing some of his own volley.

Those remaining projectiles that had overshot the infected Impacters sailed toward a line of evacuating civilians. Spotting the approaching volley, they screamed in terror as death seemed imminent. What they didn't expect was the appearance of a wooden giant who stood between them and the volley firing rocket propelled leaves into a defensive formation. Heat and shrapnel blasted everywhere as the weapons impacted, but none of it got anywhere near the refugees. Woodman and a tailing Bubbleman smirked with victory.

And with DocCrashman so intent on blasting Grenademan to itty-bitty pieces, the real Crashman was able to launch a volley of his own weapons at the faker. They impacted more accurately, screams of pain coming from the blast smoke. As it cleared, two Geminimen were revealed firing their lasers at him. Crash jumped to avoid them, but was caught by one as it reflected off a ruined wall. The other simply bounced away to nowhere.

"Yes, come! Come all! I will show you to your doom... your destruction!" Docman reverted back to his normal gruesome self as he continued taunting. "Traitors... nonbelievers... inferior beings! You will all... face! Your! DOOM!!!"

"Oh shut up already!" A fierce tornado swept Docman off his feet. An amused Airman chuckled as he floated above his head. "Trust me, you'd be doing the world a favor!"

"...I can fly?" Docman was now Airman, who attempted to fly... but failed. "I can't fly! But I can! What's going on? WHERE IS MY MOMMY!?"

"...okay, now this is too weird, even for me-" A Lead Shield tore through his armor, enticing cries of pain from the jokester. The Woodman copier hooted in triumph, beating his chest like a gorilla. A slash from a Flame Sword stopped the cheering; Docman now ran around on fire, screaming.

Searchman regained his composure and aimed, firing several Homing Snipers at both the flailing Docman and his sane teammates. Astro Chan gasped in horror as they came toward her; she didn't have time to move! Were it not for a Tornado Hold disrupting their flight paths, she might have not made it. She'd have to thank Tenguman later somehow.

As for the franken-robot, Docman was now in the guise of Magnetman, forehead magnet and all. "Snake!!!" he shouted, pointing at a downed Airman. "I mean Airman!!! I'm not finished yet!" He fired a trio of Magnet Missiles, which sailed toward the fan robot... and over him, attracted by some unknown force. "What sorcery be this!?"

To answer his question, a strange shroud began to come over the top of several broken skyscrapers in the distance. It seemed to grow until it paused completely. A running Flashman could be seen in the distance, whom Searchman targeted. The voice of Mesmerman heeded, "Remember, don't hurt him either. He has potential..." The dual-headed robot nodded and fired, or would have if Swordman didn't catch him off guard. In retaliation, Aquaman fired concentrated water at his former friend, damaging him greatly.

The fake Magenetman, fed up with firing wayward missiles, changed into the form of the approaching Flashman. "And now I have all the time in the world to-" his joke went unfinished; Cyros had done a brief time warp to get next to the copy and sucker punched him. Docman went back to normal and grasped the blue robot master's torso. He narrowed his eyes with malice. "Oh that hurt, you little bitch."

A familiar blast of plasma came into view, forcing Docman to defend himself as he shifted into Protoman's form. The real deal appeared a bit later, still a little worse for wear from his earlier encounter with Search and friends. Cyros had been knocked back from Docman toward the Light bot, where he expressed his thanks. He then sulked off to retain his concentration on keeping Magnetman at bay for as long as possible.

Because the last thing they needed was a "god of destruction" bearing down on their heads.

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

Crorq analyzed the reports from the field. Remaining RPD forces were at 20 percent and dropping; SA units where now at a slightly smaller percent than the RPD, still outnumbering them; any sign of Wily's robots was now non-existent.

The walking supercomputer fumed over the results. This was pathetic! How could he have lost this amount of forces in such little time? Not surprisingly, he placed the blame on everyone else; the Impacters, the Watchers, etc. He was growing weary at all of this incompetence!

He looked over a recent transmission from the Maniac's Watcher, Amatista. She reported that the civilians, though not without casualties, had been evacuated safely and were on their way to HQ. What both surprised and infuriated him was that she was helped by a squad of Wily robots.

The RPD did not need help from such criminals, he mused. Silently he resolved to swiftly arrest every last one of them once the Scissor Army had been crushed.

Another report came in, this time from a Neo Officer. A line of Joes were heading straight for HQ, and backup was not available. Crorq's circuits boiled with rage. He would NOT be defeated, not this time!

"The Scissor Army is making their advance!" he shouted, much to the dismay of everyone's ears. "I shall personally see to it that they do not pass! I, Crorq, the Magnificent!" He stomped toward the door, only for Landigarm to block his path. "Captain! Move aside!"

Landigarm glared at the walking computer. "Don't even think of stepping foot out of this room, robot!" The still-broken screen that was Crorq's face sparked.

"INFIDEL! How dare you compare I, Crorq, the Magnifcent, to one of those simple minded pieces of cannon fodder! None of them can even HOPE to compare to me!"

The human Captain did not back down. "Stupid machine! I order you to-"

"YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ME! I am Crorq, the Magnificent, Chief of the Robot Police! Farewell!" With a small jump over Landigarm's head, Crorq continued marching, laughing all the way.

Riley looked at Landigarm with worry. "Sir, shouldn't we stop him?" The Captain's face was twisted in rage at Crorq's insubordination.

"Let that overgrown breadbox go and get himself scrapped! I swear I'm gonna beat the shithead who decided to put him in charge of the blasted department!" The Captain turned to Lieutnant Vatnick. "Lieutenant! Get horn out to fall back to HQ! We're about to get hit hard, and it'll be a cold day in hell if we loose!"

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

A line of Scissor Joes blocking the way to RPD HQ was cut down in seconds thanks to Starnik's efforts. The speedster grinned and signaled that the way was clear. A squad of RPD defenders moved in to secure the area, while the civilians made their way to safety.

The situation still felt conflicting to Amatista. Dr. Wily was an evil, evil man, yet his robots were helping them? Her memory flashed back to Brussels. The Rescue Force had been... protecting them too. And then Magnetman came. Was history... going to repeat itself?

Woodman, Bubbleman and a newly arrived Metalman continued to help lead the people to safety. The battle was beginning to take its toll on them all. Metalman was, surprisingly, still mostly intact, minus a saw blade on his left shoulder. Bubble and Wood merely sported a bunch of scratches and dents.

Farther away, The DI, both Mesmer and not, fought over Docman, who constantly tried to escape, only to be blocked by either Crashman or Airman. Cyros was still trying to keep Mesmer Eigen at bay, but his systems were wearing thin. He could only slow him down for another fifteen, twenty minutes tops, before his time stopping circuits crashed.

The ever changing Docman, now in the form of Topman, was spinning to deflect a entourage of Homing Snipers and Air Shooters. Searchman noticed Airman's attack and decided to pounce on him instead. Aquaman took his place, causing an eruption of water underneath the shape shifter, blasting him into the air.

"Whoa, look's like I'm blasting off- IDEA!" Docman become Airman for the third time, then used the built-in fan as a makeshift propeller. DocAirman was sent falling right toward the limits of RPD HQ.

Darksage looked after the falling schizo. "Shit." He proceeded to run after him with Airman. The Impacters had decided to do the same, at the same time trying to subdue one another.

Docman landed backwards in a heap on a pile of rubble, his disguise shifting away. He groaned. That might not have been the brightest of ideas. He gazed upward so that his eyes were lined with the horizon. The RPD HQ filled his vision.

"Yes! YES!" He stood up and raised his arms in triumph. "The RPD will soon fall! I shall be victorious, in the name of Elysium!"

A powerful laser blasted him away a second later. From the entrance of RPD HQ, Crorq laughed with triumph.

"INFIDEL! Do not think you will defeat my forces so easily! You cannot hope to match my superior intelligence!"

From the wall he was blasted through, Docman glared at the supercomputer. "Fool! It is MY intelligence that cannot be matched! I have brought this world to its knees, just I had MY world! No it didn't, that was the General, me, General, me, General, who are you?"

Crorq laughed at Docman as he approached. "You cannot even function properly, infidel! I shall dismantle you personally as a favor!" Fully charged, the hastily-repaired laser cannon fired once again, only this time Docman was prepared to jump right over it. "Hey! You're not supposed to jump!"

Docman laughed and landed on top of Crorq, changing into Magnetman. "Hehehe, you know what the say; computers and magnets DON'T MIX!"

Aiming for one of the semi-repaired wounds the Scissor Joes inflicted in Megapolis, he punched through the top of Crorq's body with ease and clutched his circuits. Crorq gasped in horror and screamed as he felt the magnetic waves fill his insides. He could already feel his systems failing, one by one, his voice becoming nothing but a jumble of nonsense and static.

Starnik and his pals saw the spectacle from a distance, cringing at the sight. "Well that has to suck," mumbled Iga.

Crorq's screams soon stopped. MagnetDocman removed his fists from the machine and leaped off. The supercomputer's shell stood for only a moment, before tipping forward with a resounding crash.

The true from of Docman returned seconds later, his laughter filling the air. "Their defenses are broken! Their communications are down! Their coordination is ruined!" Several squads of Scissor Joes appeared out of nowhere, responding to his commands. "LET THE SLAUGHTER BEGIN!" The Joes began to rush the HQ, paying no heed to the meager defenders that remained.

Thanks to the actions of Starnik and Naoshi, many of them did not make it, but at least fifteen of them had managed to make it inside. The Scarlet Speedster was about to make a beeline to the HQ when a flash of light occured. A kneeling Flashman, along with Airman and Crashman, appeared at that moment.

"I'm... I'm out, Starnik," mutter Flashman. "I can't stop Magnetman anymore. We've... got to get out of here."

Starnik frowned. "Well that's just dandy..." Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. "Wait, we still have Docman to help us!"

Shadowstrike raised a nonexistent eyebrow at his teammate. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we fighting AGAINST that freak!?"

"Well yeah, but he can still use Time Stopper, right?"

"How is that a GOOD thing!?"

Cyros, however, understood. "Wait a minute, he's right. Docman can stop him... we got to lead him towards Magnetman!"

"Yeah, okay, I'll think about that plan." Airman thought for a second. "Oh yeah, that's SUICIDE."

"You got a better idea?"

"Yes, I do. We run, and keep running, until this whole thing blows ever. Come on Starnik, what'd say?"

The speedster shook his head. "Sorry 'Strike, but my conscience is getting the better of me today. We gotta try."

"...for the record, this plan is insane."

"Which means it's right up our alley!" Starnik turned toward Crash, Bubble and Metal. "You three think you can take out those Scissor Joes inside?" They nodded. "Well don't just stand there, hurry!"

The Warriors went their separate ways, one group toward the HQ, the other toward Docman. The franken-robot saw them coming and began to change form, only to spot both factions of the DI coming at him from behind. He laughed maniacally. Did they really think they could all stop him? He was going to show them a lesson they would never forget!

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

Grenademan lay in a smoking heap in the burnt rubble. The earlier missile barrage, though not unwelcome to the masochistic robot master, still wore down his armor. It didn't take much of Clownman's Thunder Claw to take him out of the fight for good, as much as it pained the sad clown in return. Not far away, Swordman was collapsed in the dirt deactivated as well, Grenade's final explosives having finished the job Aquaman's liquid onslaught began. Now Searchman and Aquaman stood against Astro Chan, Tenguman, and Clownman.

For Deep Impact, this was their most miserable moment. Divided amongst themselves, fighting only to repel the circumstances forced upon them. None of their hopes had been particularly high since the beginning of the War. Frostman had been the gloomiest of all with his emo, suicidal sulking, and that led him straight into the arms of the SA. Grenade had been more enthusiastic, if only to stave off his own lingering hopelessness. His bleak outlook of the state of the world made him an optimum breeding ground for the Evil Energy. Comparitively, Swordman had been more steadfast than all of them, a picture of bravery and nobility, and yet he only fought to assist his friends, without being particulalry driven himself. His was a road to self-sacrifice, and his wounds from the last one were not even completely healed before he fell to his own teammates.

Clown and Tengu felt like they were the least worthy to be standing against their corrupted brethren. Their choice to join the RPD was going to set them against their friends one way or the other. Now, no sooner than their team was reunited, they were still forced to fight their peers. Why Aquaman? Why Searchman? Two of the most trustworthy Impacters, how could they be manipulated by the Evil Energy so easily?

Astro's feelings were more of an enigma. She remained silent and unflinching for the entire War, and even against her teammates she showed no restraint. She was quick to unleash an Astro Crush on the two evil Impacters. Hits were unavoidable, and for Aquaman especially, the damage was heavy, but they showed no signs of deterrence. They continued to laugh in that creepy, possessed manner.

"You're really wasting your effort, you know." Aquaman snickered. "We're after the same thing, basically. If you let us go about our business, we'll have Docman out of your hair, and your mission will be a success."

"You mean you want to take him to Mesmerman, don't you? That's what this is all about?" Tenguman growled.

"Just...Stop!" Astro Chan cried, and began warping about, charging up yet another Astro Crush. It wouldn't finish though; a barrage of Homing Snipers caught her in mid-teleport, disrupted her projectors, and sent her crashing to the earth. As Searchman's launchers were still smoking, Clownman leapt overhead and snared him in his arms. Tenguman made a dive for Aqua, but rapidly lauched Water Balloons kept him at a distance.

"Mesmerman is our enemy just as much as General Cutman! We can't allow him to gain control of that thing any more than we can let him keep control over you!" Tenguman called out while weaving between the shots.

"Snap out of it guys! You're supposed to be stronger than this!" Clownman strained as Searchman struggled in his grip. "The Comrades fought Mesmer's control! The Maniacs fought Mesmer's control! And the Evil Energy was no match for Megaman! Are you gonna prove yourselves weaker than them!?"

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

The London RPD HQ crumbled as SA Joes swarmed into it with weapons blazing. The last Police Bot defenders threw their lives away as the last line of defense. Human bodies littered the ground as they had nowhere left to run. The Presiden't bunker was still standing, but the enemy was rapidly approaching. The remaining Watchers and human officers focused on the refugees, but they didn't even know what was happening.

Gaderham zipped through the hallways of the interior, shooting every Joe he could find with careful aim. At the moment, he didn't think things would be any better than in Megapolis, but he pushed on. Whole groups of Scissor Joes were blasted to pieces by the unseen bazookas of Spiegel and Silver. The situation with Deep Impact having been left for hopeless, the two Watchers returned to the base to aid the last hopes of defense. Landigarm, Breeg, and Vatnick all wielded plasma rifles liberated from fallen Neo Officers. They had to keep to the shadows moreso with no kind of body armor to protect them, but they couldn't sit by and do nothing. Amatista fought the fiercest, her bladed jewels cutting through invaders faster than ever before.

Riley shivered in a corner, clutching the Neo Rifle Landigarm shoved into his arms earlier. He could hear the enemy approaching quickly. He had never been so frightened. Soon, they came into view. Locked in horror, he took aim shakily with his rifle and fired off a shot. That was all he got off berore being gunned down by the ruthless Scissor Army. Breeg saw it happen from nearby and leapt up with a battle cry, firing relentlessly at the attackers in bloody vengeance. He actually managed to strike one down before being silenced himself.

Vatnick peeked out from his cover. He could see the body of Officer Horn smouldering just past the boxes, plasma fire bolting over his corpse. Gaderham sped around the corner and made a dive behind the boxes, but a lucky shot from those same Joes knocked out his wheels and sent him tumbling into the wall in a broken heap. Cursing to himself, Vatnick pulled out a grenade and tossed it at the Joes that had just stepped over Horn's body.The blast repelled them, but they didn't stop coming.

He was out of shots, there was nothing left to do but pray. Oddly enough, something that resembled divine intervention actually happened.

With a rumbling quake the roof tore open and the walls behind the Joes disappeared. The Joes didn't even have time to register surprise before being sucked into a metallic maelstrom with Mesmer Eigen at the center. Vatnick was awarded a rare view of the all-powerful robot. If he knew anything about this Magnetman's behaviour, he would have found it odd that the young man's eyes were open, and he was turning his head about, as if looking for something.

Vatnick's deliverance was short-lived. He stood in awe of the magnetic force of nature for a few seconds...before the hurricane of shrapnel shredded him to pieces where he stood.

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

Deep in the prison of his body, Clownman's words came to Searchman like a sunray.

"He's right. I cannot fall like this."

Lying to yourself to make the reality more confortable ? Aaaww ... You were built to fall to the Evil Energy. You can't fight back your very nature !

"I must. I still have a mission : I have to get Quint."

Your "brother", right ? He fell to me in a swoop, and your minds are such alike...

"Back before the War, he told me were different, even if we started the same. Where he fell, I shall fight back !"

Slowly, Mesmerman was losing control. The Impacter was displaying such an unexpected mental strength, especially for a tin can as him ! Almost in resonance, Aquaman was fighting back as well.

Clown and Tengu noticed the change as well : their infected teammates stopped fighting back, and the purple aura in their eyes started to wear down. Searchman spoke up in his normal voice :

"We're keeping him away."

"Shoot us now, or he'll destroy you !" yelled Aquaman, before a spasma ran through his body.

The RPD Impacters didn't hesitate. Clownman fried both of the sniper's heads, and Tengu dove at Aquaman's body, slashing at his main generators.
Both robots fell to the ground. Tengu got closer carefully.

They were uncosncious, no doubt about it : anyone from the RPD knew the difference between someone KO and someone ready to jump at your throat. But ... something was staring back ... Mesmer was still in them.

Tengu's knees betrayed him. He put his hands on the ground, shaking.

Pyongyang. Alberta. Osaka. Baoding. Bath. Cape Canaveral. Kuwait City. Grytviken. New Delhi. Every fight the Impacters took part in became a lost cause. And now, they had been forced to fight each other. It was too much at that point.

Clownman remained silent as Tengu was crying for the Team. Every safe place, he pondered, had been destroyed after they went in.
The future was bleak. The War was over, and Deep Impact had lost everything, starting with its unity.

The teammates, fallen or not, remained here for what seemed hours. No one came to them, ally or foe, as if they had been marked with the seal of infamy by Mesmerman himself.
Considering what state they were in, it was better.

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

"Why won't he stop jumping!?"

Shadowstrike refered, of course, to Docman. Their intent was to lure him toward Magnetman, but he was so erratic that he kept leading them in circles.

Only now did one of them realize they had been led far enough away for Mesmer Eigen to slip right through. Iga saw the edge of the magnetic storm tear off part of the RPD HQ. He screamed to his teammates, "We've got a problem!"

Starnik faltered. How'd they let that monster get past them? Cyros was in even worse shape. Darksage, Akutare, Naoshi... they were still inside.

Mesmer Eigen continued to break apart the HQ, ever so slowly, as if he was secretly enjoying it process. But if nothing was done soon, their friends...

Cyros didn't think as he turned to Docman. "Hey asshole!"

The hodge-podge robot ceased for a second and turned to the time stopper. The latter glared at Docman and did one of the stupiest things imaginable.

"You know what I think!? I think the General's a human fucker!"

Docman just stood there. Processing what he heard. It soon reached the part of his mind that was essentially General Cutman.

The results were not pretty.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!"

An enraged Quickman accelerated toward Cyros at top speed, who in turn was grabbed by Starnik and carried towards the living storm. DocQuickman pursued them, intent on tearing the little shit Flashman to pieces.

"Y'know," mumbled Starnik, "this has got to be the single most idiotic thing you have ever done."

Despite the circumstances, Cyros smiled. "Maybe in this life... but it's working, right?"

"Too true."

Starnik saw the edge of the ferromagnetic storm and slowed down enough to deposit Cyros safely close enough to it. "Cyros... don't die, okay?"

"...I'm not making a promise I might not be able to keep. Get going, now!"

Reluctantly, the speedster agreed and ran off. With his view no longer obstructed, Cyros could see the approaching form DocQuickman. And he wasn't slowing down the slightest bit.

Cyros sighed. If he was gonna die, he was gonna take it like a man. At least Docman would be gone as well.

At the last second, much to his surprise, Docman made a long, shallow jump before changing into Flashman. His own brand of Time Stopper was activated, freezing everything but him and Cyros in a field of halted time.

And then he slammed into the robot, bringing both inside the magnetic dust cloud.

"YOU WORM!" A wicked punch was thrown. "YOU DARE CALL ME THAT!?" Punch. "HIM THAT!?" Punch. "THEM THAT!?"

Docman may have been Flashman at the moment, but damn did his punches hurt. He felt part of his synth-skin beginning to peel off, and he was pretty sure his helmet was cracked. Docman lifted him by the throat, applying an unhealthy amount of pressure.

"YOU ARE NOTHING YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO ME TO HIM HE IS I AM WE ARE GOD TO YOU YOU WILL FACE THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR YOUR TREASON I WILL HE WILL TORTURE YOU TILL THE END OF DAYS END OF DAYS END OF DAYS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

"Ah, I just love sound of insane laughter. Don't you agree?"

Docman ceased all movement. That voice...

Cyros recognized it too, though he wasn't as surprised. "I was wondering when you'd show up... Mesmerman."

Oh, it wasn't the really Mesmerman himself, mind you. Nor was it his Terror of Perception form. In his rage, Docman forgot to concentrate on the time field and it wore off only a few seconds ago. But instead of being shredded by the sheer magnetic forces, they curved away from them, creating a small room-like space. And from the wall of the safe zone was a cloud of metallic dust, taking the form of Mesmerman's head and torso, grin and all.

"Well done, Cyros! I was hoping you'd guess me name." The spectre turned toward Docman. "And a hello to you too, Docman."

The schizo robot let Cyros drop to the ground as he pointed accusingly at the illusion. "You! YOU! YOU-YOU-YOU BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU!"

Mesmerman laughed. "You and everyone else, it seems! But I'm still here, aren't I?"

With a roar Docman charged the metallic dust, this time not bothering with a particular form, and threw the strongest punch he could muster. It did nothing but pass through the dust. Enraged, he did so again with his other hand. And the cycle repeated several times. Mesmerman giggled at the sheer futility of it all.

"Oh, you silly schizophrenic. Maybe you need... a hug!"

Soon, tendrils of magnetic dust wrapped around the mix-matched robot and brought him up high. Docman screamed in isane rage as he tried to escape. Cyros, still unharmed, looked up after the rising Docman. He wondered if he was next.

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Mesmerman laughed, taking note of Cyros' hidden anxiety. "But you know what... today I have more pressing things to attend to."

Cyros looked at the ferrous shape. "Do I even need to ask what?"

"Oh, you can ask, but I'm not telling." The dust shape move closer to the blue robot's face. "You've changed since we've last met. It's... disappointing. I was expecting much anguish and pain. Did you somehow get a clue or something?"

"You can ask," replied Cyros. "But I'm not telling."

Mesmerman chuckled. "Oh, so you DO have a sense of humor! I like that!" The cloud began to recede back into the normal mass. "Don't take this personally, Cyros. The prospects of having a time stopping robot under my control are all too delicious. But I'm not without mercy... well, yes I am, but as I said, I have more pressing matters to attend to! You may... leave."

The blue robot was apprehensive. "Leave you say? I don't buy it, what's the catch?"

"No catch. In fact, I'll even send you on your way."

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

Outside, Starnik and the others stared at the storm, wondering just how horribly multilated Cyros had become. Which was a surprise when he was ejected out of the cloud, essentially unharmed. Until he crashed into a brick wall that is.

"Cyros!" Starnik sprinted there and looked over his friend. "You're alive!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm still wondering why myself."

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

As for Docman, the spectre of Mesmerman's head twisted in his face. "Well then my puppet," said the ghastly voice, "shall we... go home?"

The only response was Docman's screams of terror, silenced as the metallic dust enclosed his body, turning him into some sort of iron sand covered mummy. It was a rare display, seeing all that dust in one place rather than obscuring Mesmer Eigen. He floated, motionless, the squirming Docman word-less trying to escape his grasp.

Then...the unstoppable Magnetman simply flew away with his package in tow. In seconds, they were gone. Mesmerman's laughter echoed in the wind.

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

The full scale invasion of the Scissor Army had been repelled, though not without sacrifice.

Officer casualties were extremely high. Barely ten percent of their units were still functioning, many of which required extensive repairs. The HQ had been breached, resulting in human officer death, but the return of officers Spiegel and Silver, along with the efforts of Crashman, Bubbleman and Metalman, prevented a total slaughter of the chain of command.

And speaking of command, the so called Crorq the Magnificent had been reduced to a shell of metal. It would be quite some time before his back-ups could be retrieved and the ego-maniacal supercomputer restored. Landigarm, naturally, looked forward to every day until then.

The members of Deep Impact, aside from Clown and Tengu, had been brought off line due to their internal fighting. And Protoman had taken a few hits too many as well. All of them where recoverable and brought back into what remained of the HQ.

The Scissor Army's defeat had been, surprisingly enough, assured by the intervening of Mesmer Eigen. Before his mysterious disappearance, he had been able to systematically target every Scissor Joe in his range and crush them like tin cans. The surviving Joes were no match for what remained of the RPD. It didn't quite ease their nerves to know that the same bastard also slaughtered a good portion of their human enforcers.

Everything was in shambles, plain and simple. The survivors had basically no defense to speak of, aside from the seven Special Forces Units that had been unused during the entire battle. There was no hope of defending against another assault like that.

As for the Warriors, Landigarm didn't make an effort to arrest them, as Crorq had planned. He could care less about them. He had his own responsibilities to take care of. But before he let them leave, he asked, reluctantly, if they could lead the remaining civilians to the safe place.

Their leader, Quickman, had agreed. The Warriors returned to the assault craft they had arrived in and took out any remaining guards. It was a tight fit, but they got everyone aboard. They then sailed off to some safe place, waiting for a hopeful sign from some friendly Wily robots.

The situation made the Warriors uneasy. They weren't supposed to be in situations like this. It was, as Shadowstike would say "not awesome at all." His words rang true to the message; War was hell.

Everyone, human and robot, deserved some well-earned rest.

~FIN~

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