Genesis End
By Spinning Demon (Topman) and Gauntlet (Shadowman)
Chapter Two - Not Your Typical Nine-to-Five
Magnet Man being the last to wake up, it wasn't long afterwards when a familiar static crackled in my ear, foreshadowing an incoming signal on the team communicator. "Briefing in five", Shadow Man said succinctly. In the old days, this would have been a call to action, unexpected and sure to lead to another zany team adventure. But it hasn't been that way for years. Now it was just routine procedure, and was really just a distribution of our daily assignments. We were often split up and sent to work on cases that best suited our individual capabilities, and only in emergencies were we ever assembled as a team anymore. In fact, sometimes the morning briefing was the only time I'd see them all day. Yeah, the glamorous life of policing.
Unburying myself from the mound of clutter that seemed to have somehow gotten bigger, I rolled down the hall and didn't slow down as I reached the stairs. Once upon a time I used to retract my wheels to descend staircases, but I'd become much more confident in my landing ability, much owing to the previous Hard's clever battle tactic of tossing me at unsuspecting enemies - though it had seemed much less clever to me the first time he did it, during which I had been as unsuspecting as they were. All this to say, these days going down stairs didn't slow me down. I just jumped the distance and kept on skating.
I turned the corner and slowed to a stop in front of the conference table used for briefings, which doubled as a makeshift break room table for socializing - our unique position working under a boss who hated us meant we didn't see much of the RPD's budget go into our accommodations. I took a seat at the right-most chair. Magnet Man was across from me, grumbling about the sunshine and rubbing his eyes. Hard Man sat quietly by himself at the far left corner, staring listlessly at the table. Across from him, Spark-Chan smiled good morning to me, and I back. One of the most caring people I know in a city where they were becoming a rarity, our female Spark Man incarnation could always be counted on to brighten up the room, in more ways than one. Her powers of electricity could rival the destructive power of a thunderstorm, but her compassion for both friends and foes alike has led to her only using her powers defensively. Even so, she's proven herself on countless occasions, and has become very protective of the team, and we of her. She and Hard go way back. Or forward. They were on that future team together and, somehow, she made it back to our time. Although they seemed to be more distant lately. Can't really say why.
Next to Spark, Gemini Man sat with an air of formality, and all his attention was on her as he spoke through a large grin about some new accomplishment of his that was supposed to impress her. While he can be a little pompous and difficult at times, Gemini and I have a close bond. You see, we both joined the team at the same time, and due to some very peculiar circumstances that would need its own wiki to get into, we inhabited the same Robot Master model. The Gemini Man model's power to split into two meant that both twin bodies could be controlled by separate entities, and while he occupied one, I occupied the other. It's not surprising, then, that as the Gemini twins we quickly developed a brotherly bond between us... although strangely, when I think back to my days as Gemini Red, I really don't remember having seen my twin that much.
Beside Gemini sat Needle Gal, who was scowling a little at his blatant and relentless attempts to impress Spark-Chan. With a mind as sharp as her namesake, Needle Gal has been on the team even before Gemini and I, and is veteran to all but our fearless leader. Wielding rapid-firing needles and a temper to match, Needle is certainly a force to be reckoned with. And while she and I have been long-standing allies, she's always been a little too prickly to befriend, and so we stand on neutral ground with regards to each other. Still, it could be worse, I thought, as I pictured her and Gemini's constant bickering, which often ended in a visit to the lab for repairs.
Still absent from the table was Snake Man, our resident creepy silent stalker... that is, until Hard joined. I wondered with a smile whether this would make the two fast friends or bitter rivals. Still, unlike Hard, Snake Man had always shown signs of camaraderie and loyalty to the team, and I had no doubts that I could trust him with my life in battle. His no-nonsense attitude and hardcore dedication were ideal for his position in stealth and espionage, and I suppose he couldn't help it if those same traits led to a complete lack of sociability. True to form, it was at this moment that he slinked in from the hall and joined us at the table with no more greeting than a solemn nod to acknowledge our presence.
Shadow, always the last to arrive and usually with a flair for the dramatic, teleported at the head of the table with less than seconds remaining before the start of the briefing. It's always assumed that Shadow wastes no moment, and on those countless times when he's nowhere to be found he's off spying and gathering information. But I often wonder if he does the disappearing act for just that reason, a sort of rumor mill tactic to build an air of secrecy and unpredictability... me, I think he just sneaks off to go to the movies. But lately, I was worried that maybe the strain of maintaining this stoic persona was getting to him; his usually lithe and agile form was often becoming slack and hunched. Maybe he was getting tired of all the secrecy and bravado, but what concerned me was maybe he was just getting tired, period. Either way, as Shadow stood up to begin the briefing, there was a rigidity in his posture that said that today's assignments weren't the typical nine-to-five busywork. Snake Man seemed to take notice of this too, and bore a look of renewed interest.
"Alright, team, here's the breakdown today. Two bizarre deaths were reported this morning, which we've been asked to look into. Not our usual turf, but apparently the precinct is baffled so far."
"Are the deaths related?" Needle Gal asked. Passionate and impulsive, she was often the first to interrupt Shadow as her mind already began to race with possibilities.
"It's not likely. The circumstances of both deaths are inexplicable, but they don't show any parallels. The first of the bodies, a woman in her early sixties, was found in a corner of her kitchen frozen in a look of terror, and the other, a man in his thirties, was found in his bed with deep streaking wounds all across his body."
"Well that doesn't sound so strange," Magnet Man reasoned. "The first one was scared to death, and the second was sliced up somethin' fierce."
Shadow shook his head. "That's what the investigators at the scene thought at first, but the man's wounds are clean- no signs of the typical splinters of metal or wood from a household weapon, and they lack the precision to boot. He also showed no signs of struggle, and the pattern of the blood stains on his bed sheets seem even to suggest that the wounds were all inflicted simultaneously, definitely not the work of your standard knife-wielder. The woman's death is even more of a mystery, because her body was still standing when they found her... possibly still in the position from when she died."
"Rigor mortis?" I asked.
Again, Shadow shook his head, so quick that he probably had already anticipated these questions as being the most obvious ones to ask. "Rigor mortis takes several hours to come into full effect, the body would have dropped to the floor within seconds after the loss of life. No, these two very likely both died of unnatural causes. So we've got to find out what they were, and why while we're at it. There's going to be three investigative teams, one at each of the crime scenes and one at the morgue. I'll check out one of the crime scenes, Snake Man will take the other-"
"Snake Man?!" Gemini interrupted, with much of the attitude of a bird ruffling its feathers in agitation. "You cannot be serious! If anybody should be leading the other team, I am-"
"Our foremost expert in the paranormal," Shadow interrupted sternly, "and the most likely to be able to figure out if there's anything supernatural related to either of these deaths. Which means you're going to be needed at all three teams, so you'll be way too occupied as it is to lead one of the investigations."
Gemini looked soured over the fact that he wasn't picked as team leader, but even moreso over the fact that Shadow Man was right. Even though it seemed at times that his copies were of individual thought, Gemini Man's central consciousness controlled them like extra appendages. Controlling three bodies during a battle formation or running a quick errand, either of which relied on simple physical movements, was one thing, but during an investigative process, his concentration would be working on overload. He sat quietly after that, either stewing in a bad mood or else preparing himself mentally for the job ahead.
"As I was saying," Shadow continued, "Snake and I will check out the crime scenes. Spark, you have the most medical knowledge out of any of us, so I'll need you to speak to the forensics team, look over the bodies, everything you can get your hands on. Maybe you'll see something they missed." Spark nodded grimly. While her pacifist mantra marked her in some peoples' eyes as a coward, we Mechs all knew differently. She was noticeably upset by the grisly images with which she would soon be face to face, but she also bore a look of determination. She had great courage, and we knew she could always be counted on to get the job done.
"As discussed, Gemini will accompany each of us. Mags," Gauntlet turned to the red-clad robot who was rifling through the folders of crime scene images, "you have some knowledge of weapons and methods of torture that are unfamiliar in this area." The Sheriff nodded silently. I guessed it went with the territory; he wasn't all fun and games. "Go with Spark and Gemini to the morgue, see if you notice anything recognizable about the man's wounds that the police might not. Hard, Needle, Top, you three are on regular patrol, but stay sharp. Something strange is going on, maybe you'll catch a break before we do. We'll reconvene here in eight hours. Let's get started."
As the meeting broke up and everyone went their separate ways, I couldn't help but feel a little dejected. Except for those rare instances when a person was caught mid-crime and made a run for it (made even rarer by the sheer ineptitude of the Monsteropolis police force) a person whose specialty was high speed chasing was not in high demand. It's true that Hard and Needle, the two brutest forces on our team, were also rarely requested for individual missions, abut at least Hard Man seemed to enjoy being alone, and Needle Gal was content just to keep busy. But I barely did what I was built for anymore. It started to feel like I was just another body in the RPD these days.
As I stared ahead, feeling dispirited, I happened to catch sight of Needle Gal's new armour, and saw something odd. Having long ago abandoned the clunky design of the Needle Man prototype, Needle Gal's armour had become quite slim, resembling much more a typical female form. Only now, for the first time I noticed, her body seemed suddenly more fragile than usual... unnaturally fragile, even, hardly fitting for a battle bot... her waist was like a twig, as if it could break at the lightest touch... was it always so-
"Top," Needle Gal said suddenly, and I realized I had been so lost in thought that she had turned and was now looking directly at me, "If you were straight I'd have killed you for staring at me for that long." She said it jokingly, but I had no doubt in my mind that she meant it, and decided that next time I started daydreaming I would stare in a less dangerous direction.
