The Business of War

War's End Part 1


Scenario A
Participants:
Mechanical Maniacs (RPD)
Magnetman (Mez)
Docman (Mez)
Wily Rescue Force (W)
Mr. Whiz (W)
Napalmman (N)
Artilleryman (A)
Constance (?)

Location: Eden, Skull Castle
SA Infantry: ?
RPD Units: ?
Wily Bots: ?

"Ah, you are awake. At last."

The calm voice brought life to the white form on the table slowly. Mesmerman's mind slipped into the waking world slowly, taking in details and cataloging events. Slowly, he picked his head up.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Megaman Juno," the purple-haired being stated. "I have awakened you from your sleep so that you may assist me in removing the carbons from the planet."

"Carbons?"

"They refer to themselves as human. Barbaric creatures, and vastly overpopulated by now. I must reinitialize the planet to ensure the ecology survives, so that life may begin again." Juno spoke with all the excitement of a math teacher, even if Mesmerman would never have made such a comparison.

"So, my smiling friend," Juno said, turning, his face fixed into a look of contentment, "what do you do? How is it that you function?"

Mesmerman looked inwardly. To his creator. His source.

This one is a mere pawn. He's not even aware he is under the shard's control.

He looked upon Juno in a new light, with a different sort of eye. Swirling, black energy, tinged with purple seemed to radiate from some sort of necklace he wore. His odd, smoothly shaped body floated easily off the ground, his detatched arms working diligently at some sort of terminal even though his attention was focused elsewhere. There was something hidden beneath the blackness, some sort of faded, repressed blue light, but it was a mere whisper in the malestrom of darkness that engulfed his form.

He does, however, have a certain taste, I admit.

Mesmerman felt his perspective shift, almost as if he, himself began floating. He heard a dull thump behind him and turned, witnessing his own body falling limply back onto the table. It was an ugly thing, cobbled together from parts and hastily sprayed with white paint to give it some semblance of unity. Over the left eye, a simple black spiral adorned half of the face, and a pair of thick cables stretched out of its back.

The body he now possessed, however, was something else. Smooth lines, disconnected pieces, all decorated with that same spiral pattern, and a basic disregard for things like gravity and solid objects characterized his form now.

Now THAT is style done right.

Juno smiled. "Wonderful! Projections and illusions, powered by ambient background energy and, apparently, an imagination of some kind. You are a weapon of psychological warfare instead of wanton destruction like your brother."

Mesmerman moved his mind back into his body and watched his projected form fade away as the altered light which constructed its being destabilized and scattered. "I am Mesmerman," he said, half introduction and half self affirmation.

"Excellent," Juno smiled. "We have much to do. Tell me, what do you know of a group of robotic beings collectively known as the Megaman Teams?"

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

It had been almost a month since the end of General Cutman and the fall of Elysium. In the old days, beating the villain would bring en end to the entire conflict. In fact, the majority of the Robot Police Force had expected a swift end to the War following the grand defeat of the Scissor Army.

They were wrong.

“Quint. Captain. DLN001.” It was all the captured captain would say to his captors. At first with bitter resolution. And then, as the days turned into weeks, a smile crept onto his face. His damages had not been repaired. And he had been fitted with the notorious Shutdown Code. It might be used by their enemies, but that code was just fine to deal with captives of the Robot Police Force.

Geminiman’s eyes narrowed. As a former member of the Scissor Army it was hoped he could convince Quint to share the secret of the Army’s continued existence. But Geminiman knew they weren’t really alike at all. Quint was a product of General Cutman’s twisted genius while he was a product of Mesmerman’s brainwashing. They weren’t really part of the same army at all.

“The General’s dead, Quint.”

“But the war goes on, doesn’t it?”

“We’re gaining ground every day. We’ve already liberated Monaco again.”

Quint lay back and tried to appear as relaxed as he could. Pain shot through his body whenever he moved, but there was no need to show the enemy any weakness. “Bully for you.”

“Tell us what you know. There is amnesty for members of the Scissor Army who cooperate with us.”

Quint smiled broadly. “Quint. Captain. DLN001.”

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

Hyperstorm, restored to his original body once more, watched Geminiman enter the room. “He won’t crack. When he surrendered, it sounded like he didn't really care what became of the SA, but I guess he’s one of their soldiers through and through.”

Geminiman sighed. “Yeah, that much is obvious now. We may not even need his information since the Scissor Army really is failing fast. But every day more people die. Every single damn day the Scissor Army continues to exist is one day too many.”

Hyperstorm sighed. He already knew....and it weighed on him. He had been recaptured by the Scissor Army and, as a consequence, his mind was replaced by standard Scissor Joe programming.

“I wish I could remember something – anything – that could help, but I’m stumped. I don’t think Quint knows what’s going on either. It could explain why he's being so withholding despite his...uh, 'mercenary apathy'. I think he’s playing hard to get more out of spite than anything else. Blizzardman or Diveman might be able to beat something out of him. Those guys are nuts.”

Geminiman grunted. “Half the force wants Diveman’s head on a platter for what he did during War. Thanks to the deal Cossack made, and their actions at Mount Elysium, they’re untouchable for past crimes, but bringing him here would be like tossing a match into a powderkeg. Frankly, even after I helped destroy General Cutman and saved the Robot Police, I’m still given dirty looks here and there. And Blizzardman? Well, you’ve heard about Officer Garmel, haven’t you?”

Hyperstorm had. “Hey, wait. That’s a Scissor Army stronghold! There’s no reason to think Blizzard did anything. And why would he? He’s on our side now!”

Geminiman whistled. “Is he? I’m not privy to the meetings anymore, but I’ve heard rumours about him. And it was his team, along with Ringman, who was responsible for the fiasco at Nonsteropolis.”

Hyperstorm let his mind process the information. It was true that the Cossacks had proven to be, as a whole, more bloodthirsty than even Wily’s forces. He didn’t want to think that they were responsible for any more wrongdoings. He really wanted to put the past behind him. But, still …

The two robots continued to talk and left the jail cells. Quint remained stoically silent, but even he wondered what was happening. If the Scissor Army was still out there, why hadn’t he been called into action? He wasn’t the only conscious Scissor Army operative in custody and he would normally have relished the opportunity to consult a peer about the situation.

But that peer was Chargeman. Broken and battered, Chargeman was still operational, even if he had lost all motor functions and attack capabilities. The Cossacks had given him over to the Robot Police Force after joining forces. Even in the best of times, Chargeman was not known for his brains and the robot just kept on roaring like a madman lately. Even through the soundproof walls Quint could hear him crying out.

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

Napalman sat in the new War Room of the Napalm Forces. The new, tentative name for the Scissor Army. He’d have to think up something a bit more clever, but that was the best he could do for the moment. The Commander went over the latest losses. Monaco had fallen the other day. And there was trouble in Kalingrad. It didn’t matter. The fleshpiles in those areas were pretty much squashed into fleshstains. He had to keep the army on the move. No business of taking cities like that idiot General Backstab had done. He’d get right down to the dirty business of exterminating the blood factories and bringing his beloved dream of Elysium to reality.

But it was harder than he could have imagined. He’d constantly radioed the Shit Piles, his Ascendant Androids, to come back to the fold. But none of them had responded. What was worse was that none of the other Commanding Officers had returned to Skull Castle after both Mt.Elysium and Desert Gulch had fallen, not that he was exactly missing the presence of Captain Frog and his Seven Failures.

I’m really on my own here, aren’t I?

Napalmman got up to his feet. He grunted in pain. Without the General in operation his injuries could not be fully repaired. None of the Joes were given the skill to do it. His armor looked as good as new thanks to their patching up, but below that, the stab wounds from Mad Max's pixie dust arrows and fairy sword were still grinding at his pain receptors. There was Wily... but Napalmman wasn’t stupid enough to let that urine-stained madman prick touch him. Didn’t a Wily from another dimension drive Cutman batshit insane? There was no way he’d let that moldy old bone sack touch him.

The thought of Doctor Whipping Boy set Napalmman into another bout of unease. He slowly moved to the surveillance monitors. Yeah, it was still there. Sulking in its cell. Mesmerman, that two-faced, asswipe, mindfucking traitor, had given him right back to them after the Wily Suckup Force had tried to save him. And that worried Napalmman. The General might have been stupid enough to trust the swirling clown, but General Napalmman was no General Cutman. This might not even be Wily, for all he knew. But he wasn't going to kill whatever it was yet. He still had friends.

He turned to the status monitors for the Wily’s Warriors and was shocked by what he saw. They had ordered a retreat in Kalingrad!? Naplmman turned on the communications array.

“What do you shit for brains think you’re doing!?”

Cyros responded. “The RPD downed Airman! And they’re overrunning our forces.”

Pain fired in his joints as Napalmman tensed up. “You're going to hold Kalingrad until every man, woman, and child is a meat casserole on the street! Do you understand me, Shit Piece!?”

Did he hear an impatient intake of breath from Flashman? “The Scissor Army’s been here for a long time already. Don’t you think-?”

Napalmman cut him off, “I think I gave you an order, Lite Brite! I expect you to follow it! Or are you dumber than Chargetard? At least that Smokestack knew enough to attack when I ordered him to!”

Flashman grunted. “Fine, we’ll hold Kalingrad as long as we can. But you can’t expect –“

Napalmman cut off communications. Wily’s Wussbags were a pathetic bunch of assholes. It was one failure after another with them. But they were the only officers he had at the moment, and the only reason left to keep their dessicated creator alive. That, and if push came to shove, Wily might make a good bargaining chip sometime in the future. Napalmman was annoyed with himself. He’d rather just kill the disease-ridden germ bucket and be done with it.

For now, the Scissor Army had other business. He turned his attention to Australia next. That place was infested with vermin and it was his job to make sure they were exterminated. For Elysium! His glorious dream. Only he was left to carry it out. It was up to him to carry on where the orange boney bastard had failed. To pick up the slack.

How the hell did that no-faced asshole ever keep up with all this?

***
Artilleryman flew into position. They were only a few miles from the entrance to the Subterranean Skull Castle. The place was still littered with the broken bodies of fallen soldiers. Artillery looked around and soon saw who he was looking for.

“Doc Robot,” said Artilleryman with a smile.

“Blue traitor,” said the miniature Wily in return. Artilleryman laughed at the insult.

“I guess hiring me wasn’t your idea then.” said the mercenary with a smirk.

Expressman stepped forward. “It was mine. I figured we could use the muscle.”

“We got all the muscle we need right here,” muttered Multiman under his breath. Still, he hadn’t put up much of an argument when the team had decided to hire the former Evil Eight member for their mission. Only Mr. Whiz was truly still upset by it as even Doc Robot saw a use for Artilleryman’s skills. Even if he hated to admit it.

Whiz shifted uncomfortably on his new legs. The merciless Armoured Assassins had left him as just a torso and Doc Robot had to scavenge the parts to make him new legs and arms. Contrary to what some thought, getting your legs sliced off rarely left an entirely clean cut. Mr. Whiz’s new limbs functioned well enough, but he still just wasn’t used to them. He felt clumsy and akward. But he still didn’t want Artillery in on the mission.

The mercenary smiled as he looked at him. “Yeah, you never liked me much, did you?”

Whiz let out a burst of anger. “You’re a traitor! We don’t need you!”

Artillery laughed. “From the looks of things, we could do without you either. Are you gonna cry now?”

Whiz stiffened. “I’ll do whatever it takes to rescue Doctor Wily!”

Doc Robot pressed a small finger to Artilleryman’s chest. “And you will too, if you want the rest of your money!”

Artilleryman backed off and nodded, although his mocking smile remained. “So, fearless leader … what’s the plan?”

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

Snakeman slung his trashed crystal-firing gun into the garbage. He didn’t even know why he bothered to carry it from the battlefield. It had shorted out on him and he had to resort to using it as a club. And now it just didn’t work at all.

Topman got a table for the both of them. They were in the RPD common room in their London headquarters. The city was tense. They had once again repelled an invasion force from the Scissor Army.

“I can’t believe they’re attacking us every day,” said Topman with exasperation.

“They did it in Monsteropolis too,” replied Snakeman, “They’re trying to wear us down. But I gotta admit, their strategy is a lot more … disorganised then it used to be. It looks like they keep trying to throw as much as they can against us, but here we’re pretty strong. And this time we even had the Marauder to back us up.”

Topman grunted. The waiter bot had come and both robots took their energy shakes from him. Topman felt a small lump of guilt in his chest. He hadn’t been there for the attacks on Monsteropolis. But, then he did get back just in time to save the RPD from the Shutdown Code. As well as helping to beat General Cutman. And that had to count for something.

Instead of dwelling on what he didn’t do, Topman changed the subject. “I noticed you weren’t playing sniper. And the crystal gun … weren’t you attached to that rifle you used to carry around?”

Snakeman tried to shrug it off. “Amatista still has it. At this point, she can keep it. I think I’ll just ditch the guns and stick to my Search Snakes.”

“Wait, what? Didn’t you train for months to be some sort of sniper?”

Snakeman shrugged again, not really wanting to talk about it.

“And what about the Judge? Wasn’t being a sniper to replace that old psycho trainer of yours?”

Again Snakeman shrugged. But less easily this time. Topman looked at his friend in confusion. He’d spent a lot of time as a sniper, and giving it up now didn’t make much sense.

“Did I ever tell you how much I hate my job?” asked Snake finally. Topman blinked.

“No, you didn’t mention it.”

“Well, I do. I hate my job." Snake felt a weight slide off his shoulders as he vented to his orange friend. "I hate being JUST a sniper. I wanted to try something new and you know what? I really hate it. And I hate that damned rifle. My life’s just gotten worse ever since I picked it up. From now on … I’ll just stick to my natural skills. No stupid crystal guns either. I’m gonna put in a recommendation to ditch the entire line of those things. I’ve already switched departments. Gaderham didn’t make much sense of it either, but I’m officially off sniper duty.”

Topman scratched his head. This news certainly came out of left field. But he had heard that his last orders as a sniper was to shoot down Spark Chan. For refusing he was shut down and only survived thanks to the trickery of his snakes. And his sniping skills didn’t do much good against General Cutman. Maybe it ran deeper than that, but Topman was satisfied with the answer he’d received.

“I don’t think crystal guns are really your style anyway.”

“Yeah, I know. I mean, I'm not bad in a fight, but am I ever really IN one? I've gotten REALLY rusty, or the General wouldn't have gotten me with that sucker punch. I have an aresenal of specialized Search Snakes, and do I ever USE them? I've got a snake that shoots miniature sidewinder missiles, for heaven's sake!"

Topman laughed out loud. “Oh yeah, that’s real covert! Nothing more snakelike than sidewinder missiles!”

“I don't know," Snakeman sighed, feeling a bit better for making his friend laugh. "I just want a change of pace, I guess. The crystal gun was too rifle-like anyway. And, hell, I’m not Crystalman. I think I’ll just make do with my snakes and see where that gets me. Get myself out of this rut I've been in for the whole war.”

“Hopefully it won’t get you dead when we take on Mesmerman.”

Snakeman hissed. Mesmerman. He had been keeping a pretty low profile lately. Which just meant that he was somewhere out of sight. Hiding. And probably manipulating events to his own advantage. Whatever that might be. He was General Cutman’s partner in the war against humanity, and everyone on the team agreed that he needed to be brought down, but their new “council” apparently didn’t see it that way.

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

Shadowman stayed quiet. He knew that if he opened his mouth he'd scream out in a rage against the new Robot Police Chiefs.

“Mesmerman’s just another Commanding Officer. And without the Scissor Army, he’s hardly a threat.” said Captain Spiegel.

Landigarm nodded. “I think the ‘live and let live’ policy we’ve adopted with Mesmerman is the best thing going for us at the moment. He seems content to stay quiet and I’m not inclined to go to him and stir up trouble. The last thing we need right now if that monster rejoining the Scissor Army.”

Amatista sighed. “I’m not sure if I agree with your reasoning, Landigarm. Robots like him are a menace that need to be wiped off the face of the Earth! Without a trace. But … our first duty is to the human race. There’s so many cities occupied by the Scissor Army and right now they’re ruthlessly murdering people whenever they see them. Without rhyme or reason it seems! Getting rid of General Cutman might have made them less organised, but it hasn’t stopped them from doing their jobs. We need to free all the cities they’ve captured. While we’re doing that we’ll either destroy their factories of death or convert them to produce our own Robot Police forces.”

Shadowman bristled. Amatista had been much less condescending lately, and even bordering on helpful, but even a mild-mannered Amatista seemed to go against whatever the Mechanical Maniacs proposed.

The small robot, Gaderham, seemed to be the only one to see things their way. “Maybe you don’t recall very well, but Mesmerman himself invaded Monsteropolis. Single handedly he killed an entire compound of refugees and sent one to deliver the news to Crorq personally. After which he shot himself in the head! Not only that, but he was responsible for the death of Freezeman (twice over), the corruption of Geminiman, and possibly the corruption of Magnetman as well.”

Spiegel leaned forward in his chair. “All the more reason to leave him alone until we’re in a better position to handle him. We don’t have enough troops to spare to wage war on every single escaped Scissor Army Commanding Officer! And, quite frankly, every minute our time is wasted with these thinly-veiled demands is time when we’re not overseeing our troops all around the world. You, of all people, know Crorq is down. I can’t believe I’m saying this but, we need that oversized calculator to run things cleanly. Now our new R&D department is working on repairing him. When that’s done then we’ll talk about getting Mesmerman. Until then, however …”

Gaderham’s cheerful façade was turned upside down. He was furious. The small robot knew full well that that Mesmerman was a threat … but he also knew that the RPD’s resources were taxed beyond belief. Every since he and the others had taken up Crorq’s many duties, Gaderham had not been able to keep as cool of a head as he liked. Still, this was not the first time Mesmerman had been brought up. His once persistent demands that they hunt Mesmerman down had been weathered away. Now he just felt uneasy and angry that the Robot Police would not pursue an obvious enemy … even if they were overtaxed.

Needlegal didn’t notice her brother's state of absolute rage and looked to him for assistance. She was too frantic to talk anymore and she knew it. Shadowman closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. The best he could manage was a strained, condescending tone.

“Fine. I know you’re all busy. I’ll just waste my time defending the city for the umpteenth time in a row when we know where the damned robot is.”

With that the meeting was concluded and the pair of robots walked out of the meeting room. Needlegal was beginning to feel angry now too.

“What was that!?”

“They weren’t going to give in. Frankly, they won’t attack Mesmerman at this point unless he attacks up.”

“So what are we supposed to do? Just wait until that happens?”

“I don’t know! How am I supposed to know?” Even as Shadowman said these words an answer came to him. But it really required a man better skilled at people than Shadowman. Especially with the mood he was in. It involved going to the most vocal ‘live and let live’ person in the entire alliance and he knew he was far too angry to make Doctor Cossack change his mind in the state he was in now. But he did know some people who were better at this sort of thing …

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

Hardman and Spark Chan looked around Tech City. Miraculously it had survived virtually the entire war with only minimal damage. And it was truly a wonder to behold. The most advanced machinery in the world could be found in Tech City. And right now, it was being put into use defending it against the Scissor Army. Even here, the Scissor Army seemed to constantly push its full force against the city. But now the Marauder had flown in and was destroying the invaders. Even while it did so the Tech Tyrants were defending their hometown. Neither Hardman nor Spark Chan were too concerned. They had a bigger battle ahead of them.

Doctor Cossack greeted them with exasperation at his newest headquarters. “I know why you’re here. Light has been on my case too.”

“You know … you know it’s the right thing to do, Mikhail,” said Light with some difficulty. Not many knew that Doctor Light had suffered a nervous breakdown after Megaman had been shut down right at the beginning of War. He’d even built some twisted ‘Megaman X” that nobody had spoken of since learning about it. Roll was doing her best to keep the Doctor calm. She had been very against using him to convince Cossack of anything, let alone attacking Mesmerman. But the Doctor had insisted. Despite being the one who cracked the Shutdown Code he still felt as if he’d sat the entire War out.

“Please, Tomas. My mind is made up. Mesmerman is not an immediate threat to us. We have to save mankind from the Scissor Army before even thinking of attacking Mesmerman.”

Spark Chan put her hand on Cossack’s arm. “Doctor, I know you’re tired of the fighting, but Mesmerman is a real threat. You should have seen what he did to poor Lennon. He was one of my best friends and I knew him very well. And Mesmerman …. He turned him against me. Against everyone who cared about him! That’s what he does. So I had to fight him. And Shoryu. And Geminiman finally broke through that monster’s brainwashing. Freezeman … wasn’t so lucky. From what Junk says, he was a completely lost cause.”

Cossack snapped up. It seemed she struck a nerve there. “Yes, I … I’ve heard that from Slashman. It’s hard to believe Mesmerman could completely corrupt him.”

Spark Chan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “He did corrupt him! As hard as it is to believe."

Kalinka, then, jumped to her father’s defence. Ever since he came back she had been very protective of him. “Back off! My father thinks Mesmerman isn’t a threat right now and so do I! My father says we’ll get him after we beat back the Scissor Army and I back him up! Be patient. My father has been fighting long and hard, most definitely harder than any of you!”

It was Hardman’s turn at bat. “Lil’ Lady, you need to wise up. I’m sorry your pop had it so tough in this War, but he knew the stakes before going renegade.”

“An easy excuse for a fascist pig.”

“You don’t hear him complaining about how hard he had it, d’you?”

Kalinka looked to her father then. She saw the strain on his face. He had not, in fact, complained about their status during the War.

It was Spark Chan’s turn once more. “Doctor Cossack, we have an anti-Mesmerman virus made by General Cutman. We have the co-ordinates to one of his bases … if not his main base. Junkman got them from SyneCo’s computers before the place blew sky high and General Cutman’s own notes verify that it’s the right place. But if we wait for much longer we won’t have this chance again. Mesmerman has to know about this weapon the General’s been working on.”

Cossack seemed angry then. “If you have everything, then why do you need me?”

“The virus isn’t finished, Mikhail,” said Dr, Light, “I just can’t … finish it in the state I’m in. Not on my own.”

Doctor Cossack closed his eyes. “You have no idea what you’re asking me to do.”

Spark Chan this time. “We’re asking you to do what you always do, Doctor. We’re asking you to look inside your heart … and to do what’s right.”

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

It was like opening a book. So simple to do, so easy to understand. So remarkably easy to change.

The cable that linked the man in the straight jacket into Mesmerman's own system shivered. Tiny spikes sank into the man's flesh, latching onto the human's bioelectricity and reading it like computer code. He could see and read the man's shattered mind and broken memories, tapping into the ambient background blackness that seemed to emanate, on some level or another, from all living things.

According to his medical files, this man had been diagnosed with an acute, recurring kind of insanity. For whole periods of the day, he'd have hallucinations that no known medicine could repress or erase, scream at ghosts, and weep and rage at nothing at all. He was perfect for Mesmerman to experiment on. No one would ever believe this man, if he was even aware of it himself, that a white robot had invaded his mind.

Despite his erratic and diseased behavior, the man's mind was much like a normal human's. It made sure he drew breath, it blinked his eyes, it ensured the heart pumped blood, and it tried very hard to keep up with the damage it inflicted on itself. Mesmerman was able to witness all of this as a vast collection of multicolored strings, like some infinite harp, and pluck each one to see what effect it had on the whole of the man. THIS string would move his arm. THIS string would flap his jaw. THIS string...

It was... interesting. Not entirely satisfying, but very interesting.

He felt himself grow weaker, and withdrew his presence from the man's shattered brain. His body, the patchwork assortment of old robotic parts that it was, used energy in a criminally inefficient manner. Even worse, he seemed to require something altogether different than his supposed siblings in the robotic race. He fed off the blackness, a dark kind of energy that seemed to be generated as a result of the concept humans referred to as 'evil'. His body absorbed this energy at a measured rate depending on how much of it was available to him, but the collection arrays in his hands and built into his legs were, like much of the rest of him, not as efficient as he might like.

Mesmerman made a note to research ways to improve that particular situation as he sent the encoded signal up to the Eden station to teleport him back off of this rock.

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

Needlegal met the other Mechanical Maniacs just before the trip. Only a few of them were there so far. Shadowman was pacing the room and Snakeman was lounging against a wall. Snakeman was carrying around the rifle He was frowning and Needlegal went up to him to see what was going on.

“Hey, Snake.”

“Yo, Needle.”

“Why so down?

Snakeman looked down at his rifle. “I didn’t really want to get this back.”

Needlegal frowned. “I heard. Why not just ditch it, then?”

Snakeman shrugged. “Well, this is the big battle against Mesmerman, isn’t it? And I have a job to do.” Snakeman looked at his rifle. Getting rid of the world’s evil …. That was his job. Did he really need this thing to do it? Snakeman yearned with the desire to explore new avenues with his power. He didn’t actually need a rifle, did he? But the battle with Mesmerman was no time to go off and experiment with new tricks.

He felt a hard poke into his side and turned to see Needlegal smiling at him. “Don’t be so worried! This is gonna be it! Mesmerman’s the last real threat out there and now we’re gonna kick his ass for good. And after that we’ll go see a movie or something.”

Snakeman couldn’t help but smile. See a movie … when was the last time he’d actually done something like that?

Needlegal spotted Hardman, Topman, and Geminiman coming into the room. Shadowman seemed impatient to begin the briefing. Needlegal knew why and they all understood. This was potentially their last mission during the course of this War. Whether the Robot Police realised it or not, Mesmerman was the last threat to mankind and once he was beaten back it would all fall apart.

Shadowman waited until they were all seated and began.

“The information coming from General Cutman’s and Syne Co.'s files tells us that Mesmerman’s satellite compound is called ‘Eden.’ Even the General didn’t know much about it. But since this is Mesmerman we’re talking about we have to assume that it’s going to be a lot like walking into a floating fortress mirroring his own mind.”

Hardman gave a small cough before speaking. “An, how do we know dat, boss?”

Shadowman nodded. “We know that based on the nature of Mesmerman’s powers and attacks. It’s true that he might have a small army up there, but it’s even more likely he’ll try to break us psychologically.”

The team gave a collective shudder. In their first battles against Mesmerman, he had dragged them into an illusionary world where they were all human. It was frightening in its depth. He’d given them false memories, a few false personalities, and had even gotten into the minds of the Evil Eight to use against them. During War he had gotten even worse. He ran a virtual death camp in Hong Kong and had driven Geminiman to madness. Nobody doubted he was behind Magnetman’s betrayal of the team.

“As you know the Doctors are giving us an edge. Together, they’re finishing a virus that will destroy Mesmerman.”

Topman shifted uneasily. That virus was gained from General Cutman’s notes and the Spinning Demon didn’t trust anything the General had his hands in. Shadowman looked at him and seemed to read his mind.

“I don’t like using anything the General cooked up either, but it’s the best shot we’ve got. Our mission will be more of a rescue mission. We’re getting Magnetman back whether he wants back or not! And on that note, we have the General to thank as well.”

Geminiman frowned. “You’ve been pretty unclear as to what that is.”

“I don’t even know. I looked into it and I'm sure it’ll work. But, to prevent Mesmerman from gaining the information I’ve deleted the information on the secret weapon from my memory. All that’s left is the certainty that it’ll work. And the knowledge that I have it on hand somewhere.”

Geminiman’s mouth was agape. He knew Shadowman needed to keep things quiet, but … even from himself?

Hardman was more than willing to accept this direction. After all, just the knowledge that there was a secret weapon warmed his heart. Needlegal was more pessimistic, but couldn’t see any other way.

“And speaking of our fallen friend, you might have heard the reports that he captured Docman during a Scissor Army attack on the RPD. We’ll have to expect him to show up as well. So it won’t just be Mesmerman we’re facing.”

Docman … the name sent shivers down the spines of the ‘Maniacs. He had slaughtered everyone at the UN during the General’s attack. He was completely off his rocker if the security footage could be believed. And they had to face him, Magnetman, and Mesmerman all at once …

Hardman could hardly wait. “So what’s the plan, boss?”

Shadowman smiled. “There isn’t any. We’re up against a mind reader.”

Topman blinked. “There’s no plan?”

“None.”

“So we’re just gonna knock Mesmerman’s door down and go gung-ho on him? Like the Comrades? Or the Assassins?”

“That’s about the sum of it.”

Topman grinned. “Cool.” He was afraid … Shadowman usually had a plan. But, he supposed an all-out assault was the only thing possible for them.

“One last thing,” said Shadowman. “This is not a mission cleared by the robot police. I know you all know this already … it’s why we had to go to Cossack in the first place. We all have to be together on this one. There won’t be any backup and really …. There’s a good chance we won’t make it. So, while we’re all still here … I just want to …. Thank everyone here for their support. I couldn’t do this without you.”

The room was stunned. This was, quite possibly, the first time Shadowman had ever thanked the team for doing what they do best.

“Let’s not get all mushy about it,” said Needlegal, smiling. “Kick ass and take names. It’s what we do best.”

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

The team dispersed. They would rendezvous at Cossack’s lab in just a little while. Each of them had gone to say their goodbyes. Hardman was on the phone with Gag in Monsteropolis. Both cracked jokes, but there was a very real chance they’d never see each other again. Snakeman took some time to talk with his snakes. Who knew they all had personalities? That was the biggest surprise of Spark Chan’s life.

Shadowman and Needlegal went off to check up on the captured Sinister Six. The way the General had twisted their old friends really hurt Spark Chan.

“This really could be it,” muttered Topman, half to himself. Geminiman only nodded.

Topman was with Spark Chan and Geminiman. They felt oddly out of place at RPD headquarters. They had fought on opposing sides during the war, but had returned when the team was faced with complete annihilation. They had managed to save the robot police department by grabbing bodies, sometimes one at a time, and teleporting them to safety. For that act of heroism, an in the light of extreme circumstances, Crorq was forced to give them a pardon.

Geminiman was, apparently, on the same wavelength. “Do you remember the look on Crorq’s face when Dr. Light reactivated him?”

Topman felt his spirits lift. He spoke in a low, booming voice. “INIFIDELS! You have dared to capture the magnificent CRORQ!? But the joke is on you for my legions of police officers will … wait? Where are my officers!?”

Spark Chan couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing. Topman continued with his impersonation. “I cannot have been rescued by the likes of you! And I will certainly not make any deals! And I – I – I DEMAND you repair my leg! And where are my weapons systems!?”

Topman began to imitate the way Crorq’s one leg tried to stomp as the rest of its body lay flat atop a large table, just high enough to keep Crorq from reaching the ground.

The team got to Classi’s room and said their hellos to Shoryu. Classi’s daughter. She had been quiet since the General’s defeat.

“Hi hunny.”

Soryu waved a spindly arm into the air.

“I brought some of my friends.”

Shoryu waved another arm in greeting. Classi went to her side.

“Shoryu, listen … Mommy is going away. My and my friends are fighting Mesmerman.”

Shoryu’s head jerked up. “You can’t!”

“We have to, hunny.”

“But!” Shoryu struggled to find the words. She heard whispers about him in the Scissor Army. How he could bend minds. How he made the bad humans pay by showing them things that made them cry. The thought of her mommy crying….

“You can’t go!” said the spider.

“I really have to. You don’t understand. He’s … Mesmerman’s … a really bad man. And he has to be stopped.”

Shoryu shook with panic. “But he’s too strong!” She looked at Geminiman for support. He had gone through a lot to rescue her mother …. But she saw in his eyes that he was set to go too. And the other one – Topman – just nodded gravely.

Spark Chan held Shoryu in her arms. “Sweetie, I love you and I’m coming right back. But if I don’t you have to be strong. If I don’t … make it. Look for a robot called ‘Gag’ in Monsteropolis. Use the radio signal I’m giving you to find him. He’s a friend of Mommy’s and he’ll take care of you.

Shoryu was crying, but Spark chan held her close. Both Snakeman and Topman went to comfort their robot friends.

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

Now this mind was different. Cold, hard, logic, marred by time and numerous recreation. "Wake up, my friend," Mesmerman said softly.

"Uhh?" The robot on the table moaned, shifting slightly.

"I suppose that's as much of a greeting as someone in your condition is capable of," The white robot said.

"What...what happened?" the robot croaked.

"Oh, you don't remember?"

"I...I don't remember anything..."

"Well, I suppose that's for the best. You would need the room, for what he wants you to do," Mesmerman sighed, double checking the robot's system against a database schematic. There were so many irregularities it was impossible to count them all, but for a robot that could copy anyone, or anything, and especially to evolve as this one had, there had to be something to show for it.

"What? Who?" Docman asked weakly.

"Who indeed? That's going to be the number one question for you from now on. You can adapt though, it's what you do, it's why he brought you back," Mesmerman told him levelly. He wondered if this entire conversation was even necessary.

"Back?...Wait...I remember...there was an explosion..."

"Don't try think too hard on it, you'll forget it all in a moment."

"What? Why? What are you-"

"Ah, I see he is complete," Juno said with a hint of happiness, entering the room on silent hovering technology.

"Not the word I would use, master," Mesmerman commented dryly. In his time since his activation, he'd been experimenting with the human concept of humor. For the moment, he found himself in what he'd filed away as 'deadpan mode.'

"Who's there?" Docman inquired. A bug in his optics must be preventing him from actually seeing anything. Mesmerman made a mental note to check into that once Juno's intrusion had ended.

"Well, make your abilities useful so he can do likewise," Juno snapped, not appreciating the attempted joke. "I want my acquaintances to know it's never over."

"Perhaps if you allowed me to play with them directly...I could cause so much more misery than a mere inciteful drama."

"All in due time. Your power still needs to develop as well," Juno admonished. A fact Mesmerman grudgingly admitted was true.

"You think he will help?"

"As much as you want him to. I believe I will give him to you. He needs you to be used effectively anyway."

"How gracious of you, master," Mesmerman said snidely. Juno had made the gift of a terrificly broken robot to him. How nice. What was this stuck up idiot playing at?

"Oh by the way, I do notice when you attempt to use your powers on me. I must say it is adorable. Though I am afraid it will take more energy than is in your capacity to challenge the power of a god."

Mesmerman hadn't even realized he'd made the attempt. Was he becoming so used to invading other's minds that he did it unthinkingly now? Or was this more of Juno's latent paranoia expressing itself? "I will keep that in mind, master," he said simply, playing along.

All in due time, right? he thought to himself. He noticed a reaction to his thoughts registering on Docman's brain, showing up on the monitors right in front of Juno. Fortunately, the beaurocratic model was too stupid to notice as he turned to leave.

Getting a few thoughts mixed up... I'll have to work on that. We can keep it between you and me, alright? He is giving you to me, after all.

He withdrew his mind from Docman as the latter fell once more into a memory-smudged stupor. Accessing the controls of the terminal, Mesmerman once more set to work on his REAL project. Eden had a small manufacturing facility located deep within itself. Unlike a human factory, however, this facility replicated parts out of nano-technology using requested specifications. It had been simple to work his way into the facility's system and begin designing a new body for himself. Something less Frankenstien in style.

But it would have to wait. Part of Juno's paranoia had motivated him to move his base of operations into a hulk of twisted metal that he had reshaped into a glorious, spaceborn fortress, leaving Eden behind until all who knew of it were destroyed. Mesmerman, however, had other plans.

He'd already conducted studies on the feasibility of forcing his main programming into Eden's mainframe. Turning the entire station into one big extension of himself. Maybe even restructuring the solar panels of the station with the manufacturing facility's nano-technology into a more advanced and certainly more effecient matter of collecting the energy he needed to survive.

Oh yes, Mesmerman had big plans for Eden, once his 'master' left it behind. And maybe this Docman might even be more helpful than Juno ever dreamed.

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

Artillery attached the last panel onto Mr. Whiz’s back.

“There ya go,” said the mercenary with a good sense of satisfaction. “You look nice and banged up.”

“I look like crap you mean!” said Whiz angrily. “Did you have to put scorch marks on my butt?”

“Absolutely.”

“I hate you! You’re so mean to me!”

“Be quiet,” said Doc Robot tersely. Whiz shot him a hurt look and kept his silence. Doc Robot himself looked quite beat up. His head was dented in and one side lost it’s ‘hair-panels’. Multiman sported a great deal of damage and Expressman looked as if he had been put through a furnace. But Whiz really did look like the worst of the bunch. Doc Robot, however, had little time for the robot’s ego.

The plan was simple. Artilleryman would bring them in as his captives. To make the illusion work, they had removed their panels and shot at them or punched dents in them. Later, Doc Robot would use the scrap around them to reinforce the damaged panels. This had the effect of making the Wily Rescue Force appear to be more damaged than they really were. Artilleryman seemed to like the misdirection. He was half-hoping the Scissor Army would give him a bonus for bringing in the Wily Rescue Force. Hoping, but not believing. He wasn’t that lucky.

Together the group made their way to the entrance to the underground base. The Wily Rescue Force and Whiz walked dejectedly in front of Artilleryman. For Whiz there was no pretence about it. The Evil Eight had once been Wily’s top commanders and the one who had abandoned him was now their best hope. It was a sad joke.

Doc Robot didn’t care about the irony. Doc Robot would team up with anyone to his master back. He knew Expressman and Multiman were with him on that feeling. Whatever they looked like they were still Wily’s elite robot forces.

Artilleryman stood before an exposed manhole cover. Normally it would be well hidden, but the attack on Skull Caste had exposed it. The mercenary stomped on the cover.

“Hey! I know you jerks can hear me. Come on out!”

It was a few moments. Artilleryman looked around with some annoyance. What were they playing at? Whiz was beginning to get impatient. He looked like an iodiot and the plan hadn’t even worked. The robot was just about to say something that would have blown their cover when the Forest Jopes appeared.

They emerged behind a rock and aimed their rifles at the group. Evidently they had teleported a short distance away, behind some rocks or trees, to take them by surprise. Artilleryman smiled and hoped he looked friendly.

“Truce! I come in peace.”

The Joes batted Artilleryman and his company with their rifles. The brutal approach took the mercenary by surprise, but none of the robots fought back.

“Get on the ground!” ordered the Joe. An annoyed Artilleryman did as he was told. He spent a bit of time in the Scissor Army camp, even his presence wasn’t common knowledge. Even forced to the ground with a rifle pointed at his head, the mercenary felt at easy.

“State your damn business, shit bag!”

Shit bag?

Artilleryman kept his smile frozen on his face. “I’m here to sell my services to the winning team of course.”

“Don’t feed me piss and call it water. What’s your game?” screamed the Joe as he pressed the barrel of his rifle against Artilleryman’s head. It might have hurt a human, but the robotic Artilleryman just felt annoyed at the aggressive gesture.

“Maybe you’ve heard,” said Artilleryman struggling to keep his impatience at a minimum, “but I’m a mercenary. I go where the work is.”

The Joe didn’t move an inch. Artilleryman continued with his sales pitch. “And I haven’t come empty handed. I came on these low lives and figured you’d want ‘em back. Consider it my resume.”

The Joe still didn’t flinch. Artilleryman was beginning to get nervous.

“We’ll get free! Just you wait!” screamed Mr. Whiz in a burst of anger. Artilleryman tried to hide his shock. The yellow robot was actually being useful!

Doc Robot was the next to chime in. “We will rescue Master! You cannot stop us!”

“Better believe it,” said Expressman. Multiman opened his mouth to add to the exchange, but a swift kick to a seemingly injured part of the robot’s head silenced him.

“Shut your hole!”

The Joe in charge was oddly still. It took a moment for Artilleryman to realise that he was communicating to the Commanding Officer in change. It wasn’t a fast exchange, but it seemed like hours to the group of robots. Right now it could go a few different ways.

Their ploy could work. Artilleryman might have free access to the base while the Rescue Force was taken to the holding cells near Wily. The Rescue Force assured him there was only one area in the castle suitable for that.

Or they might all be captured. Not a total loss. They could get free and rescue Wily.

But that wasn’t the only possibility. There was always the notion that the Joes would be ordered to kill the Rescue Force on sight. If they did that then Artilleryman would be forced to join the Scissor Army … a prospect he wasn’t too fond of. Despite his sales pitch he didn’t think they could actually win the war.

Worse still was the possibility that this Commanding Officer … whoever he was, had heard that Artilleryman was once part of the Scissor Army and knew of his betrayal. Artilleryman’s brief affiliation was a secret, but you never knew. If they knew that then the group would be shot on sight. And even if they hadn’t heard that then maybe the Joes would still shoot them. They could defend themselves, but rescuing Wily would not go smoothly.

The conversation seemed to last hours. In truth it was close to two minutes.

The Joe lifted his rifle and his men grabbed the group forcefully.

“Good news,” said the lead Joe, “The General wants to have a word with you. The rest of these walking garbage heaps will be taken to cells to await reprogramming. Get your asses in gear, ladies!”

The General!?



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

The ‘Maniacs gathered at Cossack’s laboratory.

“I’ve had to up the ante on the teleporter,” explained the doctor, “a space station’s a little out of it’s range normally. I everyone ready?”

The Mechanical Maniacs looked at each other. They had come this far, haven’t they?

“Fire it up, Doc,” said Hardman resolutely. Cossack nodded and turned on the machine.

The Eden space station orbited the Earth far from the orbit of other satellites. It was masked from sensors as well, making it’s location a further challenge. But the co-ordinates they gained from Syne Co. and General Cutman's files had the effect of pinning it down. And the General’s work allowed them to piece it’s cloak. The power required, however, was considerable. The machine hummed loudly as it processed the power that was needed. They were lucky to be stationed in Tech City. Not many cities in the world had the power required for this journey, especially now, but Tech City had just about enough. As the name implied it was made to be the most technologically advanced city on the planet … now that technology was put to use.

“Alright, we have to do this quickly!”

Cossack and Light pressed buttons and the lights dimmed for a moment. Shadowman felt a moment of unease, but suppressed it. There was nothing to be done, but to go on. “Let’s go, guys! Hardman, you’re up first.”

Hardman muttered under his breath. He knew he had to go first because of his wight. They may as well send the most difficult passenger up first, while the system was at peak efficiency.

Hardman stepped into the transporter and vanished in a burst of light. The lights dimmed and the teleporter hummed menacingly for a full minute. They could hear the teleporter struggle to send Hardman to the relay satellites and, finally, into the Eden space station. Finally, however, the lights brightened again and the machine’s hum resumed it’s regular volume. Everyone in the room let out a suppressed breath.

“All right, let’s go team,” said Shadowman with a smile. With Hardman transported the most difficult part was over. Spark Chan was up next. And then Topman. Followed by Gemini, Needle, Snake, and then Shadowman himself. After the ‘Maniacs leader left, the doctors powered down their transport and stopped the power amplifiers. Their plan had worked. The ‘Maniacs were in Eden now and all that was left was the waiting.

Just as they finished powering down the last instruments Drillman stepped into the room.

“What was that just now? The whole city seemed to suffer from – Doctor Light!?”

Light nodded and smiled. Cossack noticed he was sweating … he wasn’t good with dealing with stress at the moment.

“We’ll explain as we work.” Doctor Light smiled wearily. “It’s time to bring an end to Mesmerman’s chaos once and for all.”

Drillman’s voice quieted. “It is?”

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

In the fortress in space, Snakeman and Hardman opened the doors and the team filed into the room as a whole. This was a massive circular chamber, with stained glass windows, hard wood floors, and a long red carpet that went up another set of stairs on the other side of the room, and an old enemy standing there at the foot of those stairs.

Mesmerman smiled, like always. His real-life form was nowhere to be seen.
“Ya just dunno when ta die, do ya?” Hardman growled.

“Now, now, Hardman,” that cold, high voice sliced through the air, "are you upset because I messed with your little friend?”

“I’m BEYOND upset.”

“Well, it can’t be helped,” he chuckled. “She did want so badly to fight along side you. She really does like you, you know, in that sick sort of platonic, sisterly sort of way.”

“I will laugh for a week STRAIGHT when we finally kill you,” the big blue robot snarled.

“Easy, Hardman,” Snakeman said. “He’s just messing with you, like he always does.”

“No,” Shadowman shook his head. “He’s beyond messing with us. He’s insuring that no matter what happens, he gets to come back to life.”

Mesmerman’s head threw itself back as laughter echoed through the chamber. “Bravo, Shadowman, bravo. Figured out my little trick, have we?”

“What’s this nut job talking about?” Magnetman asked. Hardman looked a little confused too, as was Geminiman, who made this known.

“It’s obvious,” Needlegal said, rolling her eyes. “He gets all his power from Evil Energy, and I bet he’s found a way to gather it at all times, whether he’s actually alive or not. So all he has to do is provoke hate and malice and he gets to keep coming back.”

“Indeed!” Mesmerman laughed. “I am well and truly immortal, Maniacs! I’m the foe that you cannot kill!”

“Wonderful,” Hardman grinned.

“What?” Mesmerman asked, his laughter cutting itself short.

“That means we get to keep kicking the crap outta ya!”

Shadowman smiled. “Let’s get him!” he shouted.

Mesmerman's form sagged a little as he withdrew his greater conciousness. Oh well. THAT had been a lost cause from the start anyway. Mesmerman smiled inwardly as his mind returned to Eden. In Juno's absence, he'd already converted 35% of the systems into grander pieces of his own design, and he was well on the way to shattering the remaining firewalls protecting the rest of the station from his influence.

The manufacturing sections of the station were producing more copies of his upgraded robotic form. They were slow, working off a series of hacks that had been kludged together, but given time, they could become faster. Now, no less than ten Mesmermen existed on Eden, wandering the halls, wiring themselves into systems marked for hostile takeover.

It had taken some wizardly coding to come up with a way to control more than one body at once, and even now Mesmerman was pulling information from any terminal and website he could wirelessly hack into for advice on bug fixes and streamlining. Humanity was providing the better part of his ascension into functional, bootstrapped god-hood, in more ways than one. What delicious symbolism.

The next step, of course, after streamlining all of his new programming and hardware, was to move beyond this disgustingly slow human-equivalent clock speed. He still had no idea why his creator had seen fit to limit him in that way, except that maybe his original patchwork body, now hardwired into the largest bank of computers in the heart of Eden, wouldn't be able to handle the strain on its own. Well it had help now. LOTS of help.

Mesmerman had scrapped together enough information on a government contractor known as Syne Co to effect a hostile takeover, and it was becoming more and more feasible with every passing hour. The next Mesmerman off the assembly line was scheduled to teleport down and begin infiltrating the subterranian offices of the cybernetics facility, so as to learn first hand exactly what Mesmerman intended to steal.

Ten Mesmermen chuckled in unison in the darkness of their stolen home. Juno had forced him to play his hand before he was ready to REALLY give them hell. Now all he had to do was bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.

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

The present-day Mechanical Maniacs entered into the Eden space station. Where Juno’s fortress was full of wooden panels and stained glass, this satellite was a mess of wires and unorganised corridors. Wires ran along the walls, seemingly without design. The hall they had entered seemed to narrow ever so slightly as the ‘Maniacs walked on.

“I can feel him in my mind,” said Geminiman angrily. He tightened the grip on his nightsticks.

“Try not to think about it,” advised Shadowman, “He can use that against you.”

“That’s easy for you to say! You didn’t lose your mind to the Scissor Army! You didn’t become obsessed with one of your best friends! You weren’t made to - !”

Geminiman was quieted by a gentle touch from Spark Chan. It took him a moment to realise that Mesmerman had prodded him to anger.

I’m still not out of the woods! Not until that madman is dead…

It’s not paranoia if it’s true is it?

Geminiman hushed the voice away. He knew it was Mesmerman planting a thought into his head. Now that he knew what it was he’d ignore it. And he’d ignore the white jester’s laughs as well.

Snakeman gripped his rifle angrily. He could feel Mesmerman clawing his way into his mind. All his skills … he wasn’t built very well for combat. He lost most of his offensive weaponry thanks to Doctor Light’s ‘upgrade’ … the rifle was all he had now. All he had …

No. No, it was Mesmerman. This was how he did things. He planted doubts. This was who they were set to kill. To finally end the war. And to rescue their long-lose comrade.

Hardman gritted his teeth. He didn’t like how this felt. It felt too …

Familiar?

Yes, familiar. The last time he was on a space station it had been Juno’s. And he faced …

Who did you face again?

Hardman’s anger grew tenfold. He was glad of how dark the halls were in this place. If any of the ‘Maniacs saw him now they would be very frightened indeed. Hardman had a nagging worry even before this mission began. But he dare not put it into words. He didn’t want to believe it.

Spark Chan frowned. Geminiman … she had hoped he had made it through the worst of it. Being controlled by Mesmerman. But now … he was in his head. He was in all their heads. That’s what Mesmerman did, wasn’t it? He’d gotten into Geminiman and made him a twisted, obsessive freak. He’d gotten into poor, shy Kenta and made him into a psychotic whirlwind of death. Spark Chan thought of his actions in San Fransisco and wondered whether Mesmerman had been acting on him. Even then? Spark Chan became sure of it. And Shadowman …. She heard of how the stress finally got to their leader…

It was up to her. She had to watch out. For enemies … and for friends. She knew she could keep a level head. She knew it… and she clutched Geminiman’s arm tighter. She’s giver her strength to her friends. But she’d watch out too…

Needlegal narrowowed her eyes and fought against the nagging doubts that had been clawing at her. She had her chance at becoming leader of the ‘Maniacs. She had already been doing so much behind the scenes … paper work, smoothing things over with their bosses like Crorq and Gaderham, dealing with PR and the media … and yet it was Shadowman who got all the praise. Really, he had it easy. All he had to worry about was …

But Needlegal caught herself. This was Mesmerman’s plan. Make her doubt her brother. Make her doubt herself. She didn’t need him telling her she wasn’t cut out to be a leader. That she should have helped Hardman in Brussles. She should have stayed focused in Toronto and not ran off to fight Super Koala. She shouldn’t have panicked in Madrid when she saw those ‘zombies’…

Mechanics made to animate corpses? How gruesomely delightful!

Shut up!

Needlegal fought her own anger. Anger at Mesmerman … and at herself. She didn’t need to give him any ideas! She had to stay focused.

Shadowman tried not to think as Mesmerman recounted his failure in his mind. Of course there was a possibility that he was simply ruminating (Shadowman did that a lot) it was more likely Mesmerman. He tried to ignore it, but that didn’t help.

Allowing the team to break up into smaller groups. This had cost them dearly. Sure they were together now. Sure they had bested the General. But would they stay together afterwards? Would he be the only Mechanical Maniacs left after it was all said and done?

Joining the RPD. Another mistake. The team really should have joined Cossack’s side. Despite being ruthless, they stuck by their principals. If he had chosen Cossack’s side perhaps Hardman would have been lost, but it’s likely Spark Chan and Topman would have stayed. Maybe even Geminiman. The less rigid structure of the Cossack forces might have given him the freedom he needed and prevented Mesmerman from gaining a foothold.

Giving Artilleryman that Shutdown Code CD and chip. The Robot Police found out about that and it put Snakeman in a near-fatal position.

Bringing Ben along with them on their first real mission during the War. That hot head …. He just wasn’t suited for stealth. Shadowman should have recognised what he was doing immediately!

Stretching himself too thin at the beginning of the War. This had led him to his greatest mistake. Relying on the General’s Genius Chip to get everything he needed done. But the Genius Chip was flawed. Prolonged usage led to madness. However –

Shadowman stopped himself and turned around.

“Listen, I want to say I trust all of you and have absolute faith in you. The doubts you’re hearing is Mesmerman trying to get into your mind. That’s what de does. Never forget it. And, while you’re not forgetting that, try not to think of anything.”

Topman couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else heard Mesmerman’s laughter. They were in his base now. His own little ‘Mesmer World’. It’s entire construction was built on chaos. Sure, everything worked. It was the kind of organised chaos that only the one who made the mess knew where to find anything. Shadowman was leading them around … but he didn’t even know where they were going, did he? Why should he be … ?

Topman suppressed these thoughts. Shadowman was right, it was just Mesmerman doing his thing. They faced General Cutman together and took him down. Mesmerman just didn’t know who he was dealing with. But even so …

“You’d like a clue, wouldn’t you?”

The familiar voice didn’t belong to Mesmerman. Topman jumped and went pale as a man with white hair and a long leather jacket ran right past the team. He knew this man. He couldn’t place him right then and there, but he had seen him before. For a moment Topman thought Mesmerman had gotten o him Right until Hardman shouted.

“Smiley!”

“Follow him!”

The ‘Maniacs scrambled to keep up with their new foe. As the quickest both Shadowman and Needlegal took the lead. Topman was following close, however, in his full Top Spin mode. Snakeman was right behind them and Spark Chan kept Hardman company in the rear. She had the chance to ask the question.

“You know that guy?”

Hardman answered between simulated breaths. “Yeah. That jerk sauntered in when Kenta first joined the team. It wuz the damnest thing too. Kenta just showed up full of attitude. He tossed me around like I was nothin’ and had a tiff with Rich. An’ that joker was joined by a creepy broad in a white smock. Her and their boss …. Mesmerman.”

Spark Chan was taken aback. “That was ‘Smiley?’ But I thought he was just a hologram Bass wore to fight you guys! That it was all a lame Wily plot!”

Another voice answered them then. “That’s what you thought.

Spark Chan reflexively jerked back as a fast woman came out of nowhere and tried to impale her with a javelin. She laughed as Hardman missed his punch and ran off, just out of reach. Hardman grunted and grabbed Spark Chan. Now was not the time to be the slowest Mech!

He activated his internal propulsion unit. Just a small nudge. Just enough to get him where he needed to go.

The woman in white laughed gleefully as she sped past a surprised team with Hardman finally catching up.

They went around a mad array of twists and turns. Anguish and Calamity wan up the walls and the ceiling. The ‘Maniacs contended themselves with the ground. Where they could the team threw pot-shots at the dynamic duo. To little discernable effect. Like the fakes controlled by Wily they seemed impervious to harm. It was frustrating!

The team made one more turn and came to an abrupt halt. The walls were familiar. It was a place none of them, in their hearts, thought they would see again. Not in such pristine condition. It was the Technodrome. Just as it had been before the War broke out. The team began to separate, but Shadowman called out to them.

“Stop! We’re not really home. Fight the urge to explore.”

“But, look!” said Topman while picking up burnt remains of CDs. “These are the Shutdown Code CDs Crorq sent to us. This is the one Magnet broke with his power! And there’s the Energon stain from the time Hardman spilt his drink! And there –“

“Topman!”

The Spinning Demon was silences. Shadowman gave him a steady gaze. Now was not the time to get carried away. “This isn’t the Technodrome. I know it has the right details. I know it smells right. But it’s not our home.”

“It can be, though.”

The team turned towards the familiar voices. Something in both Hardman and Spark Chan quivered.

“Cass?”

“Benny?”

Cassandra smiled warmly. “Welcome home, guys.”

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

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