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.