The Business of War
Orchestrated By C.M. Rich (Magnetman)
Afterward
By Gauntlet, Hardman, CM Rich
Down below, Africa’s
central plains were one of the few places on Earth that had survived
the war mostly intact.
Perhaps here was most perfect to watch the fiery display in the
sky, as it was unobstructed by the smoke that covered most city
skylines these days.
It was here that the Mechs had found themselves, dropped carelessly
by the emergency teleportation system. That was fine, though. At
least they weren’t on the satellite.
“…I wonder what the hell happened up there?”, Topman pondered.
“That’s th’ kinda shit that’ll keep ya up fer months, short stack.”
Above them, the satellite’s remains glowed a bright violet, then
gave way to vermillion, and finally orange before vanishing into
the sky altogether, its final remains simply burning up harmlessly
in the atmosphere.
“…Think they killed each other?”, Snake asked Gauntlet.
But at this point, Shadowman had been through way too much to speculate.
Instead, he’d rather-
“Ice?”, he asked, realizing the absence of one of their group.
Iceman was already a half mile away, easily spotted by the red
shall in the distance. Using what speed he could muster from the
marathon of fighting he had suffered through, he caught up with
him.
“Ice…Jeez…Don’t go!”
“Leave me alone. I’m not the friend you think I am.”
“Yes you are. You may come from a different world, but I’m sure
you’re the same guy that was my friend.”
“No. I’m not. Just like you’re not the friend that I lost. And
thanks to you, I lost the one chance I had at avenging him. So
forgive me, but I don’t want to be around you.”
“Dammit, Gary! We’ve been through a WAR! I don’t know what you’ve
been through, but whatever it was…Its over! You’re HERE!”
The red-cloaked Iceman stopped his stride now to answer his would-be
friend.
“This is a dream world to me. It hurts to be here.
I just want to go home.”
And just like that, he continued walking, leaving behind a very
confused, emotional Shadowman.
By now, though, the others had caught up with him with some sudden
news.
“Gaunts!”, Topman called out. “Check this out! You’ll want to see
this…”
--------------------
Days later, Snakeman,
barely patched up from the satellite battle, found himself back
in the South American jungles, only this was far from the civilized
cities that the SA had been wrecking terror on for months only
a short while ago.
It was true, though- Cutman had willfully deactivated his own army,
if only to keep Mesmerman from using it. It may have been a selfish
move on his part, but it sure did save them a whole lot of trouble.
When they had arrived back in their hometown of Monsteropolis after
reaching a teleportation beacon in Africa, they were in awe of
the celebration they had walked into. Everywhere, deactivated Joes
lay strewn about, having dropped right where they stood when the
Shutdown Code reached them.
But there were human bodies littered about, too. Some of them had
been there for weeks, if not more. The stench was strong, and it
was a depressing sight. But the fact that a “miracle”, as it was
dubbed by the remaining media, had taken out the remaining SA menace
gave the survivors plenty of reason to be ecstatic, despite the
otherwise gloomy setting.
News reports around the world confirmed that this was a common
sight in all of the SA’s victim cities, as images of joyful men
and women celebrating, as well as people who just now had the chance
to mourn their losses, filled the airwaves.
The emotions ran rampant around the world for days, even now, they
still continued.
But out here, in the remote rain forest, Snakeman was by himself
as he marched in deeper until.
“Ah ha.”, he uttered victoriously.
It was a small switch hidden in a tree trunk, but he found it,
thanks to the print out he carried.
Pressing the switch, a small clearing in the forest floor gave
birth to a large canister-shaped metal object. A second switch
mounted on the cylinder’s smooth wall revealed its contents.
“Snake to main base.”
Due to transmission delay, it took a few seconds. For those few
seconds, Snakeman felt just a little creeped out by the contents.
It certainly was justifiable.
“Main base, sweetie.”, came Spark Chan’s voice. She was playing
mission control this time around.
“I’ve found my target. Proceeding to disconnect and destroy.”,
he flatly stated. It was the same thing he had said nearly two
dozen times in the last three days after he found other copies
of this cylinder set up scattered across the South American continent.
“By all means…”, her voice confirmed.
Snakeman pulled a series of wires from the back of the tube, disconnecting
it from its network. After which, he planted his bomb right on
the base of it, ensuring its contents would be destroyed.
It was the 23rd Mesmerman body he had personally destroyed.
This was all thanks to a small diskette that they had found tucked
inside of Geminiman’s chest plate, presumably planted there when
Cutman had him held against the satellite’s wall.
Inside the diskette, which was thoroughly scanned and examined
before its contents were explored, General Cutman had detailed
the locations of all of Mesmerman’s spare bodies- all of which
had been completely unknown to anyone else. It was an unexpected
gift, to say the least.
Though, it could also be assumed that Cutman, survivor or not,
was using the Mechs to ensure Mesmerman couldn’t come back. It
certainly spoke of how much hatred he had felt towards Mesmerman.
It was enough to effectively make Cutman entrust such a high priority
to some of his arch enemies.
There were 148 spare bodies listed on the disk. Of those, 125 had
been found and accounted for, with most of them being located near
cities the SA had occupied. The other Mechs had been going non-stop
since they found out what the disk had to say- this was perhaps
their one chance to ensure Mesmerman had been completely vanquished.
After watching the lifeless body erupt in flames amid the jungle,
Snakeman called for the teleporter.
Only 23 more to go…
--------------------
Needlegal watched as Spark Chan met with Quickman outside of the orphanage. There was a large leap in the amount of displaced and orphaned children after the war. Both Needlegal and Topman kept their distance from the trio as they said their farewells.
“Are you sure this is cool?” asked Topman with uncertainty. “I mean … even if we’re back on the force, we can’t be in everyone’s good books. And Quickman is still one of Wily’s, after all.”
“If there’s trouble, we’ll handle it. That’s why we’re here, after all.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” Topman smiled. He really was back where he belonged.
Away from the two officers, Spark Chan and Quickman saw each other for the first time in a long while.
“Looks like you’re none the worse for wear.”
Spark Chan smiled at the compliment. “And you too.”
Quickman reached out and messed up Benny’s hair affectionately. “And you! I haven’t seen you since the space station exploded! I was getting worried!”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I can see that! You really have grown up … in such a short amount of time.”
The three looked at each other in silence for a time. They knew this would be the last time they would really be together like this. Spark Chan would never return to Wily, and Quickman couldn’t joint he robot police. And neither of them could take care of Benny. Benny, who was now on his own, but still, mercifully, alive and well. He remembered very little of what had went on in the space station. Although he was sore all over and there would be scars, the boy thought they would make him look tough.
Benny looked at the orphanage then and fought the urge to cry. Spark Chan seemed to read his mind.
“You won’t be alone, kid.”
“I am alone…”
“No. You’re not.” Benny looked at Spark Chan then. She returned his gaze. “I know it’s scary, but it’s nothing like what you’ve already faced. You remind me a lot of one of my other friends … you have the same fire. He … lost his way. Don’t lose yours. You have to keep looking ahead of you and take each day as it comes.”
Benny looked to his feet.
“Each day as it comes, hunh?”
Quickman smiled. “And we’ll be right there when it gets too tough
for you.”
It was a long time before the two robots took Benny into the orphanage.
And when they came back out the kid was gone. Quickman said his
goodbyes to Spark and the ‘Maniacs before teleporting off as well,
followed by both Needle and Top. Only when they were alone did
Shoryu come out.
“You look sad.”
“Goodbyes are always sad.”
“Did you mean what you said? About … taking each day as it comes?”
“Of course.”
Shoryu sighed slightly. She was lonely. And unhappy. Both of her ‘pappas’ were gone. Elysium was gone too. But, didn’t Elysium mean they would have to kill all the humans? Did that include Benny too?
“It’s time to go home, hunny.”
Shoryu hesitated.
“Actually, I’d like to stay for a little while more. I think …. I think I’d like to say hello to that Benny person.”
Spark Chan smiled. “You do as you want. Just don’t stay out too late.
--------------------
His systems rebooted
slowly at first. The only thing he was aware of was the heavenly
feeling of solid rock not being pressed on his body any longer.
His systems began restarting. Omniman could barely feel his body.
His vision was still adjusting itself when he heard him talk.
“Yeah, you got really banged up there, Omni.”
“Artilleryman!?”
Artilleryman used the last of his strength to pull Omniman out
of the pile of rubble he was buried under.
“It’s a good thing he escaped that place,” said a familiar voice.
Omniman turned in shock.
“Master Wily!? Is it really you?”
Now his eyes were fully operational. Or, as much as the damage
allowed. He could, however recognise his Master – Doctor Wily –
out clearly. And there was Multiman alongside Expressman. Doc Robot
was using unusual strength to haul the remains of Golemman out
of it’s own stony grave. Omniman felt a rush of joy through his
body.
“You’ve all come for me! Master Wily and even … even you, Doc Robot!
I can’t believe it.”
If he could, Omniman would have leapt for the sheer joy of the
reunion. Doc Robot smiled back to him.
“Yes, it isn’t right to leave a fellow Wily Number down in the
dumps. Especially since your parts are so expensive to replace..”
Omniman’s spirits sank. “What?”
“Yes, and I have come to give you a personal reprisal. Omniman,
you idiot! Artilleryman told me of your non-existent ‘plan’ to
attack the Scissor Army base at the center of the Earth. Do you
know what could have happened to me if Artillery hadn’t turned
himself in and given them some small win? As it stands I was still
punished for your hair brained idea!”
Omniman twitched uneasily. “We had to strike back at the Scissor
Army!”
Wily was beside himself with fury. “Idiot! I’m going to fix you
up … only so I can punish you myself!”
Omniman’s heart sank. He heard Golemman moan in pain as well.
Wily motioned for his crew to follow him. Multiman was snickering
at the situation Wily turned back and looked at Omniman.
“And Doc Robot is still my favourite!”
--------------------
Artilleryman took his
Margarita in one hand and gave it a satisfying sip. He lay on the
sunny coast of Hawaii next to some attractive robot girls.
“Yea, that’s right. I was there when the Scissor Army finally fell.
After their general was shot down, they were nothing. But before
then, well … that’s another story.”
The girls giggled as Artilleryman retold the tale of his adventures
… from his own perspective own course. Life had been good to the
mercenary. Oh, yes. Even if Cossack had stiffed him for most of
the war, he did receive a powerful new body thanks to his service
with the Russian scientist. Not only that, but Wily, Chimera, and
Hardman had all paid him handsomely for his efforts. But even more
than that … because he had switched sides during the big attack
at Desert Gulch he was given a hero’s welcome! All the world had
known that he was present for the greatest victory for mankind!
Already his schedule was booked. For now, though, the mercenary
was content to relax on the beach and enjoy the scenery. Life …
just seemed to be getting better and better.
--------------------
Magnetman walked along
the streets of London. He could hardly believe what had happened.
To him it seemed like just yesterday when he heard about the Magnetman
of the Mechanical Maniacs quitting. But it was really over a year
ago.
He remembered the famous doctors Light and Cossack standing over
him as he woke up … or came online, rather.
“I know you’re confused. I’m afraid you’ve had a traumatic year,
Kenta. We’ve had to reset your systems to the way they were a year
ago. In fact, we even went further than that.”
Kenta remembered the doctor’s words as he had explained what happened
to him. Several months after his memory stopped he had joined the
Mechanical Maniacs and had become … a robot. After that he had
finally confronted his half brother Rich and had killed him. He
was acting under the influence of a being named Mesmerman who made
him do … horrible things, evidently. They had managed to recover
him before his base was destroyed, but his mind was too damaged
to fully restore. And even if they could have done so, they felt
it was kindest not to burden him with painful actions that were
not his fault. So they set his mind back before his memory was
corrupted. Before he had even joined their team. He wasn’t quite
sure how he felt about that.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Kenta turned and saw a young woman standing next to him. He gave
her a small bow. She kept looking at him expectantly.
“So you … really don’t remember anything? Not even who I am?”
Kenta slowly shook his head. “I am sorry. Should I … know you?”
The woman hesitated. And then introduced herself. “My name’s Amatista.
We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but maybe now …
we can have a second chance at things.”
Kenta smiled. “A second chance … that’s a good way of looking at
it.”
“The world’s a funny place, don’t you think? One minute you’re
sure of who you are and where you stand … and the next it all gets
turned upside down.”
Kenta laughed. “You have no idea how right you are.”
Amatista set Kenta’s mind at ease and the two talked for hours.
He liked her. She seemed like a nice woman. She made him feel …
human.
--------------------
It would be a few weeks
more when Shadowman decided to seek out the otherworldly Gary again,
who returned with him on the condition that they’d rebuild the
inter-dimensional portal, so that he could return home.
It just didn’t make much sense to Gauntlet, though.
This Gary told them of a horrible world- General Cutman’s Elysium
realized.
In this world, Cutman had succeeded in killing most every opposing
force over a decade ago, leaving Gary the only one standing against
him. It was a desolate wasteland- far from the gleaming, clean
metropolises the General had previously claimed he had wanted for
Elysium.
There, the Scissor Army was the ONLY force left standing, and they
soon began to war with each other out of boredom, mostly. They
fought and endless series of meaningless battles, making none of
the so-called advanced Cutman had emptily promised his opposition.
That was the clearest insight Gauntlet had from the story. He could
see why Cutman would not bother to return home. He would have a
fresh start here- free to actually complete his real vision of
Elysium, if he really wanted that sort of thing.
But, this confused Shadowman as well. Why would Gary want to return
to that awful place if he was the only one left?
“Its home.”, was all he would offer, but there was more to it,
Gauntlet thought. There had to be. None of the other Mechs, or
any of “their Gary’s” friends could get much more out of him, either.
So finally, the day came, two months later, when the portal was
completed. It relied on the assumption that the portal on the other
side was still functional, which was a long shot, but it was worth
it to Gary the Red, as some of the other androids had called him
in order to avoid confusing him with the Gary they had known.
As the final preparations were being made, the remaining Sinister
Six approached Gary the Red.
“We’ve been thinking…”, Erik started it off.
“You might need some help over there.”, Leon finished.
The still-cloaked Iceman gave them skeptical glances before waving
them off.
“Hey! Don’t be like that, man! We can be your friends just as we
were in your world!”, Erik continued to argue.
“…No. It wouldn’t be the same. I’m sorry…But you’re not them. I
wouldn’t want to replace them like toys.”
Gauntlet observed this from afar and tried to compare his exchange
with how he felt the “real” Gary would have reacted.
In the few conversations he could muster from this man, Shadowman
came to realize that this person merely resembled his oldest friend.
This was a man hardened by years of fighting and being alone. He
was now adept at surviving and fending for himself in the dangerous
world of “Elysium”.
He may have been like the Gary he knew before that, but the wild
zeal he most remembered- and liked- from his Gary had been worn
away from the suffering he had endured.
In the back of his mind, he almost wished he had allowed him to
fight, and probably kill, General Cutman. It would certainly have
meant that Mesmerman would have won that day, and all of humanity
would have been doomed to pointless war forever…But Gauntlet knew
how much that last victory would have meant to him.
And he took that away from him. He knew that this Gary probably
privately hated him for it, too.
And now, here he was. Going home.
Suddenly, Gauntlet’s mind was brought back to the present by the
scene that presented itself. Britt had embraced Ice and refused
to let go. He struggled for a moment, but then, finally seemed
to relent and return it. Though Gary’s face was hidden, Gauntlet
could tell by the up and down bobbing of his back that he was sobbing
into Britt’s chest.
It was such a unique situation. Both of them had lost each other
one way or another, be it through war or the most accidental of
circumstances. And here, in the strangest of any imaginable scenario,
they were in each others’ arms, reunited.
But they merely looked like the people they had lost. They may
have shared some of the same memories, but they were two different
people compared to their counterparts.
And Gary and Britt knew that. This was a guilty reunion.
Whisperings happened that Gauntlet couldn’t hear, and out of respect
for them, he didn’t want to. But by the end of it, they seemed
to come to a decision.
On that day, the remaining Sinister Six shook hands and hugged
everyone in attendance. It was their last good bye, as they were
gone a few moments later, when the machine was ready and running.
Nobody had much to say about it after they had left that day.
After all…What could you say about it, really?
--------------------
A few weeks after that, some progress had finally been made in rebuilding much of the damage caused by the SA. Dr Cossack and all of his fighting comrades had been granted a full pardon at the behest of Dr Light, and the Shutdown Code had been quietly swept under the rug, though the media and many robots continued to bring it up as a bargaining chip in negotiations for rights.Wily had once again disappeared to some secluded hide away of his…But that was to be expected. It would be some time before anyone would take up the task of hunting him down, as most efforts were focused on clean up.
But on this day, almost a year since the Third World War had started, the powers that be decided to honor some of the men, women, and mechanical equivalents properly.
It was a grand ceremony held at the footsteps of the rebuilt RPD HQ in downtown Monsteropolis, and was presided over by none other than Crorq himself, who was just recently put back online (after much arguing against it from the Mechs). Drs Light and Cossack served as special guests of honor, with the Mechs and other RPD officers flanking Crorq’s hilariously undersized podium.
It was a bore to be at, though. Crorq’s voice seemed to drone on for days, interrupted by fits of his own laughter he forced out by his own badly written jokes. Needless to say, nobody else joined him.
Something popped in Shadowman’s ear as he yawned. He left his communicator on the police channel to keep on ear out for any activity. Things were nice and quiet these days, though. Nobody felt much like looting now- most were happy just to be alive. To be among the few survivors.
“You look utterly bored.”
It was a strange statement coming in from the line. Shadowman looked down the line at his cohorts, who were also tuned into the same frequency. Either they didn’t hear it, or they just ignored it.
“Now you don’t seem so bored, Shadowman. Good, I’ve given you something interesting to focus on.”
Now Gauntlet was really weirded out. The voice wasn’t one he recognized, but it did address him directly. Now he looked down to the other Mechs more intensely, and nudged Snakeman, who was quietly reading a copy of Time magazine.
“Snake.”
“Mm.”, he barely acknowledged.
“Did you hear that?”
“I try not to.”, he rebutted, likely referring to anything Crorq was saying.
“No, not that!”, Shadowman whispered. “On the line.”
“Yeah. Purse snatcher on Primrose Lane. I’m all over that one.”
Dejected, Gauntlet sat back in his chair. It didn’t look like any of the other Mechs had heard it.
“I assure you, Gauntlet, that this is a closed conversation.”
Now Gauntlet wanted to respond to the voice directly over the line using his internal transmitter.
“Who is this?”
“Someone close by.”
“Who?”
“You’re the police officer- isn’t it your job to deduce these things?”
“This is getting really old, guy. Now quit playing around on police frequencies or we’ll track you down and nail you with a felony offense.”
“Felony? You’ve done much worse to me already. I’ve been killed by you already, but you also owe me something for our fun little meeting high in the sky not too long ago.”
“High in the sky?”, Gauntlet thought.
The satellite? Is that what he means? But the only-
Oh no.
“Who is this?!”, Gauntlet’s mind shouted over the line, demanding an answer. Maybe it was just some stupid kid pulling a REALLY distasteful joke. After all, the satellite story was common knowledge by now.
“I’m close by, officer…”
Outwardly, gauntlet remained calm, collected. But as he scanned over the crowd, inside he was beginning to boil over. There were so many people talking on cell phones thanks to Crorq’s boring speech! How could he find this guy?
There!
Almost at the back of the crown, a man barely made eye contact with Gauntlet was he folded up his phone. Then, quickly, he briskly walked into an alley way.
“Excuse me.”, he uttered to Snakeman, who barely broke his concentration long enough to remind Gauntlet that Crorq would jump up his ass if he deserted another one of his speeches.
Shadowman shuffled through the crowd rather brutishly, but finally reached the alley way. At its end, he could see the man running at full pace.
Definitely him.
Damn kids. Think that hacking into police lines is funny.
Quickly, Shadowman gave chase as the man attempted to lose him. Eventually, though, Gauntlet closed the gap, and the man pulled a silenced pistol on him, firing wildly behind him.
This only annoyed Shadowman, who vanished into the darkness of another alley way.
The man kept running for another block, finally stopping. With his back against a wall, he struggled for air.
“You have the right to remain silent.”
Shadowman’s voice came from the man’s own shadow against the wall as the ninja robot rough disarmed the man, causing him to trip over his own two feet.
As the man sat on his back, tears streamed down his face.
“I-I’m suh-sorry! I didn’t-t wanna do it! I swear ta God! H-he made me!”
Great. Another psycho.
As a frustrated Gauntlet reached down to pick up the man, he noticed something underneath his coat. A blockish-shaped device.
“A…Bomb?!”
“H-He…Put it on me an’ told me ta…ta call you an’.-“
“Who?! Who put this on you?!”
“I did.”
The new voice popped into Gauntlet’s ear. Or rather…the old voice. A voice he never wanted to hear again.
“…You.”, Gauntlet both shuddered and seethed at the same time.
“Who else?”
“I should have known you’d survive.”
“I wouldn’t say…survive, exactly. But I get the gist of what you’re saying, yes.”
“You want to finish this?! I’m right here!”, Shadowman decided to get right to the point.
“Now…You make assumptions. I’m not here to finish anything.”
“Yeah, of course not.”, Gauntlet spat. “You’re here to boast. You’re here to brag that you’re still alive. Still around to make everyone’s lives so completely and utterly miserable. Don’t you get it?! You lost!”
The voice stayed quiet for a few seconds before it offered its rebuttal.
“Yes. I lost the war.
"But I have a new hobby.”
“What? Throwing puppies off of cliffs, you sick bastard?”
“No. I like puppies."
Take a look at the vermin at your feet, though.”
Gauntlet hadn’t let his eyes off of the sniveling man.
“You know why I chose him to get your attention?”, the old voice asked.
Shadowman didn’t have an answer, obviously.
“Because I wanted to see how you’d react when I told you a little story.
Once upon a time there was a war. Lots of people died. Some of them died fighting, while some of them died running. But some others lived.
Once upon a time, there was a man with a video camera. This man recorded these people dying, but you know what he did instead of helping them?
He kept the footage…and sold it after the war.
The man at your feet is David Weller- a war profiteer of the highest degree. He’s made thousands by selling his footage of these deaths over the internet.”
Shadowman glared down at the man, his teeth gritted.
“What’s your name?”, he demanded of the man. He wanted to know if any of this was true or not.
“Weller! My-my name is Weller! Dave Weller!”
“David…How much money have you made in the last few months?”
At this point, the man further broke down.
“Dave! DAVID! Stay with me here! Have you been selling videos of the war for profit?”
It took a few sobs to get the answer.
“Y-yeah…Oh God, I’m su-sorry! I knew it was wrong…B-but…!”
“Want to know what the kicker is, Gauntlet?”, the voice chimed back in.
“Some of that footage is of his own wife and son dying.”
At that point, Shadowman drew his sword and held it menacingly at David’s throat.
“What have you done?”, the ninja asked of the man darkly.
“I’m so sorry…”, was all the man could choke out now, quietly, and over and over.
“You sick fuck.”, Gauntlet admonished. “Your own family?”
“Sorry…Oh God, Linda…I’m so sorry…”
For a few seconds, Gauntlet genuinely contemplated killing this man. Would the world really miss a monster like this? Should someone so absolutely vile be allowed the same rights as everyone else? Especially after what they’ve been through?
But…Gauntlet was a sworn officer of the law. He wasn’t a judge. He wasn’t a jury.
It was his job to put sick bastards like this before those people.
Finally, Shadowman relented, and sheathed his blade. Quickly, he yanked the bomb from the man’s chest upon realizing it wasn’t strapped to him in a way that was booby trapped and pitched it far down a deserted alley.
“That’s a real shame.”, the voice came back. “I actually thought you’d make me proud for a minute there.
But that’s okay. You have all the time in the world to learn the right way, and I have oodles of time to teach you.”
“I’ve got nothing to learn from you! Nothing! Now come out!”
“Not today. Besides…This is going to be so much more fun than the direct way.
"Ciao.”
Suddenly, something clattered near Gauntlet. Whirling towards it, he spotted a broken phone that wasn’t there a second ago. Immediately, he peered upwards, just barely catching a glimpse of something white on the rooftops.
Forgetting David, he leapt up the side of the building as fast as he possibly could to catch his stalker.
Only to find…Nothing. Long gone.
There was a lot of cursing done atop that roof for a few minutes as he searched around frantically. He turned up nothing for all of his trouble.
Finally, he realized he had no resort. He withdrew back to the alley way, collected a sobbing, terrified David, and headed back to the station in time for the final segment of Crorq’s speech, which had managed to put even insomnia sufferers asleep.
Taking his seat next to Snake again, who was almost done with his third magazine, he sat in a daze.
“Anything good happen?”, Snake lazily asked him.
“…I’ll tell you later.”
“Mm.”
--------------------
"I'm sorry, you can't go in there!""Try n' stop me," Hardman grunted, shoving the orderly aside and barging into the room.
There, on the bed, a supreamly peaceful expression on her face, lay Cassandra. The sight shook the normally unmoveable tank.
"Cass..."
"She's in a COMA," the orderly repeated, trying hard to convince Hardman to leave the room based on his tone alone. "We have no idea when or IF she'll ever wake up."
"Get out," Hardman said numbly, shoving the smaller man out the door and slamming it closed. He looked her nmoving form over again. The surgery to remove the last vestiges of the Siegema'am hardware, this time undertaken by medical professionals and not an aging roboticist, had successfully removed every last circuit from her head. But the process had plunged her deep into an unwaking sleep.
Hardman crouched by the bed, heaving a heavy sigh.
"We did it, Cass," he told her, holding back a few tears. "Mesmer 's gone, fer good this time. Snake took out th' last body th' psycho'd stashed away. Cutman's gone too, I think, but th' Boss is still on edge. War's over. We won."
He sat in silence for a while, hoping she'd just open her eyes. A thought crossed his mind.
"Oh, yer gonna hit me fer this, but we're back in th' red again. I know, I know, we'd just payed off th' last o' th' mortgages on th' Bar, but rebuilding it took most o' th' petty cash, an' then I kinda had ta bribe Artilleryman not ta blow my head off. So yeah, looks like I'm gonna have my hands full fer a bit with some odd jobs on th' side."
He chuckled, hot tears involuntarily staining his face. "I wish... I... I don't know..." he faltered, his words getting lost in his mind and throat. He stammered for a long while before finally choking out something intelligible. "I wish you were here, just like ya always have been, tellin' me I've been an idiot, helpin' me out... I just get so lost sometimes, especially when things are bigger n' me, like they have been. I just don't know what ta do... I'm hopeless without ya..."
He put his head on the side of the bed, cradled in his arms.
"Dammit," Hardman sobbed. "Dammit, dammit, dammit..."
Gaderham sat at his desk, shuffling through mountains of paperwork, the lone lamp on his desk the only illumination of the now dark and empty RPD HQ. It was the first time in a year the place had not been abuzz with activity. It was... peaceful.
The small robot signed another form on the dotted line with the Chief's signature in flawless forgery. There... the last page necessary to make the Mechanical Maniacs' actions in space an order given from the highest offices. No one had ever really THOUGHT about charging the Mechs for going against orders once all of the facts were available, but the diminutive wheeler wanted to be sure no one would ever bring that back to haunt the heroes.
A small sound in the darkness made him pick his head up. "Who's there?" he asked.
"A friend," a voice assured him.
Gaderham sighed. He was cautious these days, with good reason, and grabbed the lamp and swung it out, cutting a swath throughthe darkness. A white face, rimmed with blue and adorned with a calm smile met his gaze.
"Well," Gaderham grinned, "I'll be damned. I didn't think you'd be back so soon."
"I didn't expect you and your friends to complete my request so quickly," the other robot laughed. "I appreciate your speed."
"An Earth year may not be a long time for YOU, Duo," Gaderham told him, putting the lamp back down on his desk, "but trust me, I think that war lasted just a little TOO long."
"I apologize if I seemed flippant," Duo said, stepping forward to shake the smaller robot's hand, "but it's very difficult to keep track of temporal matters in my line of work."
The two regarded each other with respectful looks for a moment before Duo spoke again. "The other Guardians remain unaware of my temporary... insanity, and the last of the menaces I created while under the influence of Evil has been destroyed. Let the heroes responsible know that I am thankful to them for their efforts."
"I will," Gaderham nodded.
Duo stepped back into the darkness, fading away as Gaderham switched on his computer, opening his word processor and drafting a memo.
"TO: All
Good work, everyone.
Good work."
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