Business of War: Comrades Ch.10: War's End By Gauntlet, Hardman, Rich *** "Ah, you are awake. At last." The calm voice brought life to the white form on the table slowly. Mesmerman's mind slipped into the waking world slowly, taking in details and cataloging events. Slowly, he picked his head up. "Who are you?" he asked. "My name is Megaman Juno," the purple-haired being stated. "I have awakened you from your sleep so that you may assist me in removing the carbons from the planet." "Carbons?" "They refer to themselves as human. Barbaric creatures, and vastly overpopulated by now. I must reinitialize the planet to ensure the ecology survives, so that life may begin again." Juno spoke with all the excitement of a math teacher, even if Mesmerman would never have made such a comparison. "So, my smiling friend," Juno said, turning, his face fixed into a look of contentment, "what do you do? How is it that you function?" Mesmerman looked inwardly. To his creator. His source. This one is a mere pawn. He's not even aware he is under the shard's control. He looked upon Juno in a new light, with a different sort of eye. Swirling, black energy, tinged with purple seemed to radiate from some sort of necklace he wore. His odd, smoothly shaped body floated easily off the ground, his detatched arms working diligently at some sort of terminal even though his attention was focused elsewhere. There was something hidden beneath the blackness, some sort of faded, repressed blue light, but it was a mere whisper in the malestrom of darkness that engulfed his form. He does, however, have a certain taste, I admit. Mesmerman felt his perspective shift, almost as if he, himself began floating. He heard a dull thump behind him and turned, witnessing his own body falling limply back onto the table. It was an ugly thing, cobbled together from parts and hastily sprayed with white paint to give it some semblance of unity. Over the left eye, a simple black spiral adorned half of the face, and a pair of thick cables stretched out of its back. The body he now possessed, however, was something else. Smooth lines, disconnected pieces, all decorated with that same spiral pattern, and a basic disregard for things like gravity and solid objects characterized his form now. Now THAT is style done right. Juno smiled. "Wonderful! Projections and illusions, powered by ambient background energy and, apparently, an imagination of some kind. You are a weapon of psychological warfare instead of wanton destruction like your brother." Mesmerman moved his mind back into his body and watched his projected form fade away as the altered light which constructed its being destabilized and scattered. "I am Mesmerman," he said, half introduction and half self affirmation. "Excellent," Juno smiled. "We have much to do. Tell me, what do you know of a group of robotic beings collectively known as the Megaman Teams?" -------------------- It had been almost a month since the end of General Cutman and the fall of Elysium. In the old days, beating the villain would bring en end to the entire conflict. In fact, the majority of the Robot Police Force had expected a swift end to the War following the grand defeat of the Scissor Army. They were wrong. “Quint. Captain. DLN001.” It was all the captured captain would say to his captors. At first with bitter resolution. And then, as the days turned into weeks, a smile crept onto his face. His damages had not been repaired. And he had been fitted with the notorious Shutdown Code. It might be used by their enemies, but that code was just fine to deal with captives of the Robot Police Force. Geminiman’s eyes narrowed. As a former member of the Scissor Army it was hoped he could convince Quint to share the secret of the Army’s continued existence. But Geminiman knew they weren’t really alike at all. Quint was a product of General Cutman’s twisted genius while he was a product of Mesmerman’s brainwashing. They weren’t really part of the same army at all. “The General’s dead, Quint.” “But the war goes on, doesn’t it?” “We’re gaining ground every day. We’ve already liberated Monaco again.” Quint lay back and tried to appear as relaxed as he could. Pain shot through his body whenever he moved, but there was no need to show the enemy any weakness. “Bully for you.” “Tell us what you know. There is amnesty for members of the Scissor Army who cooperate with us.” Quint smiled broadly. “Quint. Captain. DLN001.” -------------------- Hyperstorm, restored to his original body once more, watched Geminiman enter the room. “He won’t crack. When he surrendered, it sounded like he didn't really care what became of the SA, but I guess he’s one of their soldiers through and through.” Geminiman sighed. “Yeah, that much is obvious now. We may not even need his information since the Scissor Army really is failing fast. But every day more people die. Every single damn day the Scissor Army continues to exist is one day too many.” Hyperstorm sighed. He already knew....and it weighed on him. He had been recaptured by the Scissor Army and, as a consequence, his mind was replaced by standard Scissor Joe programming. “I wish I could remember something – anything – that could help, but I’m stumped. I don’t think Quint knows what’s going on either. It could explain why he's being so withholding despite his...uh, 'mercenary apathy'. I think he’s playing hard to get more out of spite than anything else. Blizzardman or Diveman might be able to beat something out of him. Those guys are nuts.” Geminiman grunted. “Half the force wants Diveman’s head on a platter for what he did during War. Thanks to the deal Cossack made, and their actions at Mount Elysium, they’re untouchable for past crimes, but bringing him here would be like tossing a match into a powderkeg. Frankly, even after I helped destroy General Cutman and saved the Robot Police, I’m still given dirty looks here and there. And Blizzardman? Well, you’ve heard about Officer Garmel, haven’t you?” Hyperstorm had. “Hey, wait. That’s a Scissor Army stronghold! There’s no reason to think Blizzard did anything. And why would he? He’s on our side now!” Geminiman whistled. “Is he? I’m not privy to the meetings anymore, but I’ve heard rumours about him. And it was his team, along with Ringman, who was responsible for the fiasco at Nonsteropolis.” Hyperstorm let his mind process the information. It was true that the Cossacks had proven to be, as a whole, more bloodthirsty than even Wily’s forces. He didn’t want to think that they were responsible for any more wrongdoings. He really wanted to put the past behind him. But, still … The two robots continued to talk and left the jail cells. Quint remained stoically silent, but even he wondered what was happening. If the Scissor Army was still out there, why hadn’t he been called into action? He wasn’t the only conscious Scissor Army operative in custody and he would normally have relished the opportunity to consult a peer about the situation. But that peer was Chargeman. Broken and battered, Chargeman was still operational, even if he had lost all motor functions and attack capabilities. The Cossacks had given him over to the Robot Police Force after joining forces. Even in the best of times, Chargeman was not known for his brains and the robot just kept on roaring like a madman lately. Even through the soundproof walls Quint could hear him crying out. -------------------- Napalman sat in the new War Room of the Napalm Forces. The new, tentative name for the Scissor Army. He’d have to think up something a bit more clever, but that was the best he could do for the moment. The Commander went over the latest losses. Monaco had fallen the other day. And there was trouble in Kalingrad. It didn’t matter. The fleshpiles in those areas were pretty much squashed into fleshstains. He had to keep the army on the move. No business of taking cities like that idiot General Backstab had done. He’d get right down to the dirty business of exterminating the blood factories and bringing his beloved dream of Elysium to reality. But it was harder than he could have imagined. He’d constantly radioed the Shit Piles, his Ascendant Androids, to come back to the fold. But none of them had responded. What was worse was that none of the other Commanding Officers had returned to Skull Castle after both Mt.Elysium and Desert Gulch had fallen, not that he was exactly missing the presence of Captain Frog and his Seven Failures. I’m really on my own here, aren’t I? Napalmman got up to his feet. He grunted in pain. Without the General in operation his injuries could not be fully repaired. None of the Joes were given the skill to do it. His armor looked as good as new thanks to their patching up, but below that, the stab wounds from Mad Max's pixie dust arrows and fairy sword were still grinding at his pain receptors. There was Wily... but Napalmman wasn’t stupid enough to let that urine-stained madman prick touch him. Didn’t a Wily from another dimension drive Cutman batshit insane? There was no way he’d let that moldy old bone sack touch him. The thought of Doctor Whipping Boy set Napalmman into another bout of unease. He slowly moved to the surveillance monitors. Yeah, it was still there. Sulking in its cell. Mesmerman, that two-faced, asswipe, mindfucking traitor, had given him right back to them after the Wily Suckup Force had tried to save him. And that worried Napalmman. The General might have been stupid enough to trust the swirling clown, but General Napalmman was no General Cutman. This might not even be Wily, for all he knew. But he wasn't going to kill whatever it was yet. He still had friends. He turned to the status monitors for the Wily’s Warriors and was shocked by what he saw. They had ordered a retreat in Kalingrad!? Naplmman turned on the communications array. “What do you shit for brains think you’re doing!?” Cyros responded. “The RPD downed Airman! And they’re overrunning our forces.” Pain fired in his joints as Napalmman tensed up. “You're going to hold Kalingrad until every man, woman, and child is a meat casserole on the street! Do you understand me, Shit Piece!?” Did he hear an impatient intake of breath from Flashman? “The Scissor Army’s been here for a long time already. Don’t you think-?” Napalmman cut him off, “I think I gave you an order, Lite Brite! I expect you to follow it! Or are you dumber than Chargetard? At least that Smokestack knew enough to attack when I ordered him to!” Flashman grunted. “Fine, we’ll hold Kalingrad as long as we can. But you can’t expect –“ Napalmman cut off communications. Wily’s Wussbags were a pathetic bunch of assholes. It was one failure after another with them. But they were the only officers he had at the moment, and the only reason left to keep their dessicated creator alive. That, and if push came to shove, Wily might make a good bargaining chip sometime in the future. Napalmman was annoyed with himself. He’d rather just kill the disease-ridden germ bucket and be done with it. For now, the Scissor Army had other business. He turned his attention to Australia next. That place was infested with vermin and it was his job to make sure they were exterminated. For Elysium! His glorious dream. Only he was left to carry it out. It was up to him to carry on where the orange boney bastard had failed. To pick up the slack. How the hell did that no-faced asshole ever keep up with all this? *** Artilleryman flew into position. They were only a few miles from the entrance to the Subterranean Skull Castle. The place was still littered with the broken bodies of fallen soldiers. Artillery looked around and soon saw who he was looking for. “Doc Robot,” said Artilleryman with a smile. “Blue traitor,” said the miniature Wily in return. Artilleryman laughed at the insult. “I guess hiring me wasn’t your idea then.” said the mercenary with a smirk. Expressman stepped forward. “It was mine. I figured we could use the muscle.” “We got all the muscle we need right here,” muttered Multiman under his breath. Still, he hadn’t put up much of an argument when the team had decided to hire the former Evil Eight member for their mission. Only Mr. Whiz was truly still upset by it as even Doc Robot saw a use for Artilleryman’s skills. Even if he hated to admit it. Whiz shifted uncomfortably on his new legs. The merciless Armoured Assassins had left him as just a torso and Doc Robot had to scavenge the parts to make him new legs and arms. Contrary to what some thought, getting your legs sliced off rarely left an entirely clean cut. Mr. Whiz’s new limbs functioned well enough, but he still just wasn’t used to them. He felt clumsy and akward. But he still didn’t want Artillery in on the mission. The mercenary smiled as he looked at him. “Yeah, you never liked me much, did you?” Whiz let out a burst of anger. “You’re a traitor! We don’t need you!” Artillery laughed. “From the looks of things, we could do without you either. Are you gonna cry now?” Whiz stiffened. “I’ll do whatever it takes to rescue Doctor Wily!” Doc Robot pressed a small finger to Artilleryman’s chest. “And you will too, if you want the rest of your money!” Artilleryman backed off and nodded, although his mocking smile remained. “So, fearless leader … what’s the plan?” -------------------- Snakeman slung his trashed crystal-firing gun into the garbage. He didn’t even know why he bothered to carry it from the battlefield. It had shorted out on him and he had to resort to using it as a club. And now it just didn’t work at all. Topman got a table for the both of them. They were in the RPD common room in their London headquarters. The city was tense. They had once again repelled an invasion force from the Scissor Army. “I can’t believe they’re attacking us every day,” said Topman with exasperation. “They did it in Monsteropolis too,” replied Snakeman, “They’re trying to wear us down. But I gotta admit, their strategy is a lot more … disorganised then it used to be. It looks like they keep trying to throw as much as they can against us, but here we’re pretty strong. And this time we even had the Marauder to back us up.” Topman grunted. The waiter bot had come and both robots took their energy shakes from him. Topman felt a small lump of guilt in his chest. He hadn’t been there for the attacks on Monsteropolis. But, then he did get back just in time to save the RPD from the Shutdown Code. As well as helping to beat General Cutman. And that had to count for something. Instead of dwelling on what he didn’t do, Topman changed the subject. “I noticed you weren’t playing sniper. And the crystal gun … weren’t you attached to that rifle you used to carry around?” Snakeman tried to shrug it off. “Amatista still has it. At this point, she can keep it. I think I’ll just ditch the guns and stick to my Search Snakes.” “Wait, what? Didn’t you train for months to be some sort of sniper?” Snakeman shrugged again, not really wanting to talk about it. “And what about the Judge? Wasn’t being a sniper to replace that old psycho trainer of yours?” Again Snakeman shrugged. But less easily this time. Topman looked at his friend in confusion. He’d spent a lot of time as a sniper, and giving it up now didn’t make much sense. “Did I ever tell you how much I hate my job?” asked Snake finally. Topman blinked. “No, you didn’t mention it.” “Well, I do. I hate my job." Snake felt a weight slide off his shoulders as he vented to his orange friend. "I hate being JUST a sniper. I wanted to try something new and you know what? I really hate it. And I hate that damned rifle. My life’s just gotten worse ever since I picked it up. From now on … I’ll just stick to my natural skills. No stupid crystal guns either. I’m gonna put in a recommendation to ditch the entire line of those things. I’ve already switched departments. Gaderham didn’t make much sense of it either, but I’m officially off sniper duty.” Topman scratched his head. This news certainly came out of left field. But he had heard that his last orders as a sniper was to shoot down Spark Chan. For refusing he was shut down and only survived thanks to the trickery of his snakes. And his sniping skills didn’t do much good against General Cutman. Maybe it ran deeper than that, but Topman was satisfied with the answer he’d received. “I don’t think crystal guns are really your style anyway.” “Yeah, I know. I mean, I'm not bad in a fight, but am I ever really IN one? I've gotten REALLY rusty, or the General wouldn't have gotten me with that sucker punch. I have an aresenal of specialized Search Snakes, and do I ever USE them? I've got a snake that shoots miniature sidewinder missiles, for heaven's sake!" Topman laughed out loud. “Oh yeah, that’s real covert! Nothing more snakelike than sidewinder missiles!” “I don't know," Snakeman sighed, feeling a bit better for making his friend laugh. "I just want a change of pace, I guess. The crystal gun was too rifle-like anyway. And, hell, I’m not Crystalman. I think I’ll just make do with my snakes and see where that gets me. Get myself out of this rut I've been in for the whole war.” “Hopefully it won’t get you dead when we take on Mesmerman.” Snakeman hissed. Mesmerman. He had been keeping a pretty low profile lately. Which just meant that he was somewhere out of sight. Hiding. And probably manipulating events to his own advantage. Whatever that might be. He was General Cutman’s partner in the war against humanity, and everyone on the team agreed that he needed to be brought down, but their new “council” apparently didn’t see it that way. -------------------- Shadowman stayed quiet. He knew that if he opened his mouth he'd scream out in a rage against the new Robot Police Chiefs. “Mesmerman’s just another Commanding Officer. And without the Scissor Army, he’s hardly a threat.” said Captain Spiegel. Landigarm nodded. “I think the ‘live and let live’ policy we’ve adopted with Mesmerman is the best thing going for us at the moment. He seems content to stay quiet and I’m not inclined to go to him and stir up trouble. The last thing we need right now if that monster rejoining the Scissor Army.” Amatista sighed. “I’m not sure if I agree with your reasoning, Landigarm. Robots like him are a menace that need to be wiped off the face of the Earth! Without a trace. But … our first duty is to the human race. There’s so many cities occupied by the Scissor Army and right now they’re ruthlessly murdering people whenever they see them. Without rhyme or reason it seems! Getting rid of General Cutman might have made them less organised, but it hasn’t stopped them from doing their jobs. We need to free all the cities they’ve captured. While we’re doing that we’ll either destroy their factories of death or convert them to produce our own Robot Police forces.” Shadowman bristled. Amatista had been much less condescending lately, and even bordering on helpful, but even a mild-mannered Amatista seemed to go against whatever the Mechanical Maniacs proposed. The small robot, Gaderham, seemed to be the only one to see things their way. “Maybe you don’t recall very well, but Mesmerman himself invaded Monsteropolis. Single handedly he killed an entire compound of refugees and sent one to deliver the news to Crorq personally. After which he shot himself in the head! Not only that, but he was responsible for the death of Freezeman (twice over), the corruption of Geminiman, and possibly the corruption of Magnetman as well.” Spiegel leaned forward in his chair. “All the more reason to leave him alone until we’re in a better position to handle him. We don’t have enough troops to spare to wage war on every single escaped Scissor Army Commanding Officer! And, quite frankly, every minute our time is wasted with these thinly-veiled demands is time when we’re not overseeing our troops all around the world. You, of all people, know Crorq is down. I can’t believe I’m saying this but, we need that oversized calculator to run things cleanly. Now our new R&D department is working on repairing him. When that’s done then we’ll talk about getting Mesmerman. Until then, however …” Gaderham’s cheerful façade was turned upside down. He was furious. The small robot knew full well that that Mesmerman was a threat … but he also knew that the RPD’s resources were taxed beyond belief. Every since he and the others had taken up Crorq’s many duties, Gaderham had not been able to keep as cool of a head as he liked. Still, this was not the first time Mesmerman had been brought up. His once persistent demands that they hunt Mesmerman down had been weathered away. Now he just felt uneasy and angry that the Robot Police would not pursue an obvious enemy … even if they were overtaxed. Needlegal didn’t notice her brother's state of absolute rage and looked to him for assistance. She was too frantic to talk anymore and she knew it. Shadowman closed his eyes and tried to steady himself. The best he could manage was a strained, condescending tone. “Fine. I know you’re all busy. I’ll just waste my time defending the city for the umpteenth time in a row when we know where the damned robot is.” With that the meeting was concluded and the pair of robots walked out of the meeting room. Needlegal was beginning to feel angry now too. “What was that!?” “They weren’t going to give in. Frankly, they won’t attack Mesmerman at this point unless he attacks up.” “So what are we supposed to do? Just wait until that happens?” “I don’t know! How am I supposed to know?” Even as Shadowman said these words an answer came to him. But it really required a man better skilled at people than Shadowman. Especially with the mood he was in. It involved going to the most vocal ‘live and let live’ person in the entire alliance and he knew he was far too angry to make Doctor Cossack change his mind in the state he was in now. But he did know some people who were better at this sort of thing … -------------------- Hardman and Spark Chan looked around Tech City. Miraculously it had survived virtually the entire war with only minimal damage. And it was truly a wonder to behold. The most advanced machinery in the world could be found in Tech City. And right now, it was being put into use defending it against the Scissor Army. Even here, the Scissor Army seemed to constantly push its full force against the city. But now the Marauder had flown in and was destroying the invaders. Even while it did so the Tech Tyrants were defending their hometown. Neither Hardman nor Spark Chan were too concerned. They had a bigger battle ahead of them. Doctor Cossack greeted them with exasperation at his newest headquarters. “I know why you’re here. Light has been on my case too.” “You know … you know it’s the right thing to do, Mikhail,” said Light with some difficulty. Not many knew that Doctor Light had suffered a nervous breakdown after Megaman had been shut down right at the beginning of War. He’d even built some twisted ‘Megaman X” that nobody had spoken of since learning about it. Roll was doing her best to keep the Doctor calm. She had been very against using him to convince Cossack of anything, let alone attacking Mesmerman. But the Doctor had insisted. Despite being the one who cracked the Shutdown Code he still felt as if he’d sat the entire War out. “Please, Tomas. My mind is made up. Mesmerman is not an immediate threat to us. We have to save mankind from the Scissor Army before even thinking of attacking Mesmerman.” Spark Chan put her hand on Cossack’s arm. “Doctor, I know you’re tired of the fighting, but Mesmerman is a real threat. You should have seen what he did to poor Lennon. He was one of my best friends and I knew him very well. And Mesmerman …. He turned him against me. Against everyone who cared about him! That’s what he does. So I had to fight him. And Shoryu. And Geminiman finally broke through that monster’s brainwashing. Freezeman … wasn’t so lucky. From what Junk says, he was a completely lost cause.” Cossack snapped up. It seemed she struck a nerve there. “Yes, I … I’ve heard that from Slashman. It’s hard to believe Mesmerman could completely corrupt him.” Spark Chan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “He did corrupt him! As hard as it is to believe." Kalinka, then, jumped to her father’s defence. Ever since he came back she had been very protective of him. “Back off! My father thinks Mesmerman isn’t a threat right now and so do I! My father says we’ll get him after we beat back the Scissor Army and I back him up! Be patient. My father has been fighting long and hard, most definitely harder than any of you!” It was Hardman’s turn at bat. “Lil’ Lady, you need to wise up. I’m sorry your pop had it so tough in this War, but he knew the stakes before going renegade.” “An easy excuse for a fascist pig.” “You don’t hear him complaining about how hard he had it, d’you?” Kalinka looked to her father then. She saw the strain on his face. He had not, in fact, complained about their status during the War. It was Spark Chan’s turn once more. “Doctor Cossack, we have an anti-Mesmerman virus made by General Cutman. We have the co-ordinates to one of his bases … if not his main base. Junkman got them from SyneCo’s computers before the place blew sky high and General Cutman’s own notes verify that it’s the right place. But if we wait for much longer we won’t have this chance again. Mesmerman has to know about this weapon the General’s been working on.” Cossack seemed angry then. “If you have everything, then why do you need me?” “The virus isn’t finished, Mikhail,” said Dr, Light, “I just can’t … finish it in the state I’m in. Not on my own.” Doctor Cossack closed his eyes. “You have no idea what you’re asking me to do.” Spark Chan this time. “We’re asking you to do what you always do, Doctor. We’re asking you to look inside your heart … and to do what’s right.” -------------------- It was like opening a book. So simple to do, so easy to understand. So remarkably easy to change. The cable that linked the man in the straight jacket into Mesmerman's own system shivered. Tiny spikes sank into the man's flesh, latching onto the human's bioelectricity and reading it like computer code. He could see and read the man's shattered mind and broken memories, tapping into the ambient background blackness that seemed to emanate, on some level or another, from all living things. According to his medical files, this man had been diagnosed with an acute, recurring kind of insanity. For whole periods of the day, he'd have hallucinations that no known medicine could repress or erase, scream at ghosts, and weep and rage at nothing at all. He was perfect for Mesmerman to experiment on. No one would ever believe this man, if he was even aware of it himself, that a white robot had invaded his mind. Despite his erratic and diseased behavior, the man's mind was much like a normal human's. It made sure he drew breath, it blinked his eyes, it ensured the heart pumped blood, and it tried very hard to keep up with the damage it inflicted on itself. Mesmerman was able to witness all of this as a vast collection of multicolored strings, like some infinite harp, and pluck each one to see what effect it had on the whole of the man. THIS string would move his arm. THIS string would flap his jaw. THIS string... It was... interesting. Not entirely satisfying, but very interesting. He felt himself grow weaker, and withdrew his presence from the man's shattered brain. His body, the patchwork assortment of old robotic parts that it was, used energy in a criminally inefficient manner. Even worse, he seemed to require something altogether different than his supposed siblings in the robotic race. He fed off the blackness, a dark kind of energy that seemed to be generated as a result of the concept humans referred to as 'evil'. His body absorbed this energy at a measured rate depending on how much of it was available to him, but the collection arrays in his hands and built into his legs were, like much of the rest of him, not as efficient as he might like. Mesmerman made a note to research ways to improve that particular situation as he sent the encoded signal up to the Eden station to teleport him back off of this rock. -------------------- Needlegal met the other Mechanical Maniacs just before the trip. Only a few of them were there so far. Shadowman was pacing the room and Snakeman was lounging against a wall. Snakeman was carrying around the rifle He was frowning and Needlegal went up to him to see what was going on. “Hey, Snake.” “Yo, Needle.” “Why so down? Snakeman looked down at his rifle. “I didn’t really want to get this back.” Needlegal frowned. “I heard. Why not just ditch it, then?” Snakeman shrugged. “Well, this is the big battle against Mesmerman, isn’t it? And I have a job to do.” Snakeman looked at his rifle. Getting rid of the world’s evil …. That was his job. Did he really need this thing to do it? Snakeman yearned with the desire to explore new avenues with his power. He didn’t actually need a rifle, did he? But the battle with Mesmerman was no time to go off and experiment with new tricks. He felt a hard poke into his side and turned to see Needlegal smiling at him. “Don’t be so worried! This is gonna be it! Mesmerman’s the last real threat out there and now we’re gonna kick his ass for good. And after that we’ll go see a movie or something.” Snakeman couldn’t help but smile. See a movie … when was the last time he’d actually done something like that? Needlegal spotted Hardman, Topman, and Geminiman coming into the room. Shadowman seemed impatient to begin the briefing. Needlegal knew why and they all understood. This was potentially their last mission during the course of this War. Whether the Robot Police realised it or not, Mesmerman was the last threat to mankind and once he was beaten back it would all fall apart. Shadowman waited until they were all seated and began. “The information coming from General Cutman’s 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 rack your brain 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 enough o 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. 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 befcame 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’rte hearing is Mesmerman trying to get into your mind. That’s what de does. Never forget it. And, while you’re not forgetting that, try not to think of anything.” Topman couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else heard Mesmerman’s laughter. They were in his base now. His own little ‘Mesmer World’. It’s entire construction was built on chaos. Sure, everything worked. It was the kind of organised chaos that only the one who made the mess knew where to find anything. Shadowman was leading them around … but he didn’t even know where they were going, did he? Why should he be … ? Topman suppressed these thoughts. Shadowman was right, it was just Mesmerman doing his thing. They faced General Cutman together and took him down. Mesmerman just didn’t know who he was dealing with. But even so … “You’d like a clue, wouldn’t you?” The familiar voice didn’t belong to Mesmerman. Topman jumped and went pale as a man with white hair and a long leather jacket ran right past the team. He knew this man. He couldn’t place him right then and there, but he had seen him before. For a moment Topman thought Mesmerman had gotten o him Right until Hardman shouted. “Smiley!” “Follow him!” The ‘maniacs scrambled to keep up with their new foe. As the quickest both Shadowman and Needlegal took the lead. Topman was following close, however, in his full Top Spin mode. Snakeman was right behind them and Spark Chan kept Hardman company in the rear. She had the chance to ask the question. “You know that guy?” Hardman answered between simulated breaths. “Yeah. That jerk sauntered in when Kenta first joined the team. It wuz the damnest thing too. Kenta just showed up full of attitude. He tossed me around like I was nothin’ and had a tiff with Rich. An’ that joker was joined by a creepy broad in a white smock. Her and their boss …. Mesmerman.” Spark Chan was taken aback. “That was ‘Smiley?’ But I thought he was just a hologram Bass wore to fight you guys! That it was all a lame Wily plot!” Another voice answered them then. “That’s what you thought.” Spark Chan reflexively jerked back as a fast woman came out of nowhere and tried to impale her with a javelin. She laughed as Hardman missed his punch and ran off, just out of reach. Hardman grunted and grabbed Spark Chan. Now was not the time to be the slowest Mech! He activated his internal propulsion unit. Just a small nudge. Just enough to get him where he needed to go. The woman in white laughed gleefully as she sped past a surprised team with Hardman finally catching up. They went around a mad array of twists and turns. Anguish and Calamity wan up the walls and the ceiling. The ‘Maniacs contended themselves with the ground. Where they could the team threw pot-shots at the dynamic duo. To little discernable effect. Like the fakes controlled by Wily they seemed impervious to harm. It was frustrating! The team made one more turn and came to an abrupt halt. The walls were familiar. It was a place none of them, in their hearts, thought they would see again. Not in such pristine condition. It was the Technodrome. Just as it had been before the War broke out. The team began to separate, but Shadowman called out to them. “Stop! We’re not really home. Fight the urge to explore.” “But, look!” said Topman while picking up burnt remains of CDs. “These are the Shutdown Code CDs Crorq sent to us. This is the one Magnet broke with his power! And there’s the Energon stain from the time Hardman spilt his drink! And there –“ “Topman!” The Spinning Demon was silences. Shadowman gave him a steady gaze. Now was not the time to get carried away. “This isn’t the Technodrome. I know it has the right details. I know it smells right. But it’s not our home.” “It can be, though.” The team turned towards the familiar voices. Something in both Hardman and Spark Chan quivered. “Cass?” “Benny?” Cassandra smiled warmly. “Welcome home, guys.” -------------------- “Welcome home, shit stain.” “You’re the general!?” Artilleryman could hardly believe it. He didn’t quite know what to expect then the Joes told him they’d be taking him to their general. In his heart he somehow thought they were taking him to General Cutman. That, despite what seemed total RPD victory at Desert Gulch, General Cutman had survived somehow and was leading his forces. He did not expect to be taken to a badly damaged Napalmman. “Damns traight I’m the general. Who else would run this team of maggots after –“ Napalman paused briefly while eyeing the surrounding Scissor Joes. “After General Cutman was defeated. Someone has to bring Elysium to the world and it looks like I’m the only one up to snuff.” So, even if he wants to, he doesn’t dare bad mouth General Cutman, eh? Who knows just how loyal these fanatics are, after all … “Clearly true,” said Artilleryman. “And it looks like you’ve got things running pretty smoothly. I was impressed with how swiftly you captured us.” Napalmman tried to get up, but sparks flew from an exposed gash in his side and he sat back down. Still, the robot gave an unpleasant rumble. “Don’t try to butter me up, I don’t wanna date ya. And I don’t buy that crap neither. Yer up to something.” Artilleryman smiled casually. “Of course I’m up to something. I’m always up to something! This time it’s doing business with the Scissor Army.” “Is that a fact?” “Hey, I go where I’m needed.” Napalmman simulated a sniff. “And you think yer needed in my army?” “Well, not for nothing, but you’ve suffered some pretty big losses. From the way I hear it, you’re just about the last commanding officer left in the Scissor Army.” “S’true, but so what? I’m the best commanding officer there ever was! I don’t need those pieces of shit and I don’t need you.” “That’s up to you, but think about it … do you really think you can do without anyone? The Robot Police Department have sided with the Cossacks and your guys … well, working with the Wilys are even worse than working with the Scissor Army, right?” Napalmman barked a laugh. “Comin’ from a Wily, that’s a pretty dumb thing to say.” The smile was wiped from Artillery’s face. “FYI, Napalm, but I was made by Duo when he was infected with Evil Energy. Not by that washed up never-was Wily. I hung out there for lack of any other place to set up shop, only to find that it was run by losers and morons.” Napalmman muttered something under his breath. It sounded as if he was agreeijg with the sentiment. “And who’s left from Wily’s dream team? My intel tells me the Fatal Five, Sunstar, and Dark Moon have all left or have been captured by the RPD. And the Wily Rescue Force, you have thanks to me. And now there’s …. Wily’s Warriors. Who, from what I hear, are about as good as Omni and Golem were about now.” Napalmman grumbled uncomfortably now. “Maybe I do have just the one team of losers for now. I have some people working on that little problem. But, as for you, from what I hear you’re just a scum-sucking sucker for money. I don’t trust you and I don’t want you in my army. In fact, I think I’d rest easier if you weren’t alive at all!” Artilleryman bared his teeth in frustration and pointed his Long Tom cannon at the black behemoth. It was never the easy way … “All, right, I‘ve had enough. Hire me or I’ll blow you to kingdom come, sucker!” “What!?” Now Napalmman got to his feet and painfully adjusted his own cannon so that it aimed at Artilleryman. “You got a pair on you, you little fucker! Pointing a cannon at me in my own base! Well, the jokes on you because size counts and my gun’s bigger!” Artilleryman laughed. “You think you can talk like that in the shape you’re in? Maybe you could have shrugged off my Long Tom before, but you’re just a walking train wreck now. Look at you! You’re about ready to drop! Hell, even just firing your Napalm Nuke is likely to tear you in half at this point!” Napalmman seemed to smile broadly. “You think a little think like that’ll stop me? And do you really think your damn pea shooter will make me even flinch? Who the fuck cares if I have some boo-boos, I will tear you a new one!” “And carve a hole out of half your base. And leave your precious army leaderless! Who’ll lead the world to Elysium then, eh?” Napalmman stomped his foot, rocking the floor in a rage. He saw his Joes surround Artilleryman, but he didn’t care. “If yer so smug, take yer shot! You only get one! Go on!” “New, you take your shot, ‘general.’ I wanna see your face when you blow half your base away! From what I hear you’re stupid enough to do that sorta crap.” The two robots stared at each other. Until, finally, both lifted their guns at once and laughed. Napalmman limped over to Artillery. “Y’know … yer my kinda mother fucker. -------------------- Expressman was thrown into a cell. He rubbed his head as the door was slammed shut. He paid the hum of a force field no mind as he looked through the bars of his cell. “Hey, guys! Barrage is here too! Barrage! Yo, Barrage!” Barrage was in bad shape. The huge robot master was missing both his arms. His body was cracked and riddled with holes. His legs seemed unable to do much besides twitch. Yet his eyes lit up at Expressman’s call. “Unit Barrageman acknowledges Unit Expressman’s greeting.” “You look like Hell, Barrage.” “Unit Barrageman does not need reminding of current status. Unit Expressman is not one to make such observation given his own current status.” Multiman spoke up next. “Hey, chucklehead, what’s the buzz?” Barrageeman’s eyes narrowed. “Unit’s designation is Barrageman not ‘Chucklehead.” Multiman laughed. “Alright, alright, Barrageman. No need to be touchy.” Barrgeman’s expression softened as much as it could. “Unit Barrageman has resisted several attempts at reprogramming. Expressman stroked his chin. “Reprogramming, eh? I guess that’s their game plan to stay major players in the War.” Doc Robot paid little mind to this conversation. He and Whiz were across from Expressman and Multiman and could see into Wily’s cell, which was beside the speedy robot. There Wily sat on the ground, with his back to the wall. Dried blood stained his pants and his coat. Whiz couldn’t find any words, it was Doc Robot who spoke. “Master?” said the small robot in a quiet voice. “Master, can you me?” To Whiz’s and Doc Robot’s relief Wily’s head lifted. It shook unsteadily and there were dark circles under the old man’s eyes. “Doc Robot? Is that you?” Doc Robot leapt to his feet and put his hands on the force field. They burned his palms, but the robot didn’t care. “Yes, Master! It’s your Wily Rescue Force!” “And me too!” said Mr. Whiz excitedly. “My robots …” Wily’s head bobbed back down. “Master! What’s wrong?” Doctor Wily seemed to sink into himself. “Doc Robot … I am dying.” -------------------- Shock registered on Sparkchan's face and she opened her mouth to say something- anything- to Benny, but the roar of the engine and the tremendous sound from the impact of the Hard Knuckle collapsing the wall behind the two humans drowned her out. Instead, she turned and said, in a horrified half-scream "Hardman! What on earth are you DOING?" The massive robot's hand reconnected with his army with a definitive click, a look of unfathomable anger etched into his every feature. "I'm NOT doin' this again. Mesmerman's jus' tryin' ta screw with us, an' I'm not lettin' him do it. Not with Cass, an' not with Benny. No way, no how." The words sank in with all of the Maniacs as the rubble settled and the dust cleared. And then there was a blinding flash of light. "Aw, Hadrian," something with Cassandra's voice chuckled, "And here I thought you'd have missed me after all this time." Hardman had no idea what was going on when the fist smashed into the side of his head, sending his disoriented form down to the ground. Sparkchan was felled by a similar blow from a fist twice the size of her own. "Well, this can't be good," Topman said dryly, taking in the two Siege Joes that had just appeared out of nowhere. These monstrosities had been based off of the failed design of Siegema'am, and adapted for Mesmerman's own purposes in the war. It hadn't even really occured to anyone they would encounter them here, especially not like this. Cassandra, or Constance, or Siegema'am, or whoever was really in control right now leveled the two-stage buster at the remaining Mechs, and weapon cycling through the first click of the process before a gout of green flame-like plasma spewed forth. A Hard Knuckle from the ground knocked the weapon off its mark, though, and gave the Mechs time to scatter. Hardman was rewarded for his quicck thinking with a kick to the side that left a decent dent. "You're ALWAYS getting in my way," Cassandra hissed. "Just let me do SOMETHING for a change." Shadowman dashed in and grabbed the still shaky Sparkchan, diving into the shadow of the second Siege Joe (if that was still an appropriate term) and coming out right behind Geminiman, who'd split into three copies by now. "What did this monster do with Benny?" Sparkchan demanded weakly, trying to keep her feet under her. "Probably whatever he did with Cassandra," Shadowman scoffed. Snakeman fell back, trying to get a good distance away to make use of his rifle. He rounded a corner and crouched low, poking his head around and trying to draw a good bead on one of the two siege engines. Another bright flash of light drew his attention back around the corner, and he was moving fast by the time the two-stage buster had clicked the second time, unleashing a deadly wave of melting death. The green robot felt the heat of the plasma behind him, and swore as he dove behind a couch. He went to take a shot, only to discover he must have dropped his rifle in the scramble. A quick look confirmed it had been on the now scorched floor, steam rising off of it as the metal bubbled. "Well," he thought to himself, "it's probably still salvageable..." The Siege Joe that had attacked him took a step forward, crushing the melting remains underfoot. "... or not." By now, the Mechanical Maniacs had noticed that more than just two Siege Joes were entering the fight. Using their short-range teleports, the hulking dealers of death were popping into and out of the Technodrome with ease, exhibiting the ability to jump several times in the same instance, a previously unheard of feat for the machines. Needlegal's weapons spat roaring, pointed death as she assaulted the Siege units with needles whenever she had a clear line of fire. "Mesmerman must have refined the design," Geminiman mused, focusing his multiplied firepower on one of the enemy robots. Three lasers sliced through two knee joints and an elbow, the dangerous buster dropping to the floor with a clang before being followed by the rest of the body. Hardman was having a tougher time. The Siege unit containing Cassandra hadn't given him time to get up, raining down a furious physical assault of punches and kicks, and clubbing him with the barrel of the buster. The big blue robot tried to fight back, but couldn't get the time to actually aim any of his wild retaliations. A recovered Sparkchan ducked sideways to avoid another punch and grabbed the arm of the offending unit, sending an untold amount of electricity into the behemoth's system before something inside of it popped and the head blew off the shoulders, the whole thing collapsing into a smoking heap. Her victory was short lived as another Siege Joe appeared beside her, forcing her to retreat as it fired its weapon, engulfing the remains of the other Siege Joe in green flame. "Dammit," Shadowman spat, throwing a Shadow Blade into the cannon of one Siege Joe as he danced around another, crouching low and rolling as he brought a kunai across the back of its knees. He came up and kicked it hard in the side, the machine falling over without control of its legs. "This isn't getting us any closer to Mesmerman! Gemini, is there a way to stop these things?" "You're asking me?" the twin terror asked incredulously, one of his many copies driving its nightsticks through the head of the Siege Joe with the inoperable buster. He winced as one of him was incinerated by another enemy that came out of nowhere and focused his fury on revenge. Four identical lasers sliced the offending robot to ribbons. "They're less armored than I remember, probably to make room for the larger generator for the continuous jumps," he speculated, blasting another two Siege Joes and pulling his various selves back to help out Topman. The small orange robot flew by, encased in a shell of kinetic energy, seemingly having the time of his life. He smashed into the head of one Siege unit and leapt with unreal speed into and then THROUGH another one, a shattered batch of wires and boards clutched in one hand. "At least there's no people in these other ones," he said with a grin, throwing a glance at Hardman. "Why isn't anyone helpin' me?" the big blue robot shouted, rolling away from Cassandra and trying to scramble to his feet. He got his knees under him before another Siege unit kicked him from behind, sending him face down into the floor again. It laughed, child-like, and shook Sparkchan to her core. "Does the big man need help?" Benny laughed. "How lame do you have to be?" Sparkchan grimaced as she sent more voltage into another Siege Joe. How had this happened? Cassandra had been under the influence of Mesmerman before, but Benny? This didn't make any sense to her. But she knew better than to try and reach out to him. Mesmerman's corruption ran deep, and neither she nor Hardman could do anything for their friends until Mesmerman was destroyed, once and for all. Benny raised his buster to light Hardman up like a bonfire, but he hesitated with a glare from Cassandra. "He's MINE," she snapped, and Snakeman leapt, literally, on the opportunity, landing on Benny's back and letting loose a swarm of Search Snakes all over the metal shell holding the boy. He leapt away as the pack all exploded simultaneously, driving the machine to the ground as Benny shouted in surprise. The sudden explosion threw Cassandra off as well, watching her ally engulfed in flames, giving Hardman his much sought after recovery time. "I hate ta tell ya this, Cass," Hardman grunted, rising up like a rocket and catching her in the gut with both fists, "but yer fired." The Hard Knuckles shot off at maximum power to emphasize his point as she flew backwards, caught off guard by the attack. She tried to struggle against the force of the knuckles, but her inexperience in a bigger body played against her and she slammed through two walls and a table before impacting heavily on another wall. The world crackled and shook, and soon the Technodrome was gone, replaced by some kind of shifting floor and ceiling lined with lenses and mirrors. There was a short, stunned silence, even the roar of Needlegal's guns dying out for only a moment. Topman stumbled and stopped, the change of scenery throwing him off. "Whoa, what happened?" "Must be a holodeck or something," Snakeman said thoughtfully, turning to see the collection of Siege Joes that had been using the unreal Technodrome as cover. "Knowing Mesmerman, the whole station must be like this." "Good thing we shorted this part out, then," Geminiman smiled, unleashing a barrage of Gemini Lasers at the crowd of Siege Joes. Those that escaped the initial barrage were gunned down by Needlegal or caught by the bouncing lasers, with only a handful of them left to retaliate at all. Hardman's hands clicked back into place and he got his bearings. Rolling around on the ground and getting the crap kicked out of you does nothing for your sense of direction. He caught sight of Cassandra trying to get back up, but got distracted when Benny shouted and tried to tackle his legs from his spot on the ground. Hardman sighed and slammed one of his hands down on Benny's back, stopping him in his tracks as he shot his other fist off toward Cassandra to keep her pinned. "We gotta get 'em outta th' shells and back down ta Earth," Hardman asserted, trying to keep the two piloted Siege units busy while the other Maniacs mopped up the remaining foes. "An' THEN we gotta fin' Smiley an' Mesmer an' take 'em down a notch 'r two." "So our schedule's just full today, isn't it?" Topman grinned. "Incapacitate them," Shadowman told his team, something on his mind. "Make them useless in a fight, we'll let the RPD worry about it." "I'd ask HOW they'll manage that," Needlegal sighed, "but I have a feeling you won't tell us." Hardman, on the other hand, wordlessly went to work, stepping down hard on Benny's buster arm, making the youth cry out in bio-feedback pain as the weapon was crushed away from his body. The Hard Knuckle that had been keeping Cassandra busy came back to him as he kicked the busted arm away. Cassandra growled in animalistic fury and pulled herself up, focusing all of her anger on the big blue robot that had disabled her ally. She charged forward, the two-stage canister buster cycling through in preparation to fire, and completely failed to remember that there were six other Maniacs. Needle Cannon fire peppered her side to get her attention as the tornado-like force of Topman's Top Spin slammed into her back, sending her crashing down to the ground. In an instant, four Search Snakes bit into her buster arm, exploding just as the weapon finished cycling to fire. The force of the blast disrupted the buster assembly, causing a backwash of green flame that immediately consumed the arm and burned away most of the armor that remained on the unit. Hardman got around the prone Siege unit under his feet and got a good grip, hauling with all his might to detatch the legs from Benny's shell, and he looked at Cassandra, now half-hanging out of her own robotic counterpart, dark, lifeless smoke enveloping her eyes and forcing uncut hatred to spill over onto her every feature. The four ton robot simply sighed and turned away as Sparkchan laid a calming hand on Cassandra's shoulder and shocked her into unconsiousness. The legs came free with a terrible groaning sound, and Hardman tossed the now useless limbs aside with a sigh. "Well, I can't say I didn't see this comin'." Shadowman moved with indescribable speed, cracking open the already battered casing on Cassandra's Siege frame and messing with the wires. "Good job, guys. I'm sorry we had to face them like this, but I hope you-" "No need ta say anythin' boss," Hardman told him, hauling Benny's shell over to him, the boy now trapped ineffectually inside it. "I'm not gonna break down now. I got time fer that later, after we actually kill Mesmerman." The youth in the robotic shell was shouting terrible things, but they were all muffled threats as Hardman dropped him heavily on the ground. He gave Sparkchan a meaningful glance. "You gonna be okay?" She bit back tears. "Like you said, there's time for sorrow and saving them later." Shadowman gave a short laugh of achievment and back away from Cassandra, the mangled machine disappearing in a flash of light. "Good. That worked," he said with a half-grin, and set to work on the invective-hurling hulk that was left. "The short range jump system is simple enough to re-wire. I'm just feeding the localized signal into the global one and sending them down to Cossack's Citadel," he explained. "I hope they can figure out a way to help them down there. Benny disappeared in a flash of light and the leader of the Mechs stood up, his team gathering around him. Doubts still tried to invade their minds, but they were ignoring them now. THey still had one of their own to save, and an almost literal devil to destroy. -------------------- The teleported took some time to power up. Cossack wished the ‘Maniacs hadn’t had to use it. Each time they did it wasted valuable time and energy. Each time they made their plans just a little more visible to the Robot Police. Cossack would like to believe that this mission would be supported, but he knew that there was a good chance they’d all just be arrested for violating the ‘great’ orders of the RPD. All those hard feelings melted away once he saw Cassandra’s head poking out of the massive torso of the Siege Joe. “Help her out of there!” ordered Cossack. Roll. With a strong worker robot Cossack had commandeered for his own use, obediently came forward. After they had dragged the remains of the Siege Joe out of the transporter it activated again and another badly damaged body came in. Roll suppressed a sob as she saw the little boy’s head poking out of the Siege Joe’s body. A little boy and Cassandra … Roll helped out at Hardman’s bar sometimes and knew Cassandra from there. She also knew how close Cassandra was to Hardman. And she had been such a help with Light ... when that creepy 'Constance' persona wasn't in control anyway. And a little boy … whoever he was he didn’t belong in this fight. Mesmerman really was a monster. Cossack’s heart nearly broke as he looked at Benny. He could only imagine what e would have done iof Wily had done something like that to Kalinka. What would this child’s parents do if why saw him like this? Cossack turned to his daughter who was gaping at the sight. “You and Roll help them out of those things, will you? I’ll have to work even harder to get this virus ready.” Kalinka nodded obediently and ran off to her work. Cossack turned to his own labours with Doctor Light. “How goes the programming?” Light shook his head. “This code … I don’t even know where to start.” Drillman sighed. “Well, even the General couldn’t stop him in the end, could he? “But we will,” said Cossack confidently. Divman then walked into the room. “I heard there was a party goin’ down. What’s the haps?” “They’re working on a virus to kill Mesmerman,” explained Drillman. “And they’re helping some of Mesmerman’s victims as the ‘maniacs invade his base. Diveman’s jaw dropped. “What the Hell?” “I think you had better gather the other Comrades. They have to be notified of the situation.” -------------------- The ‘Maniacs went around the next corner cautiously. They had left behind the damaged facsimile of their base and their search for Mesmerman continued. Do you have any idea how big this place is? The ‘Maniacs checked into a room. The damage to the holoprojectors affected the entire area, so the image kept on flickering. However, it appeared to have been oddly …. Homey. There was, what seemed to be, a television set along with a refrigerator and a sofa. Topman laughed. “What the heck is this? Mezmerman’s living room? What, is he entertaining guests now?” Hardman didn’t see the humour. “That sicko? Who knows what he’s up to.” Can’t I be hospitable? “Hey guys!” called Needlegal from another room. “Check this out!” The ‘Maniacs made their way to what appeared to be a laboratory. Pieces of half-made machinery were everywhere, but there seemed a kind of …. Order to it.” “Can you believe Mesmerman has a place like this here?” asked Needlegal. “Some of this stuff look pretty nice. And ...” Needlegal picked something off the table. “I found some old coffee!” “General Cutman’s burning the midnight oil, I guess,” said Geminiman dismissively. Still, there was something … out of place. A laboratory … Mesmerman wasn’t the tinkering sort - I like to tinker with minds, doesn’t that count? - so what was with the laboratory? It all worked. Did he have a secret contract with Wily? Because General Cutman wouldn’t have dared to … The ‘Maniacs spun around as they heard something fall from another part of the lab. “Someone’s here,” said Shadowman. Snakeman rushed ahead of the ninja and hid in a small crevice. Something small and green crept out of the shadows. Shadowman motioned to Needlegal and she covered the door. Another motion to Geminiman and the crystalline terror split into three and placed himself around the room. Classi went behind Needle to offer support while Topman took a place across the room, in order to have more ground to work with in order to achieve top speed. Shadowman himself aimed upwards and took his place on the ceiling. Months of being split apart could not undo the years they Mechanical Maniacs had spent together and even now, within Mesmerman’s stronghold, their training kicked in. Mesmerman laughed within their minds. What was training and discipline to a mind reader? “I can’t find him,” said Snakeman with a small measure of frustration over the internal communications. “He’s avoiding Regina with ease! Hold on! I have something. There’s someone small … it’s dark in there. Regina’s switching to – AAHHH!” Snakeman’s scream caught the team off guard. As did the sudden attack on Needlegal within the room! The spiked warrior turned around and fired her weapon, but a flash blinded the dark-adjusted Mechanical Maniacs and then it was Topman who was in the death grip of … was that Brightman? “You’ll all die … for the glory of my Scissor Army, you’ll all pay …” Topman struggled and then resorted to whirling about. Brightman grunted in frustration as Topman managed to spin himself free of his grip. Topman followed it up with a roundhouse kick to Brightman’s face. The fat robot fell and then Needlegal was on him. She fired her signature weapon … only to see it bounce harmlessly off Needleman’s blue body. “It’s Docman!” screamed Shadowman as Geminiman fired a Gemini Laser. “You’ve got to be kidding me, I’d never … never fall for a lame trick like that. I was built before any one of you! It’s insulting to think that you think that I would…” In between his ramblings Docman switched to Crashman and Geminiman’s beam bounced harmlessly off him. Docman leapt into the air and fired his bombs at the surprised Geminiman. The blue warrior quickly put up a shield, but the explosion knocked him off his feet. Shadowman feel from the air and tried to catch the rambling Docman off guard. Now he was muttering something about how the police should be protecting him and about how they should all be shut down … “But wouldn’t that mean I would be shut down?” Before firing a bomb at Shadowman so quickly that it hardly even registered to the ninja. Crashman was equally surprised to see his bomb go right through his attacker and explode harmlessly on the ceiling. Docman barely had time to wipe the shock off his face as he was nailed by a Shadowblade form behind him. The robot spun around to see Shadowman sink back into the shadows. Docman opened his mouth, but was silences by Needlegal’s spray of needles. “You idiots! Don’t you realise I’m on your side!?” Docman changed to Cutman and tackled Topman as he attempted to kick him into submission. Docman picked up Topman’s head and slammed it onto the floor hard as he continued to rant. “All the work I’m doing, all this time is for everyone’s benefit! Don’t you give a damn that you’re second class citizens in your own damn world!? This world … this world …!” Docman saw the Hard Knuckle coming for him and knew it meant certain destruction. He rolled to avoid it. Why couldn’t he have done something else? Something smarter? He was smarter than this! The ‘Maniacs didn’t let up, Needlegal came at him … Needlegal, with her spikes and her machine gun …. But she couldn’t hit him! Not if he was as fast as …. Turboman! Needlegal; swore as Docman, in Turboman’s car form, sped right at her. She dodged it, but slammed into a laboratory table. Something about the half-finished robot on the slab nagged at her mind, but she had to dodge a Scorch Wheel. “You people! Ganging up on me like this. All of you make me sick! You … leaving me to die … I know who you are!” Docman’s eyes shone with madness. Docman, as Torchman still, rushed over to Needlegal and began to punch her as his mind focused on a painful memory. It was cold … very cold. They had told him it was his big chance to get even with the ‘Maniacs. He was with Bizarro, Torchman, Quint, and others. But he was just being used. And in the end … “You killed me! All of you!” Needlegal extended her spikes and gouged Docman, but Docman was ferocious and did not let up. Needlegals creamed as Docman set her on fire. She didn’t know how much it would hurt her … she had presumed her armour might stand up to fire well enough. She presumed wrong. Hardman finally got a hit as his knuckle rammed into the deranged robot. “Yer sick, pal!” said the blue behemoth as the landed on top of Docman. “An’ right now I don’t give a damn about what problem you have with my friends!” Again the trunk-like fists came down, but this time Docman’s body broke apart on impact. Hardman then had to contend with a hard smack on the chin as Stoneman’s form rose out of the rubble. Docman continued to rant madly. “You killed me! I remember …. I tried to forget, but I remember now. I don’t know how I could have been so confused before! I know who you are! I know who you are and I know who I am. I am Docman!” Stoneman’s form was blown apart as Topman spun into him. Large boulders then knocked Topman off his feet. One caught Shadowman off guard while a Geminiman rolled to avoid another. Hardman was still in a rage and pounded on Docman again, but Stoneman’s form wasn’t susceptible to physical attacks. It just broke apart and reassembled itself above Hardman. With all the force he could muster Docman came crashing down on Hardman who barely felt the impact. “You idiot, smashing stones like you is what I was built for!” Hardman blocked a punch and countered with one of his own. “Built for? I was built to take on any robot! I’m the ultimate!” Docman, now fully focused on finishing the ‘Maniacs, turned into Darkman and shocked Hardman with his electrical force fields. Which is when Spark Chan came in with her electrodes. Using her power she siphoned off Docman’s power. But with stunning ease, the robot changed into Magnetman and grabbed her spires. “I spent so long studying your weaknesses!” Drawing power from the shocked Spark Chan, Docman fired three supercharged Magnet Missiles at Hardman. Hardman dodged, but it was of no use, the missiles hit him. Then, still as Magnetman, Docman turned on his magnetic field and filled Spark Chan with pain. Until Topman crashed into him and knocked him aside. Hitting Docman at that moment made Topman cry out in pain … he was usually impervious to damage when spinning, but not that time. He saw the hit coming only when it landed. Gutsman had thrown a table at him. The force took the wind out of the Spinning Demon and Gutsman’s deep laugh filled the room. Hardman’s Knuckle came out of nowhere and it knocked Docman into the room he had come in from. This room was, what appeared to be, a spacious bedroom. Gutsman picked up the bed and gave it a toss, but Hardman’s fist shattered it. If he thought strength attacks would work, Docman was madder than he seemed. Hardman felt his skin burn as an Atomic Fire tore through him. Heatman’s high-pitched laughter reached in the sparsely decorated bedroom. White lab coats caught on fire and the smell of burnt rubber filled the room as Docman poured on the heat. Hardman swore as Heatman barrelled towards him. He was usually pretty good with fire, but somehow Heatman’s Atomic kind did a number on him. “Preetty sucky to be hurt by your old friend, eh?” taunted Docman while wearing Heatman’s form. He was knocked painfully aside as Topman gave him a swift kick. “Don’t you ever think you’re good enough to mock our friends!” “But we are friends, aren’t we?” Topman was shocked silent as Docman assumed the form of Iceman and coated the floor with a thick coating of ice. Topman lost his balance and fell ontot he floor – hard. Iceman’s laughter filled the air and Topman felt a stab of pain in his heart. In more ways than one. Iceman was throwing his Ice Slashers around the room. Still bursting with fire it now had patches of thick Ice as well. Hardman tried to get up, but found his body was frozen to the floor. He cursed. It was embarrassing. Iceman’s laughter turned to a shriek as Shadowman came out of the shadow behind him and sliced him with his sword. “You have a lot of nerve!” Icerman’s face looked pained. “How can you do that!? I thought we were friends!” Shadowman grunted as he was hit, point blank, with Iceman’s signature weapon. He’d never felt it before. His systems froze up and he found it hard to move. But he had to, because not Docman was coming at him in the form of Freezeman. Freezeman was faster than Iceman and he matched Shadowman’s speed as he blocked a kick from the ninja. “Too slow! You’re all too slow to stop me!” The Freezeman mockery dodged as Hardman came crashing down. Icicles fell as Needlegal tried to take aim at the enemy. Freezeman saw the snake coming for him only after it hit him. In an instant Freezeman was caught by a Boa Constrictor. He could feel his body being crushed by the snake. “Gotcha,” said Snakeman, but mostly to himself. He knew Docman couldn’t hear him. He was being strangled by his snake. Just as planned. He may not have a rifle anymore, but he was far from helpless. The Boa felt itself stretch, however, as Freezeman’s form shifted and changed. It was Freezeman no longer, now it was Frostman! Snakeman felt pain as the Boa was ripped apart! The sheer size of Frostman was much too large for the Boa to ever hope to hold. “Kill all of you! My enemies!” Docman blocked a Hark Knuckle with a large block of Ice. He shot to towards his attacker before his fist returned. Shadowman’s blades did little damage and Frostman counted with a punch. The ninja picked himself painfully off of the ground, but not in time to avoid another large block of ice. Frostman screamed as Spark Chan shot electricity through the ice. “And who’s your enemy, Cutman?” “You!” snarled Docman madly. “All of you! Yor’re traitors! Traitors to robotkind!” Now he was Cutman again and he leapt into attack Spark Chan. She, however, purposefully took the hit and kept on talking. “So you hate traitors?” “That’s right! They’re scum! Theyd on’t deserve Elysium.” “Then what about Mesmerman?” “Mesmerman?” Docman hesitated in his attack. What about Mesmerman? What was going on here? Don’t let her fool you! A voice in his head. So annoying! “Mesmerman betrayed you, remember?” “He did!” shouted Docman in a rage. “He used me! But now he’s … helping me?” To kill humanity! Spark Chan placed a hand on Docman’s shoulder. “No, he isn’t.” He –“ Shut up! I know what you’re trying to do! Spark Chan’s head jerked upright as pain shot through her systems. It was a surprise attack, but Docman was hesitating. Mesmerman … he had done something to him. He was using him! But he was loyal to Mesmerman, he knew that. And Mesmerman was useful to his plans. His goals. His ingenious and perfect plans …. He needed him. And, besides, Mesmerman made the pain go away. When his head hurt it was Mesmerman who- “He killed you, General.” Docman whirled around. It was Needlegal who spoke. “He couldn’t have. I’ve survived everything that was ever thrown at me!” Needlegal came towards him slowly. Don’t you dare! Docman shifted uncomfortably. It was true that he did worry about Mesmerman. Memerman who used him. He confused him … did something to his mind. Docman was always worried about his mind. His wife had told him to … Don’t listen to her! Mesmerman had seen the plan as it sprung into Spark Chan’s mind, but Docman was now lost in a sea of his own shifting thoughts. Mesemrman tried to attack Needlegal, but Spark Chan’s cry of pain had alerted her to his presence and she managed to block him. He knew what she was going to do, but Docman’s mind was shifting constantly. He held his head in confusion. And Needlgal still came towards him … To everyone’s shock, save for Mesmerman’s, Needlegal embraced Docman. After she let him go he was in his original form. “Mesmerman really killed me, didn’t he?” “Yes.” “And you killed me too.” “I’m sorry.” With that Docman’s memories of the Antarctic began to fade … and were replaced by a new pain. Mesmerman had finally did it! The part of him that was Cutman felt humiliated. The grinning madman had gotten into his mind. His perfect, precise mind and had killed him. Mesmerman witnessed Docman’s decision to reveal the location of the central core to the Mechanical Maniacs. He knew even before they did that Docman had switched sides. Damn him! Docman was supposed to be his pawn! He shouldn’t be sharing with a dead egomaniac like the General! Especially after he was dead. But Mesmerman relaxed. So what if Docman decided to guide them to his core? Here, he was strongest. Here his power would be at it’s peak. And, really, now they had just enough time to meet their old friend. “It’s time to get up, Kenta,” said Mesmerman with a grin on his face. “It looks like your old friends are going to say hello. -------------------- Artilleryman looked over the Scissor Army troops from his view in Napalmman’s command box. They were intermingling with Wily’s forces comfortably now. Without the Wily COs to instil some sense of discomfort, the simple-programmed robots Wily stole to fuel his ambitions for conquest were quick to follow the orders of the more sophisticated Scissor Army units. But even these were under Napalmman’s overall influence. Their abnormal speech patters (meaning their swearing like sailors) was just the tip of the iceberg. Even looking from above Artilleryman could see they were no longer a single unit. They were in groups. And there seemed to be … was that animosity? “I have a score card,” explained Napalmman as he caught Artilleryman looking down. “The panty-waists need a bit more focus and setting one on top of the other makes them compete a bit more. ‘Specially now that we’re keeping track a all the kills.” Artilleryman zoned out as Napalmman explained the process. He had learned the subtle skill thanks to Wily’s similar rants. He didn’t need to know about Napalmman’s motivational strategies. He really didn’t care about how much a better general Napalmman made over Cutman. He was just waiting to get to that control console… A resounding explosion echoed throughout the building. “What the Fuck!?” swore Napalmman. Artilleryman cursed as well. The natives were growing restless, it seems. Didn’t anyone know the value of patience? “Woulda been nice to get an extra couple of bucks, but whatever,” Muttered Artilleryman. Napalmman turned in disbelief. “What was –“ Artilleryman let loose with a volley of missiles before Napalmman could finish his thought. The surprised robot master was filled with pain as they detonated within a gaping hole in his armour. The Scissor Army general staggered back as Artilleryman did not let up. More missiles! The mercenary could hear the drum of footsteps coming up towards the command box. He needed to do this quickly. “You asshole,” said Napalmman angrily as he took a step forward. His Napalm Nuke was out of commission. Essential circuits had been blown away. “When I get my hands on you –“ Artilleryman then aimed for the CO’s hands and blew one away while mangling another. With a roar of pain Napalmman leapt at Artilleryman, but the smaller robot was ready and, with terrifying speed, he reached into the hole in Napalmman’s body. The black general screamed as Artillery grabbed at something that seemed important and pulled. When the Scissor Army troops finally broke through the door all they could see was that their newest general was laying on the floor with vital fluids pouring out of him. “Over there!” said a nearby Joe. The other looked up. A ventilation shaft had been pried open. -------------------- Doc Robot had used Bitman’s bizarre combination of electricity and strength to both short out the force field surrounding his team and to tear open the doors of their cells. A surprised Wily found himself being scooped up by Multiman (who had made a duplicate of himself while in his cell) and was placed inside of the large robot for safe keeping. Expressman turned to his surprised friend. “Sorry, Barrage. We’ll come back for you.” “Unit Barrageman detests the situation.” The Scissor Joe and several regular Sniper Joes that were guarding the entrance to the cells were now standing at the door, firing on the team. In short order, Whiz was right on top of them using his Anti-Quick Boomerangs to tear them apart. “I thought the plan was to wait for Artillery’s signal,” said a Multiman as he spit out another one of himself. “Master is dying!” said Doc Robot in despair. He fired a Bit cannon as he led the team past the now destroyed guard. Whiz and Expressman met another squadron of troops, this time several Flame Joes. The two speedsters dodged them all and attacked with their weapons. Expressman let out a joyous laugh as one of his shots blasted a Joe’s head clean off it’s shoulders. “This is great. I have a lot of aggression to work out of my system.” “I’m not dying,” said Wily in annoyance within Multiman’s chest. He was being bounded left and right as Multiman hammered away at Metools who attacked him. He left the heavy fighting to his twins, who didn’t have Doctor Wily inside of them. Doc Robot wore a perplexed look on his face. “But Master said-“ “Mester was being dramatic!” said Wily impatiently. He honestly appreciated Doc Robot’s child-like devotion and admiration, but he often wished he hadn’t made him so naïve. “Where are you taking me?” “The teleporter bay,” replied Doc Robot, “We have to get out of here!” Doctor Wily rolled his eyes. “No, no, no! There’s nowhere we can run! The Scissor Army is all over the world!” Multiman grinned widely. “Actually, no.” The large robot let out a chuckle. “Elysium fell. I was there and pitched in. And Arty tells us General Cutman’s a goner now too.” Wily processed this information. Elysium, which he had learned was the Scissor Army’s strongest base, was destroyed. And General Cutman, his hated tormentor, was dead. But that wasn’t the entire Scissor Army. “But what about Mesmerman?” “Mesmerman?” asked Multiman. “What about him?” So the grinning mad robot was still alive. Wily smiled broadly. It was good. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to get revenge on General Cutman, but – Multiman shook as he was hit by something large. “What was that?” “It’s One of the Mad Grinders.” “One of mine!?” “Yeah. While you were away the Scissor Army-“ “Let me out.” “But there’s-“ “Let me out, Multiman! I command you!” Multiman quickly got to a safe distance and. Hesitantly, obeyed. Wily frowned as he surveyed the situation. A Mad grinder and several smaller minion s of his were being commanded by a squadron of Spotlight and Nightshade Joes. Expressman, Whiz, the Multimen, and Doc Robot were all fighting admirably, but Wily had a much better plan. “Don’t attack me! I’m you’re creator! Attack them!” called Wily. His creations stopped dead. Shocked, the Scissor Army Joes took aim and fired, but they were soon crushed by the Mad Grinder. In no time Wily had secured a Joe with a communications array and issued out orders throughout the network of minions within Skull Castle. “Hear me, my robots,” called out Wily over the internal network. “I am free and the Scissor Army has fallen. It’s time to take back Skull Castle!” A roar of triumph issues out of the mouths of the robots sophisticated enough to understand the situation. Scissor Army Joes looked on in shock as robots that had obeyed them obediently for months suddenly turned on them with rabid ferocity. Expressman chuckled. “Good goin’, Doc.” “That’s our Master for you!” chimed in Doc Robot enthusiastically. Whiz Pumped himself up “And I helped out-“ “Yes, you all did very well<’ said Wily curtly. He had other things on his mind. “What’s going on out there?” roared Artilleryman with impatience. “I thought the plan was for me to sneak you assholes out! Now I have the Scissor Army on my tail … and it sounds like World War Three our there!” Expressman answered the mercenary. “It’s revolution time, baby. The Doc’s ours. It’s time to head on out-“ “NO!” Wily cut off the surprised Expressman and spoke to his men, including Artilleryman. “We are heading to my lab.” -------------------- The ‘Maniacs dodged Calamity’s spear as she wove through them like thread through a needle. She was laughing madly at Topman’s attempts to get her. All the while Topman’s mind was full of anger. It was all Mesmerman, wasn’t it? He had led him by the nose all this time! Right you are! Topman cursed and threw a kick at Calamity. Needlegal, meanwhile, was attempting to calm Docman down. “We’ve gotta find Mesmerman, remember? Concentrate!” But Docman was lost in a sea of madness once more and he lashed out at Anguish with Metal Blades. “You almost got me that time. Don’t give up! Keep on trying! Thattaboy!” “Die in the name of the glorious Scissor Army under Juno and Xelloss while we look for the golden Shadowblade under the sky of Monsteropolis!” Needlegal suppressed a curse. Mesmerman’s Agesnts of Sorrow had appeared out of nowhere and now they were going nowhere fast. In fact … “Mesmerman’s stalling us,” said Needlegal over the internal communications. “Well, that’s not surprising,” replied Geminiman as he fired one of his lasers. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as Anguish managed to dodge the angled shot. “We have to get out of here.” “Any suggestions?” Snakeman was wondering the same thing. His snakes were still trying to get a bead on the Agents, but it was no good. They were much to fast. Hardman dodged a blow Anguish carelessly launched his way with a yelp of surprise. “This is nuts! Let’s take these suckers down!” “Cool it, big guys,” said Needlegal, “Keep your mind on the plan. These creeps are small potatoes.” “Yes,” agreed Spark Chan, “It’s Mesmerman we want.” “Tog et to him, you have to go through us first!” screamed Anguish as he used his large sword to gouge a scar across Needlegal’s armour. The speed of the attack was breathtaking. Anguish was thrown aside as Spark Chan threw a large spark his way, but the madman was laughing in glee as he went. “Are you okay?” “I will be …. Once Mesmerman’s history!” “We’re close,” said Shadowman, emerging from a shadow. “I scouted ahead and there isn’t many forks in the road.” “But there are forks,” said Geminiman. “That’s right. And Docman’s…” Docman slashed at Calamity in Swordman’s form as he was drawn further into the complex and the ninja felt an almost overwhelming sensation to join him. But this feeling only strengthened his resolve. “Mesmerman’s close. That’s for sure.” Geminiman wore a scowl on his face. “I’ll lead us the rest of the way.” “you will?” “I can …feel him. When you have someone in our head as long as I’ve had you get to be sensitive to them. This place … part of me thinks it’s madness, but … I can see order in it. I can see how it all fits together.” Geminiman followed a path unseen to the rest of the ‘Maniacs. Calamity tried to follow, but Docman had assumed the form of Geminiman and fought with the woman. She no longer wore a smile on her face. “I’ll have my revenge on you for using me! I’m smarter than all of you. Oh so much smarter. In all the worlds there isn’t someone as smart as I am! My mind is perfect!” The ‘Manacs raced after Geminiman. The crystalline warrior took odd twists and turns. At one point he even doubled back and went the way he came … but not in a way that seemed lost. There was a purpose to it. More than once Needlegal thought she saw the laboratory where Docman had ambushed them. Topman thought he saw Anguish race by him in the other direction, taunting him to follow. Shadowman was almost convinced he saw Mesmerman’s control room. But he only knew for certain once Geminiman stopped. “Here’s in this one. His voice is echoing in my head. Here’s in here.” The ‘Maniacs opened the door and stepped into a room full of mirrors. But they were not truly mirrors. Geminiman looked into one and saw the white knight of the Scissor Army grinning back at him. Topman peered into another and saw Nightmare Top’s condescending gaze. Docman was on the floor, shaking. Somehow the Agents and Docman had arrived here before they did. “Well, well, well, all the players are here,” said Anguish. “Except for the master of course,” continued Calamity. “Can the crap. We know you’re really Mesmerman.” Their smiles faltered for the briefest of moments after Hardman made his bold pronouncement. Calamity opened her mouth before Hardman cut her off. “Yeah, yer fond of your damned mind games, but enough is enough already. Me an’ the boss fought the ‘Agents a Sorra’ before and they turned out to be Wily and his mutt. But after all this, even a dimbulb like me c’n see what’s shakin’. You used Wily way back then to give us a hint. ‘cuz you knew we’d be here facing these sock puppets a yers. But you just aren’t a good actor. These things act jus’ like the holograms Wily ‘made’. And ya can’t honestly expect me to buy that Wily thought up these sickos.” Anguish’s smile broadened and he was about to speak when Hardman again interjected. “I said to cut the crap! Come on out already! We’re here right now, so come out an’ show yer ugly mug!” For the first time the smile was wiped from the faces of Anguish and Calamity. Docman looked up in surprise and fear as the two extended their arms; holding their respective weapons at arms length from each other. They liquefied and turned into a pair of white scythes. Then their smiles returned and their bodies began to mash together. The sight wasn’t unlike plasticine being mixed together by a child, but with forms resembling human being made it disturbing. Needlegal took a reflexive step backwards. “All, right,” said Mesmerman as a large, sharp, dagger cut out of his eye and around his head, “Consider the crap cut. I guess I made that one a little too obvious. You can’t win ‘em all, right?” Geminiman split into two forms and armed himself with his nightsticks. His reflection bowed deeply towards Mesmerman and Geminiman felt sick as he saw what he used to be. Let me ask you this, Maniacs..." Mesmerman said levelly, his expression as ever unchanging, "... do you want the devil you know? Or a devil you don't?" "I'd rather not 'ave a devil at all," Hardman grumbled. "You don't really have a choice," Mesmerman said, shrugging his disconnected shoulders. "If you kill me here, now, then all of the Evil Energy I have collected and stored will scatter to the winds. Raining down on your planet like some invisible wave of hostility. Mark my words, someone, somewhere, sometime will pick up the ability to gather and control Evil Energy again. It will happen as it has before, because history is lazy and likes cycles. Do you all really want to take the chance that this next devil has a sense of humour like I do? That the next devil will understand that humanity MUST survive? "This War was started by an idiot. He sought to use the power of this world's denizens against it, turning them against each other to further his own genocidal goals. Compared to him, am I really worse? Am I truly something to be feared beyond all else? Or am I not, in many ways, much more harmless? I don't wish to crush humanity under my iron heel. I don't WANT to wipe the whole thing clean of 'carbons' and start over. I LIKE this world, and I'd like to keep it as it is, thank you. "If you want, fine, I'll stop the War. I'll even direct the portions of the Scissor Army under my control to help you hunt down this new quasi-threat of General Napalmman (Oh, yes he’s in charge of the Scissor Army now, by the way). Hell, I'll decommission the forces myself, if you ask me nicely. I have an immense storage of Evil Energy here, enough to last me for years without a finger raised on my part, and that gives me plenty of time to work up fun and interesting new ways to gather it for myself, without some faceless army." A laugh started in the back of Mesmerman's throat as he regarded the shocked faces of the Maniacs. Would he actually follow through on it? Could a deal realistically be struck with this monster? It was true … Mesmerman really had laid low this entire time. The war was really General Cutman’s big idea and now Mesmerman’s at all. And they knew that Mesmerman survived by feeding off the negative emotions of others, so it really wasn’t a lie. Could Mesmerman really be … an ally? "Of course," Mesmerman sneered in a calculated way, "if you DON'T accept my generous offer, each and every one of you will die here and now." The last sentence shocked the Mechanical Maniacs back into reality, and anger crossed all of their features. "There's now way I can speak for the world," Shadowman said through gritted teeth, "but I speak for my team when I say you can't be allowed to exist any longer." "So be it," Mesmerman chuckled, "In the immortal words of Pat Benetar," he said off handily, twirling his twin weapons with ease and floating a little higher into the air, "Hit me with your best shot." -------------------- The ‘Maniacs dodged Calamity’s spear as she wove through them like thread through a needle. She was laughing madly at Topman’s attempts to get her. All the while Topman’s mind was full of anger. It was all Mesmerman, wasn’t it? He had led him by the nose all this time! Right you are! Topman cursed and threw a kick at Calamity. Needlegal, meanwhile, was attempting to calm Docman down. “We’ve gotta find Mesmerman, remember? Concentrate!” But Docman was lost in a sea of madness once more and he lashed out at Anguish with Metal Blades. “You almost got me that time. Don’t give up! Keep on trying! Thattaboy!” “Die in the name of the glorious Scissor Army under Juno and Xelloss while we look for the golden Shadowblade under the sky of Monsteropolis!” Needlegal suppressed a curse. Mesmerman’s Agesnts of Sorrow had appeared out of nowhere and now they were going nowhere fast. In fact … “Mesmerman’s stalling us,” said Needlegal over the internal communications. “Well, that’s not surprising,” replied Geminiman as he fired one of his lasers. He clicked his tongue in annoyance as Anguish managed to dodge the angled shot. “We have to get out of here.” “Any suggestions?” Snakeman was wondering the same thing. His snakes were still trying to get a bead on the Agents, but it was no good. They were much to fast. Hardman dodged a blow Anguish carelessly launched his way with a yelp of surprise. “This is nuts! Let’s take these suckers down!” “Cool it, big guys,” said Needlegal, “Keep your mind on the plan. These creeps are small potatoes.” “Yes,” agreed Spark Chan, “It’s Mesmerman we want.” “Tog et to him, you have to go through us first!” screamed Anguish as he used his large sword to gouge a scar across Needlegal’s armour. The speed of the attack was breathtaking. Anguish was thrown aside as Spark Chan threw a large spark his way, but the madman was laughing in glee as he went. “Are you okay?” “I will be …. Once Mesmerman’s history!” “We’re close,” said Shadowman, emerging from a shadow. “I scouted ahead and there isn’t many forks in the road.” “But there are forks,” said Geminiman. “That’s right. And Docman’s…” Docman slashed at Calamity in Swordman’s form as he was drawn further into the complex and the ninja felt an almost overwhelming sensation to join him. But this feeling only strengthened his resolve. “Mesmerman’s close. That’s for sure.” Geminiman wore a scowl on his face. “I’ll lead us the rest of the way.” “you will?” “I can …feel him. When you have someone in our head as long as I’ve had you get to be sensitive to them. This place … part of me thinks it’s madness, but … I can see order in it. I can see how it all fits together.” Geminiman followed a path unseen to the rest of the ‘Maniacs. Calamity tried to follow, but Docman had assumed the form of Geminiman and fought with the woman. She no longer wore a smile on her face. “I’ll have my revenge on you for using me! I’m smarter than all of you. Oh so much smarter. In all the worlds there isn’t someone as smart as I am! My mind is perfect!” The ‘Manacs raced after Geminiman. The crystalline warrior took odd twists and turns. At one point he even doubled back and went the way he came … but not in a way that seemed lost. There was a purpose to it. More than once Needlegal thought she saw the laboratory where Docman had ambushed them. Topman thought he saw Anguish race by him in the other direction, taunting him to follow. Shadowman was almost convinced he saw Mesmerman’s control room. But he only knew for certain once Geminiman stopped. “Here’s in this one. His voice is echoing in my head. Here’s in here.” The ‘Maniacs opened the door and stepped into a room full of mirrors. But they were not truly mirrors. Geminiman looked into one and saw the white knight of the Scissor Army grinning back at him. Topman peered into another and saw Nightmare Top’s condescending gaze. Docman was on the floor, shaking. Somehow the Agents and Docman had arrived here before they did. “Well, well, well, all the players are here,” said Anguish. “Except for the master of course,” continued Calamity. “Can the crap. We know you’re really Mesmerman.” Their smiles faltered for the briefest of moments after Hardman made his bold pronouncement. Calamity opened her mouth before Hardman cut her off. “Yeah, yer fond of your damned mind games, but enough is enough already. Me an’ the boss fought the ‘Agents a Sorra’ before and they turned out to be Wily and his mutt. But after all this, even a dimbulb like me c’n see what’s shakin’. You used Wily way back then to give us a hint. ‘cuz you knew we’d be here facing these sock puppets a yers. But you just aren’t a good actor. These things act jus’ like the holograms Wily ‘made’. And ya can’t honestly expect me to buy that Wily thought up these sickos.” Anguish’s smile broadened and he was about to speak when Hardman again interjected. “I said to cut the crap! Come on out already! We’re here right now, so come out an’ show yer ugly mug!” For the first time the smile was wiped from the faces of Anguish and Calamity. Docman looked up in surprise and fear as the two extended their arms; holding their respective weapons at arms length from each other. They liquefied and turned into a pair of white scythes. Then their smiles returned and their bodies began to mash together. The sight wasn’t unlike plasticine being mixed together by a child, but with forms resembling human being made it disturbing. Needlegal took a reflexive step backwards. “All, right,” said Mesmerman as a large, sharp, dagger cut out of his eye and around his head, “Consider the crap cut. I guess I made that one a little too obvious. You can’t win ‘em all, right?” Geminiman split into two forms and armed himself with his nightsticks. His reflection bowed deeply towards Mesmerman and Geminiman felt sick as he saw what he used to be. Let me ask you this, Maniacs..." Mesmerman said levelly, his expression as ever unchanging, "... do you want the devil you know? Or a devil you don't?" "I'd rather not 'ave a devil at all," Hardman grumbled. "You don't really have a choice," Mesmerman said, shrugging his disconnected shoulders. "If you kill me here, now, then all of the Evil Energy I have collected and stored will scatter to the winds. Raining down on your planet like some invisible wave of hostility. Mark my words, someone, somewhere, sometime will pick up the ability to gather and control Evil Energy again. It will happen as it has before, because history is lazy and likes cycles. Do you all really want to take the chance that this next devil has a sense of humour like I do? That the next devil will understand that humanity MUST survive? "This War was started by an idiot. He sought to use the power of this world's denizens against it, turning them against each other to further his own genocidal goals. Compared to him, am I really worse? Am I truly something to be feared beyond all else? Or am I not, in many ways, much more harmless? I don't wish to crush humanity under my iron heel. I don't WANT to wipe the whole thing clean of 'carbons' and start over. I LIKE this world, and I'd like to keep it as it is, thank you. "If you want, fine, I'll stop the War. I'll even direct the portions of the Scissor Army under my control to help you hunt down this new quasi-threat of General Napalmman (Oh, yes he’s in charge of the Scissor Army now, by the way). Hell, I'll decommission the forces myself, if you ask me nicely. I have an immense storage of Evil Energy here, enough to last me for years without a finger raised on my part, and that gives me plenty of time to work up fun and interesting new ways to gather it for myself, without some faceless army." A laugh started in the back of Mesmerman's throat as he regarded the shocked faces of the Maniacs. Would he actually follow through on it? Could a deal realistically be struck with this monster? It was true … Mesmerman really had laid low this entire time. The war was really General Cutman’s big idea and now Mesmerman’s at all. And they knew that Mesmerman survived by feeding off the negative emotions of others, so it really wasn’t a lie. Could Mesmerman really be … an ally? "Of course," Mesmerman sneered in a calculated way, "if you DON'T accept my generous offer, each and every one of you will die here and now." The last sentence shocked the Mechanical Maniacs back into reality, and anger crossed all of their features. "There's now way I can speak for the world," Shadowman said through gritted teeth, "but I speak for my team when I say you can't be allowed to exist any longer." "So be it," Mesmerman chuckled, "In the immortal words of Pat Benetar," he said off handily, twirling his twin weapons with ease and floating a little higher into the air, "Hit me with your best shot." -------------------- The ‘Maniacs scattered as Mesmerman’s body split apart. His head, laughing separately all on it’s own, watched then scatter about like the insects they were. “You really screwed up by coming here, ‘Maniacs!” Topman spun along the walls avoiding a Malus Messis as it came at him while being held by a disembodied hand. He was doing quite well until a hand came out of the gorund and tripped him. Spinning rapidly about while on the ground, Topman lashed out with his feet and kicked the Malus Messis away as it dove for him. Mesmerman laughed as Needlegal took a shot aimed directly at her. It hit her heavily armoured wrists as she shot them up in defence. Needlegal grunted, but she had what she wanted. She grabbed the sphere as it tried to escape for another round. Mesmerman cocked an eye as she hammered the sphere into the ground and shot at it point-blank with her cannon. She drew herself up in satisfaction. The sphere was gone. Needlegal was then knocked off her feet by more spheres. Mesmerman laughed again. He could keep this up all day. Shadowman’s mind spun as he considered the possibilities. “Forget about these thing, guys,” called out the ninja, “We have to find Mesmerman himself! He has to be around this place somewhere! Smash this place to bits if you have to, but find that madman and rip him to shreds!” To illustrate his point, Shadowman brought out a Shadowblade and smashed a nearby mirror. The shards flew out and revealed circuitry and panels underneath … right before going right back into place and reassembling themselves. Shadowman’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, you didn’t think it’s be that easy, did you?” Mesmerman then used the distraction to attack Shadowman’s mind. The ninja clutched at his head as Mesmerman invaded his mind. “I know you’re planning something. Someone like you alays has a plan, right? Do tell me what it is. I really do want to know.” Shadowman felt Mesmerman’s oily fingers shuffle through his thoughts as they sought some strategy he was employing. Some method to the journey to his citadel in the sky. Shadowman fought with all his might until Mesmerman abruptly stopped. Snakeman was commanding his snakes to attack Mesmerman’s head directly. Mesmerman dodged and circled about in the sky as snakes leapt from the walls and ceiling to get a them. “Cheat! Cheat! Foul, I say,” cried the head as it avoided a snake that dove from it from up above. “Did it get anything?” asked Snakeman. Shadowman shook his head. “No clue. Keep breaking things!” “Roger!” The ‘Maniacs continued to hammer away. For Hardman the task was irritating more than challenging. Even though the spheres hurt when they hit him, the damage was negligible. The massive robot swatted away a sphere zooming towards him and it crashed into a far wall. The mirrors shattered and it revealed to pale eyes staring out at him. Only for a moment, however. Within seconds the mirror was back in place and Hardman found himself being overwhelmed by attacking spheres. “Guys, we have a problem!” Mesmerman laughed. He was rather hoping something like that would happen. “Magnetman is here! He’s behind the mirror I just smashed. Mesmerman can-“ Hardman’s message was cut off as a Malus Messis lodged itself into his back. Spark Chan cried out for him, but the sphere rammed into Hardman’s body. Hardman struggled to remain on his feet, but one sphere after another rammed into his large frame. Shadowman was in an assault all on his own. “You’re hiding something, I know it! There’s nowhere to run here, little ninja. No place to warp to. Here you’re mind!” Shadowman felt his mind turn inside out. Mesmerman drew his head in close. He wanted to see this. He was almost there! There was something different going on here. Shadowman’s mind raced much faster than it had the last time he had faced him. Needlegal dove in and grabbed Shadowman’s body. Mesmerman shot a Malus Messis her way, but Needlegal parried with her large spikes. It didn’t matter, though. Mesmerman could get at him from anywhere in the room and he already had his answer. “You little devil you,” said Mesmerman with amusement. “You’ve installed it again! The General’s genius chip!” Topman lost his footing again and a sphere hit home. It was Spark Chan who asked the question on everyone’s minds. “What’s he talking about?” Shadowman tried to focus. Mesmerman was shorting his mind out from the inside. He had gotten into him. It hadn’t taken long either. “It was my trump card,” explained the ‘Maniacs leader, “for facing the General. I knew I wouldn’t be able to match him. Not if he could analyse my moves as I made them. But … with that chip…” “It drove you insane the last time you used it,” said Needlegal hotly. Shadowman withdrew from her support and focused on fighting Mesmerman. “I relied too heavily on it then. I figured that, in small doses it wouldn’t do permanent harm, nor would it act as quickly. I was trying to use it now, in order to …” Shadowman clutched his head as Mesmerman asserted his influence. “In order to figure out a solution to the ‘me’ problem, right? Tough luck! There is no solution and that’s what drove the General batty!” Shadowman’s head jerked back as Mesmerman found the chip and overloaded it with information. Too much information! Shadowman’s mind ached. It felt like ages before Mesmerman let him go. Shadowman found he had lost control of his own body. There was something … on him! “That’s right.” Mesmerman laughed again and Shaodwman resisted the urge to stand. Resisted and failed. Something had him. He could barely think through the pain. He withdrew a Shadowblade and came at Needlegal. Needlegal used Shadowman’s clumsy charge to throw him to the ground. She followed up by shooting her Needle Canon. The look of confusion on his face told the entire story and she knew Mesmerman’s MO well enough to see what was going on. Mesmerman chuckled to himself. “Looks like the little lady has it figured.” Sparks flew and Needles stuck in midair or a moment. And then the space around Shadowman’s body. The Ninja reached for his back and felt for something that wasn’t there. Or at least … something Needlegal couldn’t see. “He’s hacked into our minds!” called Needlegal to her team. “Reset your visual sensors!” Spark Chan fought off Mesmerman’s body parts and set up an electrical field for herself and Snakeman. Robots had to shut themselves down for a moment in order to do this. In the middle of a battlefield it had obvious risks. Mesmerman laughed as he hamemered at the electrical field surrounding the two ‘Maniacs. Hardman then pounded the ground as he landed before his friends. “Yer not getting’ at ‘em” The ‘Maniac was battered. Huge welts pock-marked his body where orbs had done their damage. By the time Snakeman and Spark Chan came back online they saw Hardman defending them against attackers they couldn’t see. A veritable swarm of Mesmerman bodies had descended onto the team on their tentacles as the floating holographic form of Mesmerman laughed from it’s place in the air. “You wanted me? You got me!” -------------------- Doctor Light was putting the finishing touches on the anti-Mesmerman virus. “We’ve almost got it, Mikhail. “Right, Tomas.” Cossack exhaled audibly. It had not been easy. The sheer speed at which they had to work was incredible. He hadn’t even been prepared for it all this morning, but the Mechanical Maniacs had come to him and shown him what had to be done. “This really isn’t right,” said Bright Babe sadly. “He saved us.” “I know,” said Cossack through clenched teeth. “Can’t we at least try to talk to him?” “Didn’t you see what he did to that child? And that woman? We can’t talk to someone like that.” “I don’t like this either,” whispered Dustman. “I mean … what if it doesn’t work? Then Mesmerman will come for us. He can get at us, you know.” “I’m well aware or the risks. I won’t let it deter me. I’ve fought the robot police and I’ll fight Mesmerman too. He is a monster.” Drillman was getting testy. “But he’s our side, isn’t he? He’s our monster, right?” “All right,” called Doctor Light from across the room. “Get ready!” Drillman looked at Light anxiously. The stressed doctor had slipped his mind. “Wait, ready to do what?” Light flipped some switches and the Mesmerman Head hummed softly. Drillman seemed to sweat. “We’re going to upload the virus now. I’m not sure if it’ll work, but it’s about as ready as it’ll ever be.” “Wait,” said Diveman, “This ain’t cool.” Cossack ignored his creations and turned his attention to his computer. “Everything’s ready on my end. I’ve worked out the kinks in he programming. You’ve done marvellous work, Tomas.” “And I couldn’t have finished it without you, Mikhail. The hardware’s all set. It’s a shame Roll and Kalinka couldn’t be here to see this, but they’re doing very important work right now by attending to those poor people.” Light turned his attention to his instruments. The seemed to be full of activity. Drillman wasn’t technologically inclined, but he didn’t like the look of it. “We’re getting a signal,” said Light happily. “The head’s connected to Mesmerman’s network. But it’s unable to act. The time is now, Mikhail!” “Right!” Doctor Cossack pressed a button on his mouse and the virus was instantly transmitted to the head. This was it! The end of Mesmerman! Using his own network against him, with notes taken from general Cutman’s Desert Gulch lair, both Light and Cossack together would end this war once and for all! All those hopes ended when a Drill Bomb exploded the battered head. Light was thrown from his computer had a Pharaoh Shot decimated his work station. Mikhail went to move to his friend, but there was a bright flash of light and, before he knew it, he was beside Light and facing his own creation. For the first time Cossack had a chance to look them in the eye … and he didn’t quite recognise them. Drillman stepped in front of his team. With contained anger he withdrew his sabre. “Doctor …” “Drillman? Everyone? What have you done!?” Cossack was beside himself. It was surreal. One moment victory was at his fingertips and the next … the next … Drillman turned his fury to the pair of doctors. Light was having trouble breathing. His already frayed nerved seemed about ready to snap. Not that it bothered him. Drillman had more pressing concerns no, what is quite inappropriately called, his mind. “Doctor, I’m afraid you just don’t know who your friends are.” -------------------- Hardman was the last to reboot his systems. He wished he hadn’t. With resigned rage he grabbed a hold of a Mesmerman bodsy and tore it’s tentacles free form it’s back. He very much preferred to believe the damage he had received was due to Mesmerman’s floating body and not these creepy squid-things. Another came at him and he blasted a Knuckle which tore through it and every single one of the Mesmermen behind it. Mesmerman himself seemed somewhat distracted. Which only meant that these things were being controlled as some sort of automatic defence system. Don’t think you don’t have my attention. What’s going on in this room is very important to me. Shadowman dodged more Mesmermen as they made their way to him. His head ached. The grinning menace overloaded his chip, but he knew he had gotten off light. His entire mind could have been wiped out. …. as it stood all he had was a colossal migraine. He could still hear Mesmerman giggling at him Think all you want, but that chip won’t help you beat me. Needlegal riddled the Mesmerman with as much damage as she could throw at them. One after another they fell. But not quickly enough. Their cruel tentacles latched onto her armour and began to pull at it. Peeling her like an orange. She extended her armour and started to tear them apart. Snakeman had his search snakes out and was forced to fight hand-to-hand. His knife had gotten itself lodged inside of a Mesmerman, but it pulled away and he has resorting to using his fists. He was still doing well, however. His snakes provided him with a functioning line of defence. The smaller ones had the ability to really get at these quick Mesmermen and disable them in various ways. He was actually beginning to feel pretty confident in himself until he heard Mesmerman in his mind. Snakes eh? How cute. But I think they like me better. At that moment Snakeman felt Mesmerman push a part of his mind away. He had the odd sensation of looking at himself from several angles and he felt … anger and hatred. And glee. Snakeman dove for cover as his own Search Snakes began to attack him! The King Cobra leapt for his face and Snakeman batted him away. The Black Mamba made a dive for his back and Snakeman narrowly avoided it. This was very … bad. And Mesmerman was laughing all the while. Topman continued on his way all around the room. Kicking every Mesmerman that came his way. He knew that if those tentacles managed to interface with his systems he’d be down for the count. Maybe even for good! But there was no use in it. They were everywhere. He shattered the mirrors around him as he made his way all around the room. Until he felt himself being knocked off his feet by something. Topman looked back and saw something that filled him with dread. Magnetman was awake. With ease he threw Topman aside and into the far wall. Magngetman had remained motionless for far too long. He heard Mesmemran’s voice in his mind. Now there was nothing of Kenta Eigen left. It was buried deep within a mass of stormy water. He saw Hardman fighting copies of his master all around him. Effortlessly he picked up the massive robot. Magnetman almost smiled. Almost said something sarcastic. But even these things could not be expressed on his face. “Kenta? It’s me… it’s Hard!” Magnetman drew the ‘Maniacs closer to him. “Ya gotta snap out of it, Kenta!” Kenta had an odd look in his eye. Without flinching Magnetman seized control of Hardman’s arms. He could feel the other robot resisting him. He could feel the servos whirling and resisting him. He could hear Spark Chan urging him to stop over the comm. Line. “Fight it, Kenta! Please! Remember who you are!” But if Magnetman understood her he showed no sign. Hardman could feel his Hard Knuckles being forced out of their sockets. Normally he could give a release command, but they were stuck on the locks. The pulling was keeping them locked onto his arm. It was horribly painful and he could hear Mesmerman enjoying every single bit of it. Until Magnetman sopped. Within a minute Magnetman dropped the sore ‘Maniac before falling from the air himself. His ever-present shield of dust was gone. Everyone felt Mesmerman’s shock. Shadowman blinked. He saw his outstretched hand. He had done something. Then he felt massive cables lift him up and heard Mesmerman’s voice shriek inside of his head. What did you do!? And that was when the second Mesmerman burst out of the crowd of bodies that seemed to bury it alive. The first seemed shocked to see another mass of floating orbs grinning back at it. “I know who I am,” said the second Mesmerman. “I’m you.” -------------------- Doctor Light was fighting to stay conscious. He was feeling faint. Fright was overwhelming him. Threatening to close in on him. Drillman stood there brandishing his sword at them. He was talking about things that the Doctor didn’t quite grasp. But one thing was clear: Mesmerman had taken over Cossack’s Creations. All of them. Light felt a surge of despair. The ‘Maniacs were counting on he and Cossack to upload the virus into Mesmerman’s systems. Light calmed himself. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he had a heart attack. Everyone was focused on Cossack at the moment. They were almost completely ignoring him. Light put his hand into his pocket. There was still hope. Roll and Kalinka were both out of the room. And this computer … it wasn’t truly a stand-alone machine. All of Light’s files were linked to a central mother computer he had carried with him as he hid from everyone during the war. The last saved copy would be on that computer. Although the interruption during the sending phase was problematic. It could be that the latest virus had been corrupted and the last backup would have to be used. Furthermore, losing the head was a real loss. It was their key into Mesmerman’s network. Still … there was a chance. There was always a chance. If they could broadcast the virus over normal communication frequencies then … perhaps Mesmerman would receive it then. They could narrow it down further by broadcasting on the frequencies they knew Mesmerman used. Although Mesmerman may have a firewall in place for those sort of situations … It was a long shot, but it could work. Remaining as silent and as still as he could Doctor Light used his cell-phone to message Roll and Kalinka. -------------------- “You’re not me. There’s only one me and I’m lucky to be him!” Mesmerman threw an unseen hand into this impostor’s mind. To his surprise the impostor blocked it away and threw a hand of his own. “I quite agree! Only I’m allowed to be me!” The first Mesmerman blocked the second’s as easily as his own had been. “Well, then,” said Mesmerman with some exasperation. “If you’re me then you’ll join me in the fun game I have prepared.” “No,” said the second. “No, I don’t think I will. I see it all clearly now. I’m Mesmerman. And I was made to kill myself.” “Then do it and save everyone some confusion!” “I think I will.” The Second Mesmerman drew out a Malus Messis and flew over at the first Mesmerman. The first one spun his pair of scythes around. His expression looked somewhat vexed as he blocked the second Mesmerman’s attack. “Who in the Hell is that?” asked Geminiman as he stared at the strange battle overhead. Spark Chan shook her head. “It couldn’t be … Docman, could it?” Shadowman appeared from behind them. “Of course it’s Docman,” said the blue ninja. The two ‘maniacs turned towards him and saw he had been severely injured. Sparks flew from his joints and he had a slight limp to his step. “We need to fan out and get to Magnetman. We have to take him out.” Spark Chan looked confused. “Take him out? He looked pretty taken out to me…” “That was The General’s anti-Magnetman weapon. It came to me right after I deployed it. Small plastic nanobots.” Geminiman furrowed his brow. “Plastic nanobots? That sounds rather unlikely. And why did Mesmerman allow you to do that? Simple overconfidence?” Shadowman shrugged. “I must have put a command into my head and deleted the memory of doing it. It’s the only way to thwart a mind-reader like Mesmerman. To not think of what you’re doing when you’re doing it.” Geminiman nodded. It was a smart move. Not thinking was the key to beating a robot that drew it’s power from thought itself. Shadowman continued, “But there’s no telling what the General made those nanobots do. They could make him do anything, really. We have to take him out right away. Because…” Shadowman triailed off as Magnetman rose from the ground. The vacant look was still in his eye, but there was also something … different about it. Mesmerman (one of them) turned to him in surprise. Below him the Mesmerman robot began to break apart. They attacked both Mesmermen at once. “This is a bit of a problem,” said one Mesmerman in surprise. “Indeed it is,” said the other, “I thought my control overt hat one complete.” “I think we had better team up in order to beat him, don’t you?” The other Mesmerman gave him a queer look. Right before stabbing his midsection. “Why would I think that?” -------------------- Roll received the message while tending to the removal of the Siege Joe armour from the little boy. Most of it could be removed by her and Kalinka, but they needed a real doctor to remove the rest of it. “The doctors are in trouble!” Kalinka turned to the lab assistant in confusion. “What?” “There’s not much details … and his spelling is worse than ever … but the computer’s been taken out. He have to access the backups ourselves.” “And how will we transmit it? They have the damned head!” Roll was already on the computer and following the doctor’s orders. “There’s something seriously wrong. I’m calling Rock and Proto right now. Doctor Light says to use the general systems. I think he wants us to transmit the thing on Mesmerman’s general frequency and hopes it gets into it’s system somehow. Kalinka was almost beside herself with panic. “But that will never work! A robot like him was made with things like this in mind. We need direct access to his systems! We need that head! We have extras but they're all in the lab with Light and my father!” Roll’s shoulders sagged. “Kalinka, if that head was still available ... or if we had access to any of the others ... I don’t think the Doctor would ask us to do this ourselves.” -------------------- Mesmerman were going crazy. Not only was Magentman picking them off like flies, not only were there Mechanical Maniacs still attacking them, but the two Mesmerman had access to all of the drones. They struggled for control. The room itself was going haywire. The mirrors were revealed to be mere illusions. The actual room was nothing like the glittering battlefield that had sprung out of some twisted dream of Geminiman’s. It was full of cables and wires. All of it with no sense of order. Monitors, most broken now, flashed colors and images. Tubes and wires were everywhere. And still, all around them it was going mad. Parts of the mirrored illusion tried to reassert itself in places. In other it was a humble abode. And yet still, in others, it was the Technodrome. And, allt he while, the ‘Maniacs found themselves not only fighting Mesmerman bodies, but also warped imaginings out of Docman’s mind. Hardman found himself blasting Protoman away with a Hard Knuckle. “This is really creepy.” Hardman shook his head. He rather liked Blues. Needlegal found herself face to face with the master of the Shutdown Code itself. Senator Keigle. “You have to help me,” screamed the senator, “O don’t know where I am! I don’t know how I got here … you have to save me! Please, I have a family!” Needlegal felt herself staring at the frightened, sweaty man. This was Docman’s unconscious working against them all. Needlegal felt herself shiver as a Rolling Cutter dispatched the senator. “It looks like things have gone straight to Hell without me around to guide them.” Needlegal felt a surge of rage. “You!” The General gave a condescending huff. “No, not me. I’m dead remember? But … if I’m dead…” Needlegal couldn’t help herself. She stabbed the General as he was contemplating his own existence. Within moments there was nothing. Both he and Keigle has been holograms created out of the subconsciousness of the mad Docman. But all around them … madness. Needlegal felt another stab at her back. And then another. She turned around and saw an army of Cutmen, regular ones this time, attacking her. She was heavily armoured, but the Mesmermen had done their job well. She as beginning to fail. Hardman crushed the army of Cutmen as Needlegal was slipping out of consciousness. “Need a hand, gal?” “Thanks, hard.” Together they attacked the variety of opponents that came their way. Snakeman was having problems of his own. Each one of his snakes was attacking him now. As well as each other. His head ached. He could hear the sounds of the Mesmerman battling it out in his mind as well as seeing it play out right in front of him. They’d each sprouted new limbs and grappled with their attackers on a physical level. Both laughed as they gained the upper hand, but the mirth was fading. This was becoming a seriously insulting matter now, for the both of them. Impossibly, they both thought of themselves as real. “If you’d just stop being so stubborn about it we could get along famously,” Snakeman heard one of them say. “We’ll get along great once I’m by myself again!” said the other as it grappled with it’s Malus Messis. They’d gained new limbs as they fought for control over their own weapon. As they did so Snakeman did the same with his snakes. It pained him to do so, but he had begun to fight with them physically. He could rebuild them. He was sure of it. And yet, snapping Boomer’s neck made him feel so guilty. These snakes were his friends. Part of himself. He hated doing this. He knew he couldn’t even retrieve them this time. Not with the way they were attacking him. Snakeman lost his breath as Jack, his Rhinoceros Viper, bit into him. He was made to handle snake venom, but this was too much,. He kicked Jack away and felt his pain as one of Mesmerman’s foot came down to crush him. But he could feel Mesmerman, both of him, in his mind. Still, he had a sense on which one was real … and which one was Docman. Docman wasn’t concerned with Snakeman at all. And it was that Mesmerman that Snakeman allied himself with. Mesmemran turned in surprise as Snakeman mentally attacked him. With his own snakes, mentally, Snakeman tore into Mesmerman and forced him to back away. At the same time, in the physical world, a Mesmerman body came at him and gave him a swift punch in his torso. Another latched onto Snakeman’s back and the green robot felt himself slip away from the physical world. If you want to play, I can spare some attention. Meanwhile Mangtman had not let up on his assault. All around him Mesmermen split apart and exploded. And still they came at him. One even managed to latch onto his back and tried to draw him into Mesmerman’s world, but Magnetman didn’t flinch. The offending Mesmerman was torn apart and hurled at the twin opponents. The entire room was a shifting mass of colors and swirls as the two Mesmerman struggled for domination. Magnet was not distracted, however. Using a small portion of his power he tore a piece of the floor and hurled it at the two holographic Mesmerman. “I’ve had about enough of you!” said a Mesmerman as it created ten Malus Messis in front of him and hurled it at Magnetman. Almost automatically a shield formed of destroyed Mesmerman bodies leapt up to his defence. Only to find the Malus Messis pass right thought them undeterred. Mesmerman roared in triumph as Magnetman as torn apart by the free-floating scythes. Spark Chan, who had been keeping her eye on her old friend, screamed as she saw the scythes rip into his body and spray his internal components all across the battlefield. She ran to his body as it fell to the floor. A surge of Mesmermen prevented her from reaching it. She found herself assaulted by hands and tentacles. The robot master reached deep within herself and let looks a blinding flash of pure electricity. It shot through the army of white robots and cleared a path she was quick to take. Spark Chan finally got to the dismembered body of Magnetman. The scythes were gone now. They were lost in the struggle between Mesmerman and Docman. Spark Chan found herself crying. For all of Magnetman’s amped up power, he was useless in the fight against the holographic Mesmerman. His body could pass through solid surfaces as if they were nothing … he had used that to his advantage and now … Kenta was gone. She looked at him then and wondered how much of him had survived these long months of War. He was hardly recognisable. Miraculously Kenta opened his mouth. Spark Chan was feeding electricity into the robot now. She was desperately trying to keep him from crashing. “Spark … Chan?” asked the red robot. “I’m here,” said Spark as she kept a force field around them. “I …” there was so much for Kenta to say. For the first time in what seemed like years his mind was free. But the guilt … he remembered t all. With stark clarity, he remembered tearing cities apart. Tearing people apart. And enjoying it. “I’m sorry, Spark Chan. I’ve … I just can’t stand these memories …!.” His systems failed and Magnetman was finally deactivated. For a long moment Spark Chan couldn’t move. Finally, the Mesmermen broke down the force field and ripped into Spark Chan’s body with their tentacles. To Magnetman they did nothing more. -------------------- Doc Robot watched Wily pour over the mess the General had made of his lab. Granted, it was rarely used … and most of his work had been replaced by newer, better ideas, but it still grieved the doctor to see his notes and contraptions everywhere. Wily gave a start as Artilleryman landed from the ventilation shaft above. “I hope you have the money to pay for the crap I’m going through, old man.” Wily shook his head. “Even if I don’t I’ll just steal some from somewhere. Money’s not a problem. It grows on trees.” Wily was muttering to himself. He could hear the Scissor Army engaging his troops all around him. It was annoying. He wished they would find a quieter way to kill themselves. Wily had to concentrate. The General had used this place … a little. Surely there had to be some anti-Mesmerman contraption he could repurpose. Something he could use. But all he could fine were bits and pieces of discarded robots the General seemed to have been working on. Like his beloved lab was some sort of … garage. Doc Robot called to him, “Master, Master!” “What is it, Doc Robot? Can’t you see I’m sulking.” “But, Master … look!” Doc Robot held it out to Doctor Wily like a child holding out it’s valued treasure. And, indeed it was. It was a battered head of Mesmerman. This one, however, seemed to have been repaired a bit. And it’s eyes were flashing. “Connect it to an isolated computer. Let’s see what’s going on inside of that thing.” Doc Robot tuned on a nearby work station. It shone with the Scissor Army logo and asked for a password. Doc Robot simulated a click of a tongue in annoyance and pulled out a wire from behind of his ear. Doc Robot them plugged it into the computer and used his own algorithms to hack his way inside of the station. Soon he relinquished control to his master who rolled his eyes in displeasure. “That lousy good-for-nothing copy if Cutman has changed everything around! Well, it’s still good enough to see what’s inside of Mesmereman here.” The Doctor plugged Mesmerman into the computer and read what was going on. His gaze intensified as he went over it a second time. A smile broke out when he read the master manipulator’s mind a third time. “They’re trying to send him a virus,” said the Doctor with glee. “Really?” said Artilleryman with incredulity. “Yes,” continued Wily. “But it’s incomplete. Why … this thing couldn’t even break through my systems. But, still … Artilleryman, do you still carry that computer virus around with you?” A smile broke out on Artilleryman’s face. It looked like this mission would be worthwhile after all … -------------------- Geminiman retrieved Neeldegal’s body from the swarm of Mesmermen that descended on it. The struggle for control had set everything in chaos. Inexplicably Blues had come to help him, but he knew it was merely the copy of his mind that Docman retained. Sure enough it disappeared and Geminiman was left along. He had to find his team. He had to regroup! His team found him. Shadowman came down from out of nowhere and slashed at a Mesmerman trying to get to him. “How’s she doing?” “When I have a minute I’ll bring her ‘round again. She just needs a reboot.” Shadowman grunted. They’d all taken heavy damage before and lived tot ell the tale. Only this time … This time the odds were against them. Docman was not programmed to help them in any way. The only consolation was that he was not programmed to hut them either. He was just programmed to attack Mesmerman. Unfortunately that didn’t help them when it was twenty to one. Shadowman threw his blades at more oncoming Mesmermen. “I can’t get anyone on the comm,” said the ninja. “They’re all probably really busy.” Shadowman paused in his speech as he struggles to keep back yet another faceless drone of Mesmerman’s. “You know … I actually thought we could win this one.” Geminiman laughed. “Yeah, me too. I guess … for what it’s worth, I-“ Mesmerman cut them off with a loud shriek of pain. Both of them. It was followed y a resounding shriek from the Mesmermen all around them. Shadowman and Geminiman both covered their ears on reflex until they reduced the audio input from their sensors enough to compensate the sound. “What … going on?” asked Geminiman, mostly to himself. “I think … I think this is us winning.” All around the world Mesmerman copies let out an inhuman shriek. In Skull Castle, near Napalmman’s control room an invisible Mesmerman let out a cry of pain that attracted the attention of the Scissor Army. Across countries, in Berlin, Mesmerman who were rebuilding the Syne Co. complex shrieked without warning. And, even in Tech City, Mesmerman’s agents Drillman and Cossack’s Creations howled as their master was torn apart from the inside out. Of all of them Drillman was loudest in his cries of pain. It was more than he could bear. One by one the agents of Mesmerman fell. Bright Babe was first. Diveman followed behind. It was followed by each one of Cossack’s Comrades until, finally, Drillman fell as well. Everywhere on Earth Mesmerman’s bodies were being destroyed by the virus. Torn apart from the inside out. It was merciless and there was nowhere Mesmerman could hide form it’s fury. Everywhere, all his bodies were being destroyed all at once. By the connection they all shared, the greatest power of Mesmerman had been turned into his greatest weakness. It was no different on the Eden Space Station. The room shone bright red as Mesmerman’s mind filled with pain. Everywhere systems were shorting out. The satellite itself rocked as it’s engines files and it’s cloak dissolved. The Mesmermen that had been attacking the ‘Maniacs fell one by one. Snakeman was released from the icy grip of Mesmer World as his battle abruptly ended. Spark Chan felt the tendrils of a Mesmerman let her go. Hardman felt the same and Topman rushed to his side to see what damaged had been sustained. Needlegal’s systems had rebooted just enough for her to watch as both Terrors of Perception turned in on themselves as they screamed in the air and faded out. Docman then lifted himself out of a mass of bodies that he had been buried under. He was still clutching his head, screaming to himself. “It’s over?” said Needlegal with some confusion. “It sure looks that way.” Geminiman replied while he gathered himself together. Spark Chan put down the body of Magnetman. “He didn’t want to be brought back. That’s what he said before he …” She let the words trail into nothingness. Still, they had done it. They had hung in there and saved two of their friends. With Mesmerman gone, the last commanding officer of the Scissor Army was gone. The last mastermind behind the war was finished. It was over. This is what they thought right before the shrieking Docman was sliced into two halves by Mesmerman’s Malus Messis. The ‘Maniacs turned slowly and saw him standing there. His grin was firmly fixed on his face … but his eyes shone with fury. “That … hurt! -------------------- The 'Maniacs immediately attacked the reformed master of manipulation. Hardman used his fists to smash his body. Mesmerman responded in kind. He was furious. He had actually been hurt by these meddlesome ants. But now…Now, something else had grabbed the discombobulated monster’s attention. Something more…interesting. His gaze fixed beyond the worn and tattered group of heroes even as they continued their seemingly pointless efforts against him, his body on auto-pilot, dodging wild swipes and haphazardly fired bolts of energy and other weapons. His mind seemed to miles away, or at least not in that room. This didn’t go unnoticed to the Mechs and their comrades. “Pay attention ta us, ya bastard!”, Hardman demanded, annoyed that even his best efforts were being brushed off. “Uh…Do we really want that, man?”, Top shot Hard a sideways glance. Mesmer, meanwhile, seemed to muster a small chuckle under his breath. “What’s so hilarious?”, Snake muttered through gritted teeth, his body wracked with pain from the day’s fighting. “He’s here.” “’He’? Who ‘he’?”, Topman arched an eyebrow as his top bombs failed to find their target. “Who do you think?”, Shadowman groused, his sword also missing its mark. The other Mechs slowed for a second to give their shinobi leader a skeptical look. Was G hiding something this late in the game? “Who?!”, Snake demanded. “Oh, this wasn’t in my script…But I’m not at all surprised…”, Mesmerman gloated. “But, I just have to wonder what’s up his sleeve?”, he asked aloud in a rather cheesy tone on purpose. “G, who the hell is he talking about?”, Geminiman finally barked out for a answer. “…I…There was always something bothering me about the way Cutman died…” “…You gotta be kidding me…”, Hardman said, his face awash in horrified realization. “This is bullshit! You guys are out of your minds!”, Topman spat. “Its not all that hard to believe if you think about it.”, Snake reasoned. “Can’t say I’m very happy about this, though…” “How?!”, was all Geminiman could think to say in his shock and anger. “…It really doesn’t matter. I mean, how many bad guys of ours have been killed, only to come back again? Would knowing how he managed to return make beating him any easier?”, Shadowman reasoned, though some measure of weariness crept into his voice. “Reeheeeheheheheeeeeeeee!”, Mesmerman’s ghastly laugh rang out. “Looks like the lot of you won’t be going home no matter how you look at it! You certainly don’t have a chance at defeating me by myself, and your chances of survival against him are virtually nil!” “Yer too quick to talk, puzzle face!”, Hardman yelled, nearly smacking down one of Mesmer’s random floating body parts in the process. “The way I ‘member it, he’s gotta bit offa vend’ta against you too.” “I’m sure he does! That just makes this situation all the more exciting, doesn’t it? After all, its boring when things go according to plan one hundred percent. I’m just curious as to what he plans on doing to settle his score with all of us, hmm?” “Where is he, Mesmer?”, Shadowman asked in a dark tone. If things weren’t on a time limit before, they sure as hell were now with both of these monsters in the same place. He knew the “good guys” didn’t stand a chance if they were caught between these two sociopaths once again. Things weren’t going all that great against even one of them, and they definitely had the numbers advantage. “You know…I’m not quite sure.”, Mesmer thoughtfully retorted, another volley of Needle Cannon fire whizzing past his face by mere inches. In truth, Mesmer was just a little concerned. With this absolute abundance of energy at his disposal, Mesmer’s level of perception was impossibly high. So much so that he could find out what a person’s move would be even before they knew, and he could do this on a massive, word-encompassing scale. But this Cutman was different. He definitely had the real General’s “signature”, but that was it. He couldn’t even deduce his basic intentions. He was like a traveling haze to the Master of Perception. “You’re toying with us, Mesmer!”, Needle screamed. “Not as much as you think, but it’s the thought that counts.” An orb smashed into Needle in mid flight, sending her on a detour that landed her roughly against an unfinished wall, sending sparks into the air upon impact. Doing her best to brush it off and regain her footing, she slipped slightly- her wounds were definitely catching up to her. A look at the rest of the others told her that wasn’t an uncommon feeling. Another look across the room told her something else- their new “guest of honor” was here, announced by a shadow cast against a corridor’s wall and the slight clanging of metal on metal. A slight scent of old blood and machine oil accompanied him as he stood at the breech of the hall. Gradually, the others stopped fighting, and the room regained an eerie calm maintained by the hum of power grids and computers. “You’re late.”, Mesmer chided. Somehow, this sly remark wasn’t met with a rebuttal, but a constant stoic visage from the skull-faced creature that stood at the helm of the roughly finished room. A strange air accompanied him; completely indescribable, even for Mesmerman. It was almost…calm. Shadowman looked over his sworn nemesis, and was dismayed by what he saw. Cutman stood before him in immaculate condition- not a single scratch adorned his body. Even his lab coat was in unusually pristine condition. That in itself was unsettling. “Not in a very talkative mood, I see. Well, getting killed would put a damper on the old banter box, I’d imagine.”, Mesmerman again prodded. If he couldn’t read him directly, he’d have to see what he could deduce from this being through old fashioned psychological analysis- a tall order when it came to the multi-layered General. Inside, Mesmerman was starting to feel just a little anxious. Somehow, the old General had managed to almost completely hide his psyche from him. Certainly, he’d have to figure out how he accomplished this and hide this interesting bit of info before he again killed him. “So.” Cutman’s voice shorn through the air like a blade, even making a few people jump at its mere sound. Something was definitely different now, and it was a dangerous, horrible kind of different. “He’s not even armed.”, Geminiman whispered to Gauntlet. Lennon was indeed right- Cutman appeared to be lacking his signature blades. This wasn’t overconfidence, Shadowman thought- this meant he had something big ready. At this point, an outright attack on him would be a really stupid move, but at the same time they couldn’t just let him do as he pleased. Gauntlet realized that they might have to rely on Mesmerman to make the first move. “This is where you’ve been hiding.”, Cutman affirmed. “Still the observant type, I see.”, Mesmer chuckled. “It’s over, Cutman.”, Classi began to try and talk him down. No! Shadowman’s mind raced. Spark, don’t get between these two! Too late. “The Scissor Army is in its dying days. This war…It has to end!”, she continued. “Tell that to him.”, Cutman motioned towards the Master of Perception. “He certainly doesn’t agree. Isn’t that right?” “Tsk…Such blatant accusations! And in my own home, too. That’s no way for guests to act!” “You may label me a monster or a ruthless dictator if that’s what helps you sleep at night,”, Cutman directed back at Classi, “but at least my killing had a purpose. He, however, has no purpose but to extend his own existence by perpetuating the killing.” “You’ve got some nerve talking like you’re some kind of fucking saint!”, Topman shouted back. Shadowman’s face contorted in barely hidden anger. Dammit you guys! This isn’t what we want! We have no idea what we’re up against! “So now”, Cutman continued speaking directly to Mesmerman, straight and to the point without any of his usual gusto, “your plan is to keep the war going as long as possible. Hence, the real purpose of this satellite.” “Real purpose?”, Snake uttered. The other Mechs shot each other looks of skepticism and confusion. Didn’t Mesmerman just claim that he would be willing to end the war? And here was Cutman, now accusing him of wanting to prolong it. While it wouldn’t exactly be shocking news to hear that Mesmerman had lied to them, this meant he had something far more maniacal in mind. Mesmerman’s voice reached an ungodly high octave with his next laughing fit before making the next confession: “So, very, very sharp you are! How appropriate. You’re right, General- this place is more than some spare body reserve to me. THIS is new seat of Earth’s mass perception! With this satellite, I can disperse my will across the entire globe using the energy I’ve accumulated throughout the war. It’s a small investment for what I consider a constantly gaining share of this planet’s ‘stock’!” Cutman’s eyelids drew narrow over his dim yellow eyeballs. “You’re going to keep everyone fighting- man or robot- just to keep yourself stocked with an ever growing reservoir of energy.” Mesmer floated there, unmoving. His stationary grin told them everything- that the General was right. “And, you’re going to use what remains of my army to spearhead this campaign.”, Cutman further affirmed. “…You’re awfully perceptive.”, Mesmer maintained. In the back of his mind, though, he knew something was about to happen. He didn’t think he’d be able to keep this plan a secret from the General. He wasn’t a complete fool, after all. He still had a back up plan, but Cutman’s summarization thus far was scary accurate, even if it was a bit blunt and neglecting the fine details of a masterful script. Cutman tilted his head forward sharply, giving his skeletal mouth the grin shape that told everyone else he had something sinister in mind. “Goooood.”, he cooed, producing a chromed device from his lab coat that Gauntlet recognized almost instantly. “A detonator! Cutman, don’t-!!” Mirthlessly, the single button was pushed even before Shadowman began his plea. Unanimously the Mechs looked upwards and out the panoramic skylight to the Earth above, searching for signs of disruption. One may have even spied Mesmerman catching a quick glimpse upwards before he caught himself. Having such the level of perception that he had, Mesmerman could feel a disturbance in the matrix of consciousnesses he presided over. “Well…So much for that plan.”, Cutman sneered, his usual bravado suddenly returning to his demeanor. Carelessly, he pitched the now-useless detonator to the side. “What the hell was that?”, Needle grimaced. “Was that some kind of bomb?” “…How annoying.”, Mesmer relented, knowing what really happened by now, eliciting a forced chuckle from Cutman. “What’s going on?”, Topman meekly inquired. “I’d like ta know myself.”, Hardy backed up. “Its very simple.”, Cutman began to offer. “Mesmer here was going to use my SA to keep the war going, even in my absence. Meanwhile, he’d come up with something else to provide resistance for when the SA eventually broke down. Chances are, he hasn’t had time to create that extra resistance, so he was banking on the SA for the time being.” “So…The detonator…?”, SparkChan questioned. -------------------- “My own Shutdown Code…for the Scissor Army.” “…What?” Snakeman struggled to come up with much else. “The crazy son of a bitch killed his own men to keep Mesmer from using them.”, Shadowman summarized. “Yeah, I get that much.”, Snake defended. “I’m just…Whoa.” “Kyeehe…Disappointing, yes…But a small price to pay. After all, this vile piece of trash represents the very worst of the human mentality- war without end, and self-preservation at any cost. I’d gladly sacrifice the remainder of my army to be rid of this sickening mess of a creature. I can always rebuild.” “Like hell!”, Geminiman suddenly erupted, descending in a flash upon the unarmed General. He had been itching to surprise the oft-resurrected enemy of humanity since he entered the room, and the mere suggestion that he’d have to go through something like this again, and in such a casual tone…It was too much. But in a mere second Geminiman found himself pinned against a wall by his face, barely conscious. His weapons clattered to the ground as he struggled to remain focused on the General through the skinny metal fingers that held him so tightly against the mess of wires behind him. It seemed as though he had barely moved in order to pin the former White Knight of the SA in such a helpless position. Without turning his head towards him, Cutman shared a few words with his new hostage: “I am so far beyond you. Know your place in this battle, boy.” The entire scene had taken less than five seconds before the General rough tossed the barely moving Geminiman back towards his comrades, who stared in disbelief. The speed at which he had moved simply could not be possible. It couldn’t. After that, though, it was hard to find the gall to find out for themselves if this ethereal quickness was for real or not. “All of you should know your place here now.” Cutman proclaimed after his demonstration. “This is between he and I- you’re simply in the way. If need be, I’ll kill all of you to get to him, so you can either wait here and die in line or go home and savor what precious time I’d allow you to have.” “OR…”, Mesmerman interjected. “You can bear witness to ‘Plan B’!” Behind the puzzle robot, a mess of tubes and wires parted by themselves under Mesmer’s will, eventually revealing a large oval set inside the wall. It didn’t take Cutman to realize what it was, and Gauntlet and the others soon recognized it as well from the plans of its construction they had found months ago. “It’s the…device…”, was all Gauntlet could say to identify it with. “Mesmer…You must truly be a fool if you’re going to resort to THAT.”, Cutman grinned. But inside, Cutman certainly wasn’t grinning. That was the inter-dimensional portal he and Mesmer had designed. He allowed Mesmer to contact his own legion in his home world to construct a mirror image of this machine to create a bridge between the two worlds. Originally, he had meant for this to be a back up plan in case things had gone awry. In this home world, after all, the original Scissor Army was all that remained, and they’d certainly be able to topple whatever resistance proved to be too much for the new SA. But now, Cutman cursed himself for allowing this to happen at his own request. Surely, Mesmer had something lined up on the other side of that portal, since Cutman could not travel freely back to that world and oversee things personally. Without Mesmer’s dark energy to power it, the machine simply wouldn’t work. In retrospect, it was a huge design flaw. It took Cutman three seconds to re-imagine a new power source for the machine- something he’d have to put in place once this mess had been sorted out. With a slight click and a growing hum, the portal started to power on. “No!”, Shadowman screamed, dashing towards the machine. He had realized that reinforcements for either one of these monsters would mean absolute defeat for them and the rest of humanity at this point. He would not allow this to pass. But in a blink, he was pinned against the wall, much like Geminiman was a minute ago. “Stand down!”, Cutman ordered the rest of the Mechs. “Its too late! The machine has already established a connection with the world on the other side. Destroying it now would create a black hole between both of our worlds!” claimed Cutman. “So you say!”, Shadowman grimaced as he struggled to free his neck from the General’s grasp. “But are you just saying that to keep us from blocking your new troops from arriving?” “You tell me.” It was clear that Cutman was referring to Shadowman’s own genius chip. At this beckoning, Shadowman hesitantly flipped it on and reviewed the situation. In a few seconds, Gauntlet had his answer, and he disengaged the chip. “Dammit…”, he uttered. “Maniacs, stay away! He’s right!” While they weren’t in a hurry to destroy the machine before, since Shadowman was effectively held hostage, they were forced to comply now. Flippantly, Cutman roughly released Shadowman, the two locked in a death stare for a moment as Shadow cautiously regrouped with the others. “Whadda we do now, boss?”, Hardman asked Shadowman, who was rubbing his throat. “We wait. The machine will only stay on for a few minutes before it burns up. We can only hope that no one from the other side is there to go through it.” Sure enough, after only two minutes, the portal was starting to fail, with smoke emanating from random places in its delicate-looking construction. But then, just as the machine looked to be breaking down, something shadowy and dark was seen in the distance in the bright white glow of the portal. The entire room seemed to hold their breaths collectively, save for Mesmerman’s, who’s face only seemed to bear a curiously larger grin. Even Cutman seemed to be chuckling a bit to himself. Send me someone, Mesmer. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve brainwashed them in my absence- my will is law to them! Bring them here, and learn the folly of your ridiculous plan as I use them to kill you and these pests with ease. The figure took shape- clearly that of a humanoid, though details remained murky. The machine was really beginning to fail now, and the portal was now showing a blinding, erratic light- like a candle burning brightest before burning itself out. In a flash, the portal was gone, the machine signaling its death with a shower of sparks. The brightness left everyone snow blind, then everything seemed a bit darker than before. It was a while before they noticed someone had indeed made it through the portal. Breaths continued to be held. Cutman’s chuckle was now clearly audible to everyone else as he looked over the sole arrival. He certainly couldn’t ask for a better “foe” from Mesmer. “Mesmer…You absolute fool. Of all of the SA to import, you brought me the most loyal of all. Colonel Red…How nice to see you again!” The crimson cloaked figure was crouched on the floor before the broken down portal, seemingly recovering from his trip. His face was pointed downwards, with a mane of messy hair protruding in any direction it wanted to. Underneath the cloak, the only body parts visible were gloved hands and boots, colored a worn and dirty brown with many tears from a hard life of fighting. Mesmer’s own chuckling gave way to quiet observation. “Colonel, if you’d be so kind, I’d like you to introduce yourself to your latest victim- Mesmerman.” “So…This is where you’ve been hiding?” It was strange to hear his own words, thought Cutman. Was it a sign that Mesmer was actually controlling Colonel Red? But…something else was off. It was…the voice. The Mechs seemed to pick up on it, too. That seemed strange, because to his knowledge, Cutman knew that the Mechs had never even met the Colonel before. “Its been over ten years, General.”, the voice affirmed. “Ten years since you and I last met face to face at Elysium.” Cutman’s eyes seemed to register a severe degree of shock; NOW he knew who this was. It certainly wasn’t his Colonel. As the figure stood up, the Mechs were awash in shock- some of them showing a degree of heartache, while some showed a slight hint of elation. “You really are a persistent little gnat.”, Cutman seethed. “Is it really him?”, Spark whispered. “Kind of.”, Shadow whispered back. “It’s the Gary from Cutman’s world. And they don’t seem very fond of each other.” Shadow had to bite back a few hiccups of raw emotion- the last thing he expected to see here today was the image of his departed best friend. “And I suppose you’re here as Mesmerman’s puppet?”, Cutman asked his long-time nemesis. But Mesmer himself answered for him: “There was no need to control him! He has such an unbelievably strong amount of loathing for you that all of my manipulation couldn’t even hope to match it! What a perfect specimen to use against you!” “He taught me how to build this machine. He promised me that it would one day lead me to you, and that I’d be able to get my revenge against you for a decade of death and misery your so-called haven has inflicted on the world. I can see now that my wait beside it for a year has been completely worth it. Thank you, Mesmerman.” “Oh, and so welcome you are, my boy! Now, by all means, get your revenge!” The Maniacs seemed to ally with Gary instantly to help him defeat Cutman. Maybe now, they could beat him, and then Mesmer if they all combined their efforts. But Gary wouldn’t have it. “Back!” Suddenly, the blood-red, dirty cloak roared to life, cutting a swath across the floor between he and the Mechs, warning them to stay away. “Gary! What’re you-?!”, Snake shouted over the cloak’s power. “I don’t know what hell this monster has given to you, but I’m sure mine is many times as worse. In my world, you’re all dead, thanks to this complete son of a bitch. In that place, I’m the only one left. I’m all alone. I’ll avenge my friends, humanity, and your own suffering…But I’ll do it by myself!” “You seemed to have a bit of a gift from my Colonel, brother.”, Cutman called “Red’s” attention back. “Yeah…He and I fought two years ago, and I managed to take him down. In the end, he whispered your name, if that’s any condolence to you.”, he said, bitingly. “Now I’ve got the perfect weapon to use against you- your own trusted lackey’s cloak. Make no mistake- you’re finally going to die today.” “Well, ‘Iceman Red’, you certainly seem confident in yourself…But then again, you were the last time we met, and I seem to remember things ending a bit less like me dying, and more like all of your friends being killed instead.” Gary’s mind flashed back to that day. That day on Mount Elysium- a day that was to be the world’s last chance against an unstoppable killing machine in the Scissor Army. So many people died on that day. He…He couldn’t save them then… Gary looked over his shoulder to the Mechs. They sure looked different here in this world…But he knew they were probably just like his old comrades. …But he could save them now. The two took an endless moment to glare daggers into each other, daring the other to make the first move. “Damnation”, Cutman thought to himself. “With Mesmer watching, I can’t reveal any of my better tricks, lest I give away my trump card against him in the process. It looks like this simpleton will actually get what he wants- a ‘fair’ fight.” Finally, years of growing frustration erupted from the red-swathed Iceman, sending a wide tidal wave of red menace to crush his oft-nightmare-material foe. Knowing Cutman would nimbly dodge it, he kept the stream of wholly dangerousness going. Cutman was every bit as fast as he had remembered, and perhaps even more so. But the difference here was that Gary was no longer the beleaguered leader he was a decade ago, nor was he the troubled resistance fighter. Instead, he was a hardened man, simply destined to gain final atonement for his inability to save his friends when they most needed it. From behind the wall of crimson, Cutman suddenly emerged, his blades now in hand, as impossible as that seemed. With a sudden twist, the flowing cloak responded to Gary’s knee jerk reaction and snagged the incoming blade in mid air long before they could reach its current host. A gnashing of steel was heard within the depths of the cloak as the blades were crushed under tremendous power. “You certainly learned the ins and outs of that specimen quickly!”, Cutman commended, vanishing behind a wall off the cloak only to appear fractions of a second later, a fresh set of blades in hand. That seemed to pick up interest within the Mechs, who were stuck as unwitting spectators in this awesome struggle. “Where does he keep on getting those things?”, Snake wondered. “Is he using teleport technology? Or maybe nano technology?” “Beats th’ shit outta me.”, Hardman struggled to say. It was hard enough just trying to keep his eyes on the bobbing and weaving Cutman, as well as the also aptly mobile Iceman. Gauntlet, though, had something else imagined, thanks to managed use of his optional genius chip. He didn’t mention it aloud, though, as something seemed a bit off. Meanwhile, the deepening struggling between the years-old foes raged on to a virtual stand still. Gary’s offense was a near-impenetrable defense, while Cutman’s para-super human speed and stamina ensured he was nearly impossible to catch, and his mysteriously replenishing blades kept Iceman from getting too involved in his attacks. “As much as we’ve changed, its still like old times, isn’t it?!”, Cutman yelled over the rush of cloak. “Those are the times I want to forget! And once you’re dead for good, I will…And your precious legacy will be gone with ‘em!” “Legacy?”, Shadowman picked up. That was the word Cutman used when this whole thing started. He claimed he was above such a concept. Was it possible that at one time he himself bought into the necessity of having a legacy? “I’ve already established my legacy again, here in this universe!”, Cutman answered back. “And today, I’ll merely be capping it off! I simply have to end Mesmerman to ensure it all goes according to plan!” “Mesmer!”, Shadowman suddenly thought. Instantly, he began to search around the room for him with his eyes, but he came up empty-handed. “Problem, boss?”, Hardy noticed his leader searching around instead of being focused on the violent chess match before them. “Where’s Mesmerman?” Hard too looked around the room, getting more and more erratic as he found nothing. “Dammit! He slipped away!” “Not good. Snake!” “Already on it.”, he responded, having sent out his Search Snakes to seek out the MIA Mesmerman. “This must have been Mesmer’s plan all along! He diverted our attention away from him just long to enough to get away!”, Needle theorized. “No…Not to get away. He could have done that at any time right before our eyes.”, Shadowman rebutted. “He’s still here, but he’s up to something. We’ve got to find him before he-“ “Got him.”, Snakeman announced. “He’s in some sort of observatory just behind those wires. Looks like there’s a vault door blocking the way in.” “Hard, we need you!”, G quickly responded with. “All over it.” Suddenly, though, it dawned on Shadowman that the Mechs just wouldn’t be enough to stop Mesmer. Not when he’s in his own domain and fueled by a limitless supply of energy. Hesitantly, he did the one thing he thought he’d never do: -------------------- “G-Gary, stop! We need him!” The two, still utterly absorbed in their duel, didn’t hear the plea, or perhaps, didn’t bother to respond to it. This was far more important to either one at the time. “Cutman! Mesmerman’s getting away!” Gauntlet’s demands for attention still went unheard. “Dammit…The world is collapsing, and all you two can do is kill each other?!” “I’ve already been through this, thanks to this one.”, Gary finally acknowledged. “One murderer must be dealt with before the next!” “That’s bullshit! Are you going to tell me that you’ll let another world be destroyed just to satisfy some sort of revenge?!”, Shadowman tried to appeal to the honor his own friend had in his soul. If this Gary was anything like the man he knew, it’d have some sort of effect on him. “What do you know about revenge?!”, Iceman screamed back between attacks with his cloak. “Have you ever had the burden of having to atone for eleven billion deaths on your shoulders?” “I might, if you don’t drop this crap for just a little while! If you don’t, Mesmerman’s going to do to this world what Cutman did to yours’, only worse! I don’t know exactly what happened in your universe, but if you’re anything like the Gary I knew, I think…No, I KNOW you don’t really want to see anyone suffer like you have! …PLEASE!” “What say you, ‘brother’? He makes for a very compelling argument, if I do say so myself.”, Cutman remarked, still navigating through thick tendrils of the deadly cloak. His sardonic tone probably wouldn’t help, and that elicited a sharp eye from Shadowman. Slowly, though, the cloak’s actions became less erratic and violent. Something within Shadowman’s words appealed to the long-lost human side of this Gary, which he had believed had all but died ten years ago. Quickly, though, Gauntlet had to confer with Cutman, who seemed to bask in triumph. He was needed, after all. “Cutman…Your virus…The one you had been working on to take out Mesmerman…” “Ah yes. I assume you tried it, hm?” “It didn’t work! Dr Cossack and Light both tried their hand at it, but no dice. It seemed to work, but as you can see, Mesmerman is still alive. There has to be some sort of trick to it!”, Shadowman demanded to know. “Oh yes…There IS a trick. Its something I never wrote down, and kept only in the safest of places.”, Cutman claimed, tapping a finger to his cranium. “Do you have it here?”, Shadow asked. “Of course.” “Then we need to upload it ASAP!”, Shadow yelled at him. Cutman’s next laugh was an especially maniacal bout. “Upload? Did you really think it’d be something so…trite? No, this requires a far more…direct approach.” “Boss! Th’ door!”, Hardy called out in strain. Quickly, Shadow, Cut, and Ice all turned towards the pained voice. While Hardman had finally breeched the door’s seal, an intense and very visible current of dark purple energy was flowing from the room, searing the big blue battle tank’s body as he struggled to keep the door open. “Mesmer’s in there…”, Shadowman quietly observed. Cutman silently walked towards the door, but not before getting his arm grabbed by Iceman. “I have a RIGHT to kill you! It doesn’t matter what you do in there- when you get out, your head is mine!” With a smirk, Cut freed himself from his grasp and returned towards the door before stopping just before it. “Gary.”, he uttered, his back turned towards him still. “You don’t seem to understand…” “Understand what?” “That I’ve so completely and utterly…WON.”, he proclaimed as he turned his head just enough to make eye contact with him. He practically glowed in sick victory, knowing that this man was doomed to fail at his one goal in life thanks to him, and he would ensure this by SAVING, rather than killing. “What?!”, Gary snarled in response. “I suggest you hurry off now. The bombs I planted on the other side of this satellite are bound to go off any minute now.” And just like that, he slipped in, effortlessly against the horrendous energy current, and out of Gary’s sight. Hardman, who had been suffering against the full force of the current, nearly collapsed, his outer shell smoking an unnatural violet plume. “BASTARD! You don’t have the RIGHT to die saving ANYONE!”, Gary screamed, his fists pounding relentlessly against the thick door, his cloak clawing away at its smooth surface. “Ice! We’re outta time! We’ve gotta get the hell out of here NOW!” “NO!”, Gary yelled back. “You can’t take this away from me!” “I’m not taking anything from you, but if we don’t go this fucking instant you won’t have ANY chance to get your revenge later on! Let’s GO!” Hardman, not in the best of moods, deftly clonked the parallel universe-version of his old friend out cold, gaining an appreciative look from his boss in the process. Picking him and the injured Geminiman up and over his shoulder, Hardman led the charge THROUGH the rest of the satellite to the emergency teleportation docks without much thought to whatever hull damage he risked in doing so. The irony was not lost on most of the Mechs that they were essentially depending on their two worst enemies ever to determine their fate. For all of their fighting, this was a bitter pill to swallow. Worst of all, they couldn’t even see it through, thanks to Cutman’s planning. At the very least, though, Mesmerman’s spare bodies would be destroyed in the process. Thankfully, the teleportation grid was intact up here, and they waited a tense few seconds to be embraced by the wet-feeling glow of safety. Back in the observatory, the current had stopped flowing against the door, not that it seemed to bother Cutman all that much. As a matter of fact, the General coolly reached into his coat pocket and fished out a sole cigar he had waiting for him for just such a special occasion. Mesmer’s back had been turned to him, as he was facing a control studio built into this smallish room that featured a magnificent, clear view of the Earth. Four large pillars extended out of the corners of the semi-rounded room and past the glass ceiling towards the world above- these were the transmitters of Mesmerman’s very thoughts to the world on a massive scale. “Two minutes?”, Mesmerman asked his sole guest. “You’re either being too generous to them, or you’re not being kind enough to yourself.” “Actually, I lied- We have ten minutes. I wanted to take my time picking you apart and give myself time to evacuate.” “I don’t need to see into your mind in order to see that you’re lying yet again. Its far less than that.” Cutman finally found his vintage Zippo and flipped its top open. “Why would this matter to someone who’s about to die, anyway?” “Just call me curious!”, Mesmer sheepishly squealed. “Speaking of curious, I’m simply DYING to know how you plan on killing me, since your last attempt was…oh, how to word this…PATHETIC.” “Yes well,” he began, exhaling the fumes from the Havana roll, “I was a bit distracted then, you see.” “I’ll bet. Having my legs cut off WOULD most likely distract me, if I had to worry about such things.”, the floating puzzle machine quipped. “You know what your problem is, Mesmer, my boy?” “What, pray tell?” “You’re much to linear a thinker.” Mesmerman paused for a moment before erupting in hideous cackling. The thought of he and his unlimited imagination being labeled ‘linear’ by the goal-driven workaholic before him was too much! “Linear!”, Mesmer snickered. “What a hilariously bad choice of wording.” “Yes. Linear. I’m sure that’s the word I intended to use.” Now Mesmerman began to balk. “Just as you intended to be mowed down by the Maniacs in your own territory?” Cutman didn’t flinch. This was a sign that he had struck a genuine nerve in Mesmerman. “By linear, I mean you look at someone and only feel around for ONE psyche in that body.” Somehow, Mesmer didn’t have anything to say in response to that. While he did find people with split personality disorders, at the very root, they only had a single mind. He didn’t really pick up on what the General was getting at. “Oh come now, Mesmer!”, Cutman seemed to sneer again. “You didn’t really think I had completely trusted you from day one of our partnership, did you? I’ve been looking forward to this day for a year! It was merely unfortunate on my part that I wasn’t able to make it happen sooner, otherwise we could have avoided all of this unnecessary orbital satellite nonsense in the first place.” “You’re essentially claiming to have two separate minds living in that oversized dome of yours?” “You should be flattered!”, the General insisted. “Its not everyday I meet someone who forces me to partition my own mind and dedicate half of my brain to coming up with something to kill just one insolent pest.” NOW it started to make sense to Mesmer. The twitching he had witnessed from Cutman, which only now was conspicuously absent…His mind was on overdrive throughout the war! No wonder he seemed like even more of a madman than he had assumed he was. It also explained the “blackout” periods, where Cutman’s mind was entirely inaccessible to him- the source of much private concern. “…Well…”, Mesmer seethed quietly. “I must say I AM flattered. You’ve certainly gone to great lengths just for little ol’ me. Now you’ve got my full attention…So I’m curious…Just what did you come up with?” Cutman again fumbled about in his lab coat’s pockets, and pulled out another object- a micro disk. “Ah, I see…That pathetic virus, I assume.” “Yes. Those fools hadn’t a clue as to how to use it.” “And you do? Do you expect me to allow you to upload it at will?”, Mesmerman threatened. “Let me tell you- I don’t intend on sitting still for you. Not in MY house.” Mesmerman’s signature scythe materialized out of the dark purple haze that filled the room. He meant business with it. “Mesmer, my son…I’m banking on you not standing still for me. In fact, I want you to wriggle and squeal like a puppy that’s about to be euthanized.” And strangely now, the disk vanished in almost the opposite way of Mesmerman’s scythe, its debris being consumed by Cutman’s own arm. Curiously, Mesmerman peered closer. “You’re…” “I’m the carrier.”, Cutman grandly announced, his body beginning to shift about as if it were composed of sand. “THIS is how you use the virus! You have to be direct! KyeheheheHEHEHAHAHAHA!!” With his ever maniacal guffaws, Cutman’s body seemed to fade away, ghost-like, into the haze that filled the room. Now, there was a silvery hue to the room along with the royal violet fog, creating a confusing mess of an arena, even for the Master of Perception. Mesmer wasn’t about to make this easy for Cutman, even if this had taken even him off his game. His floating body separated as far apart as the room would allow, making for a whirling catastrophe that any outsider would have nightmares of if they even tried to comprehend it. For a few seconds that were tense even for him, Mesmerman kept an intense vigil in the room, being sure that none of his body parts stayed in place too long. That, however, couldn’t work forever. “Yeeeaaarrgghhh!!!” It hurt! It actually…hurt! Real pain! Mesmer whipped his head around to the place where one of his spheres was being attacked. Madly enough, only a pair of hands had been outstretched from the haze, gripping onto the basketball-sized sphere. At closer glance, Mesmer could see the effects these hands were having on his body- it cracked and started to crumble as its black and white color scheme began to give way to dull ash gray. “What are…You…” Cutman’s laugh answered back, its source changing with each syllable, as if it were the wind itself. “I AM the virus now. How amusing…You even brought the base of this little experiment I’ve been working on here today. You do have a sense of wonderful irony, whether you were aware of it or not.” The sphere collapsed into a heap of dust that was soon assimilated into the fog itself. “What is this?”, Mesmer coolly asked, the sensation of pain giving away to numbness. “That man. The one with the cape. That cape was something I found in my home world. It took me years to discover what it really was- a sentient collective of extraterrestrial nanomachines. How a blithering fool like Wily came in possession of something so useful is beyond my comprehension, but I was more than happy to take it off his hands and give it to another one of his abandoned toys so that I may observe it. And now…Here I am. I have successfully replicated and IMPROVED on that alien design a dozen fold. The best part of it is that it has the side effect of masking my mind from yours by splitting it up into a hive collective! You can’t possibly be in 39 trillion places at once!” “The virus…”, Mesmerman uttered, trying to understand how this all fit together. “…Is simply a code I absorbed into my nanite body. It east away at both your programming and your physical form by my mere WILL. Do you have even the slightest notion of how DEAD you are?” This, however, only made Mesmerman chuckle. “Death? You think you can bring ME death? Such a task is truly impossible…Unless I will it so! Your technology and your toys are NOTHING compared to the bottomless pit of my own imagination!” The violet haze within the silver fog began to shake and vibrate all its own as Mesmer’s body drew itself closer, revealing that Cutman had dissolved what could loosely be called a left elbow. To Cutman, it was clear and logical as to what his enemy was up to. He was going to use his energy to heard Cutman’s form back together for a more direct approach. It’s a funny thing, though, what loosing your hands can do to your concentration. Mesmerman let out a mournful scream as Cutman’s fists plowed through his palms, leaving burning, painful holes of ash that didn’t go numb like his elbow had. What remained of his hands felt as though they were dipped in molten gold, a terrible fiery feeling that was soon felt in other places on his person as Cutman repeated the attack. For perhaps the first time, Mesmerman knew what personal agony had felt like. His mind began to loose that razor sharp edge of perception- his one true weapon. Suddenly, though, new attacks stopped, allowing Mesmer to simply feel what damage had been done to him. Mockingly, Cutman allowed himself to appear in full form before him, cigar still held tight by his teeth, smoke pouring out of the many gaps in his jaw. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Its like I’ve always said; if you’re going to hurt someone, know how it feels first. Such a rank amateur, you are! No appreciation for the sensation of pain, received or given. I’ve been through hells much worse than what you’re going through, and I’m the stronger being for it.” “…Ehhh he heeeeeee…Rehh hehh…What a…great gift! I’ve always…wondered…what something like this…felt like. But nobody…was capable of delivering it to me… …But! This simply…Isn’t the end! I have…Ways of coming back…” Cutman seemed to smirk as he ashed his Cuban. “Mesmer, my boy…I’ve already made sure that my trusted predecessors will see that doesn’t come to pass.” “…Pred…ecessors? I knew…nothing of any…predecessors.” “Heh heh heh…Neither do they.” Eerily, both of them shared an honest laugh for a moment, both appreciating the fine irony and cunning of it. “Well, Mesmer, old chum.”, Cutman began as he came down from his snickering. “Its time for you to go away now. And when you get to Hell…let Hitler know that I felt he was much too sloppy.” “Oh…I won’t be staying long enough to say that!” “My, won’t you be disappointed, then…” With that, a short sprint and an upward slash from a manifested set of shears carved their way through Mesmerman’s chest and face, releasing a powerful glow as the outer edges of the cut began to crack and fade to dust, his outer orbs also giving away to the haze. The General’s hands could barely wait as he dove them into Mesmer’s torso, the wailing much too terrible a sound for any sane human to withstand. His fingers deeply entrenched in the wound, the purple fog in the observation chamber was quickly sucked into the gap, towards Cutman’s fingers. It was like being caught in the middle of an implosion- the awful wind-like current madly blowing into its master’s dying core. Finally, though, Mesmerman’s physical body completely shattered into a fine ashen cloud, and that too was sucked into the center point the energies collected into, all focused now into the General’s eager clutches. It seemed to last an eternity, but in only a minute of incomprehensible sound and fury, it ended with but a single being in the middle of the silent room. Standing up now, slowly, Cutman heaved a short breath and looked at his fingers. Utter joy swept over his body- a success! Violet steam seemed to escape from every inch of his body; his mind now completely aware of the beings on the planet down below. He had done it. Mesmerman’s vast reservoir of dark mental energy was now at his every command. And here he was- the perfect place to put it to use! Mesmerman’s own mass control deck. Staring up at the Earth, Cutman inwardly laughed uncontrollably. He’d have his true Elysium, even without his Scissor Army! Now, he could simply WILL humans to kill themselves, leaving only the robots to clean it up, whether they wanted to or not. In time, he knew, they’d come to accept the idea, no matter what stance they had adopted during this cumbersome war. In time they’d come to relish the peace and ever-developing and evolving prosperity a human-free Earth would achieve. In time…They’d appreciate him. Now…Here was the one moment he had been looking forward to. Here was- A terrific explosion. From his own failsafe plan. The bombs in the cargo bay, teleportation chamber, and power grid, the latter of which knocked out the very equipment Cutman had been descending upon to use. Damn it. So…So close….SO CLOSE. If it hadn’t been for that damned…’brother’ of his buying Mesmer time, he could have been out of here by now. The entire satellite shook with great power from the bombs and their devastating effects. Though they were far enough from the observation room to prevent direct damage, it didn’t matter. Power had been lost, and with it, Cutman’s otherwise perfect plan. In only a few seconds, the remainder of the satellite would be caught by Earth’s pull and then- …Ah well. Cutman merely picked up the cigar he had dropped during the initial explosion and put it to his mouth. With a large inhale of the thick smoke, he let out a very relaxed breath, contradictory to what he felt inside. Upwards he gazed now, to the Earth. It was getting closer now, with streaks of red now caressing the glass ceiling. “From up here” he thought, “you don’t seem so flawed.” Cutman spent the last few seconds of consciousness watching the growing fireball that collected on the glass until, finally, it gave way. It didn’t take long after that.