I didn't expect to introduce Fullmetal Alchemist characters like this, but we should know how the Gameverse works by now! Also, let's welcome legendaryflame185 to the Gameverse!
Chapter 17: Machines Made For War
The 20-mile drive from Egghead to Rush Valley went by in a blink on the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.. They stopped just half a mile from the town and continued the journey on foot. "Oi, we moved a lot slower carrying two giants!" Chimney whined. "Especially since one of them's made of metal!"
"Then I should've used my jetpacks like I originally suggested!" Atlas stated.
"But how often do we get to ride such a cool train?!" Penny cheered.
"I bet you two metalheads weigh a ton, too." Chimney remarked.
"The only thing that weighs a ton is your big mouth." Aisa stated. "But man, I can't wait to put these weapons to use!" The Shandian had been given a dark-gray bow with a glowing string and tech arrows with glowing blue tips.
Apis had been fit with a headband designed to transmit her telepathy frequency to affect robot animals. April had a light-recording paintbrush and palette with digital lights. Her brush recorded the colors from the palette, and she could "paint" it on robots to achieve the same hypnotic effects. Mary possessed light-up crayons that left streaks across the air and could achieve the effects of her regular ones. Chimney wore gauntlets with suction tubes that could suck in air moisture and project the condensed water from the knuckles or palms, allowing for on-the-spot Fishman Karate. Miguel had an electric guitar to transmit his musicbending with electronic frequencies. "How come you didn't want any upgrades, Mocha?" Aeincha asked, flying with a pack of digi-glass dragonfly wings close to the Amazon's ear. "Some metal gloves or leg wraps, you could've been stronger than ever!"
"My Haki is more than enough to break a few machines!" Mocha flexed an arm. "A warrior's natural will is stronger than any tech!"
"I'm so proud of you, Mocha." Aisa wept. She couldn't bear to see her amazing Amazon out of her best attire. (Play "Mining Village Mainz" from Trails From Zero!)
Rush Valley was secluded within a small, natural mountain range. Most of the citizens had some form of cyborg component. A couple children were playing kickball with metallic legs. A baker was flattening dough with a roller attached to his arms. "It's got a nice old-timey feel to it." Miguel smiled. "But what happened to all these people?"
"Well, a lot of things." Penny answered. "Criminals, wars, traffic accidents… and they either didn't fit in wherever they came from or couldn't afford to live there, but this place is cheaply affordable!"
"They couldn't 'fit in'?" Mary asked. "But there's all sorts of aliens in Galaxia. Why would cyborg people be any different?"
"Different areas have different customs… and bullies." April answered.
"WHOA, 'SCUSE ME, SORRY!!" The group was taken off-guard when a tan-skinned teen ran and stumbled over them.
"What the heck?!" Mocha exclaimed.
"Ha ha! Sorry!" The girl stood, blushing as she rushed off. She had black hair in small pigtails, a black top, and green pants. "I'm late for school! Didn't mean to hit you!"
"Uh…" Miguel pulled himself up. "That was random. …?! MY GUITAR!"
"What?!" Aisa gasped.
"Scans indicate that girl took it!" Atlas pointed.
"HEY!" Aisa bolted up the alley after her. "Give back my boyfriend's guitar!"
"Hee hee hee! I wonder how much this will sell for!" Paninya smirked. She ran up a small field between the buildings and cliff, but when the Shandian closed in with swift speed, the thief whipped around, exposed her left cyborg leg, and shot a cannon from her knee. However, Aisa's Haki easily expected that, dodging the bullets and leaping to kick Paninya's jaw. Her Red-Foot Style wasn't as strong as a Fanalis, but it sure sent the thief tumbling over with a disjointed jaw. She was still able to dodge Aisa's arrow aimed for her leg, charging toward the Shandian and unveiling a blade in her right leg. Aisa dodged the slicing kicks and grabbed her Conache Pumpkin from her satchel, swinging it via its rope. Paninya was confident her bladed knee could cut the green pumpkin, but its iron shell merely knocked her trajectory askew. Aisa jumped the thief, choked her neck with her legs, and forced her to the ground.
When the other W7 agents caught up, Paninya feared her chances were slim. Until an electric blast forced Aisa off her. "Why are you attacking Paninya?!" The operatives looked up at a blonde-haired boy in a red, hooded cloak, aiming a right arm made of metal. His left leg just below the knee was also metallic.
"ED! These girls are trying to rob me!"
"No we're not!" Aisa shouted.
"Brother, stop!" A large, gunmetal-colored robot with a spike in his forehead and over his shoulders ran up from behind Ed. He was about twice Ed's 4'11" height. "Don't you see Atlas with them?"
"Huh?" Ed cocked a brow at his giant pseudo-sister. "What's going on here?"
"HI, ED!" Penny waved. "This is Sector W7 from Earth! Your father sent us to check on you!"
"Yeah, and this girl stole my guitar!" Miguel yelled.
"I should've known that was the case." Ed sighed.
He and his robot jumped down, approaching as Paninya handed Miguel his guitar back. "Hey, a girl's gotta make a living somehow." She grinned.
"Uh, anyway… this here's my older brother, 'Fullmetal Mechanic' Edward." Atlas smiled. "And that's his own hand-crafted brother, Alphonse."
"For being the oldest sibling, he sure doesn't look it." Mocha joked.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE'S THE SIZE OF A PEA, I'M GONNA CUT YOU DOWN TO SIZE AND SHOW YOU-" Alphonse had to restrain his erratic brother.
"Calm down, Brother! Sorry, he's pretty touchy about this!"
"Wait, Atlas was made by Dr. Egghead, so she and his human son are siblings." Apis recapped. "So, shouldn't Alphonse be your 'son' if you created him?"
"I made him because I wanted a little brother." Ed said. "But all Dad made were sisters. Besides, I was too young to be a daddy."
"Anyway, welcome to Rush Valley, the Boomtown of the Broken-Down!" Al announced. "Are you guys hungry? We can introduce each other at the Hungry Human."
"Lovely name for a restaurant." Aisa remarked.
The humanoids purchased some acceptable sandwiches and salads at the restaurant while the robots filled up on oil. They went over brief introductions and explained their mission. "Luckily, the Brotherhood hasn't really reached us out here, yet." Ed said. "And Mom probably thinks the mechanics here are too 'low techy' to be worth kidnapping."
"Technically speaking, she has only 'kidnapped' and separated employees who were already under her." Pino reasoned.
"As far as we know, Mom hasn't done anything particularly bad with those Disneybots." Al replied. "They've been fighting the bad guys and keeping us safe just like she promised. But in the end, she's just trying to upstage the KND. I still can't believe Mickey would post all those secrets about you guys. I always liked Disney…"
"Technically, it was…eh, never mind." Aisa sighed.
"I'm not ashamed of my secret!" Aeincha cheered, fluttering near Atlas' two-colored hair. "The universe is full of so many wondrous hairs waiting to be cuddled in! When we first came here, I thought all the hair was gonna be cold and metallic, but Atlas and Penny's creators know how to make a robot with style!"
"I wish I could say the same." Aisa frowned. "But I assume all your boots are just part of your bodies. Oh, to be cursed with eternal shoes."
"Uh…I don't understand." Al said.
"Aisa likes to draw peoples' feet, weird, right?" Chimney said in passive reproach.
"And now the whole universe knows, so why can't I be open with it?"
"That is quite the interesting hobby!" Penny smiled. "But, to be truthful… I've always wondered what it would feel like to have human feet."
"Oh, it's such a wonderful feeling!" Aisa expressed in heavy breath.
"Aaaaaand I'm out." Chimney grabbed Apis' arm and walked away. "Apis, make me something to eat so I can throw up."
"Hey!!"
"Hehehe…perhaps we should explain." Pino blushed. "Did you know that there's a way for robots to become human?"
"Like with magic?" April asked.
"Regular magic can't transform machines to organic form. But there is one that can: somewhere deep in this planet is a mechanical 'spirit' called Motherboard. Long ago, she was found by a robot named Pinocchio, who wished to become a real boy. My friends and I dream of becoming real children… and we're very close to realizing our goal!"
"Really?!" Mary gasped. "That sounds amazing! I wonder if… I could become real, too?"
"Artificial beings becoming real?" April recounted. "We have experience with that, and… I wouldn't entirely trust it. What's the catch?"
"Catch?" Penny asked.
"Is there some kind of price you need to pay to become real? Because depending on what it is, you may not want to."
"April…" Mary was downtrodden… by the notion and the memory.
"I'm…I guess I don't really know either." Penny frowned.
"We follow the Motherboard dream, too." Al said. "Not only could I become a real boy… but Ed could get his limbs back."
"Yeah, but Winry wouldn't like her precious automail being transformed." Ed snickered.
"Automail?" Aisa repeated.
"Ah, that's the metal that can be mined and forged around here. It's what all our prosthetics are made from. It's designed to register nicely with our skin and nerves. …Say, we should introduce ya to Winry, in fact! Are any of you mechanics? She'll hit it off with you in a heartbeat."
"Unfortunately, our only mechanic just stomped off in disgust." Aisa glared. "But who cares about her! Maybe we could call Jerome's group here instead; bet the Gilligans would love this place."
"They probably love everywhere on this planet." Miguel chuckled. "We could check up on them, anyway. Hopefully, they're not too preoccupied." (End song.)
Valley close to Basel
"Haylee, we could reach our destination much faster if you would join us on the ship."
"Hey, as much as I love the sky, a girl's gotta enjoy rubber on the road once in a while."
That was Haylee's reward for crushing Coop's Megas: the privilege of driving his Cuma to their next destination. Her ponytail flailed behind her as the hotrod graced the highway. And Coop, battered and shamed, had to sit in the backseat until she was done. "'Guess all that talk about Sector V wasn't for show." Coop chuckled passively. "Heh…Gilligan, huh? Like Hoagie Gilligan? I used to hear about them all the time back in the day."
"You're from Earth?"
"Jersey City, born and raised. I put Megas together from a bunch of cool scrap that wound up in my junkyard. But the city folk didn't like me, uh, 'joyriding' the old girl, so I moved here. Where I'm free to wreck as much as I want!"
"Oh yeah… I vaguely recall reading about a giant robot GUN had to stop."
"Still, you're a lot cooler than I heard about. You'll make a guy happy someday."
"I hope you don't mean you."
"Sorry, sweetheart, but you're too young for me."
"To be fair," Vweeb poked out of Coop's hair, "she does have her eye on a certain young prince."
"Where'd you come from, Vweeb?!" Haylee flushed. "And, anyway, I wasn't planning to seriously 'date' Raleigh until he was older! But he's deceptively mature for his age."
"Well, not everyone can say they landed it with a prince." Coop said.
"It helps that they both have an eye for tech." Vweeb replied. "And besides that, Haylee's got a thick, firm physique that any guy would fall for. Her tomboy demeanor certainly compliments her smarts and style, plus the way she chows on chilidogs is super adorable."
"I'm… happy you think so, Vweeb." Haylee enjoyed the flattery, but she had mixed feelings about where it was coming from. "…You know, why are you on this mission again? I can't remember the last time you did anything techy. Ever since you hit puberty, it's been girls, girls, girls."
"Nothin' wrong with that." Coop smiled. "It's what every kid goes through. I remember when I was in middle school, I-"
"Ahem, no thanks. The problem is Vweeb already has a girlfriend."
"I can't help that I find all kinds of girls beautiful and admirable. And I ain't trying to get with any of them, but can't a guy enjoy the satisfaction of flattery? Of making a girl feel special for the sake of it? It's no different from if you make a small wooden house just for fun, or… y'know, that other hobby you like to do."
"A-HEM, too far, Vweeb…" Haylee's brow twitched.
"Either way, my quarrels with Arianna aren't any of your business, so just enjoy the flattery. Besides, I do it with guys, too. You're quite the big man, Coop! The ripped shirt and tight jeans really add to your manliness… as does the sandwich breath. I bet ladies climb all over you."
"You got some good eyes, little dude."
"Someone end me now." Jerome moaned.
"Your friends really follow the beat of their own drum, huh?" Jenny asked, soaring beside the windshield with jetwings. "Hehe! You guys are kind of funny!"
"Yes, but some are more enjoyable than others."
"Hey, you agreed to bring Vweeb along." Harry reasoned.
"And I regret it."
"In the first place, I was hoping for a guys-only trip." Vweeb stated. "A refreshing change of pace, ya know?"
"And… you didn't factor me in?" Haylee asked.
"Well, you're pretty manly yourself."
"… …" Haylee flipped her wrench back, smashing Vweeb and Coop's head with it.
Haylee steered the Cuma around the winding roads within a canyon, passing under waterfalls from artificial canals. They were awed before the bustling town over a vast opening of the canyon. The buildings were mostly shades of gray, but there were patches of grass and trees, and the sight of it gave them a pleasant, down-to-earth vibe.
"Welcome to Basel, kiddos." Coop said. "Known for its engineering university. It takes in transfers from around the universe to learn robotics up close and personal. I mean, what else is new on this planet, am I right? Me, I just like visitin' the Motor Pavilion. Modifying cars into robots is pretty standard… but the cars themselves are sweet to look at."
"Well, I found my dream school then." Artie smiled.
"Uh-oh!" Jenny's eyes widened as she scanned the city. "They're under attack! The robo-animals are running wild!"
"HEEEELP!" one poor citizen screamed as a metal-pecker perched on his head and pecked his ear like a jackhammer.
"Bad robo-puppy! Bad!" A woman was pinned beneath the small, four-legged mech. Her attempts to smack it merely triggered his alarm.
"Robo-puppy mistreatment alert! ROBO-PUPPY MISTREATMENT ALERT!"
"I'm guessing this place has a zoo, too?!" Harry exclaimed.
"Building robot animals is a standard practice of the institute." Jenny said. "I'm seeing Vexus' Beetle Drones around, too. The animals must've been infected by her Infectobots!"
"Artie, bring us in for landing!" Jerome ordered, drawing the Z.A.P.P.. "We'll use electric weapons to short-circuit the nanobots!" (Play "Food Run" from Crash 4!)
Act 3: Basel
Jerome began his trek across a town entry bridge. Robot pigeons swooped over the bridge, leaving droppings. Jerome snorted; he guessed that was the worst pigeons could do… until he realized they were bombs! They blew the bridge into barely stable chunks, but Jerome relied on lightweight gravity to jump across them. The pigeons threatened to drop bombs on top of him, but Jerome lashed the Z.A.P.P. around the air to take them down. "They oughta get these for normal pigeons." A pair of robo-puppies guarded the town gate, yapping missiles. Jerome warped between two parallel ledges to dodge them, shooting the puppies with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R. to scare them back. Once Jerome reached the edge of town, he electrified the pups.
Trashcan robots grabbed fleeing citizens and tossed them into their cans. "Those Trash-o-Tron 4000's are off their lid!" Jenny exclaimed. Jerome tossed F.L.I.P.S.B.Y. discs along the ground: when they slid under the trashbots, they shot up like springs and flipped the cans upside-down dumping the people out. Afterwards, Vweeb kicked off the ground and did a little game of "kick the can" to take the rogue bots out. "Nice of you to join me." Jerome said as Vweeb leapt up in his hair. The stairways to other layers of town were covered in scrap that Jenny was helping sweep up. In the meantime, there was a trio of Umbrellabots Jerome could bounce to climb a wall to another layer.
"Hey, we found the Motor Pavilion!" Vweeb chirped as they viewed through the shop's display window. "Uh-oh!" The cars seemed to be going frantic inside. Jerome hurried into the entrance; there was a car with a fiery paintjob and a bright electric aura, zooming around and corrupting other cars.
"VROOM! We shoulda done this a long time ago, Overload! Now I can infect machines in the daytime! Let's go find some more people to squish!" He zoomed out the backdoor. Three Were-Cars tried to ram Jerome, but he formed a Space Block to make them crash, afterwards using the B.O.O.M.E.R. to explode them.
"AAAAH!" Coop and Haylee arrived. The former cried over the cars' wrecked forms. "These beautiful babies…"
"Be on the lookout, guys." Haylee said through comms. "We got a Were-Car problem."
"Oh yeah. I was infected by one of those once." Bender responded. "It was one of the best times of my life…"
"And it sounds like it's being powered by Overload." Jerome vaguely remembered the electrical monster from the Brotherhood. "Destroy them both!" The Zathurian proceeded further into the shop. There was a flight of rotating display platforms with cars, which would gnash at Jerome when he landed on each platform. He Space Blocked them each time and reached a higher room with a racetrack. Were-Cars were carefreely zooming around it. There were five holo-rings above the track. Jerome hitched a ride on a car and would have to jump between them in going through all the rings. They would open the door leading upstairs to the roof. "I feel bad for the people who do roof maintenance."
"Hahahahaha!" The Were-Car hotrod was zooming circles around the roof; he was thrilled to be out in sunlight! "AAAAAH!" A laser rifle sniped him square in the face. Overload's aura seemed to short-circuit. "Overload! Whatchu doin', man?! I'm fryin' out here!"
"Hurry, Harry!" Artie yelled, positioned on a higher roof with the rifle in question. "While he's stunned!"
Harry slid a phone wire down to the roof and hopped in the Were-Car. "Let's see how ya like some tunes!" He stuck a mixtape into the car and jumped out.
"AAAAHHH!" The car's stereos were booming violently; it was like planting a boombox directly in your brain. "I HATE HIPHOP! GIVE ME SMOOTH JAZZ! AAAAAAHHH!" The car exploded along with Overload's chip.
"The power of Squid Rap strikes again." Harry slipped on some sunglasses, just to tap them smoothly.
A row of Umbrellabots helped Jerome bounce to the base of a stairway, where robo-cats were disturbed from their nap. The infected cats raced down and circled him at high speed. Vweeb watched out for where each cat would lash at him from, shooting them with keen timing. Once they were stunned from his bullets, Jerome zapped them. The stairs led to the pavilion of Basel Institute. A band of Beetle Drones dove at them, but Jerome sliced them out of the air with a N.I.N.S.T.A.R.. Jerome entered the school's foyer, where Recyclomatics were stuffing empty soda cans into students. Jerome dealt them an overturn with the F.L.I.P.S.B.Y..
"Ahhhh." Bender sighed as he and Jenny joined them inside the school. "I remember my old college days. We snuck into a girls' dorm one time,"
"I don't like the sound of this." Jenny said.
"-and saw the hottest malfunctioning computer. I thought her error messages would duplicate forever."
"Rrrrright… Anyway, an acquaintance of ours goes to this school. I hope he's okay." Jenny began blasting Beetle Drones down a right corridor, so Jerome and Bender walked upstairs and proceeded left. There seemed to be a robo-rat problem: the rodents charged at the intruders carrying mousetraps. The metal was sharp enough to penetrate Jerome's shoes, so he whipped the Z.A.P.P. around to quickly subdue them. Vweeb shrank the mousetraps down for safety.
"HEEEY!" a voice called from in one of the rooms. "C-Can someone help here?!"
The boys rushed into the room. "Uhhhhh…"
Howard Wolowitz, a man with bowl-cut brown hair, was sitting in a chair with a blanket over him. A robot arm was on the desk next to him… and was reached under the blanket. "Hey, guys… I got a bit of a problem…"
"Has that arm been infected as well?" Jerome asked.
"N-No, it's… a programming error. It thinks it's turning a screw in space… I wanted it to do something else…"
"…Bender, help him out." Jerome left.
"Yeah, this seems more up your alley." Vweeb agreed.
"Leave it to the best, baby." Bender walked in.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Jerome and Vweeb winced as Howard's pain radiated across the town. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"
"Oh. I thought I was supposed to help the arm." Bender replied.
Jerome exited to the school quad. A chubby student was crawling away on his back from a looming, massive hall monitor robot. It had tank treads and giant arm cannons. "FINAL WARNING! Present hall pass!"
"We don't need hall passes in college! And this isn't a hall!"
"How DARE you correct me! Now you will TASTE MY WRATH!"
The robot threatened to shoot, but just as Jerome rushed to the rescue, the student was already saved by a forcefield. A silver, floating robot was projecting it. It had sharp protrusions on its head and "tail" and a bright blue streak with eyes on its central dark orb. "George, go!" a silver-haired student yelled. "I'll deal with it!" They wore a long silver coat with a black shirt underneath and white tie. Thigh high black boots traveled up their long legs, ending just below their short white shorts, and their dark headphones hung behind their neck.
"Thanks, Quatre!" George fled. (both from Trails)
"F.I.O., X.E.R.O.S., initiate Digamma Driver Mode!" Quatre's black robot dog barked as they leapt onto its back, while the floating drone, F.I.O. became a lance. X.E.R.O.S. galloped around the Hallbot as Quatre thrusted their lance into its back. The Hallbot whipped around and tried to shoot them, but Quatre ducked before swinging F.I.O. up and slicing its left cannon. X.E.R.O.S. pounced the mech so Quatre could stab its head, but the Hallbot batted them away with its right cannon. F.I.O. projected a shield to block its cannon shots. The Hallbot charged toward them, but X.E.R.O.S. galloped to its left as Quatre stabbed its treads, causing it to sparkle and stall. This gave Quatre the edge for a stab through the back of the head, shutting the Hallbot down. (End song.)
Quatre sighed in relief. "Great work, you two." They climbed off X.E.R.O.S. while F.I.O. became a drone again. "Oh, hi there!" Quatre acknowledged Jerome. "Were you here to help?"
"Whoa, neat mechs!" Quatre gasped and turned to F.I.O.: a little white Kateenian was standing on the rim of its orb and rubbing it. "So smooth and polished… What'd ya make them with?"
"Well… with Orbal Tech." Quatre blushed at the praise. "Outside of combat, F.I.O. is great at carrying moderate loads and reading material composition. And X.E.R.O.S. can track scents and… well, anything else a dog does, really."
"I bet your professors are proud to have a brilliant young lady like you!"
"Haha, thanks… but I'm a boy."
"DWAH!" Vweeb fell off F.IO. and hit the ground. "Why are there so many cute guys?!" X.E.R.O.S. picked him up in its mouth.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Mission accomplished!" Jenny announced as she and the Gilligans arrived. "We aren't detecting any more hostiles! Oh, I see you met Quatre!"
"Indeed we have." Jerome smiled. "Are you really a college student? You don't seem much older than us."
"Yeah, I'm only 16. But I've been making droids since I was in kindergarten. And aren't you three the Gilligan siblings? I wouldn't be surprised if you were in colleges of your own."
"As if we had TIME for school." Haylee remarked.
"Quatre helped us out on a few missions, too." Jenny said. "Even helped us find the Mother Chip in Granbell Kingdom."
"Mother Chip?" Vweeb asked.
"Oh, I never got a chance to tell you." Jenny opened a stomach compartment and presented a box. It had six gold, heart-shaped chips with blue digital veins. "My friends and I have been collecting these. These are the keys to finding Motherboard." Jenny explained the legend.
"Amazing!" Artie beamed. "But, about that part about you having kids… We were told robots could already do that."
"Yeah, with other robots. But I… sorta got my eye on a human boy?" Jenny tapped her fingers, glanced away, and blushed. "A-And anyway, I lived with humans for years. I've always wanted to be a part of them. To feel like I have a heart and soul."
"I would think you already have that stuff." Harry said.
"I know, but… it's complicated."
"I think it's a wonderful dream." Quatre smiled. "And I'm rather curious if the legend is true. In fact, I think you'll like what I have to show you, Jenny."
"Yeah?"
Quatre led them into the planetarium, where a large telescope was mounted. Quatre inputted some exact coordinates. "Look." Jenny peered into the lens.
A dreary, gray, almost haunted base sat amid a snowy wasteland. "The Copper Moon?"
"Let me zoom in." Quatre twisted the crank.
The scope closed in on a robotic hand sticking out of a mound of snow. It was holding, "A Mother Chip! It's the last one!"
"Man, this'll be the shortest MacGuffin quest ever." Haylee remarked.
"I mean, we've only been at it for months. This is amazing! Although… Copper is kind of forbidden."
"How come?" asked Artie.
"Something about an accident and… predatorial robots. But I guess we shouldn't think about that with this war going on, huh?"
"Y'know, what kind of wishes can Motherboard grant?" Harry asked. "Besides turning you human?"
"I don't really know, I guess…"
"You're thinkin' maybe we can use her?" Vweeb asked.
"Kind of." Harry shrugged. "Anything that helps us would be nice."
"We shouldn't be too reckless or hopeful about this." Jerome reasoned.
"I can agree, but it sounds exciting!" Haylee replied, her adventurous urges igniting. "Plus, maybe if we find Motherboard, that'll earn the respect of all robots? Which would sorta boost our chances in this war."
"Finding a big treasure like that would incite war." Artie said.
"Let's just find it, anyway! You never know!"
Jenny giggled. "You know, why not? If nothing else, having all seven chips will inspire hope in the robots who want to be human!"
"Well, before you rush off," Quatre began, "anybody hungry? Let's grab a bite in the cafeteria!"
"Human food?!" Artie gasped. "So, it DOES exist here?"
"That does sound lovely." Jerome agreed. His communicator rang. "Sector W7's calling. Probably should update them."
"There you guys are." Bender strolled in, smoking a cigar. "I know I'm a bender, but today I learned I'm not much of a twister."
Howard came scuttling by with a frozen sprained expression, crouched and snipping his fingers like a crab.
Rush Valley
"I mean, we're on an actual planet of robots." Chimney whined as she and Apis walked up a street on the eastern part of town. "We should be talking about all the cool robot stuff! And Aisa would rather talk about her weird interests. Why can't she talk about Shandian stuff? Her freaking culture? I don't get her."
"I don't really either." Apis blushed. "But we've seen it all online for ourselves. I think Aisa's just trying to take pride in it in her own way. All that matters is she's a reliable friend and fun to be around."
"I know she is… but seriously."
"The Third Apocalypse is nearing! Now is the time to repent in the eyes of Robot God!" Apis perked her attention toward the doorstep of a church. There was a short preacher robot whose head looked like an arch-shaped radio, his antenna zigzaggy, and his purple body had an image of sunrays shining from clouds onto fire. "Only then will your souls find salvation, welcome in His Cloud!"
"Excuse me, sir!" Apis ran up. "But, what's a… Robot God?"
"WHAT'S A ROBOT GOD?! My girl, He is the spirit that watches over all the data of robotkind. He is the Cloud our data ascends to when our hardware crumbles. You could say He is Arceus's personal computer!"
"His… personal computer?!"
"But robots with corrupted data, who do not repent for the sin of malfunction, are doomed to become the Robot Devil's fiddles."
"Oi, don't tell me you're buyin' into this malarkey, Apis?"
"Wait, I know the Robot Devil! He's one of the 77 Demon Lords mentioned in the Forbidden Book of Arceus! The one Sipa showed me."
"77 Demon Lords? I never heard of that many!"
"Well, you never listen to my lectures to begin with…"
"I mean, as long as we don't have a mission with them, they're probably not important."
"Mr. Preacherbot, can I learn more about this Robot God?"
"My girl, Robot God welcomes all users to His livestream!"
"Welp, going back to Aisa!" And Chimney walked away.
Sector W7 had just finished calling Team Jerome, briefing each other on their progress. "Really?!" Penny exclaimed. "Quatre already found the last Mother Chip?!"
"I believe he said he deduced its location." Pino corrected.
"We should go look for it together!" Aisa cheered.
"Don't we have a mission to do?" Miguel asked.
"Come on, Miguel, doesn't it sound cool? Since we're here, we might as well go meet this Motherboard!"
"Yeah! Can we go, April?" Mary asked. "Or… would it be bad?"
"Well… I'm curious about it. But if Motherboard can grant the wishes of robots, I'm worried if our enemies could…"
"Uh, GUYS?" Alphonse alerted them. "WE HAVE COMPANY!"
A small army of Disneybots marched through the town gates. The operatives discarded their relaxation and luxury, arming their selves before the inevitable threats. Senator Armstrong led them: the muscular politician raised a megaphone as his authoritative voice enveloped the town. "Kids Next Door agents of Planet Earth, ya'll are under arrest for crimes against Galactic Council and destruction of MomCorp property!"
"Man, that guy's got a bigger mouth than Chimney." Aisa said.
"What? Who does?" Chimney returned. "Who is that guy?"
"Scanning." Pino said. "Accessing data files. He is… Coruscant Senator Steven Armstrong. After the fall of Tachyon, he became MomCorp's primary benefactor in the government."
"You can't just barge in here and start yelling out arrest warrants, old man!" Edward yelled. "Just what do you plan to do if they don't come quietly? Have your Disneybots shoot up the whole town?"
"Hey, you're the ones who brought trouble to this scrap heap of a town." Armstrong said with a tap of his cigar. "So, we gonna make this easy, little kiddies?"
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A LITTLE KITTY," Edward became frantic as Al restrained him, "YOU BIG FAT BULLDOG!"
"Sorry, but you're not taking us today." Mocha clenched her fists. "We're here to put those cheap robots out of business."
Armstrong smirked. "I was hopin' you would. Disneybots, CHAAAARGE!"
"Time to put our new skills to use!" Aisa drew her new Tek Bow and took aim at the Meridabots. Dodging their own arrows, Aisa sniped the frizzy-haired robots in the noggin. "Hopefully, Panini won't be mad about me killing her ancestor."
Chimney dashed toward a platoon of Moana and Arielbots (the mermaids were floating with bubble tech). Using her new Pulser Gauntlets, Chimney thrusted her palms and cracked the robots' necks with intense blasts of water. The Moanabots fought back with similar blasters while the Arielbots Torpedo Spun into her. Aeincha swiftly evaded the extendable hair of Rapunzelbots, sheering them with her dragonfly wings. Even she wouldn't bother to cuddle in their dull hair!
Miguel tried to surf a Song Road between the mechs and confuse them—but the wave from his electric guitar was too intense, so he wound up plopped onto the ground. "I don't think I'm used to this! AAAH!" Some Aladdin, Hercules, and Peter Panbots raised their swords above him, but April moved quickly to stamp pink holo-paint on the robots.
"Statistics changed to… 100% zero…" The Hercbots sank.
"Riffraff…street rat… I buy that." The Aladdinbots moaned.
"I don't believe in anything…" The Panbots bowed.
"Look, Pino!" Penny was approached by a group of Pinocchiobots. "It's Pinocchio! I can't believe we're meeting him! AAAAH!" They thrusted sharp needles from their extendable noses.
"They're not real, they're just soulless Disney models!" Pino yelled. "Throw me to that group over there and I'll EMP them!" Penny did so, and 20 robots were rendered immobile with an electrical explosion. Penny extracted her Floating Array to slice the Pinocchios' noses. A group of Alicebots gigantified to try and swat Penny out of the air, but by spinning her blades like a pinwheel, it was off with the Alices' heads!
"ROOOOAAAAAR!" A massive, mecha Cerberus came storming into the plaza. At first, the operatives thought it was an enemy… until they saw Apis riding it. "GUYS, check it out!" the Arceist called. "The Robot Church had this in the basement!"
"We were keeping that minion of the Robot Devil imprisoned!" The Preacherbot was flailing from the Cerberus' tail. "To be able to tame this beast, you must be a servant of evil! AAAAH!" It flung him away.
Apis commanded the beast with her new headband, gnashing and crunching some Cinderella and Jasminebots. "Bah!" Armstrong threw his cigar to the floor and stomped it. "Clearly, MomCorp ain't spending its budget well enough! 'Guess I'll have to do this myself." Hardening his arm to a shiny black with white muscle veins, Armstrong kicked forth and sent the Cerberus on its back with a solid uppercut. (Play "Rules of Nature" from Metal Gear Rising!)
"AAAAAH!" Apis went flying from the impact, but was saved in a pair of giant gloves. "Thanks, Atlas!" The giant robot used her jetpack to catch her in the air. Atlas returned her gratitude with a sweet smile.
"Nothing like a politician with bark to his bite." Edward said.
"Leave him to me." Mocha hardened her arms. "We'll see whose Haki is better!" The earth rumbled as she stormed the senator, throwing her right fist down. Armstrong opened his arms and grabbed the fist, his shoes scraping the ground a short distance. Dumbstruck, Mocha was lifted off her feet and thrown toward one of the small mountain peaks outside town. The jaws of her teammates hit the ground, watching as Armstrong leapt after the Amazon. Mocha gasped and pushed herself off, falling down the peak before his impact landed. Armstrong shot downward with legs outstretched. Mocha channeled more chi to her fist and struck him. There was a moment of resistance, but the senator went flying into the base of another peak.
He climbed out of the dust as his whole upper torso grew hardened. "Something's wrong." Mocha said. "That doesn't feel like Haki."
"NANOMACHINES, SON!" Armstrong exclaimed. "The latest and greatest combat models! They respond to physical trauma and grow stronger! And I don't even have to wear out my chi doing it! You Haki masters are about to go obsolete!" He kicked off the ground, lunging at Mocha like a jet, until another jet intercepted him: Atlas.
She crashed Armstrong into a short cliff and pummeled him with spring-loaded fists. "Just how long can those machines hold up to a REAL fighter?!"
"Like some oversized theme park toy can suffice!" Armstrong sent Atlas flying with a sock in the jaw. He crossed arms in defense as Mocha leapt over with a momentous fist. Armstrong pressed into the ground in his struggle to resist it, afterwards smacking Mocha's arm away and leaping to punch her gut. Mocha fell down the sloped cliff, but as Armstrong fell after her, she threw punches to counter his. Their fists were nearly equal and vibrated the air. The repetitive impacts kept Armstrong airborne, but Mocha would break this pattern and surprise him: she channeled Haki to her ankle, flipped, and banished the senator with a solid kick. When he was trying to recover, Atlas suddenly dropped down and crushed him beneath her boot.
In town, some Snow Whitebots threw open their dresses, releasing a swarm of robot animals that formed from nanomachines. "UUAAAAAAAA-AA-AA-AAH!" They bellowed the same voice that the Shrek Snow White used, the animals stampeding at the operatives. However, Apis used her headband to transmit her telepathy over the machines, turning them against their masters.
"Why do the Snow Whites have tan skin?" she wondered. "And the Arielbots, too?"
"Disney probably trying to rebrand them." April figured. "Guys, I know we just got here, but I think we should leave! We don't wanna drag this town into this mess."
"You don't gotta tell me twice!" Chimney said. "Everyone, to my baby!"
The operatives raced out to the parked R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N., clearing the way of Disneybots. "Oh, nuts!" Ed cursed: there was a hulking, armored man guarding the train, his right arm a machinegun.
"Oi, Fatman." Another man spoke, showing himself atop the train roof. "Did Armstrong really drag us out here for a bunch of twerps? They look like they're still in diapers." He was short and crouched, wearing a green coat, with a tan face and spiky blonde hair. (Both are from Spriggan.)
"Don't underestimate them, Little Boy. They're Earth's second-strongest sector."
"OI! What're you doing on my baby?!" Chimney shouted. "Who do you think you are?!"
"We're from the Machiners Platoon." Fatman replied. "And this is the end of the road for you."
"Let's take out the scrap first!" Little Boy lashed eight thin, steel wires, wrapping Alphonse and SLICING him to pieces.
"AAAAHH!" the girls screamed. "AL'S DEEEAAAD!"
"It's okay! I'm okay!" One of Al's back pieces wobbled. "My memory chip's right here!"
"Who's next?!" Little Boy lashed his wires at Chimney—Aisa ran in and grabbed her friend, using her Haki to help Chimney flip and dodge at the right angles.
Little Boy lashed at them once more, but his wires were diced by Penny's Array. "You won't hurt my new friends!" She blew the soldier several yards away with a beam. Little Boy used nanomachines to repair his wires, rushing back to the train with super speed, but Penny intercepted and clashed swords against his wires. Edward turned his arm into a shield to deflect Fatman's bullets, but the massive soldier charged into him using the wheels in his heels. Ed brought up his mechanical leg, extracting a blade from his heel and stabbing Fatman in the knee. The soldier yelled out in pain and veered off balance, enabling Ed to punch him in the face.
"Oi…you saved my life, Aisa-chan."
"That's what good teammates do!" Aisa grinned. "So, hurry and get that train rollin'!"
Armstrong shoved Atlas off and into the air, but the giant mech redirected herself down with her jetpacks. She seized Armstrong in her hand, but though the senator was on the verge of escaping, Mocha locked her hand over Atlas'. "SUPER AMAZON HANDSHAKE!" They clenched and shook hands with extreme tightness, hearing Armstrong let out a strained grunt. The giants were blown apart: Armstrong's veins were pulsating with greater fury. Armstrong showed Mocha his fury, her giant knuckles aching against his smaller ones. Armstrong directed a blow at her legs toppling the Amazon, afterwards striking her in the jaw. She gave her jaw a strong layer of Haki defense, but she almost felt it dislocate.
While he was attacking Mocha, Atlas had been spinning her arm, building power before sending Armstrong flying! Atlas ran to Mocha's aid, helping her to stand. "You alright?"
"Just a few cracked bones." Mocha smirked. "Uh-oh!" They whipped around, hearing Armstrong blast toward them. Mocha thrusted both hardened palms, but Armstrong's force bent her arms in and blew her several yards. He then grabbed Atlas' boot and slammed her into the ground five times before throwing her at Mocha. Mocha's face creased up in sympathy as Atlas' artificial face was bent out of shape like melted clay, her left eye twisted on its side. She saw Armstrong leaping to smash their heads into each other.
Mocha quickly rolled Atlas aside and stopped him with her hardened fist. She felt her arm threatening to bend in on itself again… but she sucked in the pain and kept pushing back. It shouldn't matter how strong his nanomachines got. Willpower should always triumph over technology. Mocha fought way stronger opponents than this… For Maddy, for the Amazons, and for her friends, her Haki would stand true!
"AAAAAHH!" Armstrong roared as Mocha's power sent him away. Mocha panted, rising to her feet as victory and pride filled her features. Armstrong rose, holding his sprained right arm. It seemed his nanomachines were malfunctioning from overwork. They heard an engine roaring and saw the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. rising. "Those clowns were supposed to keep that thing grounded! Can't anyone do their jobs right around here?!" Armstrong dashed in the train's direction.
"Mocha!" Atlas stretched her jetpacks and swooped by, grabbing Mocha's arm and lifting her off the ground. "I'll hold him back so the rest of you can get away!"
"No! We should try to take him together!"
"Your friends will need your strength more. Besides, I can't let you show me up! I have to show both of you that I'm strong!"
"Hahaha! Then let's have a match after this is all done!"
Armstrong performed a tremendous leap, surpassing the altitude of the R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N.. "AAAAHH!" The operatives screamed as his descent bent the front of the train down. He rapidly pummeled the roof, denting it enough so that he could force his fingers through and begin to rip it open. "OI!" Chimney shouted, her teammates bracing their selves for battle. "I'm fining you for any damages to my train!"
"This old thing's due for the scrap heap! GAAAAH!" Atlas swung Mocha, her hardened leg banishing Armstrong from the train. The robot set her fellow giant on the train.
Mocha peeped into the torn hole, smiling at her friends. "Don't you love those clichés where the passenger gets on the train as it's started moving?"
"Don't we ever!" Aeincha cheered. "Hurry and get in, you big load of cargo!"
"Atlas, protect Ed and Penny for us!" Pino yelled.
"I will! Good luck!" Atlas soared down after Armstrong. To fend off this nanomachine monster, she needed to muster the same will Mocha showed her.
Pino's bunny ears twitched, picking up a transmission. "Oh! Friends, I'm receiving a message from Arale!"
"Arale?" Aeincha remembered the name of Sector Prime's other teammate.
"There's a big boat waaaaaay up in the sky!" Arale's voice sang. "I see lots of friends onboard! Why didn't they invite me? I'm gonna jump on, n'chaaaaaaaa!"
"She sent me a picture." Pino displayed the image with her eyes. It was a massive spaceship labeled the Nimbus. "I believe this is a Galactic Army flagship."
"That means it's our enemy!" Chimney shouted. "I say we shoot it down!"
"But it sounds like operatives are trapped up there!" Apis reminded. "Either way, it's probably here to support MomCorp. That senator might've come on it, too. If we're gonna capture Mom, we'll have to take it out."
"Right then! Buckle in, girls, our next stop's the Nimbus!"
Would you believe I took a two-year break from this story to write Third Gen Tales? I know I shouldn't have done it so suddenly, but I'm quite proud of where Third Gen is now. So, let's at least get through an arc or two of this.