A glitchy hum filled the air, cutting through the moment, pulling my attention away. My instincts immediately screamed at me that something was wrong.
I turned just in time to see the mechanical figure of Fizzaroli stumbling toward me, his unnerving smile distorted by the static emanating from his body. His eyes, usually filled with cartoonish glee, were now narrowed in spiteful anger, flickering with a sickly green glow.
"You think you can just waltz off after ruining my performance, Blitzo?" His voice crackled through his robotic frame, sharp with distortion. "You've got some nerve."
I felt the temperature drop. The amusement park's chaotic hum seemed to die down around us, as if the world itself knew the fire of the past was about to be settled here.
I didn't flinch. But past blitz took over just a bit, flaring my anger. "Well, I'm not about to stand here all day listening to your malfunctioning karaoke, Fizz. Take a hint."
Fizzaroli's limbs twitched, his smile growing. Metal arms elongating like rubber bands snapping back into place, stretching towards me with unsettling speed.
"You always think you can escape," he snarled, his voice grating through the static. "Not this time, Blitzo!"
I reacted fast, ducking just as one of his mechanical limbs shot toward me. It grazed the air where I'd been standing, leaving a streak of sparks in its wake. Before he could pull back, I was already moving, rolling to the side and drawing my knife with a practiced flick of my wrist.
"You sure you wanna keep this up, Fizz?" I taunted, a grin tugging at my lips despite the situation. "You're looking a little... off, don't you think?"
He growled, re-extending his limbs to wrap around me, his mechanical arms coiling like snakes. His movements were erratic, unstable. Still, he was fast. Too fast.
I slashed at one of the limbs coming toward me, the knife cutting through it like butter, sending sparks flying as the severed hand fell to the ground with a clatter.
"Not bad, huh?" I muttered under my breath, already back on my feet and ready for his next move. But Fizzaroli wasn't done yet.
His body jerked violently, his arms extending further, longer. "You think you can just cut me down like that? You don't know who you're dealing with!"
Fizzaroli launched another series of attacks—wild and unpredictable. One arm stretched so far that it seemed to wrap around me entirely, the thick metallic coil aiming to crush me against the ground.
I reacted quickly, twisting out of the way, narrowly avoiding the grip of his limb. The air around me buzzed with the sound of his arms stretching again, but I was ready.
With a quick motion, I grabbed the shotgun from my side, pumping it with a sharp click. I turned, dodging the next flurry of attack, firing point-blank into the nearest of Fizzaroli's limbs, sending a blast of force that sent the appendage flying off, torn to shreds in a cloud of sparks.
"You can barely hold it together, Fizz," I smirked, watching the last of his arms recoil vigorously as the damage took hold.
Fizzaroli hissed through the static in his voice. "You think that's going to stop me? I'll stretch your ass into oblivion!"
His remaining limb lashed out in a frenzy, but I was quicker. My knife cut through the air, slashing at the vulnerable joints of his robotic arm. One by one, It started to buckle, unable to stretch any longer without snapping.
Fizzaroli staggered back, clearly disoriented, his body glitching as sparks shot from his broken limbs. He swung again, but this time, I was already. Doing his final stand, his legs and arm flailing and rapping around me, I was already there—firing my shotgun point-blank into his chest, hitting the core of his system. The blast rocked him backward, causing him to glitch violently as sparks and smoke billowed from the gaping wound.
"You really should've stayed in the garage, Fizz," I muttered, moving in to finish this. I raised the shotgun again, aiming at the malfunctioning core. But Fizzaroli wasn't done. His limbs twitched one last time, his arm stretching backwards in a desperate, erratic final effort.
I wasn't about to let him get the last word. With a swift motion, I slashed through the remains of his arm as it reached the tent of the play catching it on fire. The final blow landed square in the center of his core—another shot, another blast of power that left him twitching on the ground, his body starting to malfunction beyond repair.
Fizzaroli groaned one last time as his form collapsed to the ground in a heap of broken limbs and twisted metal. Sparks and smoke continued to hiss from his remains.
"Well, that's that," I said, wiping the sweat off my brow as I holstered my knife and shotgun. I turned back to Stolas and Octavia, who had watched the whole spectacle unfold before them. Stolas was silent, her eyes wide, while Octavia seemed to take a moment to process the fight.
"Blitz..." Stolas began, her voice a mix of admiration and confusion. "I had no idea you were capable of such.." She began flirting but stopped to look over still focus on her main goal.
I shrugged, glancing over at Octavia. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."
Octavia didn't respond immediately, but I saw the faintest shift in her posture, a softening around the edges of her cold exterior. She wasn't looking at me, but something had changed in her gaze, something that said maybe, just maybe—she was seeing me in a new light.
Stolas took a hesitant step toward her, his voice quieter now, filled with sincerity. "Octavia... I'm sorry. I haven't been the father you needed. But I want to try. I'm willing to try harder. For you."
She didn't say anything right away, but I noticed the small twitch of her lips—a sign that she was considering his words.
I stepped back, giving them their space. There was no need to push it any further. My work here was done.
I.M.P's first VIP mission went without issue, turning to walk away, I saw Millie and Moxxie trying to put out the fire, I couldn't help but glance back one last time. Fizzaroli was a twisted heap of malfunctioning scrap, his arms still twitching as his system finally gave out.
I couldn't help but wonder how my interactions with the real Fizz would go, but I knew I was fully capable of handling myself. Regardless of how our conversation would start Id make sure to become allies with him again.