New Orleans
"Kageki!
Senshi! Trick! Wake up!"
Cog's tiny,
mechanical voice only barely managed to pierce the
crackle of the raging fire to reach Senshi's ears. He
looked down at his own body, aghast - a thick piece
of wood had pierced his stomach, and blood gushed
from the edges of the hole it had torn through his
body - and the wood itself burned brilliantly, just
like everything else around him.
'Hey, Pizza!' lay in
ruins, and shattered brick and concrete from nearby
buildings had also spilled into what was once a
successful pizza restaurant undergoing renovations.
Pain and heat flooded through Senshi's body, and he
could not find the strength - or, in the face of
coming doom, the motivation - to respond.
"Senshi!"
There was a bright
green flash and, suddenly, the flames and the
wreckage faded. Purple energy sputtered, crackled and
fizzled into nothingness, and the sudden burst of
green light vanished with it.
The pain, the
massive wound, the burns - all were gone, and aside
from his own memory, Senshi could find no evidence
that they had ever been there.
"What...?"
he wondered.
"Senshi!"
Cog cried. "I was so worried!"
The two-inch tall
robot stood in the corner of the room, directly
opposite Senshi. On each side of Senshi was another
man - to his left was the teenaged Kageki who, like
Senshi, was wearing a form-fitting, protective
robosuit; to his right was the adult Trick Star, the
owner of 'Hey, Pizza!'.
"The
flames..." Senshi gasped. "Doctor
Brachis...?"
"Doctor Brachis
was taken by Ranshin Robo!" Cog explained.
"She dropped me just before they teleported
away!"
"But the
flames! What about the flames!?" Senshi shouted.
His chest was tightening; panic was setting in.
Something was very wrong.
"Is that what
you saw?" Cog asked. "There were never any
flames here. Ranshin Robo used ansuz energy to
attack you - whatever you saw was just in your
mind!"
"I felt
it!" Senshi protested. "I felt the heat,
and the pain!"
Cog shrugged.
"That's the way
ansuz energy works!"
"We need to -
" Senshi stopped himself mid-sentence. Ansuz
energy? he wondered. Sorceress Miko used an ansuz
vial on me, to heal my wounds... what does that
mean?
"We need to
save Doctor Brachis!" he finished finally.
Kageki and Trick,
still standing beside him, were gasping for breath.
Clearly, they had experienced the same nightmare he
had. They were not going to be much use to him.
"There's a
bigger problem!" Cog told him. "A giant
robot just appeared in the middle of New Orleans, and
I still can't contact the other Robomen!"
The other Robomen?
Senshi thought. That's... right. I'm a
Roboman now. Black Robo.
He looked at Kageki.
"Are you
alright?" he asked.
Kageki nodded
slowly.
"I can't even
remember the pain now..." he replied. His hands
were shaking.
"Good, because
we're going to need all our wits about us if we're
going to save your friends," Senshi said. He
straightened his back and glanced at Trick, who also
seemed to have recovered. "Cog, do you know
where they are?"
"I can track
all of Doctor Nagura's technology!" Cog told
him. "Right now, all three of the Robomen are...
inside the robot!"
"What?"
Trick asked. "Are they controlling it?
Prisoners? What?"
"I don't
know!" Cog responded. "But the robot is
starting to move!"
"We need to
stop it," Senshi said simply. "We need some
weap - "
"Wait!"
Cog interrupted. "Several Gears have appeared
near the robot, and it stopped moving! Doctor Brachis
said that Doctor Nagura built a robot like the one
I'm detecting now, and Director Satoshi was the one
who designed the Gears. Maybe they're fighting over
something!"
"Good."
Senshi nodded. "That gives us time to prepare.
Cog, we need some weapons - and we need to know what
else these robosuits can do."
"You already
have weapons!" Cog explained. "You don't
have Robo Rifles like the other Robomen, but your
Alert Bracers have built-in weapons systems that work
the same way. You can activate them by pointing them
at your target, pressing '0' and saying Alert
Beam."
Senshi and Kageki
nodded.
"What
else?"
Ranshin Robo kept
his tight hold around Rose Brachis' neck, and
although she struggled, she knew that the robot was
not going to relax its grip. The razor-sharp,
corkscrew-shaped tips of its fingers repeatedly
scratched across the surface of her skin, reminding
her how easy it would be, if she struggled any more
fervently, for the robot to tear through her throat.
What can I do? she
wondered. The Robomen are here, but they're
unconscious... or worse! I can't even get to them to
see if they're alive... damn you, Scott!
"LET ME
GO!" she shouted at Ranshin Robo - and, to her
surprise, it did.
Its fingers pulled
away from her throat and the robot took several steps
back, then pressed its palms against the side of its
head and dropped to its knees.
"He's watching
me!" it shouted. "He's watching me!
He's watching all of us! You, too!" It
scurried across the floor and threw its arms around
Brachis' legs. "Can't you hear him? He's
everywhere!"
Brachis shook her
head.
"There's nobody
else here," she told it. "Only you, me,
Tejina Robo and the Robomen."
"And the
director!" Ranshin Robo's eyes darted quickly
from side-to-side, seemingly scanning the dark room.
"What director?
Director Satoshi?" Brachis said.
"Are you trying to tell me he can see and hear
inside this room?"
Ranshin Robo nodded
vigorously.
"His eyes and
ears are everywhere! He can hear us now! He will be
coming soon, coming for all of us! I can hear him
speaking now, sending his servants to destroy
us!"
Great, Brachis
thought. As if being trapped in here wasn't bad
enough, now I have a crazy robot and Satoshi to deal
with. I need to get these Robomen up and on side.
"Let go of my
legs."
Ranshin Robo nodded
and released its grasp. It hurried into the corner of
the room and cowered like a scared dog.
Brachis shook her
head and took a quick look around the room. There was
very little light, and where it came from she did not
know; the walls, floors and ceiling were perfectly
smooth and sealed - she could not even see a camera
or speaker set into their surfaces.
Still, by the light,
she could make out the unmoving forms of the three
captured Robomen. Thankfully, they still wore their
robosuits. She rushed to Sei's side and slapped the
young man's face. He did not move, so she tried
again. Suddenly, his eyes sprang open and he bolted
upright.
"Jigenseisokuka
Robo!" Sei gasped. "My - " He paused
as, slowly, he realised he was somewhere other than
the site of his battle with Jigenseisokuka Robo. He
turned his head and saw the other Robomen, the
cowering Ranshin Robo and defeated Tejina Robo,
before his eyes settled on Doctor Brachis beside him.
"Doctor Brachis? Where are we?"
"We are inside
a robot called Katrina, in the middle of New
Orleans," Brachis explained. "It was built
by Doctor Nagura, who intends to use it to destroy us
and this city."
"I do not
understand," Sei said. "Why would Doctor
Nagura wish to destroy us?"
"He's gone
insane. Director Satoshi captured him and had Jinsei
insert an implant which slowly turned him into a
robot. Somehow, it also affected his mind - he thinks
he has been betrayed by your group, and that
Sorceress Miko has killed his son."
"Nagura Ian is
nearby." Sei pointed to Ikku's unconscious body.
"If he is dead, it appears it is at Doctor
Nagura's hands, not those of Sorceress Miko."
"Like I said,
he's insane," Brachis repeated. "However,
we're trapped - and there are two possibly deadly
robots in here with us. We need to wake up the
others."
Sei nodded and
pulled himself to his feet. He took several steps
across the floor and kneeled next to Ikku.
"Tend to Miss
Sato," he told Brachis. Brachis nodded and
approached Kiko's body. "Nagura Ian seems to
have been only mildly injured. His face is scratched
and bruised, but he will recover." He lifted
Ikku by the shoulders and shook him roughly.
"Wake up!"
Ikku's eyes slowly
opened and he stared up at Sei. His injuries were
worse than Sei could tell - beneath his robosuit,
which had itself been badly damaged before repairing
itself, were numerous deep wounds and cuts. His whole
body hurt, but he tried not to let it show; still, he
could not help his eyelids from dropping back down as
his body screamed for him to lose consciousness
again.
"RED
ROBO!" Sei shouted. "WAKE UP!"
Ikku's eyes shot
open again and he quickly pulled himself away from
Sei. He rubbed at his bruised forehead and groaned.
"Where...?"
he looked around the featureless room and saw Kiko
also beginning to rise.
"The girl's arm
is broken, but otherwise she's fine," Brachis
said.
"Good for
me," Kiko rubbed her sore arm. "Who are
you?"
"Doctor Rose
Brachis," Sei answered before Brachis could.
"You're the one
who sent Cog to us!" Kiko exclaimed. "And
the one who had secret conversations with Sei while
we ran for our lives..."
"Wait..."
Ikku said slowly. "Cog told us that you and my
father were somewhere safe, and waiting for the
chance to contact us. If you're here, where is he?"
"Scott is -
" Brachis began.
"Doctor Nagura
is still in hiding," Sei interrupted. "We
are being held captive by a robot sent by Director
Satoshi. Doctor Brachis tried to save us, and was
herself captured."
Ikku looked at his
body and saw that he still wore his bulky Alert
Bracer, and that his Robo Rifle was still holstered
at his side. He looked at Sei and Kiko, who had also
retained their equipment.
"Then let's get
out of here, stop Satoshi and get to my father!"
he cried. "Sei! Can you teleport us?"
Sei reached down to
the small pocket sewn into the right leg of his blue
robosuit and felt inside. It was empty.
"My eternity
shards have been taken," he said.
"Mine,
too," Kiko added.
"Then we'll
have to bust our way out!" Ikku said. He pointed
to one of the walls as he stood, and Sei and Kiko
joined him. "Robo Rifles." They each
reached for their weapon and aimed it at the wall.
They squeezed the triggers, but nothing seemed to
happen.
"They've
disabled our Robo Rifles!" Kiko cried.
"We do not know
that," Sei argued. "The energy emitted by
the Robo Rifles is invisible. The wall may simply be
too strong for their power."
"Well, what do
we do now?" Kiko asked.
Sei turned to Doctor
Brachis.
"How were you
brought into this room, Doctor Brachis?" he
asked.
Brachis pointed at
Ranshin Robo, who was still cowering in a corner near
Tejina Robo.
"That robot
teleported me in," she said.
"Then it must
be equipped with raido shards." Sei
levelled his Robo Rifle at Ranshin Robo's body.
"If we destroy it, and recover the shards, I can
teleport us to safety."
"No,
wait!" Brachis rushed to place herself between
Sei and Ranshin Robo. "Ranshin Robo seems to be
able to hear what Satoshi is saying. It's too
valuable." She pointed at Sei's Alert Bracer.
"If your Alert Bracer still works, you can use
it to contact Cog, and she can send help."
"Who can help
us?" Ikku asked.
Brachis grinned.
"The two new
Robomen."
Amy pushed through
the front door of 'Hey, Pizza!' and rushed inside,
panting heavily. She had run a long way, from the
site of Ikku's battle with Ranma Robo earlier in the
day, through the streets - getting lost twice -
before finally finding the restaurant he had urged
her to go to.
As she entered she
saw three men staring at her - two, like Ikku, were
wearing skintight robosuits - one black, one green.
The other wore a black t-shirt and trousers, but all
seemed surprised by her hurried entry into the store
that, from the outside, clearly appeared closed for
reservations.
"Can I... help
you?" Trick asked.
"YES!" Amy
cried. "Ikku sent me! I saw him turn into one of
the Robomen from TV and he fought a robot called
Ranma Robo which trapped him in a cage and then they
teleported away but before he vanished he told me to
come here and - "
"Slow
down," Trick told her. "You saw one of the
Robomen get captured by a robot?"
Amy nodded.
"Ikku. He's
your friend, right? He was wearing a suit like those
- " she pointed at Senshi and Kageki "-
under his clothes."
"If the Robomen
have been captured, that explains why I couldn't
contact them on their Alert Bracers!" Cog said,
and Amy noticed the tiny robot for the first time.
"But I can sense all of Doctor Nagura's
technology, and I can't find them!"
"Hello?"
Amy called out. "I saw one of your friends get
caught! Can you reassure me or something,
please?"
"Sorry!"
Kageki exclaimed. He ran to the corner of the room
and retrieved a chair, then hurried to Amy and
insisted she sit down. "We're new to this!"
"I can
tell," Amy told him. She sat down and Kageki
hurried off, but returned with a glass of water.
"Are you
okay?" he asked.
Amy nodded.
"Ikku protected me."
"We can't spend
time looking for them," Senshi returned to the
matter at hand. "Cog, you mentioned a giant
robot in New Orleans - we need to attend to
that first. There's no point saving your friends only
to have them destroyed with the rest of the
city."
"You can't stop
it alone!" Cog told him. "Your weapons
aren't strong enough! You need Gattai Robo!"
"We can try!"
Kageki said enthusiastically.
"Cog?"
No-one else in the
restaurant heard Sei's voice - unlike the others, Cog
did not wear an Alert Bracer. Instead, the receiver
was built directly into her body.
"Sei!" she
cried. "Where are you?"
"We have
been captured by Director Satoshi and are being held
inside a robot in New Orleans. Can you teleport to
our location and release us?"
"Director
Satoshi?" Cog repeated. "But Doctor Brachis
said - "
"Can you
teleport to our location and release us?"
Sei asked again.
"No!" Cog
told him. "I don't have enough raido energy.
I could teleport to you, but I couldn't teleport
us back out!"
"Can you
bring us eternity shards?"
"We don't have
any!" Cog reminded him. "But..."
"Doctor
Brachis has informed us that there are two new
Robomen with you. Can they rescue us?"
"I will -
wait!" Cog closed her eyes for a long moment;
when she opened them, they were wider than usual.
"Dozens of Gears have just appeared at the base
of the giant robot!"
"Director
Satoshi must be preparing his assault."
Director
Satoshi? Cog thought. Why does he keep
saying that?
"We need to
deal with the immediate problem!" Senshi said.
"We will take care of the Gears and do what we
can to stop the other robot. Cog, let us know when
you have found a way for us to rescue your
friends."
He tapped Kageki on
the shoulder and motioned for him to follow.
"Wait!"
Trick called after them. "Kageki - "
"I'm sorry,
Trick-san!" Kageki called back. "I have to
help!"
Trick nodded.
"Okay, then -
but be careful."
Kageki smiled and
followed Senshi out of the store as Cog turned to
Trick.
"We need more eternity
shards!" she said. "Especially raido
shards, but kenez and jera too,
if Gattai Robo is going to fight this new
robot!"
"What are eternity
shards?" Amy asked. "Is that the
bright stuff that Ranma Robo used to trap Ikku and
teleport him away?"
Trick looked at Cog.
"She already
knows who they are," he said.
Cog nodded.
"Exactly!"
she told Amy.
"I... think I
know where I can get some," Amy said. "I've
seen the blue ones before."
"I'll go with
you," Trick told her.
Amy shook her head.
"No. I have to
go alone."
"The blue ones
are raido shards!" Cog told her.
"They're the ones we need the most, but we need
anything you can get!"
Amy nodded.
"I'll do my
best." She turned and made her way towards the
door.
"Wait,"
Trick called after her. "Who are you? What's
your name?"
"I'm Amy. Amy
Seaward," she said. "I'm Kiko's boss. I
guess she's a Roboman, too."
Trick nodded.
"Thanks for
your help, Amy."
Amy nodded back and
rushed along the street outside. When she was gone,
Trick addressed Cog once again.
"Do you think
we can trust her?" he asked.
"Do we have any
choice?"
Kageki and Senshi
stopped at a street corner and Kageki scratched his
head thoughtfully.
"Maybe we
should have asked Cog where the giant robot
was?" he suggested.
"It's a giant
robot," Senshi replied. "It can't be that
hard to find!"
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
They heard the
drawn-out scream long before they saw the mob rushing
down the street towards them. Behind them, moving
quickly, were several Gears - both Kageki and Senshi
recognised them easily; human-shaped robots made of a
variety of components, no two Gears looked alike.
Gears had attacked
the city more than once, the first time being to help
Buki Robo in his own attack. It was then that Kageki
and Senshi had tried to fight the invading robots
without the benefit of the robosuits they now wore,
and Senshi had been forced to save Kageki's life.
"Let's
go," Senshi said.
"Robo Change!"
Jagged metal pieces
pierced the porous fabric of their robosuits to give
each man a thick silver chestplate, helmet, gloves
and boots. As Black Robo and Green Robo they hurried
through the crowd of panicked citizens and faced the
Gears, with their Alert Bracers raised and ready.
"Alert
Beam!" they shouted in unison. Their
Alert Bracers did not seem to do anything, but the
Gears at which they were pointed collapsed and
exploded as soon as they touched the ground. Again
and again Kageki and Senshi aimed their Alert Bracers
at the Gears and fired until, after only a few
moments, they had all been destroyed.
"We must be
close," Senshi said. "Come on!"
They hurried forward
and rounded the corner around which the crowd had
fled and saw something that shocked them both. Cog's
'dozens' of Gears had multiplied into the hundreds
and still surrounded the giant robot, which the two
Robomen saw in full view.
It was a humanoid
woman, with clearly-defined breasts and long, still
hair made from thick cylinders of metal. The Gears
scrambled across the robot's feet and up its legs,
and although the larger robot tried repeatedly to
shake them free, any Gears that fell immediately
started to climb up again.
"What's going
on?" Kageki asked.
"I don't
know," Senshi admitted. "It looks like
Director Satoshi isn't happy about Doctor Nagura
attacking New Orleans and is trying to stop
him."
"What should we
do?"
"We can't fight
them all, at least not without a plan. For now, let's
just pull back and see what happens."
Inside the cockpit
of the giant robot - which was, really, a room
containing nothing more than a single chair and an
attached control stick - sat Doctor Nagura. His skin
was completely covered by the metal coating that had
started to emerge after he was first brought to
Blizzard Base Zero, and he stared grimly through the
robot's eyes at the chaos below.
"My master
attacks me!" he cried. "Why would Director
Satoshi do this? I have done nothing but help him. He
is my master!" He moved the control stick to try
to shake the Gears free of the giant robot's legs.
"Why would he stop my Katrina from destroying
this city, and his enemies within it?"
He sighed.
He moved the control
stick again, and Katrina's left arm lashed out,
striking the nearest building. Debris spilled onto
the road below, and then Katrina began to walk,
oblivious to everything in its path - only the Gears,
weighing down Katrina's feet, managed to keep the
massive robot from obliterating the city.
They dragged it
down, making it easier for Doctor Nagura to stick to
the deserted roads as he sought his target. The
Robomen were his captives, as was Doctor Brachis; he
knew that that left only one goal, one enemy in his
way - Sorceress Miko - and he knew where she lived.
He forced Katrina
through the streets, with the Gears always in the way
and Senshi and Kageki hurrying along behind him
until, finally, he stood where he thought he would
find his most hated of enemies - the one who killed
his son.
There was nothing
there. The home that had once been Miko's had been
replaced by a dank and dense swamp. He paused, and
turned Katrina's head to survey the area - there was
nothing, not even a scrap of wood, to show that a
house had ever even been there.
Elsewhere inside
Katrina, the Robomen and Doctor Brachis pressed
themselves against the smooth walls, which jerked
violently every time the robot moved. When Katrina
stopped, they recovered themselves and tried again to
contact Cog with their Alert Bracers, but stopped as
the room was illuminated by a bright flash of blue
light.
Hovering in the
centre of the room was a Pixie - a six-inch tall
woman, identical in every way except height to
Sorceress Miko - and it was carrying a box. It glared
at each of Nagura's captives in turn and then blinked
away in another blue flash, leaving the box behind.
Ikku scurried
forward and opened the box, and his eyes widened as
he realised what was inside.
"Eternity
shards," he said. "Five raido, one
kenez, one jera - a green one and a
black one, too."
"Why would Miko
- " Kiko began to ask, but Katrina moved again
and the Robomen, as well as their precious eternity
shards, slid across the floor.
"We'll ask her
when we're out of here," Ikku said. He took one
of the raido shards and the kenez shard and
placed it inside the pocket of his robosuit. Sei and
Kiko each took shards of their own, with Sei
pocketing the spares. "Let's go."
The Robomen linked
hands, and Kiko offered one hand to Doctor Brachis,
who pushed it away.
"Wait!"
she said. She hurried to Ranshin Robo's side and
tried to coax the robot away from the wall. "You
need to come with us, Ranshin Robo!"
"Yes,
YES!" Ranshin Robo shrieked. "He's here to
destroy us, yes! But Tejina Robo...!"
"Tejina Robo
has been destroyed," Brachis reminded him.
"Come on - can you teleport yourself to where
you found me?" Ranshin Robo nodded.
"Good."
She turned away from
him but saw, out of the corner of her eye, the
shimmering blue glow of raido energy as the
robot teleported to safety.
"What did you
do that for?" Ikku asked. "That
thing - "
"- is a
potential asset to the EDD!" Brachis
interrupted. She took Kiko's hand. "Sei?"
Sei nodded, and his
body was surrounded by the blue light of raido
energy. The light spread across his body and
over his hands, suffusing each of the Robomen and
Doctor Brachis, one by one. Slowly, their bodies
faded away, to be replaced by a rain of sparkling
blue mist that disappeared as soon as it hit the
floor.
They reappeared
several metres behind Katrina, which had stepped into
the swamp and was beginning to destroy everything it
found there. The Gears continued to charge after it.
"Doctor
Brachis, are you able to find your own way back to
'Hey, Pizza!'?" Sei asked. Brachis nodded.
"Good. We will meet you there."
He turned to Ikku
and Kiko.
"Let's go, Robo!"
The area around
their bodies darkened and time seemed to slow as the
circuitry embedded beneath their skin hummed to life.
Through their robosuits they could see bright lights
darting along the circuits and brightening at certain
points, points from which thick, jagged pieces of
metal emerged and pierced the thin fabric of their
robosuits to form the familiar silver chestplates,
helmets boots and gloves of their Roboman armour.
"Phase
Three!
Go Robo
Vehicles!" they shouted in unison.
Raido
energy suffused their silver armour, which
separated from their bodies and hovered in the air in
front of them. Before their eyes the armour grew,
changed colour and reformed to become the familiar
yellow Lightning Jet, blue Water Cutter and red Flame
Tank.
They
hurried aboard their respective vehicles and went
into action. The Lightning Jet took to the air and
swooped past Katrina's head as the Flame Tank slowly
made its way along the road behind it. Inside the
immobile Water Cutter, Sei tapped a sequence of keys
on his Alert Bracer, and paused as he heard Cog's
voice clearly shout "Robo Fusion!"
"Robo
Fusion!" the Robomen replied in unison.
Suddenly,
the Water Cutter split horizontally down the middle
and folded apart to form a pair of black and blue
legs and a strong black 'pelvis'. Then the turret of
the Flame Tank lifted off as the rest of the tank
split in half. The turret connected to the Water
Cutter 'pelvis' to form a red 'spine', and the two
remaining pieces of the Flame Tank became red and
black arms. The wings of the Lightning Jet folded
back, leaving the jet looking like a solid
rectangular block with a nosecone attached. The block
settled on top of Gattai Robo's 'pelvis' and in front
of its 'spine' to form a yellow torso and the
nosecone folded backwards as though it were a hood,
revealing the black and grey head of the robot.
The
cockpits of the three vehicles merged together; walls
disappeared, leaving the three Robomen in one room,
sitting before three separate control panels.
"Hey..."
Ikku said as Sei and Kiko's control panels slid into
place on each side of his own. "If Satoshi sent
this robot and controls the Gears, why are
the Gears attacking the robot?"
"Vertex
Shield," Sei said calmly. There was a flash of
raido energy as the perfectly-round,
translucent blue shield appeared and attached itself
to his right arm. Outside, an identical but larger
shield attached itself to Gattai Robo. "Red
Robo, Yellow Robo, I suggest you also summon your
weapons."
Ikku
and Kiko nodded.
"Chaos
Sword."
"Electro
Blaster."
More
raido energy sparkled inside Gattai Robo as
Ikku's black-hilted, red-bladed Chaos Sword appeared
in his right hand, prompting an identical blade to
appear in Gattai Robo's own hand. With her arm
broken, Kiko focussed on having her
translucent-yellow, hand-gun sized Electro Blaster
appear in her left hand and marvelled, despite having
seen the process many times before, as a much larger
Electro Blaster appeared in Gattai Robo's left hand.
She
reached forward with her Electro Blaster, and Gattai
Robo emulated her movement perfectly. She tapped the
other giant robot on the shoulder with the tip of her
weapon, and it whirled to face Gattai Robo.
["You
escaped!"] A familiar voice spoke through the
robot's mouth, but it was oddly distorted. It sounded
feminine, at least on the surface, but with a very masculine
tone behind it. ["How...? Never mind! I
will destroy you now!"]
Katrina's
left fist swung forward, but Sei was prepared - he
shielded his body with his Vertex Shield, and Gattai
Robo instantly copied his action. Katrina's fist
struck the shield and sparks burst at the point of
contact.
"Yellow
Robo," Sei said. "Use your Electro Blaster.
We must prevent Katrina from returning to the
city."
Ikku
scowled. "Hey!" he cried. "I thought I
was the lead - w-wait. Did you say Katrina?"
Katrina...
he thought. That voice... this isn't
Satoshi's robot at all!
"Wait!"
he shouted, as Kiko squeezed the trigger on her
Electro Blaster. Bright yellow jera energy burst
from its tip and surrounded Katrina, but Doctor
Nagura was ready - a black flash burst from Katrina's
hands, scattering the jera energy through
the air. "That isn't Satoshi! My father's in
there!"
["Father!"]
he called through Gattai Robo's mouth. ["It's
me! Ian! What are you doing? Why are you attacking
us?"]
["Ian...?"]
Doctor Nagura replied through Katrina's distorted,
feminine voice. ["The boy. Hah! Do not call me
'father'. You are not my son."]
["What
are you talking about?"] Ikku called back.
["You adop - ARGH!"]
Gattai
Robo stumbled forward as twin explosions rocked it
from behind. Sei and Kiko moved quickly to manipulate
their controls, but were barely able to right
themselves as two black jets swooped past for another
assault.
["These
guys again?"] Ikku snapped. ["I thought - ACHOO!"]
Gattai
Robo staggered again as Ikku sneezed and, as his
muscles tensed, swung the Chaos Sword across his
body. Gattai Robo's replica slashed out across
Katrina, severing the robot's right arm and cutting a
large hole into its chest.
["I
will destroy you!"] Doctor Nagura roared.
He
pulled hard on his control stick, shaking the Gears
at his feet free and scattering them in all
directions. Immediately, they pulled themselves into
a single formation and began to advance on Katrina
once again, but the giant robot had moved - it had
jumped, somersaulted, and stood behind Gattai Robo.
Katrina's
left fist hit the back of Gattai Robo's head and the
robot stumbled a third time.
["Wait!"]
Ikku shouted. ["Fath - ACHOO!"]
"That
cold!" Kiko snapped. "Ikku... you told us -
"
"Later!"
Ikku snapped back. ["Doctor Nagura! Stop
this!"]
The
two jets swung past again, the machine-guns attached
to the bottom of their wings spraying both robots
with bullets. They were nothing more than an
annoyance to Gattai Robo, but the damaged Katrina
raised its remaining arm to shield itself.
"We
must destroy Katrina," Sei told Ikku. "Its
presence here is what is drawing those fighters,
whose weapons fire is endangering the city."
"I
don't care about the city! That's my
father!" Ikku replied.
"No,
Red Robo," Sei said. "You are wrong on both
counts."
"What
the hell do - "
"You
do care about the city. You care about your
father, but you realise something is wrong. Something
your father is doing is putting thousands of innocent
people at risk. I know that, in your heart, you know
what we must do."
Ikku
opened his mouth to argue as a third black jet
swooped past Gattai Robo's head, then closed it
again. Then opened it. "You knew my father was
controlling that robot all along, didn't you?"
"Yes,"
Sei confessed.
"Why
didn't you tell me? Did Brachis know?"
"Doctor
Brachis knew. We kept the information from you as we
doubted your willingness to do what must be done if
you knew your father was trying to destroy us."
Sei
did not even look away from his control panel as he
addressed Ikku, and Kiko wondered whether it was due
to the concentration required to enter the complex
commands that turned Gattai Robo around, or because
he could not bear to face his teammate.
"Your
father has been driven insane by Jinsei," Sei
continued. "He believes we have betrayed
him."
"Then
we need to show him we haven't! We need to help him!"
"Help
him what?" Kiko finally spoke.
"Destroy the city?" Kiko waited for Ikku to
slowly turn and face her before continuing. As she
did, Sei once again busied himself at his control
panel and raised the Vertex Shield to protect Gattai
Robo from the fighter jets' continued assault.
"You know I adolise Doctor Nagura, Ikku, but Sei
is right. Our number one priority has to be to stop
that robot!"
"We
can save Doctor Nagura," Sei said. "Red
Robo, if you distract him with your Chaos Sword,
Yellow Robo can freeze Katrina and I will teleport
myself inside to rescue him."
Ikku
nodded.
"Fine,"
he said. "Let's do this. But when this is all
over, the three of us - and Brachis - are going to
have a very long talk!"
On
the ground below, Senshi and Kageki were putting a
different plan into motion. They watched as the Gears
advanced again on the damaged Katrina, and as the
enormous, feminine robot shielded itself from the
attacks of the three sleek, black jets that buzzed
around it.
"Now's
our chance," Senshi told Kageki. "The Gears
are all together."
Kageki
nodded.
"Force
Cannon!" he said. Raido
energy flashed against his back as it was
covered by black and translucent-green metal, forming
a large box with two long, round barrels piercing the
top. Thick silver buckles slid over each shoulder and
under each arm to hold the double-barrelled canon in
place.
"Control
Tonfas!" Senshi shouted.
Raido
energy crackled around his hands as two
black-and-silver tonfas appeared, the handles of
which anchored to his gloves, with the tonfa shafts
pointing back toward his elbows.
"Go!"
Senshi told Kageki.
Kageki
leaned forward, aiming the twin-barrels of the Force
Cannon at the Gears as they continued to approach
Katrina. He concentrated, and the same invisible
energy that had emerged from his Alert Bracer minutes
earlier burst forth in torrents from the cannon,
washing over the Gears in waves. The cannon shone
brightly with green energy as he fired, and became
even brighter as he concentrated on the importance of
his task.
With
the last of the Gears shattered, Kageki stood upright
again and looked at the damage he had done.
"Yes!"
he cheered. He jumped in the air and offered Senshi a
high-five, but Senshi ignored him.
"Look,"
Senshi pointed up at the two giant robots as the
Chaos Sword slashed forward and the Electro Blaster
lit up with more yellow energy. The flat of the
sword's blade struck Katrina's arm, knocking it out
to Katrina's side and preventing the robot from
defending itself a second time against the jera
energy which washed over it.
"We
should help!" Kageki insisted, and Senshi
agreed.
Kageki
released the buckles holding the Force Cannon in
place and, almost immediately, a circular opening
appeared between its two barrels. Senshi held his two
black tonfas together and found that their shafts
could be connected at the end nearest each handle to
form a single bo staff. He created the longer shaft
and inserted it into the opening in the middle of the
Force Cannon.
Each
Roboman lifted the cannon by the dangling buckles at
each side and tilted it up to aim at the opening the
Chaos Blade had torn through Katrina's left side.
"Triplicate
Bomber!" they shouted in unison.
Three
distinct beams of energy emerged from the three
shafts pointed at Katrina - two of the beams were
bright green, and Kageki felt his body weakening as
they arced toward the large robot. The third beam was
black, and Senshi felt himself growing stronger as it
mingled with the two green energy bursts to form a
single, solid blast which entered through the gash in
Katrina's left side and tore another massive hole
through its right.
Damaged,
Katrina could no longer be controlled. It stagged
backwards and almost fell, but was propelled forward
again by a series of explosions at its back. As the
Triplicate Bomber faded from their grasp, Kageki and
Senshi saw a small figure fall from Katrina's
twisting, toppling form - then, the robot exploded.
Two
of the jets flew as far away from the explosion as
possible, then veered around to strike out at Gattai
Robo - but as Katrina's components fell over the
city, the third jet swooped forward and two large
metal arms reached out to catch one specific piece of
the shattered robot before it could hit the ground.
"Guardian!"
Kageki cheered excitedly. "And Chojin
Robo!"
As
the two remaining jets continued their useless
assault on Gattai Robo, the robot shimmered and faded
away, just as the Triplicate Bomber had moments
earlier, and Kageki and Senshi knew the battle was
over.
Kageki
and Senshi walked through the front door of 'Hey,
Pizza!' and dropped their henshins, allowing
the metal Roboman armour to retreat back inside their
robosuits - and, they both guessed after seeing their
transformations, inside their own bodies. They were
surprised to see Sei standing between Trick and Cog.
"Sei!"
Kageki cried. He rushed forward to confront the
blue-garbed Roboman. "You're back! Where are
Ikku and Kiko?"
"They
are on their way," Sei replied. "Trick has
told me about your encounter with Doctor Brachis. She
is in the back room, if you wish to see her
again."
He
looked past Kageki and stared at Senshi as the boy
bit his bottom lip.
"No.
I don't like her very much," he said.
The
front door opened and Kiko and Ikku entered at the
same time as Doctor Brachis and Ranshin Robo passed
through the thick plastic doors separating the back
room from the rest of the pizzeria.
"You!"
Kiko and Ikku cried in unison, but they referred to
different individuals. Kiko stared at Senshi, in his
black robosuit, while Ikku glared angrily at Doctor
Brachis.
"You
lied!" Ikku snarled. "You said Director
Satoshi was controlling that robot!"
"I
did not," Brachis replied. "Sei told you
that. It was his decision."
"You
still lied! You told Cog you and my father
were safe! Now Sei tells me he's gone insane!"
He looked at Sei. "Or was that a lie, too?"
"Doctor
Nagura has gone insane," Doctor Brachis
confirmed. Director Satoshi had Jinsei place an
implant inside his head. He now serves Satoshi, or thinks
he does, and considers us his enemies."
Ikku
shook his head.
"I'm
not his enemy, even if he is insane," he told
her. "But the same doesn't go for you."
"Ikku
- "
"Shut
up. You and your lies have caused us nothing but
trouble, right from the start! You had Sei keep
things from us, you made Cog lie - and what, you've
given Kageki a robosuit? He's sixteen!"
"Kageki
was the one who destroyed Katrina!" Cog
interrupted.
Ikku
froze.
"That...
was you?" He didn't look at Kageki as he spoke.
He kept his eyes fixed on Doctor Brachis' face.
"You... Sei was about to save my father. That
blast knocked Sei out of the robot. Kageki... This is
your... ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!"
He
took a deep breath.
"I'm
done," he said finally. "I quit. I want
nothing more to do with any of you. All this group
has, all this group is, is based on lies -
and I want no part of it."
He
turned and headed from the front door.
"Ikku-sama!"
Kageki cried. "Please - "
Ikku
stopped walking.
"Kageki...
If you see me again, don't talk to me. Ever.
If you want to be a Roboman, go ahead - but I'm not
your friend. Not anymore."
He
made his way through the door and out into the street
beyond.
"Well,
now that's settled..." Senshi said,
smiling.
Kiko
shook her head, and glared at Doctor Brachis.
"Did
you know he was my brother?" she asked.
"Is that why you gave the black robosuit to him
instead of Trick?"
Doctor
Brachis folded her arms in front of her body.
"Trick
declined the suit," she said. "Senshi was
the only alternative - but he was my first
choice and, yes, I knew that you were attached to
Project: Roboman, that you had become Yellow Robo,
and that Senshi was your brother; but believe it or
not, girl, there are some things that are more
important than a family feud."
Kiko
continued to stare at Doctor Brachis for several long
moments before walking past her and into the back
room.
"Does
anyone else want to have a go at me?" Brachis
asked.
"Actually,
yes," Trick said. "I want you out
of here, right now. Ikku and Kiko are right. You've
caused these people nothing but trouble."
"This
is your establishment. I will leave," Brachis
replied. "Sei?"
Sei
shook his head.
"I
do not see any benefit to Project: Roboman, the Earth
Defence/Leadership Directorate... or myself...
in continuing to interact with you," he told
her.
"Senshi?"
Senshi
sighed.
"No.
I'm sorry, but no. It isn't anything personal. I
appreciate all you've done for me, but with the EDD
gone - "
"What?"
Brachis interrupted.
Senshi
nodded.
"It's
all been destroyed, and the American government has
redistributed its resources to independent
governments," he explained. "There's no
EDD, not anymore, and because of that... I don't
think it is a good idea for us to continue our
'interaction', either."
Brachis
nodded.
"I
see." She turned to Ranshin Robo, and motioned
for it to follow her. Together, they left the store
and disappeared down the street.
"I
think you should leave, too, Senshi," Trick
said. "Kiko needs time to calm down."
Sei
shook his head.
"Do
not feel compelled to return," he added.
Senshi
nodded, and tapped his Alert Bracer.
"You
know where I am."
He
hurried out of the store and was soon gone from
sight, leaving Trick, Kageki, Sei and Cog to stare at
each other in silence.
Senshi
hurried to catch up to Doctor Brachis as she
disappeared down the street, stared at by everyone
she passed, thanks largely to the bizarre-looking
robot at her side.
"Doctor
Brachis! Wait!"
Doctor
Brachis stopped and waited for Senshi to catch up. He
looked into her face and saw tears welling in her
eyes. He understood what she had gone through, losing
everything she thought she knew - the same thing had
happened to him, years earlier.
"I
meant what I said," he told her, "but don't
lose touch."
"Hah,"
Brachis scoffed. "I don't think - "
"I
mean it," he said. "I'm still loyal to the
EDD, but it simply doesn't exist. This robosuit? It's
not just for fighting robots and monsters. I'm going
to do everything I can to find out what's going on -
why the EDD has been disbanded, and who sent those
jets to attack Gattai Robo."
Brachis
nodded.
"Anything
I know," Senshi continued, "I'll pass on to
you. We may not be working together anymore, but we
can still work together, if you know what I
mean."
"I
understand, Senshi," Brachis said.
Senshi
smiled and ran off down the street. Brachis continued
to walk slowly with Ranshin Robo by her side, trying
to think of anywhere he could take her, and
desperately hoping that it would not try to kill her
again. It wasn't until the black limousine pulled up
beside her and three men in black suits got out that
she realised the robot was the least of her concerns.
"Please
wait, Doctor Brachis," one of the men said. He
was older than she was, but by no means old -
in his late fifties, she guessed.
Just
like Doctor Nagura should be.
The
man motioned for his two companions to wait near the
limousine while he approached Doctor Brachis on his
own.
"Doctor
Brachis, my name is Mr. Jameson. I represent the
American government - and it would mean a lot to me
if you and your robot came with me now."
Brachis
nodded, and followed Jameson into the limousine,
which sped away unnoticed.
Elsewhere
Director
Satoshi paced back and forth across his office
impatiently. Unable to properly integrate stolen
artificial intelligence chips with the robots he
created, Satoshi's greatest resource had been his
easily programmable cannon fodder - his Gears. Yet,
with one, single attack, hundreds of them had been
wiped out - and they were not easily replaced.
Still,
he had some hope for the future, especially
as his black-clad minion, Damien Sinclair, entered
the office and snapped off a salute.
"Well?"
Satoshi asked.
"Nagura
is contained, but I don't think it is
necessary," Sinclair reported. "He swears
loyalty to you. He says he can't understand why you
sent Gears to stop him in New Orleans. He insists you
are his master and that you control his actions
through the implant in his head. He has even
willingly handed over the box of AI chips he had with
him."
"The
implant?" Satoshi crossed the room and
retrieved a small metal bar from the top of his desk.
"This is the implant, Guardian. I had
Jinsei remove it once I had the chance to observe
Nagura configuring Buki Robo."
"So
you mean...?"
"Everything
Nagura did in New Orleans he did of his own free
will." Satoshi grinned. "And the metal? It
has not receded from his body since he was brought
here."
"No,
Director Satoshi."
"Excellent,"
Satoshi stroked his chin thoughtfully. Then
perhaps the master's Trinity does not
require my sacrifice, after all... Still, one must
err on the side of caution...
"You've
done well, Sinclair," he said, "and every
day, my men here get closer to unlocking the secrets
of the Eternity Changer. Go, rest -
tomorrow, Operation: Guardian really begins."
NEXT:
Wi-Fi!
COG'S
SPECIAL REPORT!
 |
Hi! I'm Cog! The Robomen use a lot
of complicated technology, and sometimes it
can
be a bit hard to get your head around it all
- especially when you can't
actually see what's going on! (Hey,
if you can accept that a two-inch tall
robot is talking to you, you better be
able to accept that than they can
break the fourth-wall and acknowledge they're
a character in a work of
fiction!)
|
To help you out, I'm going to pop in
from time to time to let you know what I know
about the technology - and that isn't as much as you
might think. Doctor Nagura told me a lot, but he's a
world-famous bioroboticist... and while I might have
been one at one stage, I'm not 100% sure!
I think
we all need a break after today's big adventure - I'm
a robot, and even I'm tired - but I do have
something to discuss with you: the henshin motions
used by the Robomen. You know what I mean - Sei, Ikku
and Kiko raise their hands above their heads, but
Kageki and Senshi stick their hand out to the side!
This is
what Kageki and Senshi's henshin motion
looks like!
There's
a reason why they have to move like that, and Sei is
going to try to explain it next time!
See you
next time! ^_^
