Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Clockwork

Gear 2

Smiler giggled on the metal table. "Hehehehe! That tickles! Hey! Can I tickle you too?!" She strained against the bands of metal binding her to the table.

A click above her head caused her to tilt her ocular cameras upwards. She ended up simultaneously staring down the barrel of a brass shotgun and staring up at a glaring Heavy. "Shut your trap and stay put until the boss is through re-wiring you. Try anything and your circuits'll be decorating the wall."

Smiler's face remained normal for a few seconds before her cameras began wavering and oil somehow began leaking from them. "Bo~ss, Heavy's being a meany!"

"Heavy, stop being a meany," Taylor said without looking up, drawing her arm out of Smiler's open chest cavity. "Blaze."

"On it." A bot that looked like a copy of Blitz hopped onto the table.

Heavy spluttered. "Bu-BOSS! She's unstable! Either she gets with the program, or I put her down, I will notlet her become a threat to you!"

"That's for me to decide, Heavy. Besides, she won't be unstable much longer, not if I have anything to say about it." Taylor flipped her mask down. "Begin." A hatch opened on the back of Blaze's back, and out folded a mechanical arm with a nozzle at the end. The nozzle lit up with a small flame and was stuck into Smiler's chest. Taylor watched, deep in concentration as the sparks flew.

"Heeheehee, that really tickles!"

Heavy growled. He made to continue, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. "Let her be, Heavy."

He turned to glare at the hooded figure behind him. "Deadeye."

The sniper stared at him apathetically. "I dislike the newest addition to our forces as much as you do, but the fact is that she is a Clockwork, like you and me. We are in this together, and as such, we must stand strong. A house divided and all that."

Heavy tilted his camera covers. "You were the first one to call for the loonies head. What gives?"

Deadeye looked past him to the table. "Taylor talked to me."

Heavy turned to look at her as Taylor continued to work. He finally sighed heavily, or at least feigned such. "We're on thin ice as is. The fact that we've stayed hidden in this dump is amiracle. We might have disabled the PRT's security on this place, but it's still not a guarantee. If she gives us away..."

"She won't." Taylor signaled Blast to stop. His job done, the little bot hopped off the table. She drew out a screwdriver, reached in and fiddled with a few things, before finally she drew back and shut Smiler's chest, unseen mechanisms latching it securely shut. "It's done."

Streak pushed off from the wall he'd been leaning on. "So, what now?"

Taylor stood up, wiping her the oil off her hands. "Now we turn it on and hope it works." She walked over to the computer console and began typing into it. She looked over at Smiler. "Ready?"

Smiler froze and slowly turned her head to look at her. "...I'm scared. When that thing turns on... what if I'm not me anymore?" Smiler began to shake slightly. "...I don't want to die..."

Taylor looked over at her sadly. "I'm sorry I turned you on without it, it was a stupid mistake. But I swear to you, there's nothing to be afraid of. You'll be alright."

"Yeah!" "She's right!" "Don't be scared!"

Smiler looked to her left. Standing on a nearby table was Blast and two other little robots that looked just like him.

"The boss would never do anything to hurt you!" Said one.

"You're a Clockwork, like us!" Continued the second.

"That means you're family, and family never hurts family!...unless it's for their own good." The third finished, chuckling nervously as he glanced at the glaring Deadeye.

Smiler stared at them for a few seconds before she turned to look up at the ceiling. "...I'm ready."

Taylor nodded. "Here we go." She tapped on the keyboard.

Smiler jerked violently against her bonds for a few minutes, static blaring out of her vocal speakers, before finally going limp.

"SMILER!" Taylor dashed over to the table, slapping the console and disabling the bonds so that they drew back into the table. "Smiler, oh god, please be okay!" She shook the metal body's shoulder.

Smiler blurred out and reappeared behind Taylor, arms spread wide, her smile flashing viciously.

"SHIT!" Heavy roared. He swung his shotgun around one-handed, his other arm drawing a bazooka to rest on his shoulder. Deadeye had his rifle up in seconds. Streak got into a running position, blades folding out and engulfing his forearms. Tools flashed out of the backs of Blaze and his twins, Blaze's torch alight, while the other two bore a buzz saw and a drill bit, revving viciously.

Too late. Smiler's arms swung down...

...and engulfed her in a hug. "THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!"

Everyone stared at her dumbfounded. "Uhhh..." Taylor started. "You're welcome?"

Smiler began to blur in and out, warping around the lab and talking at high speeds like a chipmunk running on an unholy combination of high-octane and pure adrenaline.

"EVERYTHING-IS-SO-CLEAR-AND-I-ACTUALLY-KNOW-WHAT-I'M-DOING-THIS-IS-SO-MUCH-FUN-WHEN-CAN-WE-START-BEING-SUPERHEROES-CAN-WE-START-SOON-CAN-WE-CAN-WE-CAN-WE? EEEEEE!"

Deadeye was silent for a few moments before slowly turning to look at Taylor. "I thought you said it would make her sane."

Taylor shrugged helplessly. "Personalities develop as I make you guys, and admittedly I might have had a few all-nighters that are kind of fuzzy... look on the bright side, she's not homicidal."

The door burst open as Heavy stomped in. "What happened, I got the red alert, what's-!" He was cut off when a ballistic Smiler flashed in front of him, arms wide.

"BROTHER!"

Hammer blinked. "Wha-GAH!" He couldn't say much more as Smiler pounced on him, knocking the surprised close-combat bot on his ass.

Deadeye's scope twitched. "I fail to see the improvement." Heavy was scratching the side of his head with his shotgun in confusion. Streak was trying not to laugh, which Blaze and the other two were not.

Taylor shook her astonishment off. "Well, anyways, let's set up the training room, see how good she is-"

"BOSS!"

Blitz ran into the room. "BOSS WE HAVE A-YEARGH!" He jerked back as he saw Smiler grinning down at him, free of her bonds. His back opened up and an arm with a hammer folded out. "Blaze, Buzz, Blur, she's free, help!"

The three small bots laughed even harder. Blitz looked at them in confusion. "What? What'd I miss?"

Taylor crossed her arms. "She has her logic processor, she's safe. And I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed."

Blitz whipped his head towards her, panicking slightly. "Unless it was an emergency! And it is!"

Taylor glared at him. "Blitz, our family is welcoming a new member, unless Lung's decided to burn Brockton Bay to the ground, I don't want to hear about it."

Blitz's silence was very telling.

Taylor paled dramatically. "You're kidding."

"It's all over the news!" Blitz hopped onto the computer console and tapped a few buttons, disabling the blocks Taylor had put up. A screen with a news report popped up.

Pandemonium. Capes fighting, seen via a camera on a helicopter, against a very angry dragon that was on the warpath and not letting up.

'-rampage continues. For those just joining us, the Parahuman leader of the Azn Bad Boys, known as Lung, has gone on a rampage, attacking PRT headquarters and instigating a very violent brawl between himself and the personnel present, which escalated when the local Protectorate and independent team New Wave tried to intervene. The cause is believed to be related to the massacre of ABB troops late last night. A sizable force of ABB members were arrested last night, badly beaten, and were taken to the hospital. Though there are no confirmed deaths, there have been reports that other gangs such as the Empire Eighty-Eight and the Merchants have been attempting to strike at the ABB while it is weakened, in order to claim it's territory. Lung has been reported to have started the fight bellowing for an individual named 'Smiler', to come out and fight him. Currently, there are no signs of either Bakuda or Oni Lee. They are assumed to still be within ABB territory.'

The Clockworks and their maker stared at the screen in horror. Smiler began to shake. "I-I did that..." Oil began to leak from her cameras again. "Th-this is my fault..."

Streak shook his head. "No, no it's not, you didn't know what you were doing, it was a mistake. Look, we just have to lay low, alright? They don't know we're here, they won't find us-"

"No."

Everyone looked at Taylor. "What?" Heavy asked quietly.

"I said, no." Taylor turned around and walked over to a nearby work table. She picked up the brown trench-coat on it and began slipping it on. "We're going out there and putting an end to this."

"Wha-no, no, Taylor!" He protested. "We can't go out there! If they see you, if they see us-!"

"I don't care." Taylor picked up a staff off the table. It was long, about as tall as herself, bronze of course, with two wrench-like protrusions sticking out of both ends. "We started this. He's hurting people because of us. I won't let that stand."

"Taylor..." Heavy grit his jaw and tightened his grip on his shotgun, "I-I won't let you..." He stated half-heartedly.

Taylor glared at him. "Heavy, don't make me use the over-ride."

Metal groaned as his jaw tightened even more.

Sadness entered her eyes. "Heavy. This is it. This is why I made you. Why I made all of this," She gestured at the lab. "I want to be a hero, damn the PRT, damn if they don't like you all, I want to actually help people, and I will not stand by while that," She jabbed her finger at the news feed, "Is going on."

The Clockworks stared at her for a few moments. Finally, Heavy put his weapons away and walked over to the wall. He picked a pair of bandoleers loaded with shotgun shells up and latched them over his chassis. "You stay behind us, away from that thing," He jerked his head at Lung's form, "We take him on ourselves. Do I make myself clear?"

Taylor smiled. "Crystal."

Heavy sighed and shook his head. "Why oh why did we have to rub off on you?" The forlorn tone was off-set by the grin his jaws were making.

Taylor chuckled. She picked up a bronze mask made of gears and cogs. She slipped it on, letting it adhere and cover the top half of her face. She turned around to look at the others present. "Any objections?"

Streak clashed his blades together. "None."

Deadeye loaded a round into his rifle silently.

Hammer lumbered to his feet and slammed his fists together. "Let's get him."

Smiler looked down for a few seconds. "This is my fault. I caused this..." She looked up, determination glinting in her cameras, "And I'm going to put it right."

Taylor nodded. She looked at Blitz. "Hold down the fort, we're heading out."

Blitz grinned mischievously. "Oh yeah? Where'r ya goin'?"

Heavy re-drew his shotgun and cocked it. "Dragon hunting."

The situation was grim. Lung was towering above the capes present, 15-feet tall and growing, fire raging out of control around him like an unholy infernal aura.

They had tried to disengage again and again, to try and stop the rampage, but Lung wasn't having any of it. Enraged he might have been, but he kept his wits about him. He followed any retreat, and temperatures around him were too hot to even attempt to get Clockblocker near him.

The fact that the worst injuries yet were third-degree burns was nothing short of a miracle.

Lung roared, fire streaming out of his mouth and into the air.

Unless something happened soon, that fact would change.

However, when something finally did happen, no one was quite prepared for it.

After all, how can one be prepared for a metal woman teleporting onto a dragon-mans head, despite well-beyond-blistering heat, speaking in a high-pitched cutsie voice, "HI THERE!"

*SHLICK*

"ROOOOOAR!"

And shoving her claws directly into said dragon-mans eyes?

Lung tried to swat at the woman, but she teleported out again.

Heavy stomping was heard. A hulking armored figure charged at Lung, running unimpeded through the flames, until finally he impacted into his side. Despite being only about half his size, the impact tossed Lung, sending him tumbling.

As the Asian Parahuman tried to regain his footing he opened his mouth to roar-

-and he roared alright, but not in anger. He roared in pain, blood pooling where his tongue had been before something had ripped it out. He tried to swipe in front of him, but who or whatever it had been was gone before he could touch it.

He concentrated the healing in his eyes, trying to re-gain some sight. He saw a blur, a blob of brown, before he felt what was definitely a bullet go straight into the newly-reformed organ.

He roared again, and this time, instead of something being removed, his mouth was filled.

With a high-velocity rocket.

The explosion obscured him with smoke, granting the combatants a reprieve.

The Protectorate and New Wave stared dumb-founded at the bronze people who had appeared and caused devastating damage to the draconic being.

The one carrying the bazooka opened a hatch on the tube of metal and slipped another rocket in as he puffed on his metal cigar. "You think that killed him?"

The one carrying the sniper rifle pulled back on the bolt and ejected the empty cartridge, a new one automatically re-loading. "Not a chance in hell."

The one that had body-checked him mimed cracking his knuckles. "Good, maybe this won't be too boring."

The one that had dashed in front of Lung and removed his tongue flicked his forearm-blades, dislodging some of the blood on them. "Let's just get this over fast, okay? Colbert's on in ten minutes!"

The one who had started the whole thing giggled. "This is gonna be fun!"

Shadow Stalker was the first to re-boot her brain and speak. "Wha-who the hell are you?"

"Simple."

A thin girl, a teenager at most, clad in a bronze-colored trench-coat and her face obscured by a mass of moving gears, carrying a long metal staff with wrench-like ends, strode forwards. She stopped behind the five metal people, exuding an aura of strength and confidence.

"We're the Clockwork Corps,"

Lung roared again, fire blazing furiously from his being.

"And we're here to end this."