Sergei – Mr. Slam
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(Intro)
The huge rabbit lumbered down a hallway in a stadium. This stadium, which was built from the ground up in a matter of days, was the main source of entertainment for beings called the Rabbids. This race of furry creatures, while not the brightest bulbs in the box, were known to be extremely dangerous. They took control almost instantly and captured as many of the land's inhabitants as they could, sending them into mindless mini-games solely for entertainment.
However, things were oddly quiet in the stadium. The Rabbids favourite source of entertainment was Rayman, whom they had captured easily, but soon became adoring fans of him. However, after her won several rounds of mini-games, Rayman managed to escape the Rabbids.
The huge rabbit, named Sergei, was especially let down. After all, he was the rabbit that saw Rayman the most due to the fact that he guarded the star's door. Sergei never would have admitted it, but he had actually started to consider Rayman a friend when he escaped.
Sergei glanced to his right and saw a Rabbid screaming maniacally at a Rubix Cube in his hands. The Rabbid then hurled the toy onto the ground and stormed off. Sergei picked up the Rubix Cube and, in seconds, completed the puzzle. Sergei placed the completed puzzle on a nearby table and continued on his way.
Sergei had been known to be extremely intelligent for a Rabbid, and because of that, he was considered an outcast. In fact, because he was so different, the other Rabbids assigned him his guard duty to keep him occupied so they wouldn't have to deal with him.
Stepping outside, Sergei looked around and spotted a poorly-crafted mailbox nailed to a tree stump. Because he was one of the only Rabbids able to read, Sergei was often the one sent to fetch the mail. Walking over to it, Sergei opened the mailbox and pulled out a few letters. Starting his trek back to the stadium, Sergei casually flipped through the letters to see whom they were going to. Sergei saw one addressed to the Rabbid scientist (The one that usually ended up getting pounded in those stupid mini-games. The soccer mini-game REALLY made the scientist hate Rayman.) but knew that it was probably just a bill.
Sergei's red eyes widened slightly when he noticed a letter addressed to him. His name was written in fancy lettering, which told him that it was something important. Stepping back inside, Sergei quickly deposited the other letters onto a table and retreated back down the hallway with the fancy letter in his hand.
Eventually, Sergei came upon the room Rayman used to use. Knowing that no one would think of disturbing him in there, Sergei entered the room before opening the letter in his hands. Sergei took the letter from the envelope and started reading it.
Sergei's eyes widened when he saw that the letter was some kind of invitation. Reading the letter more thoroughly, Sergei saw that the contest was something called 'Twisted Metal', a game of vehicular destruction. What caught the large rabbit's attention was the phrase saying that the winner would get a wish granted, no matter what it was.
Gears turned inside the huge rabbit's head for a couple of seconds before making his decision. Leaving Rayman's room, Sergei looked back and forth to make sure no one was coming and started making his way back to the front door.
By the time one of the other Rabbids noticed that he was gone, Sergei would already be on the road with his vehicle.
(Pre-Level One)
Thankfully, Sergei didn't have to look very hard for a vehicle, as the Rabbids still had their machinery laying around from when they first built the stadium. Grabbing the toughest-looking vehicle he saw, a crane, Sergei was at the Twisted Metal dome in no time, where he met with the other contestants. He got along most with Tiny, because his childish personality reminded him of Rayman a bit. Sakura even helped Sergei learn a few words of English so he could communicate easier.
Currently, Sergei was standing in a line in the middle of a packed stadium. In the line were the sixteen contestants, their respective vehicles parked just behind them, several mechanics working on all of them.
Suddenly, a large screen hanging from the ceiling turned on, showing two faces. Sergei saw Sakura look up, so he decided to see what she was looking at and saw the monitor. Sergei, knowing that these two were the owners, waited patiently to see what they had to say.
"Greetings, contestants." The male figure said. "I am Carl Roberts and this is my sister Jamie."
"Thank you for agreeing to participate in this tournament." Jamie added. "You are obviously aware of what is at stake, here."
"Currently, some of our men are fixing up the vehicles you all brought with high-powered weapons." Carl said. "Believe me. You need them to survive here."
"The aim of this contest is to be the last vehicle standing. If your vehicle explodes, you're out of the tournament, but don't worry. We have the technology to get you out of your car safely before it blows." Jamie said.
"However, you don't just have yourselves to worry about." Carl pointed out. "We have also invited three individuals to act as bosses that will fight the winner of a specific round."
"The final winner at the end will be the one that will earn the grand prize: A wish. Whatever your heart desires, as long as it doesn't involve us giving up our powers, will be granted."
"Good luck, everyone. May the best driver win!" The two siblings said as one.
Sergei turned and walked towards his crane (which he had dubbed 'Mr. Slam'), which had just been finished getting worked on. It took a bit of effort, but Sergei managed to squeeze his huge frame into the driver's seat of the crane. Sergei silently grabbed the controls…
(Pre-Level Three)
Many of the contestants were surprised at the sheer power behind the wrecking ball on Sergei's crane, as the large rabbit had managed to score two wins in the first rounds of the contest. He was told to go to a parking lot to await his next battle, but when he arrived, Sergei found it empty.
"…Strange…" Sergei said slowly, having not quite gotten used to the English language yet. "Lot…Empty…Where…Opponent?"
Suddenly, Sergei heard a strange tune being played. Looking to his right, Sergei saw a white ice cream truck driving onto the scene, the music coming from the speakers on the roof.
Seeing that the ice cream truck was driving directly towards him, Sergei quickly threw his vehicle into gear and drove out of the way.
As soon as Sergei had driven to the side, the ice cream truck did a spin before coming to a stop right beside the crane, revealing a man with red and yellow hair.
"You…Bad…Driver..." Sergei managed to say. "Almost…Cause…Accident."
"Dude, that's what I was trying to do." The man replied with a sly smirk. "The name's Sypher. I'm the boss of this zone."
"You…Boss?" Sergei asked. "That…Mean…I…Win…Easy."
"Hey, I didn't steal Duck's invitation to get mocked, pal." Sypher said as he drove ahead a bit and turned around to face Sergei. "I'm going to beat you and win this thing to get that wish!"
Sergei's red eyes glowed slightly. This man had just announced that he entered with someone else's invitation, which was a big strike against him in Sergei's book. Sergei made a note to total his truck as he started his crane again.
(After Battle)
Sergei had just dealt the final blow. An explosion erupted from somewhere in the engine, making the hood of Sweet Tooth, Syper's ice cream truck, fly off and land several feet away.
"N-No! This can't be!!" Sypher cried in disbelief as his truck started to break down. "How could I lose?!"
That was all Sypher could get out before Sweet Tooth exploded in a ball of fire. Sergei sat aside in Mr. Slam, enjoying the carnage. Now Sergei was starting to feel how all of the Rabbids felt when they cause random acts of chaos and destruction. His job done, Sergei waited for the flames on Sweet Tooth to die out a bit before starting his crane again.
"Him…Fall…Down…Go…Boom." Sergei chuckled as he turned Mr. Slam around and drove out of the parking lot to go to his next fight.
(Pre-Level Five)
Easily scoring two more wins, Sergei drove Mr. Slam onto a construction site to await his next battle. When he arrived, the large rabbit looked around and saw that, much like the parking lot where he fought Sypher, the construction site was empty.
"Empty…Again…No…One…Here." Sergei said as he looked around. "Another…Boss…Fight…Maybe?"
Hearing an engine revving up, Sergei found himself looking upwards, towards a dirt ramp leading into the 'arena'. A large vehicle shot off the ramp and soared overtop of Mr. Slam before landing on the ground. When Sergei took a better look, it was a dump truck.
"Dump…Truck…Vehicle…For…You?" Sergei asked. "You…Opponent…I…Fight…Here?"
"Yes." The brown-haired man driving the dump truck nodded. "My name's Flint Marko, but most people know me as 'Sandman'."
"I…No…Know…You…" Sergei replied. "But…You…Seem…Like…Sypher…You…Steal…Invitation?"
"I entered this legitimately, but I need the wish." Sandman replied, revving up his vehicle. "I have to take you down to get to the end and get that wish, and I'm going to see to it that I get it."
"I…Need…Wish…More." Sergei replied. "I…Win…Now…And…Keep…Going…On."
(After Battle)
Sandman's eyes widened as he looked around at Manslaughter, his dump truck. Parts were starting to fall off and explosions were starting to erupt all around the vehicle.
"No! NO!" Sandman cried. "PENNY!!"
With that, Manslaughter exploded, sending the sand it was carrying scattering all over the construction site.
Unfortunately for Sergei, Mr. Slam didn't have any windows, and instead had nothing but steels bars blocking Sergei from the wave of sand that splattered against his face. Shaking himself off to clean the sand off of him, Sergei looked at the smoldering wreckage of the dump truck and his red eyes dimmed a bit. Sandman seemed like an okay guy, and Sergei had just ruined his chance at the wish at the end.
However, Sergei told himself that now that he had won his fight, he was even closer to the big prize at the end of the contest. Looking towards the entrance of the construction site, Sergei turned Mr. Slam around.
Without a word, Sergei drove his crane out of the construction site to go off to fight his next battle, leaving the burning wreck that used to be Manslaughter behind.
(Pre-Level Seven)
It was beginning to dawn of Sergei how close he was getting to winning everything, especially after he managed to score two more wins. This time, Sergei drove onto the courtyard of an old castle. Once again, the place was deserted.
"Another…Empty…Ring." Sergei noted. "Must…Be…Boss…Battle…Agai-"
Sergei didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, because the gates on the other side of the courtyard were burst open. A huge vehicle barreled into the courtyard and came to a halt. Sergei jumped in slight surprise, but relaxed when he saw the huge vehicle, identified as some sort of oil tanker, come to a stop.
"You…Boss…Aren't…You?" Sergei asked.
A furry, red head leaned out the driver's window. "Animal win contest!" The creature shouted determinedly. "Animal get wish and everything better!"
To any other person, Animal would have been an unusual sight, but to Sergei, it seemed normal. Sergei silently gripped the controls of his crane and prepared for battle.
Sergei could almost taste victory, now. The only thing he had to remember here was to be careful, as this WAS a highly-explosive oil tanker he was going against. Sergei told himself to steer clear if it actually blew up.
(After Battle)
Animal didn't even get to shout in disbelief. Minion, the huge oil tanker he was driving, exploded in a huge ball of fire, sending debris and pieces of the metal monstrosity flying in all directions.
One piece of Minion flew straight towards Mr. Slam. The piece of scrap flew straight into the Mr. Slam, but thankfully for the steel cage protecting him, Sergei didn't get crushed. However, he DID get rattled around in his seat before hitting his head on one of the bars around him. Blacking out, Sergei collapsed onto the controls of his crane.
He may have been unconscious, but Sergei still relived a memory. However, unlike several of the other contestants, this one wasn't a nightmare.
"Heya, Sergei. Still guarding my door, I see."
"…Grahh…"
"Look, I know we kinda go off on the wrong foot, but can I say something?"
"Grah."
"Thanks. Look, I've seen how the other Rabbids don't treat you that well. Have you ever thought about defecting from these guys?"
"…Gruh?"
"Sergei, you're at least five times stronger than any of the other Rabbids. Hasn't it ever occurred to you that you have the ability to leave them whenever you want?"
"………"
"Just think about it, okay? You seem like a good guy. Don't let those psychos control you."
Sergei opened his eyes and sat up. He still remembered that day. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Rayman was right. Sergei was a lot stronger than any of the other Rabbids, so there shouldn't have been any good reason for him to stick with the Rabbids as long as he had. However, he was considering helping Rayman escape when the limbless hero made the escape on his own. Unfortunately, Sergei had no idea where he went, so he couldn't go after him.
"I…Win…Contest…Find…Rayman." Sergei said determindly. "Be…With…Friend…Not…With…Rabidds…"
With that, Sergei turned around and drove off to his next battle.
(Level Eight)
In all honesty, Sergei couldn't believe that he had managed to last as long as he had. Winning one more battle, Sergei drove onto the roof of a tall building to await the final battle. For the first time ever, Sergei was nervous, and gripped the controls of his crane tightly so he wouldn't lost his grip on them. Once again, the battlefield was empty when Sergei drove onto the scene.
"Final…Battle…Maybe…It…Be…Easy…Like…Others." Sergei shrugged slowly. "Maybe…I…Win…Contest…No…Problem."
Suddenly hearing another care driving onto the scene, Sergei turned his head and saw a large, black version of Sweet Tooth driving onto the roof. The driver was a VERY disturbed individual.
"So you're the last one standing, eh?" Needles Kane, the psychotic clown and Twisted Metal mascot when the contest still belonged to Calypso, laughed. "This'll be easy! Those Roberts siblings will rue the day they banished me from the tournament!"
"You…No…Allowed…In?" Sergei asked. "Then…What…Doing…Back?"
"Isn't it obvious? I sneaked in and took the place of the final boss those new owners picked." Needles said with an insane grin. "And now, all that's left for me to do is to wipe you out."
Sergei narrowed his red eyes. This was it. The final battle. If Sergei could win this, he would get the coveted wish at the end. He had come far too close to victory to lose now.
(Ending)
Carl and Jamie Roberts stood on a large, round platform, awaiting the winner of the contest to enter the 'lair', which looked more like a junkyard with all of the broken car parts scattered around.
Suddenly, the large doors at the other side of the lair opened and in rode a car, the winning vehicle.
Jamie noticed the wrecking ball swinging in front of the crane and smirked. "Isn't that Mr. Slam?" She asked her brother.
"Indeed it is." Carl nodded as the vehicle came to a stop. "And that can only mean that the winner is…"
After stopping Mr. Slam, Sergei stepped out of the driver's box and lumbered up onto the platform to join the Roberts siblings.
"Sergei, the strongest rabbit around and muscle for a species called the 'Rabbids'." Carl greeted. "Congratulations. You've won this year's Twisted Metal contest."
"You needn't worry about the others. They're all fine." Jamie added. "Some of our best mechanics are rebuilding their vehicles so that they can get back home safely."
"You may claim your prize, Sergei." Carl pointed out. "One wish, whatever your heart desires, will be granted."
Sergei nodded. It would take a fair bit of effort, especially with his limited vocabulary, but he decided to go for it anyway. "I…Smart…Smarter…Than…Others…Them…Treat…Me…No…Respect…Go…That…Way…For…Years." Sergei replied before taking a deep breath. "Meet…Rayman…Him…Treat…Me…With…Respect…Then…Escape…From…Other…Rabbids…I…No…Know…Where…Rayman…Go."
"It's good to see a Rabbid go against his natural instincts, but it's always hard for someone to lose track of a friend." Jamie sighed. "So what is your wish? We have the ability to transport anything, you know."
"Yes. Did you want us to bring Rayman here?" Carl added.
Sergei shook his head. "No…Rayman…Work…Hard…To…Escape…But…He…Give…Me…Ideas…To…Run…Away…Myself…But…I…Want…Help…Rayman." He replied. "I…Wish…To…Find…Rayman…And…Help…Him…Fight."
The siblings looked at each other and nodded before turning back to the victor. "Granted." They said as one as they lifted their arms into the air. Strange, blue energy flew from the arms of both siblings before flying into the air, igniting in an orb of light. After a couple of seconds, the light exploded in a bright explosion, blinding Sergei. When the light cleared, Sergei found himself standing in an open field on a sunny day.
Sergei recognized the scenery as his homeland. Deciding to put his time to good use, Sergei started searching for Rayman, hoping he could find him soon.
The Roberts' siblings were true to their word, because it didn't take long for Sergei to find Rayman. He saw the limbess hero in a small village with his friends. His face lighting up at the sight of Rayman, Sergei rushed into the village.
The large, overweight Globox saw Sergei coming and screamed. "Rayman! It's one of those Rabbids!" He shouted.
Rayman turned and saw Sergei coming, also lighting up. "It's okay, Globox. He's the nicer one I told you about." He said. "Hey, Sergei! What brings you here?"
"I…Run…From…Rabbids." Sergei replied. "I…Come…To…Join…You."
Although he was slightly surprised at Sergei speaking English, he smiled. "Sure, Sergei! We could use another set of muscle!" He said.
Although none of the others saw it, Sergei smiled.
To be continued…