To my old fans. I must appologize for not updating this thing in months. First it was the writer's block, then the blah blah blah, you really don't care, right? ;P Anyway, I'm gonna try and get back on track with the story. It has been so long, I'm really trying to decide the best place to go from here. Unlike most stories, I don't really follow a general idea and write from that. Sure, I have some ideas for what will happen, and there is something I really plan on happening later on, but what goes on from here to there is just "as I go along" kind of stuff. Anyway, enough rambling here. I'm back. Journey Home is updated. You can read it. Yayz!
-Proto Stryker
Chapter 10: Diveman
The Cossacks' pool was very large. As Blues walked out the back door and saw it, he wondered why Kalinka didn't just call it a lake. Blues hadn't changed his armor for swimming shorts because he knew good and well that he'd need all the protection he could get. Kalinka followed them outside sporting a one-piece bathing suit and her own pair of sunglasses. About then a wind whipped up and passed them by, leaving the Cossack girl shivering. Kalinka made her way over to a lounge chair and unfolded her beach towel. Blues watched thoughtfully as she sat down and used the towel like a blanket. Diveman was busy testing the temperature of the water with an index finger.
"The water is at eighty-seven degrees. That is much warmer than I would have thought for such a mountainous area. Miss Kalinka, why is it this warm?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked at the water as if it would give him his answer.
"It's a heated pool, that's why. There are vents in the sides of the pool that take in the water and heat it up," she responded, pulling the towel up around her shoulders. Blues noticed that she was still freezing cold.
"Why don't you get in the water, too? I'm sure it's much warmer than this cold mountain air," he then looked over behind her and noticed a steaming pool. He sighed inwardly at this. "Or why don't you use that hot tub...?"
"The pool would be too dangerous, of course. Even though I know you'd both be very careful, Daddy wouldn't like the idea of me swimming in a battlefield. I won't be able to see you from that nice... warm... jacuzzi... Oh forget it, I'm getting in. Good luck to the both of you." Kalinka turned to the side in the chair and stood up, still shaking. "At least let me see you two dive in first."
The two robots looked at each other and nodded. Diveman refrained from saying, "That's my name" and instead leaned forward onto the tips of his feet. He spread both of his arms out as he fell into the water. He surfaced a few seconds later and watched Blues. To Diveman's surprise, Blues had walked over to where the chair was and laid his scarf down. The latter then returned to the poolside and squatted down, placing one hand on the edge of the pool. Blues then hopped off the side, putting both feet flat on the wall and letting the hand that grabbed the side slide down with him while the other clutched his shield. Being in his armor, Blues wouldn't be able to just get to the surface from so deep. Luckily, he didn't need to breathe anyway. He continued to slide down the wall until his feet stopped at the bottom. Diveman had submerged once again and swam in a spiral motion down to the floor.
Once he landed on the bottom, he gave Blues a blank stare, as if he were staring right through him. Blues didn't think much on this, as he was concentrating on the ship robot's first move. Kalinka could no longer see them, so instead got in the smaller pool. The two robots continued to stare at one another with a relentless, piercing intimidation. Blues' stare, which wasn't really that noticeably cold due to the visor, was only in reply to the submarine's own gaze. Diveman had some strange determination about him that shook the shield-wielding robot to his core. Abruptly, a smile appeared upon the blue master of the ocean. Blues instinctively gripped his shield harder, just incase.
Diveman's chest cavity flung open, revealing what appeared to be a gun barrel. Before Blues could discern what this would be used for, he found out. Two torpedoes shot out of the cannon, flying apart from one another, but both centering in on Blues. At the rate they were flying, it was clear to Blues that blocking both would be almost impossible. Knowing this, he jumped up and to his right, on a collision course with one of the torpedoes! He brought his shield around just in time to knock it away, before it exploded. He peered over his shoulder to see the other flying at his back. Spinning around, DRN 000 tried to block the missile, and it exploded on the shield, knocking him into a wall of the pool. Above water, next to the pool, Kalinka witnessed two jets of water shoot up, one after the other. Her eyes grew wide, and she wondered what Diveman could possibly be using against Blues.
Back under water, Blues attempted to kick off the wall, propelling himself at the ship-based robot. As he brought his shield around to ram into the Master, Diveman had leapt up into the air, his lower half spinning rapidly. A whirlpool surrounded him as he smashed into the silent savior's shield. Though Blues pushed forward with all he had, Diveman had more propulsion in the end and sent Blues sailing backwards again. He slid down the wall and just sat there, exhaling as bubbles escaped his mouth. He smiled at Diveman and stood up. Diveman had landed on the bottom of the pool once more. He thought the fight was over and didn't seem pleased with the results. Unlike Blues', Diveman's voice was much easier to understand when underwater.
"Are we through here already, Light-bot? I had hoped one of his creations might put up a longer fight at least."
Before Diveman could say another word, Blues was rocketing back at him, successfully pegging him in the stomach with his free hand. His right leg came around soon after to hit Diveman in the face. Diveman spun around from being kicked, leaving his back wide open to attack. Blues, who had braced himself on the floor of the pool once more, head-butted Diveman in the back. The force from the strike sent the Cossack Number 'bot headfirst into the far wall of the pool from where they first started fighting. The last attack had left quite a crack in the siding of the pool. It also left Diveman laying flat on his stomach. Blues neared the blue robot and started to place a metal boot on his back, but soon realized that a gigantic hand had wrapped itself around that very leg. Diveman rolled onto his back, swinging Blues over him and slamming the shield-clad bot into the floor of the pool.
"Big mistake, Blues. Now I've got you," he remarked, pulling Blues up off of the floor. The big brother of all robots grimaced. He was so close to victory, yet it eluded him. In this current state, he couldn't very well reach Diveman himself, and he wasn't sure what he could do about the sea robot's arm. Before he could think of something, Diveman got a grip on him and started to swing him into the floor again. When he pulled his arm up, Blues wrapped his own around the large limb. He slammed his helmeted head into the Cossack Number's elbow, bending the joint the wrong way. Diveman immediately dropped Blues with a yelp. At that, DRN-000 placed a hand on the submarine Master's head. Diveman nodded in response.
"Indeed. You have won. Now let's go back up top so Kalinka doesn't get worried," Diveman stated, knowing what Blues would ask if he could actually speak underwater well. He put his arm down to stand up, but only hurt his elbow again. Blues extended his left hand out to the robot, which gladly accepted it with his own and stood up. Still holding onto Blues' hand, Diveman used his internal buoyancy systems to rise up towards the surface of the water. Blues placed a hand on the side of the pool to hoist himself the rest of the way up. Kalinka came running towards the two of them, having just climbed out of the hot tub. She had a towel wrapped around her to keep warm. They were in the mountains after all. Diveman looked at Blues with a smile.
"You are indeed strong to not use any weapons, Blues. That was a great bout. I now know how far I can go with my abilities. Ms. Kalinka, I suggest we get you out of this cold weather in favor of a blanket and something warm to drink."
Blue smiled back at the sub bot. "You were incredibly strong yourself. I could have lost at any moment. You did great."
Kalinka was just happy they were both alright. She then gasped as she noticed Diveman's elbow, which was still bent backwards. Diveman just looked at it and said nothing of it.
"The doctor can fix this right up, Ms. Kalinka. It is nothing to worry about. Blues, you took some damage yourself. You should let the doctor look…"
"NO… I mean, no that's fine. I'll fix up the scratches and such on my own. My energy will replenish itself," Blues interjected. Diveman decided not to pursue it any further, and the three of them returned to inside the house. Kalinka only wondered why Blues would decline in such a way. She tried to shake the feeling, but couldn't, closing the back door behind her.