A/N- Special shout-out to the amazingly-talented Wacky_Nameless_Inventor_24 on AO3, who wrote the entire first half of this chapter! Their own Gyro stories are awesome, be sure to check them out over there!

They slowly began circling each other, waiting for the other to attack. Gizmoduck was on edge, his heart pounding. He wanted to get this over with, but knew the android was preparing for his attack. He was nervous to strike first.

The room they were in was on the same level as the observation deck, so it was almost like a kind of lobby. The floor was a shiny white tile, by the time the fight was over Gizmoduck was sure it'd be covered in black marks from his tire. There was a large white reception desk against one wall, against the wall opposite it was a row of chairs. The walls behind the desk and chairs were made of a deep, mahogany brown wood. The walls to the left and right of the desk were huge floor-to-ceiling windows, which provided an amazing view of all of Tokyolk. On the left from the desk was the observation deck.

The sun was low and orange on the horizon, painting the sky a dark red and orange color and shining brightly in through the windows of the tower. The light was annoyingly at eye level, especially up here where there were no other buildings to block it. Luckily, Gizmoduck's visor was tinted, so it didn't get in his eyes.

I wonder… could it shine in the android's eyes? Could I find out?

The android was squinting at him, but it seemed in more of a scrutinizing way, and less like the sun was shining in its eyes.

"So," Gizmoduck started. "Tell me about your design."

"Why? I didn't think you'd be one to make bantering small talk during a fight." The android said. Gizmoduck studied its posture, trying to gauge when it'd attack.

"I'm just trying to understand exactly how you work," Gizmoduck replied. Could he try stroking its ego? "Of course, I may not be able to, since your design is so perfect, but maybe I could get the gist of it?"

"I know what you're doing," the robot replied smugly. The two were still circling. "You're trying to distract me by complimenting me! I'm afraid to say, it won't work." It laid a hand on the side of its face. "Though you are right, my design is perfect. Flawless. Created by my just as flawless master."

So it turned out complimenting it would work.

The android continued. "Actually, you have no hope in beating me, I'm too perfect."

"Well, I have to try." Gizmoduck said.

It laughed. "That you do! You're too devoted to that stupid Gearloose, so much you chose him over that child."

"For the second time," Gizmoduck growled, "it was because I knew you wouldn't hurt Huey. I care for them both equally. And Gyro isn't stupid! He's so much smarter than you'll ever know."

That only made it laugh harder. "Oh, I know everything I need to know about him. He's small-minded, idiotic, and weak. He couldn't see the bigger potential in 2-BO. Not in the way my master does."

Gizmoduck scowled, his hands curling into fists. He wanted to leap up and defend Gyro, but the robot was doing a good job of distracting itself. He slowly inched closer, the android was still talking.

It continued to glorify Akita, gesticulating to accent its points. "Because my master is so much better than anyone else. He's smarter. Sharper. He can see the smallest opportunities and snap them up, like a fishing bear. You have no chance of defeating him, he's too powerful. And soon he will have all of Tokyolk under his thumb."

Finally Gizmoduck was close enough, he shot forwards, powering on the rockets on his shoulders to give his punch an extra impact. The android glanced up just in time to look startled before it was struck, Gizmoduck's fist connecting hard with its shoulder.

That sent the robot flying backwards, slamming up against one of the mahogany walls of the tower. It slid down, landing on its feet, glaring at Gizmoduck and appearing unfazed. "Where's your respect?" It asked. "I was in the middle of-"

It broke off as Gizmoduck attacked again, this time going in with the ShoulderBlades activated. The android dove to the side, and the buzzsaw cut through the wood right where its head had been.

The robot kicked at Gizmoduck's side, sending him reeling, nearly falling. "Ha! You may have caught me off guard, but you'll still never overpower me!"

"Now you're just repeating yourself," Gizmoduck pointed out, aiming another punch at it.

"Maybe, but because it's true! How many times do I have to say it before it gets through that thick head of yours?" It snorted, amused, as it continued attacking; Gizmoduck was just barely able to hold off it's quick barrage of punches, blocking them with his arms. Each hit sent a metallic ring through both the robot and the armor. "Oh I get it; like teacher, like student."

"Excuse me?!" Gizmoduck exclaimed angrily. He was finally able to dodge to the side and land a blow on the robot, sending it flying back more. It landed perfectly on both feet and one hand.

The android stood, taking off towards Gizmoduck, running incredibly fast. It leapt into the air, much higher than Gizmoduck could have anticipated; it's feet were just level with the armor's head as it aimed a hit down at the helmet.

Gizmoduck moved just in time, the foot came down on the armor's shoulder, hard enough to dent the metal. The robot flipped backwards, landing on its feet just in front of him.

"It's a shame, really." The android said as it came back for another attack. This thing was lightning fast, Gizmoduck was having a hard time keeping up with it. "Even my genius master couldn't get through to Gearloose, to show him how small-minded he is." -Several more quick whirling kicks and punches, one of which came dangerously close to Gizmoduck's exposed beak- "If my master can't, then no one can. Gearloose really is more incompetent than I thought!"

"No he's not!" Gizmoduck shouted, moving forwards. Still, all of his blows were deflected, he quickly switched to laser bolts, which had the robot skidding backwards to avoid being hit. The bolts hit up against the walls and dissipated, leaving black marks. "Gyro is so much smarter than Akita, he could see that what Akita is doing is wrong!"

That made the android laugh. Hard. Which was honestly quite disturbing. It was currently being fired at, flipping and ducking around the lasers to avoid being hit. And now it was laughing it's synthetic feathers off.

"Oh Gizmoduck, this only points out more how brainless you are! Everything my master does is marvelous, he can do no wrong!" It continued laughing, like what Gizmoduck had said was the most ridiculous thing it'd ever heard.

And maybe… Maybe it was?

Gizmoduck almost paused, lost in thought. He still managed to keep up the barrage of bolts.

The android was programmed to be incredibly loyal to Akita. It was obvious in every little thing it said, in the way it glorified the old dog and insulted Fenton and Gyro.

But it had disobeyed an order. It hadn't killed Fenton and Huey immediately, instead it'd taken Huey hostage for its own little 'experiment.'

So could it be convinced that Akita wasn't everything it thought he was? Could Fenton show it that it's glorification of Akita was just in its programming, and that it could defy it? Could he help it see how horrendous the old dog really was?

Gizmoduck was snapped out of his thoughts as he spotted a familiar foot about three inches from his face. With a yelp he dodged, the android's foot connecting hard with the side of the helmet, sending Gizmoduck flying backwards and slamming against the dark mahogany wall.

The robot was immediately upon him, leaping up to punch him in the visor. Gizmoduck just barely moved in time; the fist smashed through the wall, revealing the insides of the building.

That show of power made Gizmoduck's heart beat twice as fast, he managed to shove the android aside before dashing to the middle of the room, refusing to be pinned like that again.

"Ooh, someone's scared." The robot taunted, stepping slowly towards him. "Looks like you're just now realizing you can't win."

"I can," Gizmoduck hissed, taking a breath and trying to slow his heartbeat. "And I will."

"Well, whatever you need to tell yourself, I guess." It shrugged. "It won't help."

The robot stalked closer, Gizmoduck standing there trying to catch his breath, preparing for an attack.

"You know," the android said contemplatively, "it almost makes me sad to see Gearloose the way he is now. He's even weaker than before!" It snorted. "Can you believe it? Maybe that is slightly admirable, he managed to sink even lower than he was."

"How?" Gizmoduck asked, backing up a little. He was getting slowly closer to the glass windows and doors that showed the observation deck.

"He's gotten even more dependent on even more people." The robot explained. "Before it was just his son and his wife. The wife didn't last long, and my master took care of the kid." It waved a hand like that didn't matter. "But now Gearloose has gotten close to him again. And not just him, but you and that red child." The robot looked up at him, a malicious grin on its face. "That's why you must be… exterminated."

Its eyes flashed, then it leapt forward, aiming directly for Gizmoduck's visor. Gizmoduck saw it coming and lashed up, the robot instinctively covering its face as Gizmoduck's fist came close, connecting with its stomach and sending it crashing backwards.

Covering its face…

That must be a weak point.

That knowledge gave Gizmoduck a spark of hope as he surged forwards to meet the robot in another attack, this time aiming every blow at its face, hoping to get at least one strike in.

He was still cautious though, it had been concerning how easily that wall had crunched beneath the robot's fist. Gizmoduck tried not to think about what would've happened to him if that blow had hit his visor.

Gizmoduck was forced to duck again as the android aimed a fist at his face; as he dodged, he shoved the robot away from him. It went skidding past, smashing through the glass doors to the observation deck.

Sheets of glass fell to the floor, bouncing harmlessly off of the android as it leapt immediately to its feet and launched itself back at Gizmoduck with a snarl.

Gizmoduck launched into the air, using his HelmetCopter to float several feet off of the ground, as high as the ceiling would allow. He went back to shooting at the robot, determined not to get distracted this time.

The android could most definitely jump high enough to hit him, but Gizmoduck was sure not to let the robot close enough. It annoyingly evaded his bolts though, moving so fast Gizmoduck had a hard time keeping up with it.

Now knowing that its head might be one of the weak points, Gizmoduck watched it much more closely, to see if it guarded anything else. But it moved so quickly that it was difficult to keep track of each one of its movements.

It almost didn't seem real, the way it leaped and ducked and twisted in midair, avoiding each bolt with a cool efficiency. Even though all of its bragging was irritating, it really was a magnificent creation.

Gizmoduck continued watching, trying hard to figure out its patterns as it dove around the room. So far all he noticed was it wouldn't allow any bolts within several inches of its head and chest. Could its chest be a weak point too?

Actually, now that Gizmoduck thought about it, could its design be similar to Boyd's? Boyd's main processor was in his chest, but that was one of the most heavily defended parts of his body, the materials used to build him especially strong. But his eyes were a weak point, destroying one of them would short him out long enough to get the panel open on his chest to deactivate him.

"You can't keep this up forever!" The android called, dodging around several bolts. Those hit against the wall, two of them leaving black marks and the other four smashing through to leave holes in the wall. "I can however, so you should just give up!"

"Never!" Gizmoduck spat.

"You'll have to give in eventually. Face the facts." It said. "Both you and Gearloose need to wake up and open your eyes. The world is changing, for the better. You two are just too stupid to realize it."

"No, we're not. We're just the ones competent enough to recognize that your change is wrong." Gizmoduck argued, moving closer to the robot, increasing the bolts as much as he could. Still, the android evaded them.

"It's not though! My master is going to make the world better, squash out empty-headed imbeciles like you and Gearlo-"

Stop it!" Gizmoduck shouted angrily. "Stop insulting him! You have no right to-"

The android cut him off, laughing. "Gizmoduck, they aren't insults." It smirked. "They're facts."

With an angry cry Gizmoduck leapt towards the robot, ready to tear it to shreds.

Because how dare it. It had absolutely no right to insult Gyro, to spew these lies about him. Both it and Akita could never, ever live up to what Gyro had accomplished.

But leaping after the robot proved to be a mistake.

Taking advantage of the gap in laser bolts, the android dove towards Gizmoduck, shoving the fist aside before jumping up flipping in midair, its foot connecting hard with the bottom of Gizmoduck's beak.

That action snapped Gizmoduck's head back, making him bite down on his tongue. He reeled back with a yelp, he could already taste the blood in his mouth. Taking advantage of his injury, the robot shoved against him, Gizmoduck tensed as the armor tilted backwards, then slammed against the floor.

There was a ringing in Gizmoduck's ears, it took a moment for the world to come back into focus again. His jaw hurt, and his tongue was bleeding. When he could finally concentrate on what was happening around him the android was standing over him, smirking.

It crouched down, the look on its face incredibly smug. "Aw, now that was too easy. One kick and you're down? Even I expected better from you." It reached a hand down to trace a finger along Gizmoduck's jawline, before sliding it under his beak and tilting his head up. "Still, I suppose it can't be helped. You worked under Gearloose, after all."

That made Gizmoduck scowl, and the android laughed. "You're still so defensive of him. Anyway, any last words, Gizmoduck? Before I do as my master asked and destroy you?"

As my master asked.

The android had been programmed to kill Huey and Fenton immediately, but first it had captured Huey to see who Fenton would save first. And now instead of killing Fenton when it had the chance, it was taking a moment to bask in its victory and rub it in Gizmoduck's face.

So it truly did have some free will.

"A few," Gizmoduck replied, his voice hoarse. Blood seeped from his mouth.

"Oh?" It tilted its head. "And what would those be?"

"Hope I don't overshoot."

"Wha-"

Before the android could react Gizmoduck grabbed it by the ankle and flung it as hard as he could up over his head, towards the observation deck. He heard another window smash as the android went flying through it.

Gizmoduck was immediately upright, screeching over to the android, cornering it out on the balcony. It had landed hard on one side, unable to catch itself that time. It was able to scramble to its feet as Gizmoduck arrived, though.

The android moved to attack again, fists out, head low and its whole body tense.

"Wait!" Gizmoduck exclaimed, holding out a hand. "T-there's something I wanted to let you know."

Oh blathering blatherskite, this had better work. Gizmoduck thought.

The robot paused, its fists still up.. "What is it?"

"Well, first I guess, I have to ask you something." Gizmoduck got a little closer, his hands still outstretched defensively.

"You said you had to tell me something." The android raised an eyebrow, standing its ground. "But go ahead."

"Do you have to do what Akita tells you?" Gizmoduck lowered one hand. "How much of you is programming, and how much of you is… you?"

"Not sure, why?" It seemed eager to get this conversation over with, for some reason. It had a sudden sense of urgency about it, and Gizmoduck was sure that stemmed from the fact that he had it cornered out on the edge of a tower.

Gizmoduck slowly raised his hands up on either side of his head as a show of peace. "Listen, I'm not going to attack you unless you provoke me. I just want to talk right now."

Its fighting stance wavered. "This is a trick," it stated.

"I swear, it's not. I want to talk to you for a moment. Without fighting."

"Take the armor off," it responded immediately. "Then I'll talk."

Gizmoduck shook his head. "I am not taking this off. But I swear I won't attack you unless you strike first."

It smiled, standing up straight. "Hm, maybe you're a tad smarter than I gave you credit for. Now, what do you want?" The last sentence sounded a little snappy.

"If you have control over your life, why do you do what Akita tells you?" Gizmoduck asked.

The robot scowled. "I thought you were going to tell me something. So far you've asked me two questions and all you've told me is you won't attack me."

"Just answer the question."

It tilted its head. "Well, why wouldn't I do what my master tells me? He's my master, I have to do what he says. Why would I defy him, he's so perfect I could never end up in the service of anybody else!"

"You wouldn't have to be in service to anyone!" Gizmoduck told the robot. "You could do whatever you wanted. Like Boyd! He's so much happier when he's not being controlled by anyone."

"But… Isn't 2-BO serving Gearloose?" It sounded genuinely confused.

"No, not at all! Boyd is very much his own person. Gyro is his father. Do you know what his name stands for?"

"2-BO? I thought it was-"

"No, his new name. Boyd."

"No."

"It stands for 'Be Only Yourself Dude.' B-O-Y-D." Gizmoduck moved forwards. "Boyd is his own person, he can choose to do whatever he wants. And he's much happier like this."

"How? Isn't that what he was created to do? Serve? How can he be happy without serving anyone?" It seemed intrigued, wanting to understand what Gizmoduck was saying.

"He was created to serve people, yes, but now it's just helping them. He comes out with me on Gizmoduck patrols, and he gets to help protect them. He isn't in service to one person. He chooses to serve the whole town, to help them stay safe."

Its brow furrowed. "What if I don't want that?"

"Then you don't have to do that! Freeing yourself from Akita will be your choice, along with everything you do afterwards." Gizmoduck smiled encouragingly. "And I'm willing to help you decide what you want."

"Realy?!" The android was clearly shocked. "After I insulted you and Gearloose? And injured you?"
"Only because Akita told you." Gizmoduck pointed out. "You can't entirely be held responsible for that."

"I guess…"

"But just think, what's one thing you've always wanted to do?"

"Create self-lacing shoelaces." The android responded immediately, without any hesitation.

Gizmoduck paused. That had been a little random.

Mistaking his hesitation for misunderstanding, it elaborated. "Because just think- Laced up shoes always look great, right? But they take forever to lace up. And then you have to untie them when you take them off, and retie them when you put them back on. Then there are the incompetent-" it paused, rethinking its words, "inexperienced people who don't know how to tie their shoelaces, and have to ask someone else for help with such a simple yet tedious task. But why can't I just create some that will do that automatically? Instead of all that hassle?"

That made Gizmoduck grin. "Exactly! If you break free from Akita's command, you could make all the self-lacing shoelaces you want! You could have your own business!"

The android smiled. "That does sound somewhat more enjoyable than working under my mast- A-Akita."

"See! I would be happy to help you in any way."

"I may require some assistance." It's smile almost turned shy, which made Gizmoduck want to laugh. "There actually is one thing that I would like help on right now."

"Oh? What's that?" Gizmoduck asked, moving closer. They'd been standing quite a bit apart, having to talk rather loudly to hear each other over the wind.

It huffed. "Well, 2-B- I mean, Boyd was able to choose his own name when he got free from Akita." It looked away, like it didn't want to meet Gizmoduck's gaze. "I would like to choose a new name of my own."

"Great!" Gizmoduck exclaimed, rolling over to the robot. "Do you have one already?"

It shook its head, not looking up at him. "No. Akita always referred to me as 'Experiment G'."

Gizmoduck couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the robot. It had been basically forced into this, Akita had programmed it to hold him to the highest esteem. Meanwhile, it had nothing of its own, not even a real name. "I'd be happy to help you come up with something." Gizmoduck told it.

It turned, looking back out over the city, walking over to lean on the railing. Gizmoduck followed, watching the city as well.

Neither of them said anything for a while.

"What are you thinking?" Gizmoduck asked, about a minute later.

It shook its head. "Excuse me, I'm just… trying to process everything."

The city below them was loud, there was the continual ring of sirens, and the shouts of people. The sun was below the horizon now, the last few streaks of orange and pink clinging to the sky, as if refusing to be dragged away after the sun. The wind blew strongly past, Gizmoduck was sure he would've been cold if he weren't wearing the suit.

"What would I do right now though?" The robot asked eventually. "Would you take me back to Duckburg?"

"As long as you don't hurt anyone, of course we would!" Gizmoduck told it. "We need to defeat Akita and get Boyd back first, but then you would be totally welcome back."

"Would you require my assistance in taking down Akita?"

"Your help isn't… required, but it would be greatly appreciated."

The android looked up at him. "I'd like to help. As payment for the chance you're giving me."

Gizmoduck grinned. "Thank you. Now… you wanted a name?"

"Yeah." It turned to look back out at the city.

"What did you have in mind?" Gizmoduck asked, turning back as well.

"I-I'm not even sure."

"Well, would you want it to be like your other name? 'Experiment G'? We could go from there," prompted Gizmoduck.

"Yes, that does seem like the best place to start. G… how about Guy?"

"Just Guy?" Gizmoduck asked. "I like that idea, but are you sure that's all you want?"

It rubbed its beak thoughtfully. "Hm, I suppose that is a rather unassuming name. Sounds like the name of some caveman. But I don't know what else."

"Well, you and Boyd were both created by Akita, though Boyd only partly so, since Gyro helped with that. But you were made to look like Gyro… You could try drawing inspiration from Boyd's new name." Gizmoduck suggested.

"Be Only Yourself Dude…" the android trailed off. "Guy Of… No, that won't work. Does Boyd have any other names?"

"Well, he was originally named that by someone named Beaks, but that didn't work out. Beaks called him 'Beaks Optimistic Youth Droid', though I'm sure you wouldn't like that."

It made a face. "Oh, heck no. Is there anything else involved with Boyd's name?"

Gizmoduck frowned, thinking. "I don't think so, other than '2-BO.' Though Boyd does always introduce himself the same way. He'll say 'Hi, I'm Boyd, a definitely real boy!'" Gizmoduck smiled fondly at the memory. "You could try that."

"Yes, I do like that." The robot had a look of concentration on its face as it watched the sun go down. "Guy… Extremely Real… One-hundred!" It looked up at Gizmoduck, excited. "As in one-hundred percent!"

"Gero?" Gizmoduck said, grinning. He noticed how similar it was to 'Gyro', but he didn't point that out. "I like it! You're a one-hundred percent extremely real guy. In service to no one."

Gero nodded. "Yes."

They watched the city for a few moments after that, as the last tendrils of light disappeared. Gero running its new name over and over in its head, warming even more to the name the more it thought about it; and Gizmoduck was grinning.

He'd been able to solve the situation entirely without fighting. Just through talking he'd gained a new ally against Akita, a particularly powerful one who was willing to help them.

"All right, Gizmoduck." Gero's voice came from behind Gizmoduck. He started, he hadn't even realized Gero had moved. "Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's- hold on." As Gizmoduck moved to turn, nothing happened. He tried moving, but he couldn't. The suit was frozen stiff. "What the-?"

Something whirled him around, and Gizmoduck was suddenly facing away from the edge, towards the building. Gero was standing there, smirking.

"What?" Gizmoduck asked, his heartbeat speeding up. "What are you doing? Why isn't the suit moving?"

Gero smugly held up a sparking red wire, and Gizmoduck's eyes went wide with shock. "What- Gero, what are you doing? I thought you were helping us-"

It laughed. "You're so naive, Gizmoduck. It didn't take much to sway you." Gero put on a sickeningly innocent mocking voice, bashfully holding a hand to the side of its face. "Aw, you mean there's more to life than serving? Ooh, what about shoelaces? And my own name?" It scowled. "You're so stupidly trusting, it's pathetic."

"But-" it was taking Gizmoduck a moment to process this, he was really starting to panic. "Akita-"

"Is my master," Gero spat. "I get to do what he says, or face the consequences. And why wouldn't I? He's going to change the world."

"But not in a good way," Gizmoduck told him. "Once you've served your purpose, Akita will throw you aside like he does with everything else-"

"Ha! That shows how much you know. I'm going to be his top enforcer in the new beautiful world he's creating." Gero made a pouting sad face. "I'm sorry you won't be there to see it.

"Please-"

Gero suddenly jumped up, pulling Gizmoduck's helmet off and stepping back, holding it in one hand. It looked up at Gizmoduck, a malicious grin on its face. "I just wanted to see the last terrified look on your face before I end you. Besides, I can keep this to show to Gearloose that even his little hero friend failed him."

No. "H-how could you?!" Gizmoduck asked. "I tried to help you-"

"I'm your enemy, Gizmoduck. You aren't supposed to help me." It stepped forwards, placing a hand on the chest of the armor, looking up at him, grinning. "Now… Goodbye."

With that, Gero gave a shove and the Gizmoduck armor teetered backwards for a moment, before falling over the edge of the railing. Plummeting towards the ground, so many stories below.

He screamed the whole way down.

Gero watched with a dark satisfaction as the white armor disappeared from view, down among the smaller buildings in the shadow of the night.

Even with the armor on, Gero knew Gizmoduck wouldn't survive that fall. Still, it waited and watched for a moment, to make sure Gizmoduck stayed down.

The sky was nearly dark by now, the stars slowly appearing one by one. It was getting cold, but being an android, Gero couldn't feel it.

"Well," it said, still smiling. "It looks like the android created by the world's greatest mind truly was superior."

With that, Gero promptly turned on its heel and strode back to the building without a backward glance. It still held the Gizmoduck helmet in its hand, still in one piece. Gero paused for a moment, studying it, before punching the visor. A nice crack appeared down the middle, splitting off in little hairline fractures.

Gero couldn't wait to see the look on Gearloose's face when he dropped this before him. It knew that that would destroy him.

Satisfied with the crack, Gero continued walking across the balcony and into the Tokyolk Tower, excited to tell its master the good news.

Just before it entered though, it caught sight of something in the reflection of one of the few windows still intact.

Gero froze.

It was Gizmoduck.

Flying over the edge of the balcony, an angry scowl on his face, hands tightened into fists.

Gero whirled around, and immediately felt a hand tightening around its throat, lifting it into the air. Gizmoduck had extended his arm, catching the android before it had the chance to do anything.

"You're making a mistake," Gizmoduck said, his voice full of anger. It was clear he didn't like being betrayed. "Akita will-"

"My master will rise," Gero hissed. While Gizmoduck couldn't choke it since it didn't breathe, its voice still came out raspy through its constricted neck. "He is going to show this city he was right all along-"

"And he'll throw you aside!" Gizmoduck said, landing on the balcony. He drew Gero a little closer to himself. "Once you serve your purpose Gero, he'll destroy you. You have a much better chance with us."

"M-my master would never. He told me so." Gero clawed at the black glove, trying to get it to release. Its whole body writhed in the air, legs kicking as it tried to get away. "2-BO and I will be his top enforcers."

"Akita lies, though." Gizmoduck told him. "Are you sure-"

Gero snorted. "You're the liar! You expect me to believe that you would take me back after everything I've done and said?"

"Yes! I was giving you a chance-"

"Well I have a better chance with my master," Gero growled. "I'm telling you, Gizmoduck, you'd better wise up fast. My master is going to change the world, and you'll be left behind if you don't."

"Gero-"

"He's rising," it hissed. "And there's nothing you can do about i-"

Having enough of the gloating, Gizmoduck punched Gero hard in the eye. The impact made a terrible smashing noise as the eye dented inward, and Gero immediately powered down, its eye sparking.

Gizmoduck dropped it, quickly lasering off a panel on its chest, before crushing the inside workings as hard as he could. The robot shuddered, collapsing farther to the ground, every trace of life gone from it.

Gizmoduck stood there, breathing heavily, trying to get his heart rate down. He still was shocked from his fall, and not over Gero's betrayal.

He'd thought he'd gotten through to the robot.

But it had all been a trick.

"Despite everything, it chose to die a slave rather than to live free," Gizmoduck said quietly, still unable to believe it. He then reached and picked his helmet up from Gero's grasp. The visor was cracked, probably from the robot's tight grip.

The fall had been absolutely terrifying. The suit had a small backup system in place, one he had to activate by hitting his foot on a button inside the armor. He hadn't been able to press the button right at first, and was stuck kicking his legs as the ground got closer and closer.

"Come on come on…" There had finally been a beeping noise as the suit powered on. But he still couldn't move it until the wire was repaired.

A few months ago Gyro had installed a small system in the suit that would automatically repair the armor to its best extent, and that took what felt like forever to turn on and fix the wire.

"Please, please, please, please, please-" Gizmoduck repeated, his heart pounding. "Just hurry up! Please!"

The ground got nearer and near, Gizmoduck closed his eyes, preparing for the impact-

But it never came.

He opened one eye to see the sidewalk about two inches from the end of his beak.

He let out a huge groan of relief, still hardly able to believe it, and found that he could move the armor again. He put his hands on the ground and powered off the boosters, collapsing to the floor.

That had been too close.

Now Gizmoduck looked back up at the now-dark sky, the stars were unusually bright for such a big city. The wind blew past, the only noise on that desolate observation deck. He looked back down at Gero, letting out a sigh.

Gero's betrayal wasn't all its fault. Its programming to practically worship Akita had come through, making it not entirely the android's decision.

Gizmoduck decided to fight not just for Gyro, Boyd, Huey, and to save the world from Akita, but also for Gero.

The robot who wasn't given a choice.

With that last promise, he powered the suit back on and took off into the air to go help Gyro.

It seemed that Gyro could not get enough air. He was overcome with a potent sensation of suffocation, a heaviness that closed in on him and crushed against his head, lungs, and chest like somebody being dragged countless fathoms down to dark, icy waters. He couldn't see. Couldn't hear. Couldn't speak.

He had experienced this once before, had been here twenty years ago. And he'd revisited this bottomless pit, this hell reserved just for him, time and time again in his nightmares for so long after his only hope had been taken away. Now those original scars, deep and ugly, were ripped wide open. Raw. Bleeding. Threatening to bleed him dry.

A sound entered his realm of awareness. A heartbeat? It started small, tender, vulnerable, and suddenly Gyro was holding his newly-hatched son close to him. Then in an instant, the void swallowed him again, and the sound grew until it reverberated on all sides, echoing and distorting and shooting throbbing vibrations through him.

It was Gyro's heart beating. His freshly broken heart screaming for the heart lost to him.

Something else screamed, too: The ambulance, its wails punctuated by blinding crimson flashes like a pair of angry, accusing eyes. Gyro screaming to the heavens as he held Tobio's unconscious form in his arms.

It all coalesced, finally reaching a crescendo, until a new scream mercilessly wrenched through. One that came straight from present Gyro.

Akita. Again, it had been all Akita.

And then what suddenly joined the tsunami of grief and anguish, and became strengthened by it, was beyond furry. It was beyond hatred.

It was vengeance. Nothing like the petty outbursts whenever Gyro experienced some kind of indignity or injustice, such as Scrooge's Board of Directors rejecting his inventions. Oh no, this was the real deal. It would have frightened him under different circumstances, but then, what other circumstances could possibly justify such a thirst- no, a desperate need?

His mind was clear, his focus as sure and true as an expert hunter. It refreshed him and sent a plentiful rush of adrenaline through him, allowing him to leap to his feet despite his injuries, all physical pain extinguished for the time being.

The older, heavier scientist barely had time to blink when Gyro tackled him, smashing him into the ground of the roof. "MURDERER!" he roared.

"Intern- Gyro-" Akita sputtered, a combination of his shock and having the wind knocked out of him.

He hadn't notice the taser-blade fly out of his pocket.

"IT WAS YOU ALL ALONG! YOU'RE THE REASON MY POOR, SWEET BABY BOY IS DEAD, WHY HIS BIRTHDAY BECAME HIS LAST DAY ALIVE! YOU SABATOGED THE CAR!" All to break him to the point of numbness, carving him into an empty shell, and bringing him completely under Akita's control. Like an emotionless robot. Like his android doppelganger.

And now that Akita had Boyd again, he thought he also received the ultimate chance to finish off Gyro's spirit with this bombshell…

Akita appeared like a deer caught in headlights. "I- I-"

"SHUT UP! YOU MONSTER, YOU SICK, EVIL-" The hand on Gyro's good arm found its way to Akita's windpipe and began to squeeze, as though he meant to squeeze every drop of juice from an orange.

The canine choked, eyes already going glassy behind his thick lens. He feebly flailed about until Gyro forcefully grabbed his nearest hand and, using Akita's own resistance as leverage- not unlike two men locked in an arm-wrestling contest- bent it backwards with all his might until he finally heard a satisfying snap.

"2-BO! Get Gearloose off me!" shrieked Akita.

But the little robot, its seemingly soulless visage unchanged, merely hovered there. Ignoring the direct order.

"2-BO, do you hear? I command you to take care of Gearloose this very instant!"

Nothing happened.

But if both men had turned their attention to Boyd, they might have witnessed a momentary flicker of warm blue break through the cold red.

Suddenly, Akita's uninjured hand curled into a fist and sent Gyro sprawling. Gyro landed flat on his back with a grunt. His only usable eye opened on a vaguely shaped device an inch from him. Without his glasses, it was hard to make it out-

He gingerly reached out and pulled it toward him. And as soon as he made contact with it, a thrill of victory ran through him like a current, and his suspicions were immediately verified upon examining it close.

Darkness had fallen over the city by now, and the stars were out in earnest, already well into their silent symphony.

In the meantime, Akita was struggling to his feet, coughing harshly. He looked up and instantly paled at the sight of his former intern aiming the knife at him. The serrated edge crackled with blue energy.

Gyro could tell that Akita knew he was not about to hesitate in using that knife. Fear was written all over him. But there was no room in Gyro for reveling in the glorious satisfaction at having the shoe on the other foot for once. Only one thing drove him- avenging Tobio.

With a last-ditch shout at Boyd to help him, Akita bolted for the stairs of the building. Thankfully for him, they weren't far, but that hardly mattered with the knife's unique design.

The first slice hit him directly in the right shoulder-blade, not unlike he had done to Gyro, just as he made it through the door. Still, despite his cry of pain, his survival instincts obviously refused to allow any hindrance.

But Gyro was gaining on him. By the time he got to the stairs, Akita already managed to clear the first flight.

"AKITA!"

He aimed the blade again. Missed this time. Meanwhile, Akita picked up speed and was getting further out of range.

If his lungs were on fire from his broken rib, Gyro didn't notice. This newfound, almost inhuman strength continued to sustain him. He also ran faster, over and over bringing the blade down at Akita in a sharp, frenetic flicking motion. Once or twice, he nearly tripped from his inability to hold the rail with his bad arm; what was more, he couldn't take advantage of it to boost his acceleration.

Damnit. No matter what, the old man was always one set of stairs ahead with no signs of even slowing down.

Suddenly, one of Scrooge's famous sayings materialized in his mind: Work smarter, not harder.

Maybe Gyro was the one who needed to stop.

Halting in his tracks, he learned over the rail. Inhaled through his nose. Tightly gripped the metal handle and took aim once more-

A direct score. Another howl of pain as Akita was sent tumbling.

Gyro neither knew nor cared which floor they were at when he caught up to him on the landing he'd been dumped on. He slowed his pace only on the last flight above him, the steady rhythm of his footfalls solidly and grimly echoing like the drums at a Medieval execution.

Akita lay on his back, a sizable pool of blood forming from behind both legs. The closer Gyro approached, the more pronounced the terror became on Akita's face. He uselessly pushed himself backwards until a hand made a brush with air, and a quick glance behind him confirmed that his only option would be to delay the inevitable by rolling down the next set of stairs. Either way, he was screwed.

"Murderer," Gyro whispered in a deadly tone.

"Gyro- Gyro, please, I beg you-"

"You dare beg me for mercy? You don't deserve to live."

"I'll do anything, I swear!"

Gyro paused. Now he towered over Akita. "Anything?" he challenged.

Akita nodded frantically, smiling with the beginnings of desperate hope.

"CAN YOU BRING MY SON BACK?"

Wincing, Akita stammered, "I can at least give you back your other son; I'll restore 2-BO's free will!"

Gyro touched the tip of the blade half an inch from Akita's throat. "His name," he hissed, "is Boyd. And why the hell should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie. I told you, I am not the naïve fool I used to be."

He drew back the blade high above Akita's heart.

"No! No, please!"

"Go to hell!"

Suddenly, something- somebody- was holding him back. "No, don't!"

Gyro struggled futilely against the iron grasp of this interloper who had the nerve to try denying him justice. "Hanase!" he cried, momentarily slipping into Japanese without meaning to.

"This isn't you! He isn't worth it! Please, think about what you're doing!"

"He killed Tobio!"

"Killing Akita won't bring Tobio back!"

"I have to do this!"

"Dad, no! Tobio wouldn't want you to!"

Gyro froze. His eyes snapped open like rubber bands as realization and truth all-at-once struck him potently on more than one level.

There was only one person in the whole world who could have known Tobio even better than Gyro himself…

His flawed resolve and the last of his energy dissolved. He collapsed to his knees. The blade fell away from him.

And he and Boyd were in each other's arms.

"Oh, Boyd, Boyd," Gyro murmured with a shaky sigh, rubbing the back of his head, overcome with a bubbling fountain of relief, joy, and gratitude.

Gratitude that Boyd had stopped him from making a terrible mistake.

"Otou-san," breathed Boyd.

But the moment was short-lived. Behind them, neither saw Akita move.

The fallen weapon was directed at Gyro's back.

"ARRGH!"

"DAD! NO!" screamed Boyd. He caught Gyro before he hit the concrete. Tears generously spurted from eyes reflecting disbelief and horror, almost meeting the splattering drops of the substance of life in mid-air.

Still unable to stand, Akita kneeled over them, wearing an expression strangely caught between rage and gloating.

"I can't believe you were able to override my programming again," he rumbled. "But no matter. Without Gearloose, there will finally be nothing more to keep you from my control." He reached inside his pocket and extracted the kill switch he had stowed. "I admit I truly underestimated the both of you. A tragic waste, but it looks like Gearloose won't get to see my new world order. As for you, 2-BO, I'll simply take you back to my lair and reboot your compliance chip, and you'll be right as rain."

"You can keep trying to enslave me, Akita, but I'll always find the strength to break free!" Boyd yelled at him, refusing to leave Gyro's side. "You'll have to destroy me first! No matter what, I'll always be a definitely real boy down to my core! I was created by the greatest mind in the world, and you'll never beat him! You'll never take away what we have, not even if we're both gone!"

"SILENCE!" Akita roared. For the first time Boyd had known him, he looked utterly deranged. "I AM AKITA- THE GREATEST MIND IN THE WORLD!" He raised his thumb higher over the button on the switch. "And you- belong- to-"

A deafening shot rang out, startling Boyd, and suddenly the dog was down.

And a quick scan told Boyd he was dead.

He looked up to where he heard the shot fired from, and saw Inspector Tezuka on the nearest landing. The gun was still in her hand.

Wasting no time coming right behind her was Gizmoduck, with Huey on his back.

The three of them joined the tiny family in seconds. While Tezuka barked an order into her radio for an EMS helicopter to be dispatched immediately, Fenton- having deactivated the armor- and Huey knelt by their friends.

"Dios mio… Gyro, no!" Fenton cried. "I promised to be there for you! I should've been here sooner to protect you!"

"No, Fenton," Huey said adamantly, and Boyd fervently nodded in agreement. Like Boyd and Fenton, he was crying. "The only one at fault here is Akita!"

"The Red Nephew's right, Fenton," croaked Gyro, smiling reassuringly at his former intern.

Boyd broke down sobbing. "But I blame myself!" he gasped. "I'm so s-s-sorry, Dad! I tried so hard… b-but I couldn't break free in time! I wasn't s-strong enough after all. I couldn't- c-couldn't stop him from hurting you… and I couldn't stop him when he- if I hadn't stopped you from-"

"Shhh, son," Gyro whispered. He rubbed Boyd's trembling back while the parrot lay against his chest, his tears soaking into his green turtleneck. "I swear this isn't on you. Oh, Boyd, please don't do this to yourself- not now, not ever, understand? You have no idea how proud I am of you; I want you to always remember that. You did free yourself again, and that is what's important. I never doubted you for a minute. What's more, you absolutely did the right thing just now… Tobio would still agree. I love you so, so much. Never forget- no matter what anyone says- you are a definitely real boy. And you are going to do extraordinary things." He tightened his arm around Boyd and kissed the top of his head.

"Huey. Thank you so much for being such a good friend to Boyd… you believed in him from the beginning. For helping me see the truth, which finally set him and I free."

The duckling could only nod through his tears.

Gyro turned to Fenton. "Fenton... my best friend. Take care of Boyd for me."

"Gyro… no… you're going to be all right, do you hear me? Don't you dare give up on me, Gyro Gearloose!" Fenton hoarsely exclaimed. "You've never given up on anything in your life, and I'm not about to let you start now!" I love you!

"Promise me, Fenton." Gyro's voice was starting to fade, his eyes earnest and pleading.

Fenton released a shuddering breath. He placed a hand firmly on top of Gyro's. "…I promise."

Even Tezuka's typically hardened features had melted, giving way to obvious sorrow as she observed this scene. Hat in both hands, she closed her eyes and lowered her head, sighing deeply.

Gyro felt the last of his strength leave him. The grief he felt at leaving them behind, devastated and heartbroken, warred with a tremendous sense of peace. And with that peace came the realization, like never before, that he- Gyro Gearloose- had people he cared about and who cared for him.

It was truly surreal. How much his life had changed. How much he had changed, this time for the better.

"Goodbye, everyone. Thank you."

Serena. Tobio. I'm coming.

A/N- 'Hanase' basically means "Unhand me!" in Japanese.