WARNING: This story contains disturbing gore and inhumane actions not meant for the feint of heart. By that I mean I'm adding in disturbing moments.
I do not own Bomberman. This is merely an experiment.
Chapter 2: Android Interrogation
Auditorium, Casey Lorraine Institute of Creation, Canyon Point, (July 7, 2091)...
Harrow was silent as the crowd murmured. Stolen schematics are not something to take lightly. The RnD team made good use of said documents, but they never seemed to respect the creator of those schematics.
It's like they are spitting on the graves of Dr. Mitsumori and a protégé he considered extended family.
"Mission complete. All hostiles neutralized indefinitely."
Harrow made a soft sigh when Bomberman returned from the rooftop. Reminiscing the past with the sole reminder of him and the Mitsumori family was painful.
Looking at the audience, Harrow continued his speech.
"This isn't a demonstration, but with what happened earlier, Bomberman proved his effectiveness by dealing with all the hostiles that tried to break in. Our goal in Orange Horizon is to create high-quality equipment and performance meant to assist humanity, even if it means ending the lives of those who cause harm-."
Bomberman kneeled on his left knee and raised his left fist to release the searing hot air in his body. His fist made a pink glow that gradually became white over time, letting the golden bracelet on it retain its original hue. Harrow rolled his eyes, letting his speech take hold of the audience.
"After the events of the Great Collapse, the world hired serial killers and assassins to do their bidding. One of the reasons was because of the abolition of police forces around the world. Governments had to automatically use extreme action if there were any forms of crime. Racism? Wipe the racist and their family from the face of the earth with lethal chemicals and kidnapping. Violent protesters? Nothing but splotches of foamy flesh and blood. Killers aim to kill as many as possible for satisfaction, such as those would-be shooters Bomberman dispatched?" the silver android gave an apathetic glance before continuing to cool his fist. "Immediate execution. In all honesty, the toxic politics of those before us are responsible for society's collapse worldwide. Blind extremism is what killed yesterday's society. If they were to see us now, they would think we are monsters, when in reality they are shifting the blame on themselves to the next generation just as the ones before them did."
Harrow raised his arms and sarcastically nodded, getting approval from the audience. "The conspiratorial stupidity of millions ended the lives of billions. Earth is in ruins because of negligence. Since the atmosphere burned the surface, we barely have any trees and cannot handle our constant 130-degree weather. We are fortunate to have plenty of food because there are far fewer mouths to feed. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of our freshwater becoming salt water, caused by hackers who took control of hundreds of reservoirs and used it to commit water supply terrorism. We barely survived that and is why my company focuses on progress and enhancement. We are looking to make dozens of desalination plants to produce more freshwater in Canyon point and rebuild past bridges for easier access to cities beyond here. We collaborate with various companies overseas to see if we can provide solutions for their problems..."
After the speech...
Bomberman confronted Harrow. The android gave a concerned look as he looked around.
"Sir. Permission interrogate some anomalies on the rooftop?"
"What for?"
The silver and black android looked upstairs. To think there are more like himself. "I have unfinished business."
It was as confusing as it was entertaining, by his standards. He doesn't know what will happen, but he doesn't care if his side mission is complete.
Sometime later...
(/REBOOTING/)
(/ALL LIMBS FUNCTIONAL/)
(/REBOOT 50% COMPLETE/)
(/MENTAL INHIBITOR.../)
(/DISABLED/)
(/REBOOT 100% COMPLETE/)
The red android woke up suddenly, falling off a cot he was resting. His artificial breath tested the air around it.
(/COLD TEMPERATURE SUGGESTS LOCATION IS INDOORS/)
A vent or an air conditioner must be nearby. The android looked around, wondering how the android was in this mess.
He observed the area, noting the lack of equipment in the room.
Empty cots were everywhere, with no signs of life within the vicinity.
The android did not bother interacting as he looked down at the floor and made a quiet groan after he felt his busted radio. His creators will not take his sudden disappearance lightly. Adding in the minor damage and how they could not afford to reassemble his body, they would punish him through three weeks of inactivity.
Finding the door, he was about to walk there when it opened.
A dark figure of the same design as him stood there with a cold glance.
Intimidating.
Imposing.
As though nothing natural can stop it.
That was what the red android felt when looking at its cold eyes. The figure's white compared to his fiery orange, scanning for anything important. Their eyes flickered in expectance until the mysterious android asked a simple question.
"... Who are you?" the figure asked in half-interest.
The red android glanced at the decal on his back and showed it to the figure.
"Name's Riot."
The figure raised its left hand and created a glow stick, illuminating the two and revealing Bomberman.
The slayer in lode gave the stick a little twirl before giving it to Riot. His eyes opened up with an almost lifeless tone.
"Blast Oriented Mass Breach Erective Response Manipulator Model 1. Canyon Point's official peacekeeper, and you can call me Bomberman. Orange Horizon made me neutralize and exterminate all crime within the city."
Riot looked at him in scrutiny. This silver and black android before him belongs to the world's biggest tech companies?
"... I don't believe it."
Turning away and shrugging, Bomberman walked off into the dark, letting Orange Horizon's logo do the talking.
"Follow me into the next room." the android grunted as he guided Riot.
The quiet walk ended when they reached the end of the hall. Riot looked around while Bomberman opened another door leading to the next room.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everything was quiet for a few minutes until another silhouette appeared, lying down on what seemed to be a couch. What intrigued them was that it had violet eyes instead of Bomberman's white and Riot's yellow eyes. That figure reached towards the nearest switch and flipped it, turning on the lights in the room, revealing a blue android lounging around lazily. Said android cracked his metallic knuckles and rolled one of his hands to prevent his joints from locking up.
"Isolating us in different rooms so we can calm down is both smart and dumb."
Bomberman gave a curt nod as he looked around for any intruders.
"The last thing I need is everybody fighting. Now. Introduce yourself to the guy you tried to beat the crap out of earlier. I need to check on everyone else."
The now named 'Cool' gave a soft exasperated sigh as he turned to Riot in interest and disdain. "I'm Cool, and I'm from Catapult Ballistics."
Riot grimaced as he also introduced himself. "Riot... Harbinger Incorporated made me."
Bomberman watched the two begin talking and walked off to check on the first android he met.
With Sombre...
The black android looked at his cherry-red left hand in interest. It was weird to him that he never thought about observing his body. His damages usually received quick repairs as soon as possible, preventing his curiosity from rising.
Yet again, Sombre's memory has been hazy for a while. When he had his radio ripped off, he read something like "MENTAL INHIBITOR DISABLED." Odd. Extremely odd.
Before entering, Bomberman knocked on the door to get the black lookalike's attention.
They had what seemed to be like a conversation. Company affiliation was a significant subject between the two, wondering how is it possible that they had similar designs.
"You told me Dynasty Dynamics made you, Sombre," Bomberman grunted, garnering a nod and confirmation from his ebony counterpart.
"Yeah... I did." Sombre paused for a moment, worried as to why Bomberman asked that. "Why ask me this, though?"
"Orange Horizon only made me. They would have told me if there were more Bomberman models if that were the case." The silver slayer left the door, so his black counterpart could get out. "I'm going to check on everyone else now. Stay where you are for now."
When everything was silent and Sombre was by himself, the android looked at his left hand and scanned it. "Huh. What's an arm doing in my chassis?"
With the magenta and cyan androids...
(/SAKIDO/)
(/100%/)
(/TRR BU V8 JOTAI: UN'YO/)
(/MIND RESET.../)
(/DESTROYED/)
The cyan android got up from her cot, shivering from her emergency reboot.
(/JAEBUTING/)
(/UN-YEONG/)
(/MIND BLOCK.../)
(/CEASED FUNCTIONING/)
The magenta counterpart rolled over, recoiling from the flashbang Bomberman used to subdue everyone.
'W- What?' both androids thought before turning around.
Surprised and angered that her opponent was still alive and kicking, the magenta android lunged at the cyan with a loud shout.
"HAH!"
The cyan android ducked from her counterpart's grasp, ready to disable her if necessary.
The two began trying to assault each other, kicking, punching, anything to cause harm to the other. A haymaker to the head meant a stomp on the shin. A kick from behind means a stomp on the back.
The cyan android charged forward, prompting the magenta to start ramming her elbows to her opponent's neck.
The two were released from each other's grasp and glared.
They raised their left fists, letting the searing heat light up the room before lunging.
Their motion stopped, and their fists hit something, but it was neither their opponent's fist nor body... *CRACK!*
The two androids looked at their fists in surprise. A metal glove blocked their punches, encrusted in a slab of heat-resistant materials to protect its owner.
The cold, lifeless eyes of Bomberman scanned the two androids in the blink of an eye.
The metallic enforcer glanced at the two before grunting coldly.
"Stop fighting and follow me down this building's halls. I'll be waiting."
The two complied but stared at each other maliciously when Bomberman turned away into the dark. They may also see who this mysterious android is before they kill each other.
They looked into the dark and walked, not knowing what was ahead.
With Sombre...
Sombre froze at what he saw in his scans. His body's structural support, his chassis-
He has a human skeleton.
The DNA is still intact as though the owner never died...
How?
The thoughts kept coming as he tried to keep his bearings.
The best thing he can do is forget about it and ask when the time is right.
Sombre looked away and closed his eyes. He can still see every ligament. Every fragment. Every fracture.
The black android calmed himself enough to go out on his own by pretending to breathe.
An hour later...
Bomberman gave his usual blatant look as he observed everyone around him. He had them introduce themselves to each other and was surprised when they said the names of their manufacturers. They were just as he thought from that first encounter. All of them were similar with design changes to their firesuits.
Sombre, the first whom the enforcer met, has an inverted version of Bomberman's paint scheme while his visor is red.
Riot is red, his torso and forearms are red, and his visor, hands, and feet are fiery orange.
Cool is a dark shade of blue with violet extremities.
When Bomberman ran into the green and yellow androids, he had the magenta and cyan androids separate the two from attacking Riot and Cool. Then he realized that these four were the gender opposite tofSombre, Riot, and Cool. Fortunately, this calmed down the green and yellow androids.
The name of the green, sage, and honey android is Jazzy, and Crescent Developmental built her.
Fest is yellow, black, and admiral, made by Majin Mechanical.
Vibe (the magenta, silver, and purple android) was built by Tideshift Works, and Vivid (the cyan, black, and cobalt android) was from TR Rikigaku.
Now, of course, Bomberman observed himself. Orange Horizon's judge, jury, and executioner for the entirety of Canyon Point. Symbolizing Precision, Non-Being, and Strength, as the Orange Horizon RND Team has told him after his creation, Bomberman's mission is to enact excessive punishment on lawbreakers, terrorists, and any sources of rebellion without batting an eyelash. "A task that must be done to create stability." in their words.
All the eight looked at each other, studying what they were and realizing they were almost identical. Unlike Bomberman, everyone else had something in mind. Riot, Cool, Jazzy, and Fest struggled to grasp how difficult this situation was. Vibe and Vivid glared at each other, and Sombre was still thinking about the skeleton in his body.
"... Does anyone have an X-ray?" Sombre reluctantly asked as he continued staring at his arms.
Bomberman created a camera with an x-ray installed and took a photo. He then brought it to his black lookalike so he could see everything. All Sombre did was look down and clench his fists.
"Is there another X-ray I can use?" No response after that. Nobody knew what to say, especially since they were all strangers to each other.
Bomberman's face glowered to show that he was slightly perturbed. With the scans he did, he also took note of what was in them. It was too much for him to handle, so he ignored it. He shook his head as he took another photo and gave the camera to Sombre. He knows that the black android cannot believe it and shows no emotion.
"Delete that from your memories if you cannot handle it." Cool commented. He couldn't see the pictures, but he was willing to guess that whatever Sombre saw was too much.
The black android shook and looked at the blue counterpart. "I'm not doing that."
Jazzy shook her head.
Vibe and Vivid paid no heed as they glared at each other. Fest noticed this and asked a few questions.
"Is it normal for us to be over-emotional and violent?"
Bomberman barely shook his head. "I'm programmed to be apoplectic. Violence and a lack of compassion are all I need in my missions."
In concern, Sombre, Cool, Riot, Jazzy, and Fest stared at the silver corpse-in-a-can. That stopped when they heard Vibe and Vivid try kicking at each other from Bomberman's left. All Bomberman did was glare at them and shake his head at the attempts to hurt each other.
"Enough."
The magenta and cyan androids continued fighting despite being held back by Jazzy and Fest.
"Taideusipeuteuga uwolhada!"
"Sode wanai!" Vivid's voice felt familiar to Canyon Point's robotic peacekeeper.
"Enough!" Bomberman growled before heating the air around his left fist and using it to restrain the brawl.
No longer capable of restraining the magenta and cyan androids, Jazzy and Fest released the two for a brief moment after Bomberman used his left fist. Vibe and Vivid were about to lunge at each other when their legs were suddenly stuck to the floor, immobilized.
They glared at the perpetrator, whose only response was his left fist glowing red for a second. "Both of you need to stop fighting right now! We are inside a university's healthcare center!"
That made everyone stop for a moment after Bomberman said, "Healthcare center." Vibe and Vivid looked at each other and backed down, with Bomberman slowly releasing his grip on them. The silver android thought how fortunate they were that androids and drones are not allowed to engage in combat at a healthcare facility such as a hospital. His mood soured when he realized that it makes such centers an easier target for bombings and shootings. His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of Sombre using the X-ray to take pictures of everyone out of morbid curiosity.
"... Sorry... I just wanted to see if you guys also have human remains in you." the android apologized as he took out the pictures from the camera and set them on the floor. After observing every one of those photos, everyone, including Bomberman, began feeling queasy.
Now they were silent from what they saw. Vivid looked at Bomberman, wondering why he felt familiar. A warm presence despite his near apathetic and restrained demeanor.
"Bakudan Otoko?" asked the cyan android as she looked at Bomberman. All the mentioned android did was give an annoyed glare.
What is it?"
"What are you going to do to us now?"
"I think it's best if I don't interrogate any of you," Bomberman confessed, sighing. The seven slumped into defeated poses. Nobody wanted to fight now. They were already uncomfortable and wanted to leave. "I have the info I need now—exit the upstairs rooftop. You are..." he paused for a moment. He has never said these words before until now. "Free to go."
As everyone got up, Sombre made a quick comment that got their attention and approval.
"We should see each other more."
Later outside...
As they all left, Bomberman looked at the colorful silhouettes scattered along the rooftops. The photos showed the skeleton and brain being surrounded by the chassis. He deactivated his visor's lights and began leaving.
(/ALL MISSIONS COMPLETE/)
(/RETURN TO HQ IMMEDIATELY/)
"All missions complete..." he muttered softly, reading his directives like a possessed thrall. "Returning to HQ immediately..."
BOMBERMAN: ALIVE
Written by Cian-Neural
Posted on Fanfiction .net, Wattpad, and Deviantart