A/N: Here's the next chapter. The last one should be on its way soon. Hope you enjoy it!



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Chapter 8: The Truth




Upon reaching the shore, the Pit Crew was greeted by General Thorton and a squad of soldiers. Rusty had carried them back one at a time, soaking wet. The plane had just sunk to the bottom of the harbor and a team was already making preparations to raise it again.

"Looks like you guys ran in to a problem," Thorton observed calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

Wringing out his hat, Mack corrected him, "More like the problem ran into us. Damn thing swatted us like a fly."

"We need to get back to the Darkhorse, pronto," Jo said, "If we're going stand any kind of a chance against that thing, we'll need the Big Guy."

Rusty perked up at the mention of his mentor's name, "Big Guy's fixed?"

"Sure is, kid," Mack answered as he readjusted his cap, "And he's gonna get the Lieutenant back, isn't he?" the older man cast a sideways glance at Garth who nodded affirmatively.

"Hey... Where's Dr. Slate...?" Rusty asked, looking around, "Is she still at the hospital?"

Thorton frowned, "We just came from there... I saw her leaving with Dr. Poindexter. Said something about following a lead."

"Anybody else got a bad feeling about that?" Mack turned towards Jo and Garth.

Jo frowned, thinking for a moment before inspiration struck, "The bunker! If that thing really was a Legion robot, it might have gone there."

"What if we're wrong? We could lose a lot of time..." Garth warned.

"Yeah, but right now it's the only lead we've got," Jo pointed out.

Thorton nodded, "Right. Let's get going before it's too late."


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"Don't you think it was strange that there were no soldiers posted at the entrance?" Dr. Slate asked, "I thought Thorton wanted this place secured..." The beam of her small flashlight cut through the utter darkness of the bunker's interior.

"Maybe they're on coffee break..." Matthew suggested.

Dr. Slate stopped when she reached the main computer terminal, "Here we are. Let's get some lights on in here." While she was punching in the sequence on the keypads, it occurred to her that the lights had been left on when she and the soldiers had gone. //That's strange... Why would they turn out the lights...?//

The emergency lighting came to life, creating alternating shadows and patches of light. "That's better," Dr. Poindexter nodded in satisfaction.

"We searched the system last time we were here," Erica told him, "There was no indication of any contingency plans... Wait..." Moving away from the other two humans, Dr. Slate approached the massive robot she had seen on her previous trip, "Look! It's the same one... Only its been completed." Even standing dormant, the machine seemed menacing.

"That means... Lieutenant Hunter MUST be here somewhere!" Poindexter said emphatically, "We need to search... Huh? What's that?" Frowning, the scientist pointed towards something moving in the shadows.

Two man sized robots rolled out from the darkness. Each had a triangular torso and a pair of skeletal arms. They came to a halt several feet from the trio.

Dr. Slate backed away slowly, "I think we need to get out of here... now!" She spun around only to be confronted by another set of the mysterious robot guards.

Poindexter glanced around, desperately searching for a means of escape. Only Matthew seemed undisturbed by the turn of events. "Leaving so soon?" with a gesture, he commanded the guardian robots to capture the two doctors.

"Matthew! What are you doing?!" Dr. Poindexter demanded as one of the machines grabbed his upper arms.

"Matthew? Oh, no, no, no, my good doctor. You seem to be mistaken," the young man smiled coldly.

Dr. Slate gasped in shock, "Number Seven!"

"Ah... You must be the lovely Dr. Slate..." Matthew smiled slowly, "I'm rather glad they didn't succeed in terminating you. What a waste that would have been. And the good Dr. Poindexter... How pleasant to see you again..." The young man's demeanor had changed completely. His manner was suddenly icy and confident.

"You downloaded a copy of yourself into Matthew's neural implant before you were destroyed!" she realized.

"Very clever... and also very correct. Of course I wasn't going to let such an inferior machine as the obsolete BGY-11 defeat me." Number Seven explained, "It was quite easy to create several copies of myself. I couldn't imagine a better hiding place than in a human you knew and trusted."

"Where's Lieutenant Hunter?!" Erica hissed, struggling to free herself from the grasp of the guardian robot.

"Oh, he's doing very well... Would you like to see him?" Number Seven turned away from the two humans and raised his hand towards a tall, cloudy tank of fluid. The dark liquid began to drain, revealing a slumped form.


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Outside of the bunker, Thorton's troops had assembled. Watching the sky with a pair of binoculars, he saw the sleek shape of the Legend-1 approaching, "Here they come."

Big Guy's landing produced a cloud of sand, "What's the situation, General?"

Rusty hovered anxiously near his right shoulder, "Are Dr. Slate and Dr. Poindexter okay?

Shaking his head, Thorton pointed towards the entrance, "It seems our big friend decided to put a padlock on his new doors. We haven't been able to get in."

"Maybe I can!" Rusty offered, "I'm small enough... I can fit through the air vents."

Thorton rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, "You mean the ventilation ducts? That might just work..."

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"Dwayne!" Dr. Slate cried, "What have you done to him?!"

Once emptied, the tank was opened by several robotic arms which moved along ceiling tracks that ran through the entire bunker. The hands grasped Dwayne and lifted him out, "As you can see, the Lieutenant is just fine... Better than fine in fact..." Number Seven commanded the arms with a gesture, and they gently set the man on his feet. Dwayne slowly raised his head to look at the trio.

"Oh... my..." Poindexter whispered.

Dwayne was dressed in a strange white suit affixed with silvery filaments which extended onto his bare flesh. They ran up his neck into his hair line and curved around his cheekbones, disappearing beneath his skin. His right arm sported several metal plates with various hook-ups. A single plate had been attached to the left side of his neck, providing a port for computer integration. The effect was rather eerie, if elegant.

"What do you think of my... improvements?" Number Seven laid a proprietary hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder, "I thought to myself, who would better appreciate such a gift than someone who has spent so much of his life pretending to BE a machine. Besides... We don't like to fail at anything."

"Lieutenant Hunter!" Dr. Slate called, hoping to invoke some kind of response. The man's face remained black, showing not even the slightest sign of recognition. Her heart sank as she realized that he was completely under the control of Number Seven.

Number Seven laughed, "Don't look so sad. The Lieutenant has received an incredible gift. He should consider himself... lucky. Can you imagine it? The perfect integration of man and machine, becoming so much more than either alone. Machine's are static. They cannot grow, not truly... Human's are imperfect by nature, but they do have advantages over machines. They can evolve... change... Amazing how such fragile things can adapt so quickly."

"You're insane!" Dr. Slate exclaimed.

With a smirk, Number Seven turned to the line of cylindrical tanks which were similar to the one Dwayne had been imprisoned in, "Oh, no need to fear, Dr. Slate. You and the good Dr. Poindexter will be joining him soon enough. I must admit that you will both be immensely useful..." He waved a hand idly, and the robotic guardians began to push the two humans forward.

"Hey! What're you doing to Dr. Slate!"

Number Seven whirled towards the voice, shocked, "What?!"

Rusty kicked out a ventilation screen and hopped down to the ground, running towards the group, "You leave her alone! Hey..." Skidding to a stop, he exclaimed excitedly, "Lieutenant Dwayne! Matthew! What're you doing here?"

"Rusty! Be careful!" Dr. Slate shouted, "Matthew is Number Seven!"

"What?" Rusty looked bewildered.

There was no time for anyone to react, however, as Big Guy crashed through the back wall. He paused to survey the situation, "Looks like the gang's all here..."

"Hmph," Number Seven sneered, "I anticipated your interference. Who better to stop the Big Guy than his... heh, chief mechanic. Lieutenant, disable the Big Guy."

"Dwayne..." Garth watched in surprise as his friend obeyed the order, "What's he doing?"

Putting his hand on the Big Guy's leg, Dwayne released an electrical discharge from one of the implants in his hand. Knowing the Big Guy's systems intimately, his attack was just the right frequency and charge to shut down the robot.

"Geez!" Garth struggled with the controls as all of the electrical systems shorted out, "Back-up... Negative... Damn! I've lost everything!" The cockpit had gone dark, and Big Guy collapsed on the ground.

"Big Guy!" Rusty cried, "Lieutenant Hunter, why did you do that?"

"He's not in control of himself," Dr. Slate told him, "He doesn't know what he's doing. You have to stop Matthew!"

Rusty turned in the air, looking towards the young human, "Matt? But..."

"Oh, how droll," Number Seven faked a yawn of boredom, "GR-4 and 5, take care of the boy robot." The two unoccupied guardbots headed towards Rusty at top speed.

"Yeah, right," Rusty fired off two blasts, incinerating the machines, "You let Dr. Slate and Dr. Poindexter go right now!" A third shot destroyed the robot holding Dr. Slate captive.

With a sigh, Number Seven turned to the gigantic robot that had been motionless in the corner, "ARG-5, stop him." The lens of the optical receptor slid open as it shuddered to life.

"Uh oh..." Rusty began to back up just as ARG-5 swung down its arm. The blow connected with a loud clang. The boy robot was driven into the floor.

"Rusty!" Dr. Slate cried in horror. She was certain his processor had been knocked off line when he didn't get up again. Running towards the central computer, she rapidly began typing., taking advantage of her freedom.

"And just what do you hope to accomplish..." Number Seven suddenly frowned, "Oh, no. We can't let you do that, now can we? Lieutenant... kill the doctor."

Dwayne emotionlessly reached out and grabbed her by the throat, lifting Dr. Slate into the air. She choked, trying to breath as he slowly added pressure.

"Stop this, Number Seven!" Poindexter shouted, "You won't gain anything by this!"

Number Seven simply shrugged, "She would have been useful as a member of the Legion. Now she will be useful as an example."

Erica looked into Dwayne's green eyes pleadingly. She searched desperately for any sign of his former self. "Please..." she gasped, "Don't do this..." When her words produced no response, she tried again, "You... know me! I'm your friend!" The dominated Lieutenant only squeezed harder. She clawed ineffectually at his hands. With her last breath, she tried to tell him how she felt, "Dwayne... I... I..."

Something seemed to give and the Lieutenant's face softened. He frowned in confusion, "E...Erica...?"

Number Seven visibly tensed, "Lieutenant, do as I command."

Instead, Dwayne set Dr. Slate back on her feet, blinking as if just awakening, "Wha... what's happening...?"

"Dwayne!" she exclaimed, "Thank God..."

Number Seven snarled in frustration, "Blast it! What went wrong?!"

"You!" Dwayne's brows drew together and he set his jaw in determination, "You're the one behind this!" Stepping around Dr. Slate, he swung a punch at the Legion cyborg. Number Seven deftly dodge the attack and grabbed the man's forearm. The small square plate in his palm produced an electrical shock that drove Dwayne to his knees.

"Looks like I'll just have to kill you as well," Number Seven cackled, "ARG, capture Dr. Slate."

"Ohhh, Owe... My head..." Rusty slowly pushed himself up on his hands and knees. Looking around, he saw the giant robot reaching for Dr. Slate, "Hey, you! Keep your hands off her!" Jetting forward, the small robot rammed ARG-5, knocking it off balance. The enormous machine staggered, pulling some wires loose from the central computer terminal as it tried to right itself. Sparks shot from the black cables as they fell to the ground. The robot holding Dr. Poindexter was nearly sheared in half as one of the chords snapped around. Now free, the human scrambled to avoid being stepped on.

"What the hell is going on out there?!" Garth listened to what sounded like distant explosions outside the cockpit. Feeling around in the dark, he worked to restart the electrical systems.

Rusty released a blast of green energy which blew apart the ARG-5's leg. Unable to stand, the enormous machine crashed to the ground.

"Can't any of you do thing right?!" Number Seven placed the palm of his hand over Dwayne's face, giving off another burst of electricity. The Lieutenant made a choked noise before falling unconscious.

Acting while the cyborg was distracted, Dr. Slate carefully picked up one of the fallen wires. She moved up behind Number Seven, dragging the chord with her, "If you want something done right..." She pushed the live end of the cable against the neural port on his neck, "...do it yourself!"

Number Seven gasped as the electricity surged through the implant. He collapsed on the floor groaning, the port smoking slightly.

"Dr. Slate!" Rusty exclaimed as he flew towards her, "You... you killed him?"

She shook her head, "No! Look..." Matthew gingerly touched the plate on his neck, wincing in pain, "He'll be all right. The electrical surge was enough to momentarily overload his implant network. Number Seven's personality copy should have been completely erased."

Poindexter crouched down next to the young man, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "Are you all right?"

Matthew sat up, still rubbing the side of his neck, "I... think so... What happened?"

The two adults exchanged looks. "You don't remember?" Poindexter asked.

"No..." glancing from one scientist to the other, Matthew looked befuddled, "Should I?"

"There!" Garth grinned triumphantly as the emergency battery kicked in.

"Big Guy!" Rusty ran over to the other robot who was finally beginning to get up, "You okay?"

"I'm just fine, kid... The Lieutenant just knocked me out for a bit there."

The sound of running footsteps drew the groups attention. Thorton and his squad of troops spilled into the room, weapons at the ready. Noticing that the crisis had passed, the General signaled the men to lower their weapons. "Is everyone all right?" he asked.

Dr. Slate nodded, "I think so, but we need to get Lieutenant Hunter and Matthew to a hospital."

Looking around at the damage that had been done during the fight, General Thorton frowned, "What the hell happened in here anyway?"

Dr. Poindexter smiled faintly, "I'm afraid that's a bit of a long story. However... I'll gladly tell you if you offer me a nice big cup of coffee."

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