Chains clinked softly as he slipped downstairs, the soft rustle of his
cloth pants and sweatshirt barely audible. Shadow Man and Flash Man
were still at work, Gemini Man, Pharaoh Man, and Magnet Man sleeping soundly.
One on the couch, the other two upstairs in the bed where he had just emerged.
Metal Man shivered, resisting the urge to hug himself as he made it to
the bottom of the stairs without waking anyone. He started to the
kitchen. It was six-thirty in the morning, and he knew that Pharaoh
Man and Magnet Man would be awake in half an hour. Awake and hungry.
Metal Man quickly and quietly warmed up what was left of the bacon and
sausage in the refrigerator while he waited for the butter to melt in the
pan on the stove to cook eggs; sunny-side-up for Magnet Man, scrambled
for Pharaoh Man, over-easy for Gemini Man. When Shadow Man and Flash
Man returned at eight o'clock, Metal Man knew that they would want the
left over steaks that they had not eaten the night before.
He also knew that they would expect him to join them in the bed when they
were finished eating. Gemini Man would probably join in as well,
or split in two and take him afterwards when Shadow Man and Flash Man were
asleep. Again, Metal Man resisted hugging himself.
He had grown used to the restraint of his chains, subconsciously finding
ways around the lack of reach and shortened stride. His wrists and
ankles were probably permanently bruised from the heavy, biting shackles,
but he was so used to the dull pain of the bruising that it barely registered
in his mind anymore.
Just as he set out two of the plates on the table in the middle of the
room, heavy footsteps on the stairs marked Magnet Man's and Pharaoh Man's
awakening. Gemini Man still snored on the couch. Metal Man
slinked away from the table as the two Robot Masters entered the kitchen,
opening the refrigerator and pulling out something for the two to drink.
Bending over to retrieve a beer can rewarded him with a hand groping and
squeezing his rear end. He jumped, but made no protest. He
knew better by now.
By the time Magnet Man and Pharaoh Man were finished eating and headed
back upstairs to get ready for work, Gemini Man had awakened and entered
the kitchen just as Metal Man set out his plate. He did not bother
to cook anything for himself just yet, knowing that he would not be given
a chance to eat until at least nine-thirty or ten o'clock. Shadow
Man and Flash Man would be home ten to twenty minutes after Pharaoh Man
and Magnet Man left, and Gemini Man rarely left, always keeping an eye
on Metal Man to make sure that he would not attempt to run away while the
house was empty. If the house was ever empty because everyone had
gone somewhere, the five Robot Masters made sure that Metal Man was secured
by his chains to the bed, not to be released until someone came home.
He sometimes wondered what he had done to deserve such a fate, but he knew
such thoughts were useless and pushed them from his mind as he quietly
washed the dishes. The front door opened and closed, marking Pharaoh
Man's and Magnet Man's departure. Metal Man shivered and pulled out
the steaks for Shadow Man and Flash Man to warm in the oven. He had
between fifteen and twenty minutes to cook them, then another ten to fifteen
minutes of peace while they ate before he was to be dragged upstairs.
The urge to hug himself was growing harder to resist.
Again, Metal Man found himself wondering what he had done to deserve such
a fate, and knew that he had done nothing. He had merely been in
the wrong place at the wrong time.
Dr. Wily had been killed by his last fortress' collapse just a year past
-- the body had been found to confirm the death -- and all of the Robot
Masters were rounded up and sent to various locations to be completely
reprogrammed, all war and fighting related thoughts flushed from their
computer-like brains. From there, they had been sent out into the
world to fend for themselves, find jobs, and make homes just like humans.
Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man worked in a department store during the day,
Shadow Man and Flash Man worked at night at a robotic assembly line, and
Gemini Man took odd jobs whenever needed, but mostly stayed at home to
keep an eye on Metal Man. Metal Man had not seen the outside world
in a little over a year other than what he could see out of the windows.
He remembered leaving the reprogramming station he had been sent to and
being surrounded by all five of the most feared Robot Masters among Dr.
Wily's ranks. He had attempted to struggle and call for help, but
he had been knocked unconscious and shackled. Since then, he had
been staying at the house with one of the five watching him at all times.
They worked him like a slave -- forcing him to do all of the cooking, cleaning,
and expecting him to not put up a fight when they wanted him to sleep with
them -- but Metal Man could not do anything about it.
He set out the plates on the table for Flash Man and Shadow Man as well
as something to drink for both of them. Two minutes later, they were
home and shuffling to the table. Metal Man resisted shrinking away
as he noticed that both were in a very foul mood. The fact that Flash
Man was stabbing his steak with his knife as if he was trying to kill it
again was proof of that. Metal Man turned away, shivering.
Both being in a horrible mood meant that he probably would not be able
to walk right for the rest of the day when they finished with him.
Unlike Gemini Man, who just stormed around the house and punched the walls
and forgot about Metal Man entirely when he was in a bad mood, Shadow Man
and Flash Man went rougher than they usually did, sometimes drawing blood.
If it had been anyone else, Metal Man would have asked what was wrong,
but he knew that mentioning it only made their moods worse. Magnet
Man and Pharaoh Man liked to vent, but Shadow Man, Flash Man, and Gemini
Man bottled it up and took it out on either the walls or Metal Man.
Metal Man shivered again, concentrating on washing the dishes and not getting
any soap on his chains. The chains and shackles were not so much
restraints as they were tools to make him feel small and helpless next
to the other five Robot Masters; and it worked. He could have very
easily broken the chains, but did not dare after the first time he had
tried and received punishment by beating, as well as other things, Magnet
Man cleaning him up afterwards. Metal Man had broken the chains once
more since then and escaped the house while the five were all out one night,
but Shadow Man had very easily found him, beaten him, and dragged him back
to the house. Metal Man no longer dared to stand up to them.
Suicide was still an option, but every time he tried, either Gemini Man
would stop him or Metal Man would back out, unable to go through with it.
He had no doubt that they would be able to repair and reactivate him, anyway.
"Alright, Red, you know the drill," came Shadow Man's voice as he and Flash
Man stood up and started upstairs. Metal Man shivered violently,
but said nothing, wiping his hands on a towel and slowly slinking after
them, wringing his wrist chain through his hands nervously and trying his
best to ignore the leer Gemini Man sent after him. Gemini Man watched
him walk upstairs, but did not follow, and Metal Man shivered again, knowing
that it meant that Gemini Man would take him afterwards, most likely splitting
in two to do it.
The chains were removed from the shackles briefly so that he could discard
his clothing, but were connected again immediately. With a heavy
stone of dread settled in his stomach, Metal Man crawled onto the bed to
the awaiting Robot Masters. He knew that even in a foul mood, they
would manipulate his body into reacting and enjoying it even when his mind
did not. He knew not why they bothered unless it was for his mental
and emotional anguish.
As greedy hands began to slide over him, Metal Man decided that he no longer
cared.
* * * * *
Yet another search turned up nothing, and he swore, crushing his drink
can from frustration, the metal biting into the palm of his hand.
He had been searching for over a year, and each search turned up nothing.
There were quite a few Robot Masters in the lists, but never the one he
was looking for. He threw the can across the room and rubbed his
face, sighing, resisting the violent urge to punch the computer monitor
in.
"Elec Man?" came a voice from the doorway behind him. Elec Man looked
over his shoulder as Rock and Centaur Man entered the room. "Still
no luck?" Centaur Man asked. Elec Man shook his head.
"It's been over a year...where the hell could he be?!" Elec Man
demanded from no one in particular, glaring at the computer screen.
"I don't know..." Rock sighed, "The world is a very big place with lots
of tiny towns that don't even show up on a map. Metal Man could be
anywhere..." Elec Man shook his head.
"I know he'd try to get a job somewhere...I've looked at every employment
roster I can find, even for small businesses like local bakeries and banks!"
Elec Man snarled. "But there's not a trace of him anywhere..."
During the mass-reprogramming of all of Dr. Wily's robots, the various
armies had been separated into three locations. Dr. Light, himself,
had seen to the reprogramming of the first and sixth armies and Forte,
Dr. Cossack to the second, third, and fourth armies and the Mecha Dragon,
and Dr. Stevie Schlotkin of Los Angeles, California had overseen the reprogramming
of the fifth, seventh, and eighth armies as well as the Rock Killers and
Yellow Devil. Elec Man had lost track of where everyone had disappeared
to after they had been reprogrammed, and continued to mentally kick himself
for not keeping track of Metal Man. He knew that Quick Man and Ring
Man were staying with Dr. Cossack, Forte was wandering the world with Blues,
and Centaur Man was living with him and the first army with Rock and Dr.
Light.
Centaur Man rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before speaking, "Well...he
might be staying with a friend or something and not working...why don't
you try the homeowners lists? I could hack you into the international
census rosters." Elec Man blinked and nearly punched himself.
Why had he not thought of that?
"Do it."
* * * * *
Metal Man looked down and cringed upon noticing that the bath water had
turned a light pink color. So much for soaking. He sighed and
took the washcloth from the side of the tub, leaning forward and reaching
back to clean what wounds Shadow Man, Flash Man, Castor, and Pollux had
left behind. His chains were lying on the floor outside the tub.
The chains rusted; whereas, the shackles did not. He had learned
his lesson a year past.
In more ways than one... he mentally grumbled, remembering the beating
he had received after Flash Man had noticed that they needed to find new
chains to fit the specially-made shackles.
Metal Man hissed quietly as the soapy washcloth stung the small rips inside
him, but no tears came to his eyes. He was so used to pain, barely
anything made him cry anymore. He was not sure whether it was a good
thing or a bad thing. Good that pain barely registered in his emotions
or bad that he had been turned into such a cold shell.
He shook his head to get rid of the disturbing thought and finished washing
himself, letting the water out of the tub and towelling himself dry, dressing,
and quietly slipping out of the bathroom. He heard the television
downstairs and knew that Pollux was watching his soap operas despite Castor's
grumbling. Shadow Man and Flash Man were in the bedroom, snoring.
Metal Man glanced at a wall clock as he passed it. Ten o'clock.
His stomach growled, and he started downstairs to the kitchen to finally
eat.
There was a hole in the wall in the kitchen by the refrigerator where a
phone had once been. There were no phones in the house. No
method to call for help.
The only writing paper in the house was a small notepad on the kitchen
bar for writing grocery lists. There were no envelopes or other methods
of sending out letters, nor was there a computer. No way to write
for help.
Metal Man sighed and sat down at the table with a large bowl of milk, a
spoon, and a jumbo-sized box of Cookie Crisp. Normally he would cook
himself something just as he had the others, but he did not feel like doing
so. To follow the cereal, he had a bottle of scotch in the refrigerator
waiting to be opened. None of the others liked anything alcoholic
outside of beer and whiskey with the occaisonal bottle of vodka, and they
allowed Metal Man to have whatever he wanted. He always had them
bring him the strongest scotch or rum they could find or afford.
It was one of the few pleasures he had left.
* * * * *
Elec Man rubbed his eyes, yawning. It was almost two in the morning,
but he refused to leave the computer just yet, slowly leafing through the
international census rosters one country at a time. Centaur Man and
Rock were each at a different terminal in the room, also searching to make
the operation run faster. Centaur Man had finally been able to hack
into the international census rosters two hours past, and Elec Man had
taken North America and Asia, Centaur Man had taken Europe and Africa,
and Rock was now searching through Australia and South America.
Rock jerked upright with a snort as his forehead nearly hit the computer
monitor in front of him. He blinked at it blankly and yawned.
"I suggest we take a break and get some rest...start back up first thing
in the morning," he muttered. Elec Man slumped, but made no protest.
He was so tired that he probably would miss Metal Man's name even if it
scrolled by right in front of his nose.
"I found him!" Centaur Man suddenly howled. Elec Man and Rock nearly
broke something rushing over to him and crowding around his monitor.
Centaur Man pointed at the residential list he had pulled up, Metal Man's
name highlighted. "There. Strasbourg. German side."
"Germany?" Rock repeated, blinking, "How did he end up there?"
Centaur Man shrugged.
"The house has six residents in it, including him," he muttered, glancing
over his shoulder at Elec Man, "I told you he was probably living with
someone else and not working."
"But who's he living with?" Elec Man asked, "Can you check that?"
Centaur Man nodded and typed something into the computer, glancing up as
the results came on the screen. Both he and Elec Man paled as the
computer highlighted the names of the other five residents; Pharaoh Man,
Magnet Man, Shadow Man, Flash Man, and Gemini Man.
* * * * *
Metal Man hid a disgusted look as Castor did something that made him want
to retch, instead opting to curl up tighter in his chair and ignore them
unless they called him, shoving his nose further in his book. He
had vacuumed and dusted all yesterday, so he really had nothing else to
do. Not that he complained about the peace; far from it. Reading
was hard with the television on, but it distracted him more, and he did
not get yelled at from upstairs about the vacuum being too loud.
Not that anyone else cared about what the house looked like anyway.
Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered, but sticky substances that
he was not sure he wanted to know what they were after he stepped on them
always answered the question for him.
A small form pushed under Metal Man's arm, worming into his lap and curling
up. Metal Man could not help but let a weak smile cross his face,
gently scratching the small ferret on its head. Zorro leaned into
the attention, eyes closed. It was Pollux's fault that they had Zorro,
although Metal Man had helped him beg Pharaoh Man and Magnet Man.
It turned out to be a quickly passing phase, and Metal Man was the only
one who ever paid attention to the ferret anymore. Zorro had quickly
learned to tolerate a lot of abuse just as Metal Man had, often being kicked
down the stairs by Flash Man. He had also learned to bite anyone
who dared to pick him up other than Metal Man, the only one in the house
who cuddled him, played with him, and fed him.
Metal Man cringed as his stomach churned for the sixth time that hour and
silently swore at himself for taking it upon himself to finish off the
last of the milk which had been almost eight days past the expiration date.
His stomach churned again, harder this time. He hissed, marked his
place in his book, set Zorro on the floor, and quickly made his way upstairs
to the bathroom where he promptly clutched the toilet and became reaquainted
with his breakfast.
I've probably got food poisoning... he sighed inwardly as he folded
his arms on the toilet seat and rested his forehead on them, Just what
I didn't need...
* * * * *
"What do you mean you can't find their coordinates?" Elec Man demanded.
"Just what I said," Centaur Man answered, grumbling, "I can't find their
coordinates! Every time I put in the address, the satellite comes
up with absolutely nothing."
Rock stepped back into the room, passing around mugs of coffee to keep
them awake, and asked, "Are you sure you're putting in the address right?"
"I'm putting it in exactly as it's shown on the census. And
their telephone number," Centaur Man sighed, rubbing his face, "It's like
they've got a satellite blocker or something similar somewhere in the house."
Rock muttered, glaring at the monitor, "Knowing those five, they probably
do...so no one could teleport there if they ever found out where they live."
Elec Man snarled, "Well, I'm not beaten. Look up that address and
give me the closest landmark to it." Centaur Man took a large gulp
of coffee and did as he was told. The computer only took two minutes
to complete its task, but to Elec Man it might as well have been two hours.
"Okay, the closest I can get us is the courthouse five blocks away," Centaur
Man finally spoke, "That's some heavy-duty satellite blocker they've got..."
"It's close enough," Elec Man muttered, "Plug the coordinates into the
teleporter. I'm going to get Metal Man." He turned away and
stormed over to the teleporter, using his recall function to put on his
coat. Rock and Centaur Man recalled their armor as the coordinates
were loaded into the teleporter. Elec Man did not bother. Unlike
them, he could use his weapon without his armor.
"It's almost six o'clock in the afternoon there..." Centaur Man muttered
as he and Rock stepped onto the teleporter with Elec Man, "We should be
there about eight-thirty." Elec Man just nodded.
* * * * *
Metal Man winced and rubbed his stomach as he cleaned up the oven, Pharaoh
Man and Magnet Man eating at the table behind him. Gemini Man had
eaten with Shadow Man and Flash Man who had just left to go to work.
Metal Man could still taste bile in the back of his throat from when he
had thrown up last -- the third time, if he remembered right. It
was not food poisoning, but something in the spoiled milk had decided
to backfire on him.
He heard Pharaoh Man's and Magnet Man's dishes clatter into the sink and
he stood up, closing the oven door just as Magnet Man commanded, "Upstairs,
Red."
Metal Man resisted responding with "look who's talking" even though he
knew Magnet Man liked to be teased about his candy apple red hair color.
He just did not feel up to it after spending the day hugging the toilet.
He slowly followed the two Robot Masters upstairs, briefly glancing at
the wall clock to see that it read eight o'clock. He almost tripped
on the top step as his stomach churned. It churned again in the doorway
to the bedroom, actually bringing tears to his eyes.
He shook his head and looked up, almost whimpering, "P-Please...I can't...n-not
tonight..." Even looking down at the floor, he could feel the two
nasty glares he received, and he shivered, biting back a whimper.
"And just why not?" came Pharaoh Man's rumbling growl, sending chills down
Metal Man's spine.
"M-My stomach..." Metal Man whimpered, shivering so hard his chains were
rattling slightly, "I...I haven't been feeling good...all day..."
He winced as Pharaoh Man grabbed him by the arm, grip bruising.
"Well, we'll just have to make you feel better, won't we?"
Downstairs, Castor and Pollux barely acknowledged Metal Man's screams.
* * * * *
The sun had set in Strasbourg by the time Elec Man, Centaur Man, and Rock
arrived at eight-fourty-five. They wasted no time running down the
sidewalks, searching for the street their quarry was on. It took
nearly fifteen minutes, but they found the street, their pace speeding
up as they scanned the address numbers.
"That's it!" Rock hissed, the trio skidding to a stop in front of a two-floor
house, curtains all closed. Elec Man cracked his knuckles, fists
crackling with electricity, lightning sparking in the backs of his eyes.
Rock shifted his left arm into a plasma cannon, as did Centaur Man.
Elec Man glared at the door and snarled, "Let's dance..."
* * * * *
A knock sounded at the front door. Castor looked up, blinking.
"Who the hell could that be?" Magnet Man grumbled, stepping out of the
kitchen and towards the door.
"If it's someone trying to sell something, let me nuke 'em," Pharaoh Man
muttered. Magnet Man opened the door, howled, and stumbled back,
clutching the side of his face where he had been hit. Pharaoh Man,
Castor, and Pollux leapt to their feet as Elec Man kicked the door free
of its hinges and tackled Magnet Man to the floor, sitting on him and wrapping
his hands around his throat.
"Where is he, you bastards?!" Elec Man screamed as Rock and Centaur Man
ran in, kicking away the other three Robot Masters as they tried to leap
at Elec Man. Pollux was kicked away by Centaur Man and sent crashing
on top of the coffee table while Pharaoh Man and Castor tried to gang up
on Rock. "Tell me where he is, or I swear to god I'll kill you all!"
The others barely heard Elec Man and Magnet Man as they fought each other,
Rock all but trying to wrestle Pharaoh Man while Centaur Man kept Castor
and Pollux busy.
A brief, strangled scream sounded, and was almost immediately cut off with
a wet crunch. The other five robots ceased fighting and turned back
to Elec Man who had stood up, part of Magnet Man's wet, bloody spinal column
dangling from his grip, Magnet Man face down and limp on the floor, back
torn open and oozing robotic blood.
Elec Man turned to Pharaoh Man, Castor, and Pollux and demanded, throwing
down the metallic bone that had been Magnet Man's spine, "Where...is...he?"
Pharaoh Man growled, but answered, taking a small step back, "Upstairs..."
* * * * *
Metal Man blinked as he heard sounds of fighting downstairs, but pushed
it out of his mind as yet another argument between Castor, Pollux, and
Magnet Man. It was a near nightly occurance, and usually got violent.
He heard Magnet Man scream, and blinked again. He would have gotten
up from the bed and gone downstairs to see what was wrong, but it hurt
too much to try to move. Blood caked his backside and bruises covered
his face and stomach, biceps also bruised from where he had been held down.
His stomach ache was gone, forgotten. Zorro licked his tear-stained
face, trying to soothe him. Metal Man sighed, burying his face into
his pillow and wishing the night would end.
He heard footsteps on the stairs and flinched. Pharaoh Man and Magnet
Man were through with him and would not be back upstairs until they were
ready to sleep. Castor and Pollux must have wanted their turn.
Metal Man shivered, squeezing his eyes shut and curling up tighter underneath
his blanket, his back to the door. The footsteps entered the room,
slowly walking behind him. Metal Man kept his eyes shut.
A hand gently stroked his hair. Metal Man cracked his eyes open.
This touch...he recognized it. It was not the harsh, hurtful touch
of Pharaoh Man or Magnet Man, nor was it the bruising touch of Castor or
Pollux. It was kind, warm, gentle, things that Metal Man had forgotten
existed. Yet he still recognized it. Tears filled his eyes.
It can't be...
Slowly, timidly, he turned his head to look over his shoulder, ignoring
his throbbing neck's protest. Platinum blonde hair with matching,
shimmering gold eyes stared down at him. For a brief moment, Metal
Man thought he was looking at an angel, and more tears filled his eyes.
"I'm dreaming..." he whispered.
Elec Man smiled, tears starting to trail down his pale face. "No..."
he whispered, "You're not..."
All pain was briefly forgotten as Metal Man shot upright and threw his
arms around Elec Man's neck, hiding his face in the older robot's shoulder
and sobbing, clutching Elec Man's coat in an iron grip that he never wanted
to release. Elec Man pulled Metal Man close, arms wrapped around
the small robot and nuzzling his hair as Metal Man sobbed hysterically.
"Come on..." Elec Man crooned into his ear, gently kissing him on top of
his head, "Let's get you dressed and go home..." Metal Man nodded
vigorously.
Rock and Centaur Man looked up as Elec Man started downstairs, Metal Man
curled up in his arms, Zorro nestled comfortably on the chest of Metal
Man's sweatshirt, chains and shackles removed to reveal plum purple and
black bruises on his wrists and ankles. Elec Man paused just before
the open doorway to glare at Pharaoh Man, Castor, and Pollux and growl
a warning, "If I ever find you near him again, I'll kill you even more
painfully than I killed Magnet Man." Rock was the first out, then
Elec Man carrying Metal Man, and then Centaur Man watching their backs.
Metal Man looked around Elec Man's arm and threw the angry trio a glare
that would have made them drop dead if looks could kill just before they
turned to start down the sidewalk and get out of the range of the satellite
blocker.
As they walked at a slow pace, Metal Man looked up to the sky and took
a deep breath of the fresh night air he had not smelled in over a year,
watched the stars he could barely remember ever seeing, picking out constellations
he had forgotten existed. Zorro slept peacefully, nestled in his
sweatshirt. Metal Man shifted his gaze from the sky to Elec Man who
smiled down at him, and he knew that he would never have to fear taking
a wrong step or saying the wrong thing ever again.
He was home.
Metal Man rested his head on Elec Man's chest and whispered as he closed
his eyes, smiling warmly, "My hero..."
My Hero
By: NKfloofiepoof