Chapter 4 - Valor
More than a week had passed since the events regarding Julian. Most of the work in Mobotropolis was complete. Several buildings, including stores, restaurants, and other city centers had been completed. Also, quite a few homes were built to house the people of Mobotropolis, and more and more people starting moving into their new homes. One such house stood apart from them all, however...
It was small in terms of space it took up in the area, but was three floors high. On the door, a familiar star-shaped symbol could be seen adorning it. It's intended occupant was naturally surprised...
"You guys! I can't accept THIS!" Anthony said upon being told the house was his.
"Sure a you can!" Mario spoke up. "Mobius insisted that you receive some type of special honor for your deeds here, and since you didn't a want a statue..."
Anthony held his head in his hands and shook his head in disbelief. "So, I get a house instead?"
"That's right!" Mario replied.
"And I suppose I can't just refuse and say 'But my home is EARTH, guys!'?"
"You could," Link said, coming up behind them, "but then you'll be mobbed by the entire contingent of the workforce for lack of gratitude. I believe the phrase I heard you use one time was, 'Does the name Custer ring a bell?'."
Anthony sighed. "Alright...I suppose I can accept this. But, God, is moving in going to be Hell!"
Protoman was next to speak. "Not necessarily, Anthony. Check it out!"
Anthony looked in the direction where Protoman was pointing and saw several workers coming towards the house with several boxes and furniture. He recognized the furniture as his own from Earth.
"And...you arranged this without me knowing, HOW?" Anthony asked.
Protoman smiled. "Let's just say your parents are REALLY good at keeping secrets."
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Hours later, the house Anthony almost refused looked more like a home he could enjoy. Especially considering what the workers had done...
"You should check out the third floor, Anth," Sonic said as he led Anthony upstairs. "It is way past cool and PERFECT for you!"
Sonic opened the door to the third floor and showed Anthony what was done. Anthony was shocked to see what they had done. The room was set up like the game room that was set up in the palace, but also had four computers that were set up for network gaming as well as a table for any other type of gaming as well.
"Nice!!!" Anthony said. "My gaming friends on Earth would give their right eye for a setup like this! Of course...they'd also give their right eye just to GET to Mobius like I did..."
"Glad you like it," Megaman said, coming up from behind them.
The group then headed down to the main floor of the house. "We'd better take our leave now so you can check out your new home, Anthony," Megaman said.
"Yeah, we'll catch you later, Anth," Sonic said. "And...welcome home!"
Anthony said his goodbyes to the group as they left and headed into the living area, where he immediately plopped down in a couch located in front of his TV.
"Home..." Anthony thought to himself. "Never thought I'd get my first house out of state, let alone on another world altogether! Of course, I also never thought I'd be in the world of a video game!" Anthony let himself drift into a peaceful nap as these thoughts lingered on his mind.
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"I wish you could see Mobotropolis, Mother..."
Sally was visiting the Knothole Memorial to speak, spiritually, with her mother. With the events taking place on Mobius as of late, this was one of the rare times she had to pay her respects.
"The other worlds of Arcadia have all pitched in to restore our city to the way it was before Robotnik. It now almost looks like Robotnik never existed, even though the emotional wounds of that war still exist in many of our people. I also wish you could have gotten a chance to meet Anthony, the new Gamemaster. He's even helped reunite a few families that were separated, including Elias and I to Father. I wish..."
Sally then began to choke up, the emotion of missing her mother becoming too great to bear. Thankfully, someone had arrived when this happened...
"Sally?" King Acorn said upon seeing Sally in this state. Sally immediately fell into his arms and began to cry loudly, releasing all of her grief. King Acorn did nothing but continue to hold her as she cried on his shoulder. He gave a glance towards where his wife's grave was and began to tear up himself. Eventually, the king helped his daughter back towards Mobotropolis.
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The intense sensations of sorrow were enough to rouse the new Gamemaster of Arcadia from his nap. He awoke from his couch and ran outside to see Sally and her father walking from the Knothole Memorial, and Sally was still crying as the two walked towards the castle.
"Sally..." Anthony thought to himself and sighed. "I wish I could help you with your grief, but there are limits to even the Descendancy Powers." He then walked up to the two of them to see what comfort he could provide.
"Oh, Gamemaster..." King Acorn said. "I'm...just bringing Sally back home. She's..."
"I understand, your majesty," Anthony said, then turned toward Sally and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Your highness, I...wish I knew what I could do to make you feel better..."
Sally looked up to the human and tearfully said, "Just...the fact that you're concerned is enough, Anthony. Thank you."
Anthony then kneeled down and said, "Need an additional shoulder to cry on?" She immediately accepted, embracing the human and whispering a thank you. During this exchange, Bookshire ran up.
"Oh, your majesty...I'm sorry, I'm interrupting something..."
"It's alright, Bookshire," King Acorn said. "What is it?"
"Well, there's something I need to discuss...about Packbell."
Both Sally and Anthony heard this and stood up to face Bookshire. "What about Packbell?" Sally asked, regaining her composure and wiping away some tears.
"Well..." Bookshire said, "out of curiosity, I checked the Earth 'website' that belonged to the author that wrote about me. It turned out he wrote about Packbell as well...and included some information about him that might be useful."
"That's definitely worth checking out!" Anthony said. "Lead the way, Bookshire."
The four then walked towards where Bookshire's new office was located. As they walked, Anthony turned back towards Sally and asked, "You sure you're up to this, Sal? Your father and I can check this out if you need more time..."
"I'll be fine, Anthony. Thank you for being concerned though," Sally said. As Anthony turned back towards where Bookshire was going, Sally then said. "Mother would have definitely wanted to meet you..."
Anthony was momentarily shocked by this statement, then shook his head. "I'm never going to get used to all this..." Anthony thought to himself.
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"When I was checking this website," Bookshire explained, "I noticed there was a section that contained dossiers for the three characters that David Pistone 'created'. They included myself, of course, Sandra Nightweaver, and Packbell. Upon reading my dossier, I discovered it was very accurate, even down to which degrees I had earned. Guessing it would be just as accurate, I decided to check Packbell's dossier and discovered something."
"What did you find?" King Acorn asked.
"Apparently...Packbell has his own base located in the northern mountains. The site wasn't specific where it was...but if the site was accurate about me, it's definitely worth checking out those mountains to find that base."
Anthony looked concerned. "I remember reading that. Packbell probably transferred his electronic consciousness to that location after I released the Final Power. There's also another reason why we'll want to find that base..."
"What?" Sally asked, noticing Anthony had a look of concern.
Anthony sighed and then explained. "In Pistone's stories, he mentioned Packbell having his own roboticized citizens in his possession. He...also mentioned experiments done there on those citizens..."
Somber looks appeared on the Mobians present, then King Acorn spoke up. "Then it's settled. We must check out those mountains and find that base. Gamemaster, it looks like you want in."
"Definitely," Anthony said. "If there are still people to rescue, then I definitely want to help."
"Very well. In that case, you better get the Heroes Council together and finalize a plan. Tell me when you're ready."
Anthony nodded and went to go find the others. Bookshire then spoke up. "Um...your majesty, are you sure those roboticized citizens are still alive? After all...we DID see Packbell ready to exterminate all the organic forces at the Battle of Mobius."
"We have to keep positive, Bookshire," Sally spoke up. "After all, he may just want those robotcizied people around so he has someone to lead."
Bookshire nodded in understanding, then turned back towards the computer terminal...
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"Well, that's the gist of it," Anthony concluded after reporting to the Heroes Council, all of whom were in a meeting room in the castle. "Sounds like this will be a recon and rescue mission, so we'll need the stealthiest people."
"Then count me in," Bass spoke up. "This black armor wasn't built just for looks!"
"Alright, any other volunteers?"
"Count me in, Anth!" Sonic spoke up. "I've run more stealth missions than anyone else."
"I'm in too," Tails piped up. "We may need the Descendancy Powers to free the minds of those people."
"Agreed." Anthony said. "Alright, I think I have enough. The rest of you should wait on the outskirts of the base to provide backup when necessary."
The entire group nodded in agreement and went out to find the king. They were soon met by Doctor Light.
"Ah, there you all are," Light started. "We just got back the probe data from the northern mountains and found the base. I have the schematics right here." Light then handed the group a printout and a computer disk with the layout. "Unfortunately, we have a problem..."
"What kind of a problem?" Luigi asked.
"A preliminary readout of the base's defenses shows the base's sensors are set up to detect any type of organics within 5 miles of the base, but the settings are such that roboticized citizens aren't included."
Megaman was confused. "How did the probe know this? I didn't think it was that accurate."
"The probe picked up a video transmission of blaster fire in one sector within 5 miles the base. It went to that area and found...a non-antropomorphic mouse destroyed by laser fire."
"Man..." Sonic said, surprised. "That's some sensitive sensors..."
"Yes. When the video feed went near the base, it saw there were some roboticized citizens there. Apparently, the sensors were set up to not recognize them. The last transmission the probe gave before being destroyed was Packbell's voice saying, 'That thing must be one of Doctor Light's little toys, destroy it!'"
"Looks like Packbell's been reading up on us," Link said with a dark tone. "He might just recognize Bass or any of the other bots if they go up there."
"I know..." Light said with a slightly depressed tone. "That's why a rescue mission might be next to impossible. Unless..."
Anthony sensed a bit of fear in Light's tone, but not from the mission. "Unless what?"
"Bookshire believes there may be a way for one to sneak in without attracting too much attention. But only if...that person roboticizes him or herself."
"WHAT?!?!?!?" The entire group yelled out, shocked at what was said.
"Look, Bookshire believes we can sneak in one roboticized individual to examine the base without being detected. We can then derobotoicize him or her once the work is done. Naturally, we intend to use Kintobor mode robotization..."
"Doc, no offense to the man who helped create the Deroboticizer," Sonic said, "but HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!? I did NOT fight Buttnik those past ten years just so we can use the method that enslaved us to run recon. It's crazy! It's wacked out! It's..."
"...just what might be needed to get them out, Sonic!" Anthony spoke up. "I'm willing to do it, Doc."
A gasp went through the entire group, then Zelda spoke up. "Anthony, no. We can't have you risking your life like this. You're the only one with Sir Eric's powers and..."
"I was willing to give my life at the Battle of Mobius when I released the Final Power and I'm willing to do it again. Besides, I have a plan in mind that should minimize the risk..."
The group still had a look of concern and disbelief on their faces, but decided to still listen as Anthony explained his plan...
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"A friend?!? You're going to go in as Packbell's FRIEND?!?"
Anthony was explaining the plan to King Acorn and Bookshire. Naturally the king was finding the whole thing hard to believe.
"Anthony," the king continued, "when I heard about Bookshire's plan to roboticize someone to run recon, I was actually considering it since we do have a way to reverse it. But...to go in as Packbell's friend to be?"
"It should work," Anthony said. "Packbell seems to like robots as friends more than organics, seeing as how he was willing to rebuild Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts like he did. Didn't even like Robotnik in Pistone's stories, just pretended to be with him to get what he wants. If he believes I was a robot built before he was, and who left Buttnik's graces to go out on his own, I should earn his trust and be able to run recon without having to hide in the shadows."
King Acorn pondered this, knowing well it would mean risking the only descendant of Sir Eric with the Powers. He also knew that Anthony was willing to die at the Battle of Mobius...
"Alright...I'll allow it. I'm guessing the Heroes Council went along with this?"
"Reluctantly, yes. They'll be on the outskirts ready to assist when necessary and lead any roboticized citizens to safety if I can get them out."
"Good," Acorn said, then turned towards Bookshire. "Bookshire, Anthony's in your hands now."
Bookshire and Anthony left the king's chambers and headed towards Bookshire's office. King Acorn had one final thought as they left.
"May Destiny guide you in your venture, Gamemaster..."
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A few minutes later, Anthony found himself stripped to his undergarments and strapped to a table within the glass chamber of a Roboticizer. Bookshire, Chuck, and Doctor Light were all present to make sure nothing went wrong.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Gamemaster?" Light said. "You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to..."
"This is our best chance of getting those roboticized citizens out of Packbell's lair," Anthony said. "Besides, the process IS reversible now and...it might be interesting to see myself as a robot."
"You wouldn't say that if you'd been through what I've been through, sonny..." Chuck said as he made some adjustments to the machinery.
Outside the office, looking through a window at the process, were Mario, Link, Sonic, and Megaman. All of them had looks of concern on their faces, mostly for the safety of their friend. Sonic was taking this the hardest...
"I can't believe he actually agreed to do this," Sonic said. "Why in Destiny's name...?"
"He wants to help those people, Sonic," Link said. "Something tells me his safety is the last thing on his mind."
Suddenly, Bookshire spoke up from inside the office. "Everything's ready. Anthony?"
"Throw the switch, Doc."
Sonic turned away from the window. "I can't watch this..." Mario put a hand on Sonic's shoulder in understanding and to try to comfort the hedgehog.
Almost immediately afterward, the room started glowing with a bright blue light as the Robotcizer was activated. Anthony grit his teeth as the process started up, and then let out a scream of agony as the process was taking place. Sonic winced at this and the other three could only stare at what was happening. Soon the light dimmed and the all noise stopped.
Mario, Link, and Megaman could only stare at the end result for a while, then Mario turned toward Sonic and noticed that the hedgehog was beginning to tear up. Doctor Light's voice was then heard. "Process complete...all vitals stable and systems functioning."
Anthony's voice, or rather a digitized version of it, was then heard. "That...was painful...whoa! This is a weird sensation...I can't feel myself talk. I...can't feel anything!" Anthony then gasped as he noticed his body. "Get me out of this device and to a mirror. I want to see myself."
The three doctors removed Anthony from the Roboticizer and helped him towards the door. "You'll need some time to sort out your new signals, Anthony, so we'll help you." Chuck said. "Believe me, I should know..."
The group, except for Sonic, watched as the three doctors helped an adult human sized robot out of the office towards a bathroom where a mirror was located. Link was fighting hard not to throw up from what he just saw, but failed and ended up throwing up in a nearby trash can. Sonic was still not looking and looked down at his shoes, trying to keep in his emotions about what just happened.
When Anthony entered the bathroom, he could only look in awe at his new form. It resembled what his tech armor looked like activated, except a dull gray in color and more articulated. What shocked him the most was his head. Instead of hair, he saw a metal helm. Instead of ears, he saw two receptors. His face was also reduced to nothing more than what looked like dark goggles and a round speaker on a featureless form.
"Damn..." Anthony said, looking at his new body.
"How do you feel, Anthony?" Light asked.
"Fine, considering..." Anthony said. "But...man...this is both amazing and frightening at the same time..."
"At least you still have control, Anthony..." Chuck said.
Anthony nodded, and then wondered something. He reached a hand out towards a canister that was on the counter. Suddenly, the canister flew towards his hand, much to the amazement of the three doctors present.
"What the...?" Bookshire said. "How?"
"My brain is still organic," Anthony said, "so it looks like my psionics still work. This could work more to our advantage." He then turned his head towards the exit of the bathroom towards where the group was watching the procedure. "Crying?"
"Crying?" Light repeated.
Anthony walked out and saw Mario and Megaman trying to comfort Sonic, who had broken down crying from what happened and was kneeling on the ground. Link was still looking a little green, almost matching his tunic.
Chuck ran out and saw the same scene. "Great Destiny...my nephew must be remembering my robotization! He was present when it happened..."
Anthony nodded in understanding and walked over to Sonic, now able to control his body now that he had figured his signals out quickly. Anthony then knelt down to try to comfort Sonic, but Sonic turned his head away from Anthony as soon as he did so. Chuck then knelt down and cupped a paw under Sonic's chin to have Sonic look towards him.
"C'mon, Sonie...it's alright. Anthony's still in control..."
Sonic gazed towards Chuck with tear filled eyes, then turned slowly toward Anthony, who was looking at Sonic through electronic eyes. Anthony then laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder to try and comfort him.
"Sonic, I'm fine," Anthony said. "Once this mission is over, I'll be back to my old self again...and, hopefully, so will those workerbots in Packbell's fortress."
Sonic wiped away his tears and then stood up, with Chuck and Anthony following suit. Mario, Megaman, and Link then walked up to the group, Link now recovered from his nausea.
"Wow..." Megaman said. "You look great as a robot, Anthony."
"Thanks..." Anthony said. "Though I prefer fleshtones to dull gray. Sonic...are you alright now?"
Sonic nodded slightly while still being comforted by Chuck. Bookshire then walked up to Anthony. "We'd better get the plans ready for the infiltration. Anthony, take the rest of the day to get used to your new body and see which of your psionics are still effective."
"Will do, Bookshire," Anthony said, then walked out of the building escorted by Mario, Megaman, and Link. After Anthony left, Sonic broke down into tears again...
"I understand, Sonie..." Chuck said, embracing his nephew. "I was hoping it we wouldn't see it again either..."
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Anthony was amazed at what was still functioning even though he was in a robotic form. Even though his metabolic psionics were inactive, seeing as how there were almost no organic parts to augment or repair, his telepathic and kinetic powers were still fully active. He also noticed his robotic body gave him added strength, agility, and reflexes without the need for psionic enhancement.
He was still practicing working with his body in the safety of his new home when he received a knock at the door. "Who wants to see me at this hour?" Anthony thought, noticing the clock showed a late hour. He opened the front door slightly and noticed Doctor Light and Chuck standing there. "Oh, it's you guys. Come on in."
The two doctors entered as Anthony opened the door wider and then Light asked, "Have you figured out your body by now?"
"Yes. Looks like I have all my powers except for my metabolic powers. Also, it seems this new body enhances my reflexes and strength as well."
"Well then you should like a couple of its other features," Chuck said. "During the process we installed some additional features in your body that should come in handy."
Anthony looked towards Chuck upon hearing this. "And, you didn't tell me this WHY?!?"
"We wanted you to get used to your body's regular functioning before you practice with these new features." Light explained. "Otherwise, you would have probably short circuited from the lack of practice."
"I see..." Anthony said. "Alright, what new toys does my body have?"
Chuck did all the explanations. "Your body has been augmented much in the same way as we were when we were roboticized as workerbots. Your arms and legs can expand..."
"You mean like this?" Anthony said, expanding his left arm towards another room and grabbing small vase. "I found this out on my own."
"Oh...well...in that case, I'll describe the other functions, all of which can be activated through synaptic connections in your head," Chuck said, continuing. "Your feet have boosters that can be used for short range flight and additional speed when necessary. Your chest compartment also has a small computer console that can be used to store data you pick up, either from a datajack similar to Davie's Data Spear in your left arm or from your audio or video receptors in your head. There's a disk drive right about...here." Chuck pointed to a small slot on Anthony's left breastplate and inserted a disk in it. "You can also read disks using the same interface. In fact, read the disk that's currently installed."
Anthony did so, and noticed the program was familiar. "What the...? Tetris?" Anthony noticed he could control the game with his thoughts, controlling the action of the game. "Cool..."
"That game should help you get used to controlling your computer's functions," Chuck said. "Well, that's about it...do you have any questions?"
Anthony stopped playing to answer. "Just one...since the operation doesn't take place until tomorrow, how am I supposed to sleep? I can't feel fatigue with this body..."
"Just relax like you were going to sleep normally. As you recharge, you can go into a 'sleep mode' like your modern computers on Earth."
As Anthony nodded in understanding, the door knocked again. Light went to answer it and saw Nina, Amy, and Bunnie waiting on the other side. "Oh...are you here to see Anthony?"
"You bet sugah!" Bunnie answered. "Nina and I figured us formally roboticized citizens could help him cope, and, well, Amy here was concerned..."
"Oh...well, Anthony seems to be coping well enough with his body. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company, though."
Light let the three Mobians in and they all gasped upon seeing what Anthony looked like. "Whoa..." Nina said. "As frightening as that looks, he looks GOOD as a robot!"
"Thanks," Anthony said, acknowledging what Nina said upon seeing the visitors. "Are you two here with the formally roboticized citizens support group?"
"Well, sugah, we weren't sure if you needed help coping with that new body of yours," Bunnie explained.
"Nah, I'm fine," Anthony said. "Thanks for your concern though, and...I understand what you must've gone through from that damn machine..."
"Well, we'd better all get moving so Anthony can keep practicing," Chuck said. He, Light, Bunnie, and Nina then left the building, but Amy stayed behind.
Anthony noticed this and looked with concern at her as he sat down in a nearby chair. "Something wrong, Ames? I told you I'm fine..."
Amy then went to Anthony's side and laid a paw on his arm. "Aren't you scared?" she asked.
"Being a robot? Well, the process was somewhat painful..."
"No, not that," Amy said, interrupting Anthony. "I mean...about the mission."
"Of course," Anthony said. "There's still a lot of variables that are involved that I don't know about, but I should be able to..." Anthony stopped when he felt feelings of fear from Amy. "Amy...my God...you're TERRIFIED about me going on this mission!"
Amy then broke down into tears and Anthony comforted the young hedgehog, being careful to be gentle with his new body as he hugged her. "Shh...it's alright..." Anthony said, trying to calm down Amy, and then thought, "Damn! Why did I have to do this? Now Amy is upset and I'm not even sure as to my success! I should just keep my mouth shut next time I consider pulling a stunt like this..."
A knock sounded on the door as Anthony continued to comfort Amy. He walked over, carrying the young hedgehog, and opened the door a crack. He saw Mary Rose on the other side.
"Oh, Mary," Anthony said, opened the door further to let her in, "thank goodness you're here. Amy here is a little upset out of fear for me."
"I figured as much," Mary said, appearing to examine Anthony's new form. "You...don't look that bad as a robot, but I and I'm sure Amy prefer your human form."
"So do I," Anthony said, "which is why I hope to finish this mission quickly. Here, I'd better let you take care of Amy..." Anthony then handed Amy to Mary, who then continued to comfort her daughter.
As Mary started to leave with her daughter, she turned toward Anthony. "Take care, Anthony, and...good luck tomorrow..."
"You take care as well, and thank you..." Anthony said. As soon as Mary and Amy had left, a thought escaped his mind...
"I'm going to need it..."
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Alarms began sounding at Packbell's fortress as several figures passed within five miles of it, and several blasts could be heard, but not from Packbell's weapons.
"Status report." Packbell ordered one of his robots manning the observation panel.
"TWO ROBOTS, DESIGNATE 'MEGAMAN' AND 'BASS', CHASING AND FIRING UPON AN UNKNOWN ROBOT," the robot answered in a monotone voice.
"Really..." Packbell said. "Fire upon Light's bots and then bring that unknown robot to me."
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Outside, Megaman and Bass, while riding Rush and Treble in jet mode, continued to fire upon a robot that was rocketing off towards the fortress. "Give it up, Maverick!" Bass said. "You can't escape!" Suddenly, the two herobots were fired upon from the fortress, and the two of them noticed a squadron of robots descending on them.
"There's too many of them," Megaman said. "Let's get out of here!" The two of them retreated while the robots surrounded the unknown robot. As soon as the two of them reached the outskirts, they were met by Sonic, Mario, Link, and the other heroes.
"Well?" Link asked.
"Mission accomplished," Megaman said. "It's up to Anthony now."
Sonic and Tails looked with fear towards the fortress. "Good luck, bud," Sonic whispered towards the fortress.
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Anthony found himself being brought, forcefully, to a control room within the fortress, and found himself face to face with Packbell.
"Well, robot," Packbell said, "looks like you aren't too popular with Arcadia's heroes. Mind telling me what you were doing near my fortress?"
"I just ended up there," Anthony said. "I'm not exactly well liked by the Freedom Fighters. Come to think of it...Robotnik doesn't exactly like me either. You...don't work for him, do you?"
Packbell found this statement odd. "Why? What history do you have with Robotnik?"
"I was his first experiment. I WAS human, but then he shoved me into this weird chamber with a glass tube, and I ended up like this. Actually, I kind of like it...but I left him anyway."
"Why?" Packbell asked.
"Simple...he wanted me to be a lackey to him like that bald buttmunch Snivley. I don't take orders..."
Packbell pondered this robot carefully. "Tell me...if you could turn back into a human, would you?"
"Hell...NO!" Anthony replied, playing the part well. "I rather like being a robot, especially with all the gadgets installed in me. By the way, you can call me Maverick."
"I'd rather call you scrap, Maverick," Packbell said. "I don't like trespassers invading on my lair, so give me one good reason why I should let you live."
"Hey! Looks like you have a grudge with those posers that were chasing me, and I can fight as well, even though I never got a chance to with those bots. For some reason, the process that changed me also allows me to do this..." Anthony then launched a psionic blast towards a Swatbot, which turned the Swatbot to scrap. "Not a blaster, that's for sure, but I'm not sure WHAT it is!"
"Psionics..." Packbell mused, then gave a metallic chuckle. "Maverick...we might be able to work out a deal..." He then led Anthony into a private room to talk.
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"GAMEMASTER?!? What type of fucked up title is THAT?" Anthony/Maverick gave a mechanical sounding laugh after Packbell finished telling his story about Arcadia. "What's he going to do, defeat you by beating you at checkers?!?"
"Nothing to laugh about, Maverick," Packbell explained. "This human is a powerful psionicist, and even destroyed by best warship with his power. That psionic power you have was probably awakened by the robotization process. You might just be what I need to defeat Mobius."
"I'm not going to be a lackey, am I? I'd rather take my chances with those bots again..."
"Hardly...you and I are going to be partners in this little venture. Perhaps I can even find out how to make your powers equal to the Gamemaster's," Packbell explained. "For now, you may stay on an interim basis until I am sure I can trust you. Come...I'll show you your...'quarters'..."
Packbell led Maverick to an area where Maverick saw a whole slew of workerbots in recharge mode. He then saw something on the far end which startled him. He saw a Mobian, obviously female, that was partly roboticized, only the arms, lower torso, and legs were roboticized. She was also recharging, and for some reason...this Mobian looked familiar to him...
"What the...hey Packy, what's with the organic?"
Packbell looked where Maverick was looking and explained. "Ah yes...her. Interesting situation with that one. She was a victim of a Roboticizer accident which left her in that partially roboticized form. Her mind is also reprogrammed like the workerbots, in fact, the incident allows her to act as a central control for the workerbots. Makes it a LOT easier to control them."
"Really?" Maverick said, interested. "OK, different subject. Why bother even keeping these things around? You don't need them, you told me you hate organics...hey, can I blast them? I may need the practice with these..."
"NO!" Packbell exclaimed. "They are my workforce and are currently rebuilding my army and that ship Gamemaster destroyed! Leave them be!"
"Fine...where do I recharge?"
"Over here," Packbell said, pointing to an empty recharge unit. "Since you are also partially organic, you will notice this unit removes toxins caused by the robotization. I created this to extend the usefulness of the workerbots...that is until I don't need them anymore. I'll see you in the morning, and then we can discuss what you can do for me..."
Packbell left the area as Maverick hooked himself up to the recharge unit. As soon as he was sure Packbell left, he started sending a telepathic message...
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*Tails, can you hear me?*
Tails, Lutherain on his shoulder and currently drawing upon his Descendancy Powers, heard Maverick's message and turned to the other heroes there. "Guys! Anthony's contacted me!" He then sent a telepathic message back. *I hear you, Anthony. What's up?*
*So far so good. He really thinks I'm some robot named Maverick and has decided to let me stay...for now. He thinks my psi blast was actually caused by the robotization and thinks I can be used as a weapon against myself!*
*Good!* Tails said, then informed the others of the situation. *What about the workerbots?*
*All safe and sound, but it sounds like Packy's using them to rebuild the warship I destroyed with the Final Power. Also...something odd. One of them is only partially roboticized, and that one appears to be acting as a central control to the other workerbots. Apparently she was in some type of accident with the Roboticizer...and for some reason she looks familiar. Can you recognize her?* Maverick then sent a psionic image of the workerbot to Tails.
The image caused him to gasp, and then he turned to Sally. "Aunt Sally? You...might want to see this..." He then touched Sally's forehead and showed her the image, and she immediately gasped in shock and broke down into tears.
*Tails! I sensed you were shocked by that image! What is it?!?*
*Anthony...that Mobian is Queen Alicia Acorn!*
*WHAT?!? No wonder...but I thought she was dead!*
*So did we. We thought she was killed from that roboticizer explosion!*
*Okay...I'm going to scope out the situation for a little bit longer. I might be able to use Alicia's current condition to my advantage to get the workerbots out of here. Inform the others. Anthony...er, Maverick out.*
Tails informed the other heroes of the situation, and was still shocked by this turn of events. Sonic was busy comforting Sally who was still crying.
"She's alive!" Sally exclaimed between sobs. "Thank Destiny..."
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After Maverick stopped communicating with Tails, he turned his attention towards Alicia. He wondered if he could reach her true mind and free her from the programming even though he had no access to the Descendancy Powers. He concentrated for a while, and then finally made contact with her true mind.
*Alicia...Alicia Acorn. Can you hear me?*
Alicia stirred from her "sleep" and opened her eyes. Maverick noticed her eyes were electronic, possibly also due to the partial robotization. She looked around and noticed Maverick was looking straight at her.
Maverick then continued. *Yes...the one looking at you. I am Anthony Bault, descendant of Sir Eric and new Gamemaster of Arcadia. But call me Maverick for right now while I'm in this roboticized form. If you wish to speak to me, just think of what you want to say and I'll pick it up telepathically.*
Alicia nearly gasped upon hearing the name Gamemaster. *Wh...where am I? Last thing I remember was being shoved into a Roboticizer, and then an explosion!*
*You're in Packbell's fortress. You survived a Roboticizer accident which left you partially roboticized. This same condition also allows you to directly control the other workerbots surrounding us now.*
*Yes...I...can somehow sense, the programming... Am I back in control?*
*Yes. But I need you to continue to act like you are still under Packbell's programming. Actually...he has the workerbots building a warship. What I need you to do is find a way to direct the workerbots to finish the ship, but sabotage it in the process. In the meantime, while you're doing that, I'll formulate a way to get us out of here. My allies are on the outskirts ready to take you and your people to safety and to a new Deroboticizer that's been developed. Yes, Alicia...Robotnik has been defeated, thanks to the efforts of all five worlds of Arcadia.*
*Thank Destiny! Alright...tomorrow I'll see what I can do.*
*Then...I'll see you tomorrow. Return to "sleep".*
Alicia closed her eyes and returned to a sleep mode and Maverick did the same. He needed his sleep, since tomorrow was going to be busy...
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The next day was met with a yell from Packbell. "Wake UP, Maverick!"
Maverick awoke from sleep mode and found himself face to face with Packbell. "Sorry, Packy. Over...'slept', as the case may be...hey...where are the workerbots?"
"Back to work on my warship. Come, I'll show you."
Packbell led Maverick to a large warehouse where a huge ship was being constructed. It looked almost finished, and Maverick looked in fear at the large cannon at the bottom of it, but kept his cool.
"Nice ship, Packy!" Maverick said. "Hey! Think I could take it for a test drive when it's finished! Looks like I can do some major damage with that cannon at the bottom!"
"Perhaps..." Packbell said. "But for now, we should work on something else. Those psionic powers you have." He then turned towards Alicia, who was directing the workerbot movements. "Continue working. I'll be back."
"Affirmitive," Alicia responded, then turned towards the work. As soon as Maverick was led away by Packbell, she then sent secret instructions electronically to the workerbots, altering their construction instructions...
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"Now," Packbell said, motioning towards several Swatbots at the far end of a building he brought Maverick to, "those Swatbots will help you with your powers. I've seen the Gamemaster use a couple powers on occasion, including that force blast you used as well as one other. He managed to create a barrier with the same energy that could deflect laser weapons. See if you can create that."
"This could take a while, but I'll try."
"You have...30 seconds..." Packbell said, and instructed the Swatbots to take aim.
"Oh shit!" Maverick said as he built up some energy. He tried to make it look like he was having trouble creating the barrier, even accidentally letting loose a blast which shot skyward. "Dammit..."
"15 seconds, Maverick."
Finally, Maverick spread some energy before him like a shield, creating the barrier, and managed to complete it 3 seconds before the Swatbots fired. The shots hit the barrier, and were blocked by it.
"That was close..." Maverick said, then turned towards Packbell. "How was that?"
"Well done...some more practice and you should have it. This could work out to my advantage after all..."
After two hours of practice, a Swatbot came up to Packbell. "SIR. CONSTRUCTION OF BIOCANNON COMPLETE AND READY FOR TESTING."
"Excellent." Packbell said. "Instruct the workerbots to leave the construction zone and return to the recharge chamber."
"AFFIRMATIVE." The Swatbot then walked back towards the warehouse.
Packbell turned towards Maverick. "Let's see how my new toy stands up, Maverick. If you want...I'll let you pull the trigger."
"Nice..." Maverick said. "We got a target?"
"Just a test fire for now, no target."
"Dammit...I was hoping to destroy something..."
Packbell gave a metallic chuckle at this. "I like your enthusiasm, Maverick! Perhaps you'll get your chance eventually..."
As the two walked towards the warehouse, Maverick saw the workerbots walking out. He then sent a psionic message to Alicia.
*Alicia?*
*The cannon is set to blow if charged up to fire, Maverick.*
*Good. You were instructed to get to the recharge chamber...get to the exit nearest to it instead and get ready to run.*
*But...with the guards...where...?*
*I'll handle it.*
Alicia continued to lead the workerbots towards the recharge area, and Maverick sent another message to Tails.
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*Tails...Alicia is going to have the workerbots ready to bolt once the fireworks start. I'll send you the location where they're going. Have the group there ready to evacuate them.*
*Fireworks? What...?*
*Alicia is back in control and was able to electronically instruct the workerbots to sabotage the warship they were working on. Be ready at a moment's notice!*
*But...what about you?*
*I'll manage, just be ready. Maverick out.*
Tails told the rest of the group what Maverick said, and then the group filed into a large vehicle to get it ready to evacuate them. Mario, Link, and others noticed Sally was especially anxious about what was to happen next...
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Maverick looked at the final product, amazed at how quickly Packbell managed to put it back together. He was afraid at what it would mean to Arcadia, but kept his feelings in check to stay in character.
"Are you SURE we don't have a target, Packy? Would be a waste..."
"We're just going to charge up the weapon and test fire it for now. Since this weapon was designed to destroy only organics, it shouldn't effect the metal walls of this warehouse. Once we see if the weapon fires normally...THEN we'll look for a target."
"Good! Charge it up!"
Packbell activated the charging sequence of the weapon, watching the controls to see if the systems were running normally.
"So far so good..." Packbell said, then turning towards Maverick. "Once the weapon is fully charged, it has the ability to destroy organics in a wide range. That should give you the level of destruction you might like..."
"COMMANDER PACKBELL," one of the Swatbots piped up, "OVERLOAD DETECTED."
"What?" Packbell said, surprised. "Shut it down!"
"UNABLE. SYSTEM FAILURE. SYSTEMS GOING CRITICAL."
"Packy, I think we should run...that thing may not be built to destroy metal, but if it blows...!"
"Agreed! Let's move!"
Packbell and Maverick exited the building and took cover behind a building opposite the warehouse. At the same time, Maverick sent a telepathic message to Alicia. *Alicia, when you see the explosion, run!*
Suddenly, the entire warehouse went up in a huge explosion, raining debris on several of the surrounding buildings. Several of the Swatbots came in to try to contain the resulting flames. Packbell was not pleased.
"Blast it! That was my ultimate weapon! It will take forever to..."
Suddenly a communication came in from one of the guard Swatbots. "COMMANDER PACKBELL. WORKERBOTS ATTEMPTING ESCAPE. INSUFFICIENT SWATBOTS TO CONTAIN."
Packbell was confused. "Escape? How...?"
Maverick took the initiative. "Doesn't matter! I'll try and stop them!" He then rocketed off towards the exit.
Packbell turned his attention back towards the wrecked building, confident Maverick would stop them. At least, until he got the next transmission...
"COMMANDER PACKBELL. SWATBOT UNITS UNABLE TO CONTAIN WORKERBOTS. FORCE BEING DESTROYED."
"Destroyed? HOW?!?"
"SWATBOT UNITS BEING ATTACKED BY DESIGNATE 'MAVERICK'."
Packbell became more enraged. He had let this robot into his trust with the hope of using him as a weapon against Arcadia. Now, he had turned on him...
It was then he realized who Maverick really was...
"Gamemaster...I never realized you would resort to roboticizing yourself to defy me..." He then rocketed off towards where Maverick went...
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Maverick was making short work of the Swatbots, firing force blasts at all of them until they were reduced to scrap. He noticed that the workerbots made it to where the Arcadians were waiting, and filed into the waiting evac vehicle. He also caught a brief glimpse of Sally and Alicia teary eyed and embracing before the vehicle rocketed off.
"Good, they made it," Maverick thought as he psi blasted another Swatbot. "That's my cue to skiddo now..."
As he made his way towards the exit, he was soon tackled to the ground by Packbell, and then dragged into a nearby building. As soon as the two had entered it, Maverick was thrown against a wall and Packbell pressed a button which sealed all exits.
"Well, Maverick...or should I say Gamemaster," Packbell said, "I must say I am impressed by your tenacity. You are truly a worthy adversary."
Maverick/Anthony, realizing he no longer needed the facade, stood up and faced Packbell ready to fight. "Really? I didn't think you had this respect for humans, Packy!"
Packbell ignored the jibe and threw a cylinder-like object towards Anthony. "But you're not a human anymore. You are a robot like me. That is why I am going to give you a fair chance. Pick it up."
Anthony picked up the cylinder, noticing it was a lightsaber. "Yeah, right, Packy. This will probably blow my hand off if I activate it..."
"No, it won't. I wish to have one final fight with an opponent that I find even worthier than Kintobor. I will even tell you this...as a courtesy to a worthy warrior. Those workerbots you liberated are the last roboticized citizens on this planet, so you have no one left to free."
"I see...so what's to prevent me from just trying to escape?"
"Your only escape is through me, Gamemaster. So fight me..." Packbell then activated his lightsaber, "...as a courtesy to me."
Anthony then activated his lightsaber and advanced on Packbell. "So be it!!!"
The two of them clashed lightsabers as the explosions of the warehouse and surrounding buildings continued to ring outside. Anthony did not use his psionics, feeling he could beat Packbell without them, and feeling the same enjoyment that Packbell seemed to be having about this fight...
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After bringing the workerbots to safety, the heroes wondered where Anthony was.
"Did anyone see Anthony come out?" Protoman asked. "I thought I saw him on his way out!"
"I'll try contacting him..." Tails said, then tried to send a telepathic message. "Guys, I can't reach him! He seems to be...occupied!"
"Occupied?" Sonic asked, confused. "What is he doing?"
"Whatever it is, we'd better help! Let's move!" Link ordered. The group then headed back towards the fortress.
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Even without his metabolic powers, Anthony still found himself evenly matched with Packbell, as he continued to parry blow after blow from Packbell. Neither one was gaining ground in the fight, and it seemed both would collapse like the rest of the fortress around them.
Suddenly, in a feat of desperation, Anthony launched a blast of psionics towards Packbell, which knocked Packbell off his feet and blasted him against the opposite wall. Anthony then quickly went up to him and stuck the lightsaber straight into his chest.
"Well...met...Gamemaster," Packbell said, beginning to shut down, "but...I shall have...the last laugh... I have...another base...which my consciousness will go to...but you...won't...live...to find it...." He then shut down, leaving Anthony to ponder his words.
"I won't live to...what does he mean...?" Suddenly he heard a general announcement. "SELF DESTRUCT IN TWO MINUTES."
"SHIT!!!!" Anthony said, and then sent a telepathic message to Tails. *Guys! Stay away from the fortress! It's set to blow in two minutes! Stay clear! I'll come towards you!*
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Tails received the message and had everyone head back towards the outskirts. Upon reaching the outskirts, the group watched in anticipation towards the base.
"C'mon Anth..." Sonic said, half praying. "Get out of there!"
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Anthony spent the next minute and a half trying to escape the sealed in building he was trapped in. The lightsaber made little headway in cutting the door open, and his time was running out.
"FIFTEEN SECONDS UNTIL SELF DESTRUCT."
This was it. Anthony knew he wouldn't make it in time even if the door opened now. He couldn't help thinking and wishing he was back in Mobotroplis and his mind focused on that location...
...and then blinked out of existence a second before the building went up in flames.
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The heroes all looked in horror at the explosion that engulfed the fortress. They saw no sign of Anthony exiting the area, and feared the worst...
"No..." Mario said. "He can't...Tails, canna you reach him?" He then noticed that Tails had broken down and cried at the sight, also believing the worst had happened.
A somber mood filled the air as the group started to head away from the fortress and back towards Mobotropolis. They were soon snapped to attention when they heard a familiar, but electronic voice, come in on Protoman's communicator...
"Guys...come in...it's Anthony."
All eyes turned towards Protoman's comm unit as he answered back. "Anthony, where are you and how...?"
"I'm in Mobotropolis...and you'll see how in just a minute..."
Soon after the communication broke a flash of light appeared near their location. Within seconds it reformed into the robotic body of the roboticized Anthony Bault.
"ANTHONY!" Tails squealed and embraced the robotic Gamemaster, tears of relief and joy flowing freely. After a while, he let go and looked up at his fellow descendant. "We *sniff* thought you didn't make it! How...?"
"I didn't even know for a while. Before the blast engulfed me I found myself near my new home in Mobotropolis, and then realized that I somehow learned Teleportation!"
Several of the heroes were confused. "Tele-what?" Luigi asked.
"Teleportation. Another psionic power that allows immediate transportation from one area to another, one I've seen in several games. I guess when I focused on Mobotropolis, it kicked in!"
"Way past cool, Anth!" Sonic said. "You rescue the workerbots, Queen Alicia included, and get a new power to boot!"
"Yeah," Anthony said, sounding drained despite the fact his body could feel no fatigue. "Guys, if the workerbots are safely away, can we go home now? I want to get out of this damn metal shell!"
"Definitely, Anthony," Link said. "In fact, I'm sure we'll all be glad to see you flesh again!"
The group then headed back towards Mobotropolis, Anthony leading the way with the others following close behind.
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Anthony wanted to wait until all the workerbots were deroboticized before he was deroboticized. While he waited in the office abutting the room with the Deroboticizer, he found out some information about Queen Alicia's condition.
"So, Doc," Anthony said, addressing Bookshire who was talking to him, "what was Alicia's condition? What did the Roboticizer explosion do to her to render her in that state?"
"Apparently, even though the Roboticizer only got her arm and leg areas, the explosion she was caught in did nothing more but accelerate the robotization in key areas, such as the spine and nervous system. We examined her condition for future study. Some complications did occur during the derobotization as a result of the accident, but we managed to pull her through. We're going to keep her under observation for a few days to monitor her condition and make sure no further complications take place."
"Good," Anthony said. "How...did King Acorn and Prince Elias react when they saw the queen alive?"
"After deroboticizing her, I think the king and queen never stopped hugging until after an hour later. I've...never seen the king happier, even when you reunited him with Sally and Elias..."
"No surprise...Max, Elias, and Sally DID think she was dead! I'm sure they'll be glad to remove her name from the Knothole Memorial."
"No doubt..." Bookshire said, then noticing the last of the citizens leaving the Deroboticizer. "Look like all the citizens are taken care of. You're next, Gamemaster!"
The two walked into the room where Doctors Chuck and Light were readying the Deroboticizer. Anthony then allowed himself to be strapped into the machine. Within minutes, after the machine did its work, a fully restored Anthony Bault replaced the form of Maverick.
"Thank God..." Anthony said after the process completed. "Now maybe I can..." He then noticed he was also back in just his undergarments. "Please tell me you guys picked up some clothes for me."
"Well..." Light said. "We DID get your armor..." He then pointed over to where Anthony's armor was laying.
If this was anime, Anthony would have facefaulted. "You got my armor, but forgot my damn CLOTHES?!? Can one of you...?"
Before he could finish, Zelda came in, and immediately turned away when she saw Anthony, blushing slightly. "Oh...sorry. I thought Anthony was ready now."
"What do you need, your highness?" Chuck asked.
"Er...well. Queen Alicia Acorn wanted to meet with Anthony once he was deroboticized. I can tell her it might be a while if..."
"It's alright, Zelda," Anthony said, quickly slipping on his armor and using the Descendancy medallion attached to it to activate the Descendancy Powers and create the Master's Armor, which covered his body. "This should do until I can get some clothes. But this is going to chafe like hell..."
Anthony then followed Zelda to a room where Queen Alicia was bedridden. King Acorn, Princess Sally, and Prince Elias were all there, watching over and talking with Alicia. All four members of the Acorn family had visible tears of joy as the four talked. Anthony waited outside as Zelda went to introduce him.
"You majesty, Queen Alicia?" Zelda said, getting the attention of all present. "I've brought the Gamemaster."
"Oh...yes! Please, bring him in!" Alicia replied.
Zelda walked out and nodded towards Anthony. Anthony then walked in, and Alicia looked in admiration at the new Gamemaster of Arcadia. Anthony then knelt down and placed his arm on his chest in a sort of salute. "Your majesty, I am Anthony Bault, Gamemaster of Arcadia, in my true form. I am at your service."
Alicia sat up in her bed and then started talking. "Arise, Gamemaster. You are friends with the rest of this family, and I do not wish to be treated any differently."
Anthony stood up and faced the queen and then the queen continued. "I never got a chance to thank you for what you had done. You are truly as brave as how my family described you. A shame you won't accept a statue...you truly deserve it."
"I had my reasons," Anthony explained, "and for a while...you were one of them. I'm sure your family will be more than glad to remove your name from the Knothole Memorial."
"Yes...the Memorial." Alicia adopted a thoughtful expression before continuing. "So many people...and who knows how many more may still be roboticized..."
"You and those I rescued were the last of the roboticized," Anthony replied. "Packbell told me so out of respect for me. Strange...to be admired by your enemy..."
King Acorn then spoke up. "Are you sure he was telling the truth?"
"Yes. He was positive I wouldn't live to tell you as such. To be honest...I didn't think I'd make it either..."
"Well, we are all glad you did, Gamemaster," Alicia said.
"Your majesty, please call me Anthony," Anthony said in response. "Was there anything else?"
"Actually..." Alicia said, then nodded towards Sally and Elias, who then embraced the Gamemaster, tears of joy flowing freely.
Anthony smiled at this. "You're welcome," Anthony said to the two of them, and then said to himself, "GOD, this seems familiar..."
More than a week had passed since the events regarding Julian. Most of the work in Mobotropolis was complete. Several buildings, including stores, restaurants, and other city centers had been completed. Also, quite a few homes were built to house the people of Mobotropolis, and more and more people starting moving into their new homes. One such house stood apart from them all, however...
It was small in terms of space it took up in the area, but was three floors high. On the door, a familiar star-shaped symbol could be seen adorning it. It's intended occupant was naturally surprised...
"You guys! I can't accept THIS!" Anthony said upon being told the house was his.
"Sure a you can!" Mario spoke up. "Mobius insisted that you receive some type of special honor for your deeds here, and since you didn't a want a statue..."
Anthony held his head in his hands and shook his head in disbelief. "So, I get a house instead?"
"That's right!" Mario replied.
"And I suppose I can't just refuse and say 'But my home is EARTH, guys!'?"
"You could," Link said, coming up behind them, "but then you'll be mobbed by the entire contingent of the workforce for lack of gratitude. I believe the phrase I heard you use one time was, 'Does the name Custer ring a bell?'."
Anthony sighed. "Alright...I suppose I can accept this. But, God, is moving in going to be Hell!"
Protoman was next to speak. "Not necessarily, Anthony. Check it out!"
Anthony looked in the direction where Protoman was pointing and saw several workers coming towards the house with several boxes and furniture. He recognized the furniture as his own from Earth.
"And...you arranged this without me knowing, HOW?" Anthony asked.
Protoman smiled. "Let's just say your parents are REALLY good at keeping secrets."
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Hours later, the house Anthony almost refused looked more like a home he could enjoy. Especially considering what the workers had done...
"You should check out the third floor, Anth," Sonic said as he led Anthony upstairs. "It is way past cool and PERFECT for you!"
Sonic opened the door to the third floor and showed Anthony what was done. Anthony was shocked to see what they had done. The room was set up like the game room that was set up in the palace, but also had four computers that were set up for network gaming as well as a table for any other type of gaming as well.
"Nice!!!" Anthony said. "My gaming friends on Earth would give their right eye for a setup like this! Of course...they'd also give their right eye just to GET to Mobius like I did..."
"Glad you like it," Megaman said, coming up from behind them.
The group then headed down to the main floor of the house. "We'd better take our leave now so you can check out your new home, Anthony," Megaman said.
"Yeah, we'll catch you later, Anth," Sonic said. "And...welcome home!"
Anthony said his goodbyes to the group as they left and headed into the living area, where he immediately plopped down in a couch located in front of his TV.
"Home..." Anthony thought to himself. "Never thought I'd get my first house out of state, let alone on another world altogether! Of course, I also never thought I'd be in the world of a video game!" Anthony let himself drift into a peaceful nap as these thoughts lingered on his mind.
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"I wish you could see Mobotropolis, Mother..."
Sally was visiting the Knothole Memorial to speak, spiritually, with her mother. With the events taking place on Mobius as of late, this was one of the rare times she had to pay her respects.
"The other worlds of Arcadia have all pitched in to restore our city to the way it was before Robotnik. It now almost looks like Robotnik never existed, even though the emotional wounds of that war still exist in many of our people. I also wish you could have gotten a chance to meet Anthony, the new Gamemaster. He's even helped reunite a few families that were separated, including Elias and I to Father. I wish..."
Sally then began to choke up, the emotion of missing her mother becoming too great to bear. Thankfully, someone had arrived when this happened...
"Sally?" King Acorn said upon seeing Sally in this state. Sally immediately fell into his arms and began to cry loudly, releasing all of her grief. King Acorn did nothing but continue to hold her as she cried on his shoulder. He gave a glance towards where his wife's grave was and began to tear up himself. Eventually, the king helped his daughter back towards Mobotropolis.
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The intense sensations of sorrow were enough to rouse the new Gamemaster of Arcadia from his nap. He awoke from his couch and ran outside to see Sally and her father walking from the Knothole Memorial, and Sally was still crying as the two walked towards the castle.
"Sally..." Anthony thought to himself and sighed. "I wish I could help you with your grief, but there are limits to even the Descendancy Powers." He then walked up to the two of them to see what comfort he could provide.
"Oh, Gamemaster..." King Acorn said. "I'm...just bringing Sally back home. She's..."
"I understand, your majesty," Anthony said, then turned toward Sally and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Your highness, I...wish I knew what I could do to make you feel better..."
Sally looked up to the human and tearfully said, "Just...the fact that you're concerned is enough, Anthony. Thank you."
Anthony then kneeled down and said, "Need an additional shoulder to cry on?" She immediately accepted, embracing the human and whispering a thank you. During this exchange, Bookshire ran up.
"Oh, your majesty...I'm sorry, I'm interrupting something..."
"It's alright, Bookshire," King Acorn said. "What is it?"
"Well, there's something I need to discuss...about Packbell."
Both Sally and Anthony heard this and stood up to face Bookshire. "What about Packbell?" Sally asked, regaining her composure and wiping away some tears.
"Well..." Bookshire said, "out of curiosity, I checked the Earth 'website' that belonged to the author that wrote about me. It turned out he wrote about Packbell as well...and included some information about him that might be useful."
"That's definitely worth checking out!" Anthony said. "Lead the way, Bookshire."
The four then walked towards where Bookshire's new office was located. As they walked, Anthony turned back towards Sally and asked, "You sure you're up to this, Sal? Your father and I can check this out if you need more time..."
"I'll be fine, Anthony. Thank you for being concerned though," Sally said. As Anthony turned back towards where Bookshire was going, Sally then said. "Mother would have definitely wanted to meet you..."
Anthony was momentarily shocked by this statement, then shook his head. "I'm never going to get used to all this..." Anthony thought to himself.
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"When I was checking this website," Bookshire explained, "I noticed there was a section that contained dossiers for the three characters that David Pistone 'created'. They included myself, of course, Sandra Nightweaver, and Packbell. Upon reading my dossier, I discovered it was very accurate, even down to which degrees I had earned. Guessing it would be just as accurate, I decided to check Packbell's dossier and discovered something."
"What did you find?" King Acorn asked.
"Apparently...Packbell has his own base located in the northern mountains. The site wasn't specific where it was...but if the site was accurate about me, it's definitely worth checking out those mountains to find that base."
Anthony looked concerned. "I remember reading that. Packbell probably transferred his electronic consciousness to that location after I released the Final Power. There's also another reason why we'll want to find that base..."
"What?" Sally asked, noticing Anthony had a look of concern.
Anthony sighed and then explained. "In Pistone's stories, he mentioned Packbell having his own roboticized citizens in his possession. He...also mentioned experiments done there on those citizens..."
Somber looks appeared on the Mobians present, then King Acorn spoke up. "Then it's settled. We must check out those mountains and find that base. Gamemaster, it looks like you want in."
"Definitely," Anthony said. "If there are still people to rescue, then I definitely want to help."
"Very well. In that case, you better get the Heroes Council together and finalize a plan. Tell me when you're ready."
Anthony nodded and went to go find the others. Bookshire then spoke up. "Um...your majesty, are you sure those roboticized citizens are still alive? After all...we DID see Packbell ready to exterminate all the organic forces at the Battle of Mobius."
"We have to keep positive, Bookshire," Sally spoke up. "After all, he may just want those robotcizied people around so he has someone to lead."
Bookshire nodded in understanding, then turned back towards the computer terminal...
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"Well, that's the gist of it," Anthony concluded after reporting to the Heroes Council, all of whom were in a meeting room in the castle. "Sounds like this will be a recon and rescue mission, so we'll need the stealthiest people."
"Then count me in," Bass spoke up. "This black armor wasn't built just for looks!"
"Alright, any other volunteers?"
"Count me in, Anth!" Sonic spoke up. "I've run more stealth missions than anyone else."
"I'm in too," Tails piped up. "We may need the Descendancy Powers to free the minds of those people."
"Agreed." Anthony said. "Alright, I think I have enough. The rest of you should wait on the outskirts of the base to provide backup when necessary."
The entire group nodded in agreement and went out to find the king. They were soon met by Doctor Light.
"Ah, there you all are," Light started. "We just got back the probe data from the northern mountains and found the base. I have the schematics right here." Light then handed the group a printout and a computer disk with the layout. "Unfortunately, we have a problem..."
"What kind of a problem?" Luigi asked.
"A preliminary readout of the base's defenses shows the base's sensors are set up to detect any type of organics within 5 miles of the base, but the settings are such that roboticized citizens aren't included."
Megaman was confused. "How did the probe know this? I didn't think it was that accurate."
"The probe picked up a video transmission of blaster fire in one sector within 5 miles the base. It went to that area and found...a non-antropomorphic mouse destroyed by laser fire."
"Man..." Sonic said, surprised. "That's some sensitive sensors..."
"Yes. When the video feed went near the base, it saw there were some roboticized citizens there. Apparently, the sensors were set up to not recognize them. The last transmission the probe gave before being destroyed was Packbell's voice saying, 'That thing must be one of Doctor Light's little toys, destroy it!'"
"Looks like Packbell's been reading up on us," Link said with a dark tone. "He might just recognize Bass or any of the other bots if they go up there."
"I know..." Light said with a slightly depressed tone. "That's why a rescue mission might be next to impossible. Unless..."
Anthony sensed a bit of fear in Light's tone, but not from the mission. "Unless what?"
"Bookshire believes there may be a way for one to sneak in without attracting too much attention. But only if...that person roboticizes him or herself."
"WHAT?!?!?!?" The entire group yelled out, shocked at what was said.
"Look, Bookshire believes we can sneak in one roboticized individual to examine the base without being detected. We can then derobotoicize him or her once the work is done. Naturally, we intend to use Kintobor mode robotization..."
"Doc, no offense to the man who helped create the Deroboticizer," Sonic said, "but HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!? I did NOT fight Buttnik those past ten years just so we can use the method that enslaved us to run recon. It's crazy! It's wacked out! It's..."
"...just what might be needed to get them out, Sonic!" Anthony spoke up. "I'm willing to do it, Doc."
A gasp went through the entire group, then Zelda spoke up. "Anthony, no. We can't have you risking your life like this. You're the only one with Sir Eric's powers and..."
"I was willing to give my life at the Battle of Mobius when I released the Final Power and I'm willing to do it again. Besides, I have a plan in mind that should minimize the risk..."
The group still had a look of concern and disbelief on their faces, but decided to still listen as Anthony explained his plan...
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"A friend?!? You're going to go in as Packbell's FRIEND?!?"
Anthony was explaining the plan to King Acorn and Bookshire. Naturally the king was finding the whole thing hard to believe.
"Anthony," the king continued, "when I heard about Bookshire's plan to roboticize someone to run recon, I was actually considering it since we do have a way to reverse it. But...to go in as Packbell's friend to be?"
"It should work," Anthony said. "Packbell seems to like robots as friends more than organics, seeing as how he was willing to rebuild Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts like he did. Didn't even like Robotnik in Pistone's stories, just pretended to be with him to get what he wants. If he believes I was a robot built before he was, and who left Buttnik's graces to go out on his own, I should earn his trust and be able to run recon without having to hide in the shadows."
King Acorn pondered this, knowing well it would mean risking the only descendant of Sir Eric with the Powers. He also knew that Anthony was willing to die at the Battle of Mobius...
"Alright...I'll allow it. I'm guessing the Heroes Council went along with this?"
"Reluctantly, yes. They'll be on the outskirts ready to assist when necessary and lead any roboticized citizens to safety if I can get them out."
"Good," Acorn said, then turned towards Bookshire. "Bookshire, Anthony's in your hands now."
Bookshire and Anthony left the king's chambers and headed towards Bookshire's office. King Acorn had one final thought as they left.
"May Destiny guide you in your venture, Gamemaster..."
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A few minutes later, Anthony found himself stripped to his undergarments and strapped to a table within the glass chamber of a Roboticizer. Bookshire, Chuck, and Doctor Light were all present to make sure nothing went wrong.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this, Gamemaster?" Light said. "You don't have to go through with this if you don't want to..."
"This is our best chance of getting those roboticized citizens out of Packbell's lair," Anthony said. "Besides, the process IS reversible now and...it might be interesting to see myself as a robot."
"You wouldn't say that if you'd been through what I've been through, sonny..." Chuck said as he made some adjustments to the machinery.
Outside the office, looking through a window at the process, were Mario, Link, Sonic, and Megaman. All of them had looks of concern on their faces, mostly for the safety of their friend. Sonic was taking this the hardest...
"I can't believe he actually agreed to do this," Sonic said. "Why in Destiny's name...?"
"He wants to help those people, Sonic," Link said. "Something tells me his safety is the last thing on his mind."
Suddenly, Bookshire spoke up from inside the office. "Everything's ready. Anthony?"
"Throw the switch, Doc."
Sonic turned away from the window. "I can't watch this..." Mario put a hand on Sonic's shoulder in understanding and to try to comfort the hedgehog.
Almost immediately afterward, the room started glowing with a bright blue light as the Robotcizer was activated. Anthony grit his teeth as the process started up, and then let out a scream of agony as the process was taking place. Sonic winced at this and the other three could only stare at what was happening. Soon the light dimmed and the all noise stopped.
Mario, Link, and Megaman could only stare at the end result for a while, then Mario turned toward Sonic and noticed that the hedgehog was beginning to tear up. Doctor Light's voice was then heard. "Process complete...all vitals stable and systems functioning."
Anthony's voice, or rather a digitized version of it, was then heard. "That...was painful...whoa! This is a weird sensation...I can't feel myself talk. I...can't feel anything!" Anthony then gasped as he noticed his body. "Get me out of this device and to a mirror. I want to see myself."
The three doctors removed Anthony from the Roboticizer and helped him towards the door. "You'll need some time to sort out your new signals, Anthony, so we'll help you." Chuck said. "Believe me, I should know..."
The group, except for Sonic, watched as the three doctors helped an adult human sized robot out of the office towards a bathroom where a mirror was located. Link was fighting hard not to throw up from what he just saw, but failed and ended up throwing up in a nearby trash can. Sonic was still not looking and looked down at his shoes, trying to keep in his emotions about what just happened.
When Anthony entered the bathroom, he could only look in awe at his new form. It resembled what his tech armor looked like activated, except a dull gray in color and more articulated. What shocked him the most was his head. Instead of hair, he saw a metal helm. Instead of ears, he saw two receptors. His face was also reduced to nothing more than what looked like dark goggles and a round speaker on a featureless form.
"Damn..." Anthony said, looking at his new body.
"How do you feel, Anthony?" Light asked.
"Fine, considering..." Anthony said. "But...man...this is both amazing and frightening at the same time..."
"At least you still have control, Anthony..." Chuck said.
Anthony nodded, and then wondered something. He reached a hand out towards a canister that was on the counter. Suddenly, the canister flew towards his hand, much to the amazement of the three doctors present.
"What the...?" Bookshire said. "How?"
"My brain is still organic," Anthony said, "so it looks like my psionics still work. This could work more to our advantage." He then turned his head towards the exit of the bathroom towards where the group was watching the procedure. "Crying?"
"Crying?" Light repeated.
Anthony walked out and saw Mario and Megaman trying to comfort Sonic, who had broken down crying from what happened and was kneeling on the ground. Link was still looking a little green, almost matching his tunic.
Chuck ran out and saw the same scene. "Great Destiny...my nephew must be remembering my robotization! He was present when it happened..."
Anthony nodded in understanding and walked over to Sonic, now able to control his body now that he had figured his signals out quickly. Anthony then knelt down to try to comfort Sonic, but Sonic turned his head away from Anthony as soon as he did so. Chuck then knelt down and cupped a paw under Sonic's chin to have Sonic look towards him.
"C'mon, Sonie...it's alright. Anthony's still in control..."
Sonic gazed towards Chuck with tear filled eyes, then turned slowly toward Anthony, who was looking at Sonic through electronic eyes. Anthony then laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder to try and comfort him.
"Sonic, I'm fine," Anthony said. "Once this mission is over, I'll be back to my old self again...and, hopefully, so will those workerbots in Packbell's fortress."
Sonic wiped away his tears and then stood up, with Chuck and Anthony following suit. Mario, Megaman, and Link then walked up to the group, Link now recovered from his nausea.
"Wow..." Megaman said. "You look great as a robot, Anthony."
"Thanks..." Anthony said. "Though I prefer fleshtones to dull gray. Sonic...are you alright now?"
Sonic nodded slightly while still being comforted by Chuck. Bookshire then walked up to Anthony. "We'd better get the plans ready for the infiltration. Anthony, take the rest of the day to get used to your new body and see which of your psionics are still effective."
"Will do, Bookshire," Anthony said, then walked out of the building escorted by Mario, Megaman, and Link. After Anthony left, Sonic broke down into tears again...
"I understand, Sonie..." Chuck said, embracing his nephew. "I was hoping it we wouldn't see it again either..."
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Anthony was amazed at what was still functioning even though he was in a robotic form. Even though his metabolic psionics were inactive, seeing as how there were almost no organic parts to augment or repair, his telepathic and kinetic powers were still fully active. He also noticed his robotic body gave him added strength, agility, and reflexes without the need for psionic enhancement.
He was still practicing working with his body in the safety of his new home when he received a knock at the door. "Who wants to see me at this hour?" Anthony thought, noticing the clock showed a late hour. He opened the front door slightly and noticed Doctor Light and Chuck standing there. "Oh, it's you guys. Come on in."
The two doctors entered as Anthony opened the door wider and then Light asked, "Have you figured out your body by now?"
"Yes. Looks like I have all my powers except for my metabolic powers. Also, it seems this new body enhances my reflexes and strength as well."
"Well then you should like a couple of its other features," Chuck said. "During the process we installed some additional features in your body that should come in handy."
Anthony looked towards Chuck upon hearing this. "And, you didn't tell me this WHY?!?"
"We wanted you to get used to your body's regular functioning before you practice with these new features." Light explained. "Otherwise, you would have probably short circuited from the lack of practice."
"I see..." Anthony said. "Alright, what new toys does my body have?"
Chuck did all the explanations. "Your body has been augmented much in the same way as we were when we were roboticized as workerbots. Your arms and legs can expand..."
"You mean like this?" Anthony said, expanding his left arm towards another room and grabbing small vase. "I found this out on my own."
"Oh...well...in that case, I'll describe the other functions, all of which can be activated through synaptic connections in your head," Chuck said, continuing. "Your feet have boosters that can be used for short range flight and additional speed when necessary. Your chest compartment also has a small computer console that can be used to store data you pick up, either from a datajack similar to Davie's Data Spear in your left arm or from your audio or video receptors in your head. There's a disk drive right about...here." Chuck pointed to a small slot on Anthony's left breastplate and inserted a disk in it. "You can also read disks using the same interface. In fact, read the disk that's currently installed."
Anthony did so, and noticed the program was familiar. "What the...? Tetris?" Anthony noticed he could control the game with his thoughts, controlling the action of the game. "Cool..."
"That game should help you get used to controlling your computer's functions," Chuck said. "Well, that's about it...do you have any questions?"
Anthony stopped playing to answer. "Just one...since the operation doesn't take place until tomorrow, how am I supposed to sleep? I can't feel fatigue with this body..."
"Just relax like you were going to sleep normally. As you recharge, you can go into a 'sleep mode' like your modern computers on Earth."
As Anthony nodded in understanding, the door knocked again. Light went to answer it and saw Nina, Amy, and Bunnie waiting on the other side. "Oh...are you here to see Anthony?"
"You bet sugah!" Bunnie answered. "Nina and I figured us formally roboticized citizens could help him cope, and, well, Amy here was concerned..."
"Oh...well, Anthony seems to be coping well enough with his body. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company, though."
Light let the three Mobians in and they all gasped upon seeing what Anthony looked like. "Whoa..." Nina said. "As frightening as that looks, he looks GOOD as a robot!"
"Thanks," Anthony said, acknowledging what Nina said upon seeing the visitors. "Are you two here with the formally roboticized citizens support group?"
"Well, sugah, we weren't sure if you needed help coping with that new body of yours," Bunnie explained.
"Nah, I'm fine," Anthony said. "Thanks for your concern though, and...I understand what you must've gone through from that damn machine..."
"Well, we'd better all get moving so Anthony can keep practicing," Chuck said. He, Light, Bunnie, and Nina then left the building, but Amy stayed behind.
Anthony noticed this and looked with concern at her as he sat down in a nearby chair. "Something wrong, Ames? I told you I'm fine..."
Amy then went to Anthony's side and laid a paw on his arm. "Aren't you scared?" she asked.
"Being a robot? Well, the process was somewhat painful..."
"No, not that," Amy said, interrupting Anthony. "I mean...about the mission."
"Of course," Anthony said. "There's still a lot of variables that are involved that I don't know about, but I should be able to..." Anthony stopped when he felt feelings of fear from Amy. "Amy...my God...you're TERRIFIED about me going on this mission!"
Amy then broke down into tears and Anthony comforted the young hedgehog, being careful to be gentle with his new body as he hugged her. "Shh...it's alright..." Anthony said, trying to calm down Amy, and then thought, "Damn! Why did I have to do this? Now Amy is upset and I'm not even sure as to my success! I should just keep my mouth shut next time I consider pulling a stunt like this..."
A knock sounded on the door as Anthony continued to comfort Amy. He walked over, carrying the young hedgehog, and opened the door a crack. He saw Mary Rose on the other side.
"Oh, Mary," Anthony said, opened the door further to let her in, "thank goodness you're here. Amy here is a little upset out of fear for me."
"I figured as much," Mary said, appearing to examine Anthony's new form. "You...don't look that bad as a robot, but I and I'm sure Amy prefer your human form."
"So do I," Anthony said, "which is why I hope to finish this mission quickly. Here, I'd better let you take care of Amy..." Anthony then handed Amy to Mary, who then continued to comfort her daughter.
As Mary started to leave with her daughter, she turned toward Anthony. "Take care, Anthony, and...good luck tomorrow..."
"You take care as well, and thank you..." Anthony said. As soon as Mary and Amy had left, a thought escaped his mind...
"I'm going to need it..."
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Alarms began sounding at Packbell's fortress as several figures passed within five miles of it, and several blasts could be heard, but not from Packbell's weapons.
"Status report." Packbell ordered one of his robots manning the observation panel.
"TWO ROBOTS, DESIGNATE 'MEGAMAN' AND 'BASS', CHASING AND FIRING UPON AN UNKNOWN ROBOT," the robot answered in a monotone voice.
"Really..." Packbell said. "Fire upon Light's bots and then bring that unknown robot to me."
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Outside, Megaman and Bass, while riding Rush and Treble in jet mode, continued to fire upon a robot that was rocketing off towards the fortress. "Give it up, Maverick!" Bass said. "You can't escape!" Suddenly, the two herobots were fired upon from the fortress, and the two of them noticed a squadron of robots descending on them.
"There's too many of them," Megaman said. "Let's get out of here!" The two of them retreated while the robots surrounded the unknown robot. As soon as the two of them reached the outskirts, they were met by Sonic, Mario, Link, and the other heroes.
"Well?" Link asked.
"Mission accomplished," Megaman said. "It's up to Anthony now."
Sonic and Tails looked with fear towards the fortress. "Good luck, bud," Sonic whispered towards the fortress.
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Anthony found himself being brought, forcefully, to a control room within the fortress, and found himself face to face with Packbell.
"Well, robot," Packbell said, "looks like you aren't too popular with Arcadia's heroes. Mind telling me what you were doing near my fortress?"
"I just ended up there," Anthony said. "I'm not exactly well liked by the Freedom Fighters. Come to think of it...Robotnik doesn't exactly like me either. You...don't work for him, do you?"
Packbell found this statement odd. "Why? What history do you have with Robotnik?"
"I was his first experiment. I WAS human, but then he shoved me into this weird chamber with a glass tube, and I ended up like this. Actually, I kind of like it...but I left him anyway."
"Why?" Packbell asked.
"Simple...he wanted me to be a lackey to him like that bald buttmunch Snivley. I don't take orders..."
Packbell pondered this robot carefully. "Tell me...if you could turn back into a human, would you?"
"Hell...NO!" Anthony replied, playing the part well. "I rather like being a robot, especially with all the gadgets installed in me. By the way, you can call me Maverick."
"I'd rather call you scrap, Maverick," Packbell said. "I don't like trespassers invading on my lair, so give me one good reason why I should let you live."
"Hey! Looks like you have a grudge with those posers that were chasing me, and I can fight as well, even though I never got a chance to with those bots. For some reason, the process that changed me also allows me to do this..." Anthony then launched a psionic blast towards a Swatbot, which turned the Swatbot to scrap. "Not a blaster, that's for sure, but I'm not sure WHAT it is!"
"Psionics..." Packbell mused, then gave a metallic chuckle. "Maverick...we might be able to work out a deal..." He then led Anthony into a private room to talk.
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"GAMEMASTER?!? What type of fucked up title is THAT?" Anthony/Maverick gave a mechanical sounding laugh after Packbell finished telling his story about Arcadia. "What's he going to do, defeat you by beating you at checkers?!?"
"Nothing to laugh about, Maverick," Packbell explained. "This human is a powerful psionicist, and even destroyed by best warship with his power. That psionic power you have was probably awakened by the robotization process. You might just be what I need to defeat Mobius."
"I'm not going to be a lackey, am I? I'd rather take my chances with those bots again..."
"Hardly...you and I are going to be partners in this little venture. Perhaps I can even find out how to make your powers equal to the Gamemaster's," Packbell explained. "For now, you may stay on an interim basis until I am sure I can trust you. Come...I'll show you your...'quarters'..."
Packbell led Maverick to an area where Maverick saw a whole slew of workerbots in recharge mode. He then saw something on the far end which startled him. He saw a Mobian, obviously female, that was partly roboticized, only the arms, lower torso, and legs were roboticized. She was also recharging, and for some reason...this Mobian looked familiar to him...
"What the...hey Packy, what's with the organic?"
Packbell looked where Maverick was looking and explained. "Ah yes...her. Interesting situation with that one. She was a victim of a Roboticizer accident which left her in that partially roboticized form. Her mind is also reprogrammed like the workerbots, in fact, the incident allows her to act as a central control for the workerbots. Makes it a LOT easier to control them."
"Really?" Maverick said, interested. "OK, different subject. Why bother even keeping these things around? You don't need them, you told me you hate organics...hey, can I blast them? I may need the practice with these..."
"NO!" Packbell exclaimed. "They are my workforce and are currently rebuilding my army and that ship Gamemaster destroyed! Leave them be!"
"Fine...where do I recharge?"
"Over here," Packbell said, pointing to an empty recharge unit. "Since you are also partially organic, you will notice this unit removes toxins caused by the robotization. I created this to extend the usefulness of the workerbots...that is until I don't need them anymore. I'll see you in the morning, and then we can discuss what you can do for me..."
Packbell left the area as Maverick hooked himself up to the recharge unit. As soon as he was sure Packbell left, he started sending a telepathic message...
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*Tails, can you hear me?*
Tails, Lutherain on his shoulder and currently drawing upon his Descendancy Powers, heard Maverick's message and turned to the other heroes there. "Guys! Anthony's contacted me!" He then sent a telepathic message back. *I hear you, Anthony. What's up?*
*So far so good. He really thinks I'm some robot named Maverick and has decided to let me stay...for now. He thinks my psi blast was actually caused by the robotization and thinks I can be used as a weapon against myself!*
*Good!* Tails said, then informed the others of the situation. *What about the workerbots?*
*All safe and sound, but it sounds like Packy's using them to rebuild the warship I destroyed with the Final Power. Also...something odd. One of them is only partially roboticized, and that one appears to be acting as a central control to the other workerbots. Apparently she was in some type of accident with the Roboticizer...and for some reason she looks familiar. Can you recognize her?* Maverick then sent a psionic image of the workerbot to Tails.
The image caused him to gasp, and then he turned to Sally. "Aunt Sally? You...might want to see this..." He then touched Sally's forehead and showed her the image, and she immediately gasped in shock and broke down into tears.
*Tails! I sensed you were shocked by that image! What is it?!?*
*Anthony...that Mobian is Queen Alicia Acorn!*
*WHAT?!? No wonder...but I thought she was dead!*
*So did we. We thought she was killed from that roboticizer explosion!*
*Okay...I'm going to scope out the situation for a little bit longer. I might be able to use Alicia's current condition to my advantage to get the workerbots out of here. Inform the others. Anthony...er, Maverick out.*
Tails informed the other heroes of the situation, and was still shocked by this turn of events. Sonic was busy comforting Sally who was still crying.
"She's alive!" Sally exclaimed between sobs. "Thank Destiny..."
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After Maverick stopped communicating with Tails, he turned his attention towards Alicia. He wondered if he could reach her true mind and free her from the programming even though he had no access to the Descendancy Powers. He concentrated for a while, and then finally made contact with her true mind.
*Alicia...Alicia Acorn. Can you hear me?*
Alicia stirred from her "sleep" and opened her eyes. Maverick noticed her eyes were electronic, possibly also due to the partial robotization. She looked around and noticed Maverick was looking straight at her.
Maverick then continued. *Yes...the one looking at you. I am Anthony Bault, descendant of Sir Eric and new Gamemaster of Arcadia. But call me Maverick for right now while I'm in this roboticized form. If you wish to speak to me, just think of what you want to say and I'll pick it up telepathically.*
Alicia nearly gasped upon hearing the name Gamemaster. *Wh...where am I? Last thing I remember was being shoved into a Roboticizer, and then an explosion!*
*You're in Packbell's fortress. You survived a Roboticizer accident which left you partially roboticized. This same condition also allows you to directly control the other workerbots surrounding us now.*
*Yes...I...can somehow sense, the programming... Am I back in control?*
*Yes. But I need you to continue to act like you are still under Packbell's programming. Actually...he has the workerbots building a warship. What I need you to do is find a way to direct the workerbots to finish the ship, but sabotage it in the process. In the meantime, while you're doing that, I'll formulate a way to get us out of here. My allies are on the outskirts ready to take you and your people to safety and to a new Deroboticizer that's been developed. Yes, Alicia...Robotnik has been defeated, thanks to the efforts of all five worlds of Arcadia.*
*Thank Destiny! Alright...tomorrow I'll see what I can do.*
*Then...I'll see you tomorrow. Return to "sleep".*
Alicia closed her eyes and returned to a sleep mode and Maverick did the same. He needed his sleep, since tomorrow was going to be busy...
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The next day was met with a yell from Packbell. "Wake UP, Maverick!"
Maverick awoke from sleep mode and found himself face to face with Packbell. "Sorry, Packy. Over...'slept', as the case may be...hey...where are the workerbots?"
"Back to work on my warship. Come, I'll show you."
Packbell led Maverick to a large warehouse where a huge ship was being constructed. It looked almost finished, and Maverick looked in fear at the large cannon at the bottom of it, but kept his cool.
"Nice ship, Packy!" Maverick said. "Hey! Think I could take it for a test drive when it's finished! Looks like I can do some major damage with that cannon at the bottom!"
"Perhaps..." Packbell said. "But for now, we should work on something else. Those psionic powers you have." He then turned towards Alicia, who was directing the workerbot movements. "Continue working. I'll be back."
"Affirmitive," Alicia responded, then turned towards the work. As soon as Maverick was led away by Packbell, she then sent secret instructions electronically to the workerbots, altering their construction instructions...
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"Now," Packbell said, motioning towards several Swatbots at the far end of a building he brought Maverick to, "those Swatbots will help you with your powers. I've seen the Gamemaster use a couple powers on occasion, including that force blast you used as well as one other. He managed to create a barrier with the same energy that could deflect laser weapons. See if you can create that."
"This could take a while, but I'll try."
"You have...30 seconds..." Packbell said, and instructed the Swatbots to take aim.
"Oh shit!" Maverick said as he built up some energy. He tried to make it look like he was having trouble creating the barrier, even accidentally letting loose a blast which shot skyward. "Dammit..."
"15 seconds, Maverick."
Finally, Maverick spread some energy before him like a shield, creating the barrier, and managed to complete it 3 seconds before the Swatbots fired. The shots hit the barrier, and were blocked by it.
"That was close..." Maverick said, then turned towards Packbell. "How was that?"
"Well done...some more practice and you should have it. This could work out to my advantage after all..."
After two hours of practice, a Swatbot came up to Packbell. "SIR. CONSTRUCTION OF BIOCANNON COMPLETE AND READY FOR TESTING."
"Excellent." Packbell said. "Instruct the workerbots to leave the construction zone and return to the recharge chamber."
"AFFIRMATIVE." The Swatbot then walked back towards the warehouse.
Packbell turned towards Maverick. "Let's see how my new toy stands up, Maverick. If you want...I'll let you pull the trigger."
"Nice..." Maverick said. "We got a target?"
"Just a test fire for now, no target."
"Dammit...I was hoping to destroy something..."
Packbell gave a metallic chuckle at this. "I like your enthusiasm, Maverick! Perhaps you'll get your chance eventually..."
As the two walked towards the warehouse, Maverick saw the workerbots walking out. He then sent a psionic message to Alicia.
*Alicia?*
*The cannon is set to blow if charged up to fire, Maverick.*
*Good. You were instructed to get to the recharge chamber...get to the exit nearest to it instead and get ready to run.*
*But...with the guards...where...?*
*I'll handle it.*
Alicia continued to lead the workerbots towards the recharge area, and Maverick sent another message to Tails.
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*Tails...Alicia is going to have the workerbots ready to bolt once the fireworks start. I'll send you the location where they're going. Have the group there ready to evacuate them.*
*Fireworks? What...?*
*Alicia is back in control and was able to electronically instruct the workerbots to sabotage the warship they were working on. Be ready at a moment's notice!*
*But...what about you?*
*I'll manage, just be ready. Maverick out.*
Tails told the rest of the group what Maverick said, and then the group filed into a large vehicle to get it ready to evacuate them. Mario, Link, and others noticed Sally was especially anxious about what was to happen next...
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Maverick looked at the final product, amazed at how quickly Packbell managed to put it back together. He was afraid at what it would mean to Arcadia, but kept his feelings in check to stay in character.
"Are you SURE we don't have a target, Packy? Would be a waste..."
"We're just going to charge up the weapon and test fire it for now. Since this weapon was designed to destroy only organics, it shouldn't effect the metal walls of this warehouse. Once we see if the weapon fires normally...THEN we'll look for a target."
"Good! Charge it up!"
Packbell activated the charging sequence of the weapon, watching the controls to see if the systems were running normally.
"So far so good..." Packbell said, then turning towards Maverick. "Once the weapon is fully charged, it has the ability to destroy organics in a wide range. That should give you the level of destruction you might like..."
"COMMANDER PACKBELL," one of the Swatbots piped up, "OVERLOAD DETECTED."
"What?" Packbell said, surprised. "Shut it down!"
"UNABLE. SYSTEM FAILURE. SYSTEMS GOING CRITICAL."
"Packy, I think we should run...that thing may not be built to destroy metal, but if it blows...!"
"Agreed! Let's move!"
Packbell and Maverick exited the building and took cover behind a building opposite the warehouse. At the same time, Maverick sent a telepathic message to Alicia. *Alicia, when you see the explosion, run!*
Suddenly, the entire warehouse went up in a huge explosion, raining debris on several of the surrounding buildings. Several of the Swatbots came in to try to contain the resulting flames. Packbell was not pleased.
"Blast it! That was my ultimate weapon! It will take forever to..."
Suddenly a communication came in from one of the guard Swatbots. "COMMANDER PACKBELL. WORKERBOTS ATTEMPTING ESCAPE. INSUFFICIENT SWATBOTS TO CONTAIN."
Packbell was confused. "Escape? How...?"
Maverick took the initiative. "Doesn't matter! I'll try and stop them!" He then rocketed off towards the exit.
Packbell turned his attention back towards the wrecked building, confident Maverick would stop them. At least, until he got the next transmission...
"COMMANDER PACKBELL. SWATBOT UNITS UNABLE TO CONTAIN WORKERBOTS. FORCE BEING DESTROYED."
"Destroyed? HOW?!?"
"SWATBOT UNITS BEING ATTACKED BY DESIGNATE 'MAVERICK'."
Packbell became more enraged. He had let this robot into his trust with the hope of using him as a weapon against Arcadia. Now, he had turned on him...
It was then he realized who Maverick really was...
"Gamemaster...I never realized you would resort to roboticizing yourself to defy me..." He then rocketed off towards where Maverick went...
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Maverick was making short work of the Swatbots, firing force blasts at all of them until they were reduced to scrap. He noticed that the workerbots made it to where the Arcadians were waiting, and filed into the waiting evac vehicle. He also caught a brief glimpse of Sally and Alicia teary eyed and embracing before the vehicle rocketed off.
"Good, they made it," Maverick thought as he psi blasted another Swatbot. "That's my cue to skiddo now..."
As he made his way towards the exit, he was soon tackled to the ground by Packbell, and then dragged into a nearby building. As soon as the two had entered it, Maverick was thrown against a wall and Packbell pressed a button which sealed all exits.
"Well, Maverick...or should I say Gamemaster," Packbell said, "I must say I am impressed by your tenacity. You are truly a worthy adversary."
Maverick/Anthony, realizing he no longer needed the facade, stood up and faced Packbell ready to fight. "Really? I didn't think you had this respect for humans, Packy!"
Packbell ignored the jibe and threw a cylinder-like object towards Anthony. "But you're not a human anymore. You are a robot like me. That is why I am going to give you a fair chance. Pick it up."
Anthony picked up the cylinder, noticing it was a lightsaber. "Yeah, right, Packy. This will probably blow my hand off if I activate it..."
"No, it won't. I wish to have one final fight with an opponent that I find even worthier than Kintobor. I will even tell you this...as a courtesy to a worthy warrior. Those workerbots you liberated are the last roboticized citizens on this planet, so you have no one left to free."
"I see...so what's to prevent me from just trying to escape?"
"Your only escape is through me, Gamemaster. So fight me..." Packbell then activated his lightsaber, "...as a courtesy to me."
Anthony then activated his lightsaber and advanced on Packbell. "So be it!!!"
The two of them clashed lightsabers as the explosions of the warehouse and surrounding buildings continued to ring outside. Anthony did not use his psionics, feeling he could beat Packbell without them, and feeling the same enjoyment that Packbell seemed to be having about this fight...
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After bringing the workerbots to safety, the heroes wondered where Anthony was.
"Did anyone see Anthony come out?" Protoman asked. "I thought I saw him on his way out!"
"I'll try contacting him..." Tails said, then tried to send a telepathic message. "Guys, I can't reach him! He seems to be...occupied!"
"Occupied?" Sonic asked, confused. "What is he doing?"
"Whatever it is, we'd better help! Let's move!" Link ordered. The group then headed back towards the fortress.
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Even without his metabolic powers, Anthony still found himself evenly matched with Packbell, as he continued to parry blow after blow from Packbell. Neither one was gaining ground in the fight, and it seemed both would collapse like the rest of the fortress around them.
Suddenly, in a feat of desperation, Anthony launched a blast of psionics towards Packbell, which knocked Packbell off his feet and blasted him against the opposite wall. Anthony then quickly went up to him and stuck the lightsaber straight into his chest.
"Well...met...Gamemaster," Packbell said, beginning to shut down, "but...I shall have...the last laugh... I have...another base...which my consciousness will go to...but you...won't...live...to find it...." He then shut down, leaving Anthony to ponder his words.
"I won't live to...what does he mean...?" Suddenly he heard a general announcement. "SELF DESTRUCT IN TWO MINUTES."
"SHIT!!!!" Anthony said, and then sent a telepathic message to Tails. *Guys! Stay away from the fortress! It's set to blow in two minutes! Stay clear! I'll come towards you!*
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Tails received the message and had everyone head back towards the outskirts. Upon reaching the outskirts, the group watched in anticipation towards the base.
"C'mon Anth..." Sonic said, half praying. "Get out of there!"
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Anthony spent the next minute and a half trying to escape the sealed in building he was trapped in. The lightsaber made little headway in cutting the door open, and his time was running out.
"FIFTEEN SECONDS UNTIL SELF DESTRUCT."
This was it. Anthony knew he wouldn't make it in time even if the door opened now. He couldn't help thinking and wishing he was back in Mobotroplis and his mind focused on that location...
...and then blinked out of existence a second before the building went up in flames.
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The heroes all looked in horror at the explosion that engulfed the fortress. They saw no sign of Anthony exiting the area, and feared the worst...
"No..." Mario said. "He can't...Tails, canna you reach him?" He then noticed that Tails had broken down and cried at the sight, also believing the worst had happened.
A somber mood filled the air as the group started to head away from the fortress and back towards Mobotropolis. They were soon snapped to attention when they heard a familiar, but electronic voice, come in on Protoman's communicator...
"Guys...come in...it's Anthony."
All eyes turned towards Protoman's comm unit as he answered back. "Anthony, where are you and how...?"
"I'm in Mobotropolis...and you'll see how in just a minute..."
Soon after the communication broke a flash of light appeared near their location. Within seconds it reformed into the robotic body of the roboticized Anthony Bault.
"ANTHONY!" Tails squealed and embraced the robotic Gamemaster, tears of relief and joy flowing freely. After a while, he let go and looked up at his fellow descendant. "We *sniff* thought you didn't make it! How...?"
"I didn't even know for a while. Before the blast engulfed me I found myself near my new home in Mobotropolis, and then realized that I somehow learned Teleportation!"
Several of the heroes were confused. "Tele-what?" Luigi asked.
"Teleportation. Another psionic power that allows immediate transportation from one area to another, one I've seen in several games. I guess when I focused on Mobotropolis, it kicked in!"
"Way past cool, Anth!" Sonic said. "You rescue the workerbots, Queen Alicia included, and get a new power to boot!"
"Yeah," Anthony said, sounding drained despite the fact his body could feel no fatigue. "Guys, if the workerbots are safely away, can we go home now? I want to get out of this damn metal shell!"
"Definitely, Anthony," Link said. "In fact, I'm sure we'll all be glad to see you flesh again!"
The group then headed back towards Mobotropolis, Anthony leading the way with the others following close behind.
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Anthony wanted to wait until all the workerbots were deroboticized before he was deroboticized. While he waited in the office abutting the room with the Deroboticizer, he found out some information about Queen Alicia's condition.
"So, Doc," Anthony said, addressing Bookshire who was talking to him, "what was Alicia's condition? What did the Roboticizer explosion do to her to render her in that state?"
"Apparently, even though the Roboticizer only got her arm and leg areas, the explosion she was caught in did nothing more but accelerate the robotization in key areas, such as the spine and nervous system. We examined her condition for future study. Some complications did occur during the derobotization as a result of the accident, but we managed to pull her through. We're going to keep her under observation for a few days to monitor her condition and make sure no further complications take place."
"Good," Anthony said. "How...did King Acorn and Prince Elias react when they saw the queen alive?"
"After deroboticizing her, I think the king and queen never stopped hugging until after an hour later. I've...never seen the king happier, even when you reunited him with Sally and Elias..."
"No surprise...Max, Elias, and Sally DID think she was dead! I'm sure they'll be glad to remove her name from the Knothole Memorial."
"No doubt..." Bookshire said, then noticing the last of the citizens leaving the Deroboticizer. "Look like all the citizens are taken care of. You're next, Gamemaster!"
The two walked into the room where Doctors Chuck and Light were readying the Deroboticizer. Anthony then allowed himself to be strapped into the machine. Within minutes, after the machine did its work, a fully restored Anthony Bault replaced the form of Maverick.
"Thank God..." Anthony said after the process completed. "Now maybe I can..." He then noticed he was also back in just his undergarments. "Please tell me you guys picked up some clothes for me."
"Well..." Light said. "We DID get your armor..." He then pointed over to where Anthony's armor was laying.
If this was anime, Anthony would have facefaulted. "You got my armor, but forgot my damn CLOTHES?!? Can one of you...?"
Before he could finish, Zelda came in, and immediately turned away when she saw Anthony, blushing slightly. "Oh...sorry. I thought Anthony was ready now."
"What do you need, your highness?" Chuck asked.
"Er...well. Queen Alicia Acorn wanted to meet with Anthony once he was deroboticized. I can tell her it might be a while if..."
"It's alright, Zelda," Anthony said, quickly slipping on his armor and using the Descendancy medallion attached to it to activate the Descendancy Powers and create the Master's Armor, which covered his body. "This should do until I can get some clothes. But this is going to chafe like hell..."
Anthony then followed Zelda to a room where Queen Alicia was bedridden. King Acorn, Princess Sally, and Prince Elias were all there, watching over and talking with Alicia. All four members of the Acorn family had visible tears of joy as the four talked. Anthony waited outside as Zelda went to introduce him.
"You majesty, Queen Alicia?" Zelda said, getting the attention of all present. "I've brought the Gamemaster."
"Oh...yes! Please, bring him in!" Alicia replied.
Zelda walked out and nodded towards Anthony. Anthony then walked in, and Alicia looked in admiration at the new Gamemaster of Arcadia. Anthony then knelt down and placed his arm on his chest in a sort of salute. "Your majesty, I am Anthony Bault, Gamemaster of Arcadia, in my true form. I am at your service."
Alicia sat up in her bed and then started talking. "Arise, Gamemaster. You are friends with the rest of this family, and I do not wish to be treated any differently."
Anthony stood up and faced the queen and then the queen continued. "I never got a chance to thank you for what you had done. You are truly as brave as how my family described you. A shame you won't accept a statue...you truly deserve it."
"I had my reasons," Anthony explained, "and for a while...you were one of them. I'm sure your family will be more than glad to remove your name from the Knothole Memorial."
"Yes...the Memorial." Alicia adopted a thoughtful expression before continuing. "So many people...and who knows how many more may still be roboticized..."
"You and those I rescued were the last of the roboticized," Anthony replied. "Packbell told me so out of respect for me. Strange...to be admired by your enemy..."
King Acorn then spoke up. "Are you sure he was telling the truth?"
"Yes. He was positive I wouldn't live to tell you as such. To be honest...I didn't think I'd make it either..."
"Well, we are all glad you did, Gamemaster," Alicia said.
"Your majesty, please call me Anthony," Anthony said in response. "Was there anything else?"
"Actually..." Alicia said, then nodded towards Sally and Elias, who then embraced the Gamemaster, tears of joy flowing freely.
Anthony smiled at this. "You're welcome," Anthony said to the two of them, and then said to himself, "GOD, this seems familiar..."