Author's Note: Well, here's the climax, and I'd like to thank my reader's and especially my terrific reviewers. Yes, the story is drawing to a close, but I want to say that as I read the manga, which I've just ordered from DiscountAnime.com, more stories will come to me. I do have other stories that need my attention, including a new Speed Racer one, a new Rurouni Kenshin one, and my sadly neglected G-Gundam one, as well as my original anime.
009/003 Fluff fans—next chapter is for you.
AU REVOIR ROBESPIERRE
Scarl stood before the captive cyborgs and laughed a hideous cackle that echoed in the air. "Well, well if it isn't my good cyborg friends. What an unexpected pleasure!" He stepped over to Francoise and ran the back of his hand on her smooth cheek as she flinched, repulsed by the cold clammy feel. "And it is especially nice to see you again, my dear."
Pyunma's eyes narrowed as he answered, "What do you plan to do with us?"
Scarl laughed evilly, "Don't be so impatient, cyborg. I want to wait until the rest of your renegade friends arrive. You did contact them, didn't you?"
At the African cyborg's silence he continued, "Well, it makes no matter. They will arrive and meet their doom just as the three of you will."
"There happens to be four of us," Francoise corrected in a soft voice.
"Ah, yes, 0017 is it? Well I have a rather amusing surprise for you all." Scarl said gleefully. "001, come forward!" At his summons, 0017 stepped forward, garbed in black, his eyes arcing with electric charges as he faced the cyborgs.
"R-Robbie, is that you?" 003 asked, awestruck as he remained impassive, standing before them with a baleful expression.
"Permit me to introduce you to my newest weapon, Assassin 0017!" Scarl announced with a flourish. "The credit for his creation goes to you my dear," the villain crowed as he leaned into the perplexed blonde's horrified expression. "It was your memories that helped us to develop him."
003 shook her head in disbelief as she gazed at 0017. "So all that reminiscing and talking about my brother, all of that was just a cleverly designed ruse to get into the group. You're not really my childhood friend Robespierre DuBois."
0017's eyes softened as he whispered softly, "I'm sorry, Francoise."
Scarl snapped, "Apologies are unnecessary here. You know your job and I expect you to get on with it. Destroy these rebels, and begin with the female."
Robespierre's eyes flashed with blue bolts as he charged up again. He aimed his orbs at 003 but he hesitated as he spied her aqua eyes glistening with unshed tears. It caused a pang deep inside of him.
"Crying and pleading for your life will do no good," he said trying to be uncaring.
She sniffled, "I-I'm not crying for me. I'm crying for you, how hard it must be to be turned into a killing machine with the kind heart you have."
Robespierre hesitated, his eyes powering down as in his humanity he contemplated what she said. Scarl roared, "Don't bother with this sentimental claptrap, destroy her…NOW!"
Robespierre stepped back and turned to the foul villain. "I cannot kill her," he said with firm conviction.
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I ORDER you to destroy 003!" Scarl howled in rage.
"I said NO!" 0017 bellowed as he ran to 003 to instead shield her.
Scarl growled, "Very well then, you have just sealed your fate." The skull visaged figure lifted his right hand and a blue-white ball of energy appeared out of nothing, crackling as he took aim and then he hurled it at 0017. It hit the French cyborg point blank and he screamed in agony as the energy caused his body to arc in pain.
"Robespierre!" 003 shrieked as she watched him writhe, the electrical bolt causing his body to shine with an unearthly glow. 003, 008, and 007 all ran forward to 0017.
"D-don't come near! J-just make a run for it!" 0017 urged as he continued to shudder with the power of the shock coursing through his body as 003 knelt beside him, ignoring his plea.
"Fool! That will do them no good, their time has come to be destroyed," Scarl thundered as he held his hand up to form another lightning ball. He chortled in fiendish glee as he took aim at the pretty blonde. "Ladies first."
Robespierre staggered over to shield 003 again but as Scarl was about to send the bolt forth, a blur swooped in and scooped 003 up at what appeared to be double the speed of light and spirited her away. Scarl's lightning ball hit 0017 again, making him scream as the electricity once again sent sparks about him.
008 and 007 watched in stunned fascination when a laser blast from above and a stream of fire shook them from their inertia. Their eyes widened and then brightened with relief as they spotted their cyborg comrades, 002, 006, 005, and 004 advancing on the Black Ghost troops like the cavalry.
"It's the cyborg rebels! Seize them you fools!" Scarl ordered as he took off. His soldiers aimed their weapons at the red clad cyborgs as each of the cyborgs surrounded the troops and fired their lasers, causing them to scatter.
"Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting," Jet said airily as he swooped down and joined 008 and 007.
"Oh that's okay. Glad to see you, you're a sight for sore eyes," 007 said with a grin.
006 came over to his friend with an answering smile. "Well, we couldn't let you get blasted away. After all, who would criticize my cooking."
"I don't criticize, I just suggest," the thespian protested but 002 cut him off.
"Stow it you guys! We don't have time for this."
"He's right," 008 said with urgency. "Save the reunion for later. We gotta split, this thing's gonna blow sky high in about two minutes."
"I'll get the rest of the team," 002 said, firing his jets to take off but before he left he noticed the prone form of 0017. "Whoa, what happened to him?"
008 replied, "Black Ghost was about to vaporize 003 and 0017 stepped in so he got it instead." He looked around. "By the way, where is 003?"
002 answered matter-of-factly, "009 probably got her. He accelerated as soon as we got the scramble that you guys were in trouble." He crouched beside the fallen cyborg, "He's barely alive so we'd better take him back too see what the doc can do for him."
"Okay, you take 0017 and I'll go with the rest of the team," 008 said as Jet slung 0017 over his shoulders and took off.
About two miles to the southeast of the complex, on a precipice that had a bird's eye view of the entire compound, a red flash stopped near a rock and 009 laid his precious bundle down. He knelt beside 003 with a worried look in his caramel eyes brushing her bangs back gently.
"003, 003, are you okay?" he asked as he noticed her dazed state.
She groggily raised her head as she noticed 009, face flushed with concern. "I am thanks to--," she replied as she glanced around frantically. "Where's 0017?"
Before he could answer, a huge blast came from the direction of the unfinished reactor compound as a ball of flames shot straight up in the air with thick billows of black smoke, obscuring the late afternoon sun.
"Ohhh!" both cyborgs said in unison as the shock wave from the blast hit them and Joe protectively shielded Francoise with his body from debris that had blown over from ground zero.
When the air had cleared, 009 got too his feet and offering a hand assisted the blonde cyborg to her feet as both stared at the inferno in disbelief, struck speechless by the spectacle unfolding before them. They watched in fascinated horror as the unspoken thought drifted between them like the acrid fumes from the blast, where was the rest of the team?
As if in answer, a vehicle was speeding their way as a red and gold streak overhead contrasted against the smoke-filled sky. Joe and Francoise exchanged glances of overjoyed relief as they both trotted over to where Jet was landing, 0017 slung on his shoulder. He unloaded the French cyborg on the ground.
As she and 009 drew closer 003 recognized the limp form of 0017. "Robespierre!" she cried as she ran to the fallen man.
002 and 009 looked on at 003 as she flew to the unconscious cyborg. The amphibious transport with the rest of the team climbed up the precipice then and the others alighted from the vehicle. The entire group formed a semicircle around the two.
003 cradled 0017's head in her arms as she caressed his face, her tears falling like spring rain on his eyelids. They fluttered open and his pain-filled green eyes focused on her lovely visage.
"H-hello petite," he said softly with difficulty.
She sniffled as she smiled and said, "Just hang on, Robbie. We'll get you back to the Dolphin and Dr. Gilmore will fix you up."
But he shook his head slowly. "N-no petite. I'm afraid that I won't make it that far. You see the charge has short-circuited all of my wiring and that spells the end for me. When I was fabricated, the circuitry was connected to my heart, which was still human and weak. The circuitry Black Ghost installed in me strengthened my heart but with the damage that has been done, my weak heart is barely beating."
Francoise's eyes widened in alarm as he went on, "I want to say something to you. I-I want to thank you for everything, for accepting and caring for me. I haven't had that in a very, very long time, even since before Black Ghost captured me. I'm sorry but Black Ghost was correct, I'm not Robespierre DuBois"
Francoise sat in anguished silence, her sobs echoing as the rest of the team observed wordlessly. 0017 continued as she finally inquired, "So what is your real name?"
"Marceau, Gerard Marceau. I was captured last year by Black Ghost because I had no family, my parents had been dead since I was small which was why they chose me. But when they found out that I had a bad heart, due to having rheumatic fever as a child, they considered me useless and were going to destroy me but Schemer saw in me a way to test his new cybernetics. So I suddenly had worth to them. But as they outfitted me with my cyborg capabilities, and as my value in their eyes as a weapon grew, I realized that their intent was to make me their most powerful weapon."
Joe listened and for the first time, his heart was filled with sympathy for the Frenchman. He crouched down beside Francoise as he commented, "So you became the weapon to come after us."
Marceau nodded. "Yes, they programmed my memory implant with 003's memories which they had gathered from her. They figured that because of her tender and compassionate heart, she would be the means for me to gain access to the team. And knowing about the pleasant past she had, they made me to be someone from her past, someone close enough to her to completely gain her trust. So they sent me to shadow you all and I crashed into you to make contact and I did. But as I got closer and closer to 003, I began to be drawn to her heart." He gazed adoringly at 003 who began to blush furiously.
Joe too gazed at the blushing Francoise. "That's not difficult to do," he said softly, his eyes glowing.
Marceau coughed violently as life began seeping out of him. Taking her hand in his, he said with increased difficulty, "I want to say one more thing. I wish with all my heart that I really was Robespierre because I would have loved to have had the joy to know you before. And if I was him, maybe I would have a chance to win your heart away from 009." At their surprised expressions he laughed weakly, precipitating another fit of coughing as he spoke his final words, "I wish you both happiness as you live in the throes of true love, and don't allow anything to make it slip away…," his voice faded as his eyes closed for the last time and his shallow breathing ceased.
"Robbie!" Francoise cried as her tears flowed unabated, her head down on his chest as her body shuddered in grief.
The rest of the team stepped back, their faces showing different degrees of sorrow and regret. 009, however remained kneeling beside 003, his hands grasping her slender shoulders as he allowed her to mourn. They stayed like that as Francoise's tears gradually subsided and she slowly sat up and leaned back against the lean, warm, and comforting strength of 009's chest as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Koishii, it's time for us to head back," he whispered as he rose to his feet, taking her shoulders in his hands and helping her up. Looping his arm around Francoise Joe began to lead her to the transport as she looked over her shoulder at the lifeless form known as Gerard Marceau but whom she would always remember as Robespierre DuBois.
NEXT----EPILOGUE—WHERE THE HEART IS