Author's Note: It's taken some time but I've finally got this one done. Please write a review once you're done reading. Now, without further blathering I give you the next installment.

The Jackal's Gate

Doing His Own Dirty Work

The base of the Desert Eagles was bright and inviting, just like the Eagles themselves. Lively music and even livelier medabots filled the cavernous grand hall. They talked and laughed. Hot fluid was plentiful and everyone had more than their fair share. There were medabots of every make and model. In fact, the only constant was their cheerful attitude and weathered armor. Above all Shira was of special interest. They swarmed around her like ants to a picnic.

"May I get you something to drink?"

"Outta the way! She's with me!"

"You must be stupid! Can't ya tell she likes me best?"

"You? You're crazy! I'm her favorite!" The squabbles went on. The SPX took the opportunity to slip away and look for Zagan. She soon found him in a most unlikely place. The black medabot was leaning in a corner, sword in hand. He was surrounded by femme bots, all of them giggling as he spun the hilt idly.

"You're so great."

"How did you get so strong?"

"Seems I'm not the only popular one around here." She would have let him suffer were it not for the ember of jealousy that smoldered in her gut. Retrieving the GDN was easy enough; she simply pushed past the admirers and pulled him away.

A lancet of red shot across Zagan's visor. "Thanks."

Shira shrugged uninterestedly. "No problem. Just thought you could use a break." It was always better to play it cool around bots like Zagan.

And he always knew exactly how to get around it. The GDN turned to face her. "No, I mean it. Thank you." Her heart melted and the two medabot's fingers intertwined. Zagan leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Come on." Without another word he led her away.

-

Devon squinted at the delicate circuitry, his eyes struggling to focus in the low light. The 24-hopmart was hardly a workshop. "Damn it Hikaru. All that time spent with Dr. Aki and you can't ask him for a raise." There was no point in complaining. Fire crews were still struggling to contain the blazing Medabot Corporation and there was no where else to go. But still, trying to make such complex modifications in a place like this was frustrating to say the least. What had started out as a simple cosmetic alteration had turned into a complete overhaul. Even with his mind focused on the task at hand, Devon could not help but feel a twinge of anxiety for his medabot. His voice was raspy and fatigued as he spoke. "Hurry up in there."

There was a sudden rap on the door. "What is it?"

"Get out here!" Judging by her voice Mariah was more than angry. She sounded…frightened. What Devon saw upon opening the door confirmed his suspicions. Mariah and Isis stood side by side. Both of them had a look of dire seriousness engraved on their faces.

"What's goin' on?"

Another voice sent a chill down his spine. "It's been a long time." Mariah and Isis stepped aside. Grayson stood on the far side of the room, his face the picture of cheer. "How've you been Devon?"

The medafighter was in shock. For the first time his cool demeanor was noticeably flawed. "W…What are you doing here?" he stammered.

Grayson's cocky smile was identical to Devon's. "Now is that anyway to greet an old friend? But I guess I can't blame you. Are you surprised to see me?"

This did not make any sense. "Ta see you alive anyway. I saw you…"

Grayson cut him off. "Die? Yes, it must've been quite a shock, seeing me fall from the roof of that Medallorian temple. But as you can clearly see, the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." He spread his arms wide; as if to show that he had no visible wounds.

This was crazy. Devon had been there, so had Mariah and Dr. Aki. They had all heard the rope snap and seen him fall through the floor. Recovering his poise he spoke again. "So what've you been doin' all this time?" he asked.

Grayson's voice swelled with pride as he answered. "Taking my rightful place in the world." He did not wait to see Devon's reaction. "Some people are simply destined to rise above the rats that infest this planet. That's part of why I'm here."

"So he's insane. I guess bein' dead does that to ya." Devon laughed to himself at the thought. Grayson, the one person who always had a soft spot for the down trodden was now raving like an egomaniac. "You'll have to explain just what ch'ou mean."

"Certainly. I've come to offer you a chance at greatness. You must know that some people are stronger than others, robattles make that clear."

"Of course, but you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"

Grayson chuckled. "It's always business with you. Very well then, I intend to create a whole new world, a utopia where people live in harmony with each other. Of course, I can't possibly build a paradise until I get rid of the weak."

Devon smiled. "Wait a second, lemme get this straight. What ch'our sayin' is, you're completely crazy" he laughed.

Grayson responded with the same hearty chuckle. "I had a feeling you'd say that. No my friend I'm not crazy. You're crazy if you can't see how wonderful it will be. I'm here to give you a chance to join my cause. Think about it, you could do whatever you want, no one to hold you back."

The offer was tempting. But then, the idea of total freedom always was. "Don't be stupid Grayson. You and I both know anarchy never works."

"Oh no, it wouldn't be anarchy."

Devon second guessed him. "And who's going to rule? Wait I know, you."

"You always had a quick wit. So what do you say Devon? Why not join me?"

Devon laughed aloud. "You should go back to your coffin old friend. You've got cobwebs on the brain."

Grayson's face hardened. "Don't be a fool. How do you expect to survive if you can't even get your pal Zagan to wake up?"

That struck a nerve. "How do you know about him?" The words ground passed Devon's tightly clenched teeth.

The blonde would give him no relief. "I have my ways. After all, it's best to know your enemy." He directed his attention toward Dr. Aki. "Like where they make their weapons."

His words hit the old man like a lightning bolt. "Why you…"

Grayson's tone was whimsical. "Yes Dr. Aki, it was I who destroyed your precious corporation. Or to be more precise, I had one of my agents do it."

"You bastard" Devon growled. "I almost lost my medabot in there."

"Don't worry Devon. Zagan is much too valuable to simply destroy. But enough about that, I would've liked to see you two in action but since he's gone bedy bye I'll have to settle for one of your friends." He cast a devilish eye on the others.

This was starting to look bad. Half the kids Devon had never seen before and he was willing to bet that their robattling skills were sub par. But what could he do? Without Zagan his options were extremely limited. Thinking quickly he said, "Pickin' on little kids now Grayson? That's just not like you."

What a pitiful attempt to buy time. "I'm just looking for a challenge" he replied. His eyes hovered over Mariah. No, attacking her now could provoke unwanted interference. The frozen orbs finally settled on Ikki. "Mister Tenryou, the famous prodigy. It's still hard to believe you became the world champion." He motioned toward Metabee. "Especially with such an outdated medabot."

The golden medabot's fists shook and he could feel the oil boiling in his veins. "Who are you callin' outdated?" the KBT bellowed. "I'll give you a Metabee boppin'!" Over the course of a few days he had been attacked, beaten, and caught up in something he did not even begin to understand. To top it all off, now he was being insulted!

Seeing his partner's anger, Ikki did the only thing he knew to diffuse the enraged medabot. "Let's robattle."

Devon's heart stopped. "You don't know what ch'our gettin' into Ikki." He warned.

"I'll be fine." There was a spark of ambition in his voice. Whether or not it was genuine, Devon could not tell.

This was what Metabee had been hoping for. "Oh yeah Ikki, let's show this guy what we've got!"

Grayson's smile was broad and merry. "Perfect." His finger wandered to the jade medawatch around his wrist. "Transport Arachnis." The sequence of events that followed was all too familiar. A thin beam followed by a blinding flash and the appearance of a medabot. But there was something very different about this particular machine. She stood on six legs, each one bulky and covered in seemingly impenetrable armor. However, the rest of her body stood in sharp contrast to the imposing appendages. Slender and feminine, charcoal black bangs and unfathomable navy optics made her the incarnation of beauty.

A collective gasp marked the medabot's most shocking feature. Her face was human, distinguished only by a black tear trail underneath each eye. "What is that?" Koji cried

Grayson laughed. "Haven't you ever seen a medabot before?" Arachnis mimicked his amused smile.

"That is not a medabot" Koji replied.

Metabee could not have been less interested. "I don't care if she's a medabot or not. I'm ready ta robattle."

Grayson waved a hand toward the door. "Let's step outside."

"Ikki, I'm tellin' you call this off" Devon cautioned in one last attempt to avoid disaster.

The scruffy haired boy's determination prevailed over his common sense. "You shouldn't worry so much" he said as he followed the blonde out into the street. Devon went after them, all the time cursing himself for his uselessness. "You picked a bad time for a nap" he mumbled under his breath.

-

Zagan and Shira wrapped their arms around each other. A private moment with the Desert Eagles was rare, especially in their own base. They were like phantoms, able to be everywhere at once. But after a determined search the two medabots had at last found a secluded corner. Sunlight filtered in through partly drawn blinds, giving the entire room a quiet aged feeling.

The feline medabot spoke in a hushed yet sultry tone. "So why did we have to come all the way back here?" As she spoke, she drew circles across his chest plate with a finger.

"Can't you tell?" he questioned playfully.

The SPX smiled sheepishly. "I think I've got an idea."

The ebony medabot's visor flashed. A squeeze of her hand was all it took to confirm Shira's suspicions.

-

Arachnis' deceptiveness was matched only by her prowess. She could turn on a dime, more than fast enough to stay out of Metabee's line of fire. She dodged and weaved in and out, confounding him to no end. No matter what he tried the ARN simply could not be caught.

Grayson's constant taunts were not helping either. "You seem a bit sluggish. Must be those old parts starting to catch up with you."

"Kikiki…" was all Metabee could manage to mutter.

"Stay calm Metabee. There has ta be a way to slow her down."

Arachnis spoke for the first time. "Yes. There must be a way. Unfortunately, you won't last long enough to figure it out!" She rushed forward and swung out with a titanic leg. The impact was bone jarring, knocking Metabee off his feet and scrambling his sensors.

"Thirty five percent to damage to main body" bleeped Ikki's medawatch.

"Those leg parts make her really fast… maybe too fast." The need for an effective strategy was now glaringly obvious. It was time to fall back on a tried and true tactic. "Fire seeker missiles!"

Throwing his head back Metabee roared, "Missile launch!" The projectiles were away in a puff of smoke.

Grayson did nothing. He simply trusted Arachnis to know what to do. And know she did. The missiles made contact, exploding in a spray of carrot orange flames and billowing smoke. It was a truly dazzling maneuver, enough to bring down any ordinary medabot.

But Arachnis was hardly ordinary. As the dense shroud began to clear there she stood, completely unharmed. The ARN's foremost pair of legs was locked tightly in front of her face, forming an effective shield. Grayson did not even try to suppress his amusement at Ikki's expression of disbelief. "Just give up."

The boy's shabby hair shook along with the rest of his body. "Not a chance" he spat.

Devon called out to the youth. "God damn it Ikki! Now is not the time to be brave!" The older teen knew full well what the regal eyed medafighter was capable of.

Grayson simply nodded, though it was more of a signal than a response. In a flash Arachnis was on the move again. She dashed in a straight line, rapidly closing the distance between herself and Metabee. The KBT responded the only way he knew how, with an ever flowing stream of machinegun fire. Bullets ricocheted off her armor but sill she charged, completely devoted to the attack. In a final effort Metabee trained his revolver on Arachnis and fired a shot aimed at her head. But again the chillingly calm medabot displayed her expertise. In one fluid motion she lashed out with a leg, deflected the round, and managed to jam another limb into Metabee's arm.

The KBT bellowed in pain as he toppled over backwards. "Damn it!" Metabee struggled to lift himself. It felt like the servo in his shoulder was grinding against something. To his horror, the amber medabot found a lengthy iron needle protruding from his armor.

The blonde's face took on an embarrassed expression. "Did I for get to mention that? You see, each of Arachnis' feet contains a little surprise. Now will you give up?"

Ikki shook his head.

"Oh well. I guess there's just no convincing some people." With that Grayson pointed a commanding finger at the KBT. Arachnis understood the gesture perfectly and launched herself into the air.

Metabee stared up at the all of a sudden airborne medabot. The very notion that anything so large could gain so much altitude in a single jump was beyond belief. Without warning the stunningly deceptive medabot came crashing down. Her legs spread wide in every direction, she landed directly on top of Metabee, pinning him to the ground.

Devon's mouth hung open. With all his experience he had never seen a medabot react so quickly or with so much raw power. "It's all over now..."

Whew. It seems like my chapters are getting shorter but they seem to take longer to write. Well, at least I got this one out. This story is moving ever closer to its conclusion. Who will win and who will lose? You'll just have to keep reading if you want to find out!