CHAPTER XII

Faith And Defiance

"A curious thought...When the sky finally does fall down around us. Will we smile for the life we were blessed to live? Or cry for all our achievements never to be?

R.D.M

The sky's above Tremerton

"Warning: Power supply nearly depleted. Losing altitude. Initiating memory protective hibernation cycle." Elena spoke rather calmly as she began to lazily drift downward.

"Hang on!" XJ-6 yelled. She swooped in quickly and took Sheldon from her sister's shoulder. XJ-4 hovered down from above Elena and stopped behind her, matching her altitude. She extended her arms underneath her sister's to support her weight. The added mass forced her to produce an extra rocket engine from the middle of her back to stay aloft.

"We have to hurry! Her power supply is nearly gone!" XJ-4 said in a near panic.

"Just go as fast as you can! I'll contact Mom and tell her we need a repair team ready for us when we get there." XJ-6 said while opening a channel to her creator.

Aboard the U.S.S. Johnson

"We're coming in Mom!" XJ-6's voice suddenly rang out over Nora's communicator watch, "And we're going to need a repair team when we get there!"

"Understood." Nora replied back through the device on her wrist, "E.T.A.?"

"Four minutes, thirty six seconds." XJ-6 replied.

As soon as the words were spoken, Nora ran to a microphone hanging on a wall nearby. She punched in the appropriate code to connect with the docking bay, "Attention personnel..." Nora's voice echoed throughout the hanger over the intercom system, "Open bay three hanger door immediately and have a mechanical repair team on standby. We will be receiving four automatons momentarily. Authorization code: Foxtrot-Milo-Lima." She hung up the microphone and glanced around. The many Skyway personnel within earshot gave her quite annoyed stares for her total disregard of their authority. Nora smiled, more for herself rather than to gloat, "Not to worry boys, it's only my daughters." She spoke while jogging towards the nearest elevator. After only a few brisk paces, something caught her eye, "Bradly?" She said while slowing to a stop.

"Huh? Oh...Hey Mrs. W..." Brad replied with an audible sadness in his voice. Nora's past experience allowed her to easily recognize the look on his face, reflecting from the window he stood before. Pain. Pure and simple. A path well worn in Nora's mind.

"Have you any luck contacting Melody?" Nora asked while approaching the young man, knowing the answer full well by his demeanor. He continued to stare out of the window for a moment longer before responding.

"No...I've tried everything and...All I get is static..." He tried his best to mask his pain with a monotone reply but, Nora's trained ear heard the underlying emotions loud and clear, "I...I lost her..." His last words could not hide his feels. He leaned his forehead onto the glass before him, coming face to face with his own reflection, "I lost everyone...My family...My friends...My love..." His shoulders slumped further downward as he spoke, "I let them all down..." Nora rested her hand on Bradly's shoulder blade as high as she could reach, attempting to comfort him.

"No Bradly, you haven't. I do not know another person who could go through what you have recently and still remain standing, much-less help as much as you have. I'm sure your father would be proud." She responded.

"Look at me! I'm bloody! I'm bruised, and I'm beaten! I ain't a hero like my Dad was!" Bradly shouted at his reflection as a few tears fell from his blackened eyes onto his dirty face, leaving behind a clean streak as they trialed down his cheek, "I'm not...I'm not the man my father was...Everyone's out there, fighting and I'm here and...I can't even find Mel."

"Bradly, you must understand that it is not your duty to live up to your father's name but, I can think of no better way to honor his legacy than to create your own. Strike your own path and become your own man." Nora replied, "Come now, we'll go to the infirmary. Those swollen eyes of yours require immediate attention and I am curious about Dale's status. All my...Most of my...remaining daughter's will be arriving soon." Nora offered him as best a smile as possible while motioning him towards the elevator. Bradly wiped his eye's and started in her suggested direction. Bradly ended the short stint of silence that lingered after they entered.

"Do you really think they can do it? Jen and Axle I mean...Do you think they can win? That Mel will-" Bradly began to ask. Nora ended his sentence with a firm answer.

"Yes. I know they will succeed. I have faith that Jennifer will find a way to achieve victory. That Melody will be fine." She replied.

"Yeah but...How do you know?" Bradly asked while leaning against the rear elevator wall.

"As I just said, faith, Bradly, faith." Nora began as the hum of the elevator descending pass different levels of the ship played in the background, "I have faith in Jennifer, as a person, that she is more than capable of handling any task that is laid before her. She has always found a way to win. Melody is strong willed, despite Dr. Locust's wicked ways. She has a goodness in her that few humans possess. Somehow, that quality manages to shine through her dark upbringing. That is the definition of defiance and I believe that they will defy all odds. I have faith in them." Nora replied in a tone that immediately let Bradly know she was speaking from her heart. The elevator came to a halt not a second later. Nora exited first, followed closely by Bradly. She led him through a few twists and turns until they finally reached their destination. The doors to the infirmary slide open and Dale greeted them with a delirious smile. He was stretched out on an examination table while a nurse was busy finishing the bandaging on his ribs.

"I see your well..." Nora commented.

"Yeahhhhh...Pain killers will do that..." Dale responded.

"OK Mr. O'Brien. We're going to keep you in a room over night. The medication should allow you to sleep comfortably. Dr. Sweeney will check on you in the morning." The female nurse informed while exiting the room.

"O'Brien?" Nora asked with an amused smile that could be heard in her voice, "Your name is Dale O'Brien?" Nora placed a fist to her lips to stifle a chuckle, "No wonder you've hidden it all this time."

"Stuff it Noreen..." He replied, "I'm Irish..."

"OK! Well, I'm just gonna shut this door now..." The nurse awkwardly said.

"Thank god I got a pretty nurse to take care of me in my golden years..." Dale managed to reply sleepily before she could fully close the door.

"Ah, You must be Nora." The kind woman said, smiling through her blushing cheeks while presenting her hand to Nora. Nora obliged, "My name is Sally. Captain McKenzie said you would be stopping by to check on O'Brien. He'll be just fine after twenty four hours of rest." She looked over the short woman's shoulder to Bradly, "My goodness! Are you alright?"

"Well, I-" Bradly tried to explain.

"Earlier this day, he was involved in the current ground conflict." Nora interjected, "From what I have observed, he has minor lacerations on his chest and back, bruising around the ocular cavities, possibly burst capillaries, coupled with abrasions on the face and arms." Nora flatly informed.

"Ah ha ha...Thanks for the information, I'll take it from here." Sally politely replied. She motioned for Bradly to enter an adjacent exam room, "I'll get him taken care of and contact you when we're through." Nora turned to leave but stopped after a few steps.

"By the way, have you seen a man by the name of Phinious Mogg?" she asked.

"Oh, Captain said a man by that name would be stopping in for a stress evaluation test. Something to do with his son a think but, he never showed up." She responded.

"Hmm...Thanks for your cooperation." Nora said with a halfhearted, automatic smile, "I'll bet he's in the hanger, monitoring Kenny's repair work." She though as she reentered the elevator.

Inside the U.S.S. Johnson's hanger

XJ-6, passing her sister, arrived first. She entered bay three quite fast, digging the tips of her pointed feet into the metal floor. A shower of sparks accompanied her long slide to a halt, "I need a mechanic over here!" She shouted as she came to a stop, laying Sheldon at her feet as she did. XJ-4 came in only a few moments after, she made a much softer landing and gently placed her sister on the hanger floor. Within seconds, the fore warned repair team reached them.

"XJ's 4 and 6, I need you to report to the rear of bay three. The rest of my team are waiting for you there." A young man, who seemed to be in charge, said while pointing in the direction of his awaiting team.

"We can't just leave them here..." XJ-4, on the verge of tears, said to her sister.

"Don't worry, we are all under international law to aid any and all peoples requiring medical attention at times of war. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't harm any of you or, I would face prosecution and the loss of my licenses." The man informed, "Not to mention the wrath of Noreen Wakeman. You are all in good hands." He gently, yet forcefully, pushed XJ-6 and 4 away from Sheldon and their sister.

"Wait! Sheldon Lee is in there!" XJ-4 exclaimed.

"You mean there's a person inside this thing?" He spun around to another member of his crew, "Ensign, get the infirmary on the line! we need a Doctor down here immediately!" He barked while the Ensign ran to the nearest intercom mic. The young man began examining Elena as the Mech-station's came to a halt beside the damaged robots. The operators lowered down the heavy duty mechanical arms and picked up Sheldon and Elena. Once the robots were secured, he jogged to the back of bay three.

"What the hell is this thing?" XJ-6, oh so enthusiasticly, questioned the apparatus before her.

"This is an S.D.R chair." An older gentlemen of the repair team informed, "It's specificly designed for automatons, such as yourself. Here, have a seat." The officer helped her into the chair. As soon as XJ-6 sat down, a mechanical arm attached itself to the back of her head for a systems diagnostic. Meanwhile, a cord found its way into her charging port.

"Oh! Wasn't expecting that..." XJ-6 said as the charge cord, unexpectedly, entered her socket. While the chair charged her power supply, a thin horizontal light swept over her, scanning her chassis for damage. XJ-4 watched the entire scene.

"I..is it safe?" She asked her big sister.

"So far so good...It's like...Like I can feel a relaxing wave roll over me.." XJ-6 said as she eased a little more into the chair.

"That's part of the normal process. The program is designed to simulate the feeling of relaxation that humans feel to make the whole experience as pleasant as possible." The man informed while XJ-4 took her seat and started the same procedure. The young man finally made it to the repair area after a brisk jog.

"Whew... Sorry I didn't...introduce myself...I'm officer Weeks. I will be over seeing the repair work..." He introduced himself as the data began to stream across multiple computer monitors. He studied the information carefully, "Hmm... Not a lot of physical damage...System diagnostic checks out OK..." At that moment, the elevator door by the repair station opened and out stepped Nora.

"Mother!" XJ-4 exclaimed.

"Hello dears." Nora replied with a smile, "Are you operating efficiently?" She asked.

"Only at 43% I'm afraid..," XJ-4 responded with a frown. Nora turned to XJ-6.

"How about you?" She asked.

"53% Mom..." XJ-6 responded in a huff.

"53% huh? It seems that the golden chips are acting as I expected they would. You two would be in much worse shape if we hadn't installed them." Nora replied. The Young man approached her, reading from a clipboard that his nose was planted in.

"XJ units 4 and 6 aren't in any immediate danger. Their damage is minimal, considering the circumstances... XJ-8 seems to have entered some sort of...Low power hibernation-" Nora cut short his assessment by snatching the clipboard from his hands.

"Thank you officer Weeks but..." Nora paused briefly to read the page, "I will be over seeing all repair work done on my daughter's." The man perked his eye brow in aggravation.

"With all do respect ma'am, your not authorized to-" Nora silenced the man once more, this time by holding her finger to his face while never looking up from the clipboard.

"I labored in my laboratory for 9 months each building and designing my daughters, I need not your assistance in this matter. Furthermore..." She paused as she turned the page, "I was an active member of Skyway Patrol for 36 years, longer than you have been alive. During my career, I achieved an S class rank for my actions in the first intergalactic war, of which I am a veteran. Do to my heroic actions, as declared by the president, I was allowed to keep my rank and title upon retirement. So, if there are any concerns about my orders...Please...Feel free to discuss them with Captain McKenzie, who, by the way, I also out rank." The bewildered man's skin quickly shifted to a beet red before turning and storming off to the other part of the hanger. Murmuring, to himself throughout his departure. Nora sat the clipboard down as the mobile Mech-station, carrying her daughter, came to a stop at the repair area. The crane arm lifted Elena's body once more, this time to rest it on a prepared work table for examination. Immediately, the same process that XJ's 4 and 6 underwent, began.

"According to these scans, her external damage is mild to moderate. The real problems lay inside...Seems the entire power supply's been critically damaged." The older gentleman, appearing to be in his mid forties, said while reading information streaming cross his computer monitor. Nora strolled over to read for herself.

"Her...Entire power management system...I-its beyond repair. Over loaded by a massive energy surge that exceeded her design capacities. Thankfully, the backup system is still attached to the memory section of her cortex. She will have to remain tethered to an external power source to sustain her programming until...Until I can devise a means to repair the distribution network." Nora spoke. She removed her red goggles with her right hand while pinching the crown of her nose between her eyes with her left.

"What's wrong? Is she going to be okay?" XJ-4 softly questioned.

"I'll leave you to your family..." The older gentlemen said. He removed himself from the repair area. Nora pondered the situation a moment longer before responding.

"Yes, she will be just fine. The system can be repaired but, the tools I need are inside of my destroyed laboratory. This will be a difficult task without them. Many of the branching power cables run close to delicate electronics and I will have to individually hard wire an auxiliary power source directly into her C.P.U., oil circulation pump and motor control systems. The connections will tether her to the ships power source and can not be severed for even an instance, or else her memory stacks may be completely wiped." Nora glanced at the clock ticking away on the wall, "The procedure must be completed before the last of her reserve power is gone...I'll need a skilled assistant...Sheldon is incapacitated...The repair team is not well enough versed in automaton power distribution systems to be of any use..." Nora's tone turned more and more desperate as the gravity of the situation began to way on her mind, "Mogg!" Just as his name left her lips, the short, rotund man stepped into view from the shadows.

"Hello again Nora." He began with a slightly harsh tone, "I couldn't help but over hear you with my voice detection and amplification module." His words also carrying a hint of gloat. Nora shot back a cold stare.

"So, I suppose you've come to wallow in my defeat?" Nora asked, venom dripping from every word. Mogg simply tucked away the device and strolled to the monitor that Nora was standing before.

"Sorry to disappoint but, no...I'm hear to help you save your daughter." Mogg turned to look at XJ-8 laying on the operating table, "To save Elena."

"You are serious? You want to help me?" Nora questioned, "Why? What's in it for you?"

"Redemption..." His emotional dam began crumbling, allowing the pent up feelings to leak into his words, "You were right Nora...To think of them as your own children...We build them, name them, maintain them..."

"What are you babbling on about?" Nora asked, though not displaying so, she was very eager to hear the answer.

"That's why we never got along..." He continued, "You loved building your creations and of course the money from the many design patents wasn't bad either but, you actually loved each one...And I called you a fool...Robotics had always been a source of income for me. A...A business...I now believe that this is why I always failed to out shine you..." Mogg drew in a breath, "When I first began the YK-9 project, It was in order to cash in on the success of your XJ line. I took quite a bit of inspiration from your designs, careful to avoid the legal implications of patent infringement, such as changing the gender...I chose the programming of a canine because it would be easy to create and distribute throughout many robots quickly and it also contained a basic obedience algorithm within it's code...Making mass production possible. I had to tweak the programming of course to keep him from thinking he actually was a dog...I gave him emotions...Language...And a rational thought process..." Mogg wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his lab coat, "Before I realized it, I had created a son. That's why I never built another...You were right and I was wrong...I just wish I would have realized that before it was too late..."

"Mogg...What happened to Kenny?" Nora asked, concerned.

"He..He is not with us anymore...Well, not in the sense that you and I are accustomed to...His memory banks were wiped clean...And his programming reset...His body was...beyond repair...The only thing remaining is the original canine program..." Mogg twiddled with the digital watch on his left wrist. Nora took note of the manner in which he gazed at the device, "Do you remember those old digital pets that were all the rage in our youth?" Mogg slightly smiled as he rubbed the image of a puppy playing on the watch screen, "Silly, I know but, It was the only thing I could think of..." Everyone looked on as the man allowed a few tears to fall, "That's why Nora...That's why I want to help you...To earn your forgiveness, I will help you save your daughter." Mogg turned to face her with tear filled eyes, "No one should endure what I have..." Everyone in the area was in stunned silence, never suspecting that Mogg had become so close to Kenny. Nora eyed him for a tense moment.

"Alright. Since Sheldon is incapacitated, you are the logical choice. Besides, I have insurance." Nora said while replacing her glasses.

"Y-you have insurance on them?" Mogg questioned.

"Havens no! I mean insurance that you will not muck with anything during the procedure. My daughter's will be in a low powered state but, they will train their sensors on you. If you so much as twitch wrong, they'll awaken." Nora warned, while typing in a command that sent XJ 4 and 6 into sleep mode, "Now, locate a 480 volt power source we can patch into while I expose the necessary connection points." Nora said as the two rivals, for once, put aside their differences. A few moments passed by while Nora detached the appropriate armor plates. Mogg slowly waddled backwards towards her as he unrolled a thick black cable.

"How is the boy?" Mogg asked, referring to Sheldon.

"Sheldon is in critical yet, stable condition in the infirmary. With out the life support functions of the Silver Shell, he would have died much earlier. He's very lucky." Nora answered.

"Will he live?" Mogg asked. He let the huge bundle of remaining cable drop to the floor and wiped his brow.

"He will live, that is for certain. His body however, is crippled from radiation poisoning. He will be confined to a mechanical suit equipped with life supporting technology for the rest of his life I'm afraid." Nora said while carefully detaching the burned out C.P.U. main line, "Hurry and strip the protective coating off the wires. The battery backup systems wont last forever." Nora instructed. Mogg grunted in protest but, took to the task right away.

"There isn't another exo-suite on Earth that has all necessary life supporting functions to sustain a human long term." Mogg added, "The Silver Shell was one of a kind! And I don't see Skyway placing him back inside of it!" Nora sighed.

"The young man in charge of the repair team is working on decommissioning and restoring the suite, stripping it of all weapons. It will have to do until this entire situation is resolved." She explained. A few more silent moments passed before Mogg spoke.

"So...For the sake of conversation, I'm curious..." Mogg began as he removed a small silver object from his pocket, "The Nora I know would never install an inadequate power distribution network..." He pressed a button on the object in his hand. A small, purple energy blade about four inches long quickly juts out, "How did she manage to burn out her entire system with less than 100% power remaining?" He asked. Nora frowned.

"The data from the diagnostic revealed what I had suspected, a sudden spike in the emotional response portion of her C.P.U., did occur. She somehow shut off all safety protocols that would have otherwise prevented this situation, causing her main power to combine with the energy stored in her back up systems. Without those protocols, her internal engine was also able to rev up to a much more dangerous operating speed, the sudden rush of power wasn't the problem, it was the length of the surge." Nora said while snipping off a piece of charred wire, "I designed a means to deal with sudden power level fluctuations, but not for long periods." Nora carefully removed a final protective cover, attached directly over the main connection point, "The site of her siblings in peril triggered a purely emotional response that overrided her fail safes." Nora held her hand out towards Mogg, her eyes never leaving Elena's C.P.U. Mogg handed her the prepared wires, "Thus exceeding her design specifications." She continued as she grabbed a soldering iron and quickly began making the connections.

"Do you feel that?" Mogg asked with the barely audible sound of bending metal echoing over their heads. Nora glanced around, the floor beneath her feet vibrated for a split second, "Are we under attack?" Another tremor, slightly more noticeable, quickly passed.

"No, there are no alarms sounding. Judging by the vibration frequency, I would have to say it's a reverberation, like a shock-wave of some sorts..." Nora pondered.

"A shock-wave? From what?" He asked, "We're a hundred miles from the nearest cold fusion plant..."

"Shock-waves of kinetic energy produced from high velocity impacts." A quick tap on the side of Nora's red goggles turned them into dark black welding shades, "Results of the battle taking place."

"Impossible!" Mogg huffed in disbelief, "We're at least twenty miles from the hot zone! There is no way that XJ-9 could stand against that kind of power!" Nora let the the smile spread across her lips.

"You obviously have no idea what my daughter is capable of..." She replied.

Meanwhile, at the same time in Tremerton

Jenny and Axle scanned the horizon as they came streaking out of the sky. Jenny's power surged at the site her C.P.U processed. Tremerton's lookout point and grand centennial seismograph, cherished landmarks from her memory banks, lay in pieces. The many dead soldiers and civilians laying about framed the mental image, making for quite a scene. Her systems automatically ran through a profile list of the towns residents, declaring them diseased as she scanned the bodies. A few microseconds later and both, Jenny and Axle, crashed feet first into into the ground behind Vexes. The two machines steadied their stances, as the Earth vibrated underneath them. Carefully, they scanned every twitch of the mad Queen, prepared for an attack at any moment. Vexes was currently preoccupied with the body of a soldier, her back facing her foes was covered in blotches of deep red. She held the body up with her left hand gripped around it's neck. She slowly placed her right hand on the man's ribs and squeezed her hand. Her sharp talons easily allowed her to crush her fist closed into the bodies rib cage, causing Jenny to cringe at the site and sound. She scanned the bloody mess of bone, muscle and lung in her hand.

"I've heard the human expression, "It's what's inside that counts.", and decided to see for my self..." Vexes continued to stare at the mush in her hand, "After scanning 23 different human remains, I have found only a .1345% variance in internal structure." She glanced over her shoulder at Jennifer, "Don't you see? They're all the same...On the inside." She let the limp body fall from her hand to the ground. Jenny's scanners automatically pulled up the soldiers profile in her H.U.D. Jenny cringed a little once more when the status changed to deceased, "Why? Why do you cling to them? Why do you desire to be one with creatures who reject you? Beings whose logic tells them to foolishly throw away their lives at the feet of a power they should be kneeling before?" Jenny twitched slightly and firmed her stance.

"I can see what you can't. What you never could. I've seen the good intention in the minds of my friends, and love in the heart of my mother. I see their potential..." Vexes frowned, "There's more to life than this Vexes...There's love and anger. There's hope and laughter. I...I wish you could have seen that, for Vega's sake..." Vexes snapped her hand closed. The bone fragments made a muffled, wet crunch.

"Oh my...You seem to have mistaken me for a being that has a heart..." Vexes growled, "Your words are useless! Just like the humans you defend..." Vexes turned to face her rival and brood. The sight sent a shock through both hero's systems. Her chassis was dripping with the gore of battle, "I will crush all organics..." She shifted her optics to her son, "And anyone who stands in my way." The ground trembled beneath their feet. Axle detected a sharp increase in the air temperature. Vexes smiled, "Look at you two. Cracked, dented, and covered with your own oil...DV-2 can barely stand..." She took a step towards them, "What do you honestly hope to accomplish?" She took another step forward and flung the wet mess to the ground at her feet, sounding out with a sickening splat, "I'm willing to make a deal however..." She locked her target reticules on Jennifer, "Bring me the head of your creator Noreen Wakeman and agree to leave this planet with me, willingly...And I will let your friends live alone on this desolate rock when I leave." Jenny squinted her optics in anger and raised her power level.

"Never." Jenny responded while yellow electricity cracked around her fists. Vexes smiled wider. Thunder clapped loudly over head as the massive amount of heat they were producing collided with the cooler, moist air.

"Ha! I was hoping you would say that." Vexes said as a single drop of rain fell on to her breast plate. The three stared intensely at each other. The pitter patter of the falling droplets grew increasingly loud as the rain intensified. Suddenly, Jenny made her move and the world around them ground to a halt. The rain drops appeared to suspend in the air, due to the speed at which she was moving. She fired two blasts of yellow energy from her hands. Vexes stood her ground, the blasts struck her left and right shoulder and deflected into the air, leaving black scorch marks on her armor. Axle flew across the ground to Vexes's right side, trying to flank her in the distraction. Vexes saw through the deception. Before Axle could come to a complete stop, Vexes extended out her right arm and caught him by the throat. She flung her arm like a bullwhip, flinging Axle high into the air and back down into the ground hard enough to send soggy bits of debris out of the crater he was now in. Vexes snapped her arm back to normal and turned to Jennifer, "Clever attempt but not-" Vexes cut her gloating short and her optics grew wide.

"Thanks for the compliment." Jenny replied. She had merged her arms together into a rail gun and had a one pound blue metal ball charged to fire. Vexes erected her energy shield and through up her arms just as Jenny fired her weapon. The projectile struck at mach 5. The impact was enough to shatter her shield and overload it's generator. The force shoved her backwards for a quarter mile, digging a trench out with her heels until she stopped.

"Impressive..." Vexes spoke to herself. An alert sounded in her C.P.U. She looked up to see Axle charging head on from above. Axle heaved out a devastating blow with his undamaged arm. Vexes easily caught the attack and dug her sharp claws into his hand, "63% power is not going to cut it son..." Oil leaked from the gashes, "Such a shame your containment field is damaged..." Axle grit his teeth while slight creaks sounded from his fist as Vexes squeezed tighter, "I truly wanted to see how your prototype system compared to mine but, all defective units must be destroyed!" She slammed her free fist into the center of Axle's chest. The blow cracked his chest plate and sent him hurling into the sky and out of sight. Vexes's warning sounded again. This time, her sensors indicated an attack from below. She jumped just in time to avoid Jennifer as she burst forth from the Earth where she just stood. Vexes stomped her heel onto Jennifer's head, knocking the paint off her metal skull, between her pigtails. Jenny responded by rotating her pigtail engines around and quickly firing a launch thrust sequence. A hot pulse of ionized plasma struck the inner thigh of Vexes's right leg. Bright sparks of white and blue, charred bits of armor, burst out as Vexes was sent into the air, "You little bitch!"

"AAHH-HHAAA!" Axle scream. He slammed into Vexes from above, ramming his right shoulder into the small of her back. Vexes smashed through the local library and embedded in the foundation. The building collapsed in on her. Jenny pulled herself from the ground and hovered into the air, beside Axle.

"Nice. Do you detect her?" Jenny asked.

"Yes *zzzzzzz* her energy s-signature is growing." Axle responded, "W-ait! It just disappeared!" Jenny's sensory system immediately snapped to 100%, instantly scanning an area of 360 degrees for 30 miles.

"Shit! Move!" She yelled. She managed to use her stretchy arms and extend-o-fingers to shove Axle out of the way just as a kaleidoscopic tunnel tore open the sky where he once hovered. A clawed hand swung out from the vortex, claiming Jenny's left pinkie before she could fully retract her appendages, "AAHHH!" Her systems buzzed with damage reports as her metal digit fell to the ground, small bites of oil trailing behind it.

"Oops...Butter fingers." Vexes gloated with a smile while exiting the portal. Axle recovered his balance. Jenny readied a defensive stance, placing her oily hand out in front, "Good Jennifer, I can tell your getting use to your new body, your new...power, fairly quickly...Try not to loss your cool this time." Jennifer grit her teeth behind her artificial lips, "We wouldn't want another meltdown!"

"Oh, there's going to be a meltdown alright..." Jenny deactivated her power dampening field completely, increasing her output to 100%, "But it will be your main processor this time!"

"A bit sensitive aren't we? Ha ha...Your power is insignificant next to mine! Besides..." Vexes retracted her claws. Her voice and demeanor took on a more sinister tone, "You can't even touch me." She dropped down into another portal underneath her and disappeared.

"Damn it! Shields up!" Jenny exclaimed. Axle heeded the suggestion. Tense microseconds passed.

"Behind you Jennifer!" The witch's voice fell upon Jennifer's audio receivers, close enough to activate her proximity alert. Jenny instantly spun backwards, swinging a wild backhand to her left as she rotated. Her fist only struck the rain falling around her, "To slow!" Her voiced was heard again but from a different angle.

"AAARRHHGGG!" Jenny turned to Axle's location but, by the time she had a lock, it was to late. Vexes had blasted a one inch diameter hole through Axle's left shoulder. Hot sparks of metal burning white hot burst from the wound and, just as quickly, she was gone. Axle flew to Jenny, "I...Can't keep *zzzz* up." Axle informed.

"Yeah, we have to work together more efficiently if we're going to beat her." Jenny suggested. Suddenly, she had a brainstorm, "Hey, I'll scan your back and you scan mine!" Jenny beamed a silent, message to Axle. She stepped behind him and pressed her back against his, "Set your air pressure and spacial distortions sensors to maximum sensitivity. We'll sync our readings via blue-tooth and tune our energy shields to the same frequency, that way, we'll both know whats going on and be well protected." A solid plan. It took mere seconds to set it in action. The two sat hovering in the air, protected by their dual energy shields, scanning everything within one hundred miles. Vexes's voice let out a random laugh in various spots around them but, the duo could never seem to get a lock on.

"The rain is causing to much static on my spacial distortion grid and the damn wind is messing with the air pressure!" Axle exclaimed through the link. Just then, a clawed metal hand slashed the shield in-front of Jenny's face, leaving a trail of electrified claw marks on it's surface. The shield status widget in her H.U.D. dropped to 83%.

"Try gravitational distortions specificly. She's using a lot more power than before to move even faster. She's got to be leaving a trail of gravity wells, small holes where she once stood that gravity hasn't filled yet. If we can find those, we may be able to calculate her next arrival point." Jenny suggested. Axle changed his settings and began scanning once more, "Just curious but, how come your speaking fine now?" Jenny asked.

"My external speaker is damaged, not my wireless communications system." Axle answered, "Above us!" He shouted, just as he had finished speaking. Jenny looked slightly upwards at Vexes.

"It's very rude to lock yourselves up and trade wireless signals." Vexes cooed, "Lets get everything out in the open, shall we?" Her entire body crackled with red electricity. Axle opened up two compartments on his shoulders, two mini-guns rose out of his body and began firing on the evil robot. Unfortunately, the rounds had little effect. They merely bounced off in all directions. The witch kneed their protective ball of energy, sending it sailing out of town at mach 3. The two flew parallel to the ground for a few miles, struggling to slow themselves against the momentum. Vexes passed them in mid air and stopped a quarter mile out in-front and waited for their arrival. When they finally reached her, she did a back-flip, connecting the sphere with a small red ball of energy on the tip of her foot. The extra momentum, along with the added explosive force, slammed the duo into the ground below harshly. Large clumps of soaked Earth were tossed asunder, carving out a deep divot. Vexes landed with a splash in a ankle deep water puddle. Jenny's shield status indicator changed to 42%, "I'm impressed to see your shields still standing." She mocked, "You must think your so...Safe..." Jennifer received very strange readings from Axle just before her connection turned to static, "DV-2 may have removed my direct operational control module, but the programming and receiver is still there and can still receive signals." Jenny turned to Axle, shock carved across her metal face. Axle began to twitch and shake. Jennifer had no choice but to take a defensive stance, "What will you do now that your shield has become a cage?" Axle made one violent twitch before swinging at Jenny. She blocked the attack with her forearm. The shield shattered into the wind in a bright display of digital blocks that dissipated as they scattered. Jenny slid backwards a few yards.

"Son of a bitch..." Jenny said to herself while Vexes cackled madly in the background.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town

Misty had condensed her mist into large clawed extensions of her own hands and pried open the chest of Smytus's giant robot. Diligently she carved her way inside until one last inch thick wall stood between her and the source of evil she sensed. She stabbed her mist into the wall and pried open a passage way, "Welcome!" Smytus greeted her with a hand held energy cannon and a rusted, jagged smile. Misty only had time to widen her eyes before the blast of green radiation hit her. The attack sent her hurdling out of the chest in a storm of metal shrapnel and purple haze.

"UUUGGHHH!" Misty hit the ground on her back with a hard thud. Her clothing tattered and body scrapped from metal she was forced through. She propped herself up on her elbows to catch her bearings, Smytus was not going to let that happen. He burst out of the opening and landed on his feeble legs in-front of Misty. A long cable, glowing a slight green in hue attached to the middle of his back, trailed behind him.

"Aawww...Did the little Terraconian fall down?" Misty sneered at her opponent, "I expected more from a Mist Walker...Get up Ahurian!" Smytus demanded. He fired three quick bursts where she lay. Misty rolled, heels-over-head, to her feet and hopped backwards to avoid the shots. She took a stance as he fired more shots. She focused her energy and batted the energy beams away with her forearms, burning away the remainder of her long sleeves.

"How the fuck do you know where I'm from? What I am?" She demanded from him.

"Heh heh heh...Surprised? I know all about your species...Do you think the Star-birth project was our first endeavor with genetic technology?" Misty could hear the rusted joints and gears grinding as he grinned, "The tales of the Terraconian Mist Walkers made their way to Cluster Prime centuries ago! Surly you know the legend of the 'Horn Beast?" He asked.

"I've read the hand written scrolls passed down through the Ahurian blood line... The Beast was drawn to the power of the Mist Walkers. Killing them all in an attempt to steal the mist for it's self but, he could not obtain the power. It released from their body's and dissipated in the air around him. In it's anger, the Beast rampaged throughout the lands. When all hope seemed lost, the mist returned and chose a worthy vessel to contain the combined might of all the elder Mist Walkers. The first of common blood to ever hold the power. My ancestor. Magnus. He destroyed the Beast's army of demons and drove the Beast from the planet. In the years after the battle, the power of the mist divided amongst the descendents of his bloodline...The Ahurians. Now...Answer my questions!" Misty yelled.

"AHAHAHAHA! Don't you get it? I AM the Horn beast! I was dispatched to your mud-ball to find the secrets of the Mist Walker! I slaughtered your elders! I ravaged your people! A weak race of organics! That idiot got lucky!" Misty tightened her fist, enraged by the insult, "No matter...I can finally rectify that error by destroying his descendent!" Smytus charged the cannon in his hands and fired a highly concentrated beam of green energy. Misty stood her ground. She pushed her hands out forward and stopped the blast in her palms. The violent impact slid her backwards until she managed to dig her feet into the Earth and stop herself. Smytus frowned in disappointment, "Little organism, you have a mere fraction of the power Magnus had. How can you even process standing up to me when I murdered so many of your people?" Smytus turned the power up to maximum, the cable attached to him glowed brighter. Misty bared her teeth in anger. The wind around her swirled into a purple tornado. She tensed her stance and ripped the beam in-half and turned into mist before the remainder could strike her. Smytus seen her move and erected an energy shield around himself. Misty collided with the force field and enveloped it in her mist, blocking Smytus's vision, "Fool! Your Mist can't penetrate electric shielding!" Smytus gloated.

"Truuueee but, I don't have toooo." Misty reformed the upper half of her body, grabbed the cable connecting him to his robot's power supply and ripped it in-half. Green radiation erupted out, hitting Smytus's shield. The explosion sent him flying across the ground. When he finally came to a stop, his shield flicked and faded out. He groggily looked up from the dirt to see Misty standing in-front of him.

"You have no idea what you've done!" Smytus yelled.

"Your right...But I know what I'm about to do..." She turned to mist and entered his body, "I'm going to seeee what the destroyer of worlds fearsssss mossssstttt..." Smytus twitched violently on the ground as visions of the towering black form of Magnus crushing him under his heel flashed through his processor. Misty left his body and reformed over the shaking robot, "How ironic...Scared to death of the power you wanted...It ends where it should have so long ago...At the hands of a Ahurian." She turned her right arm into mist, channeled it into his chest and re-solidified her hand, gripped his oil pump. She frowned on the pathetic automaton for a moment before violently ripping the device from his chest in a shower of oil, wires, and metal. Smytus gasped out a glob of black oil while laying in a growing puddle of his own fluids.

"Y-you are still...Doomed...F-fool..." Smytus said through his failing systems, "Heh...I'll see you in Hell...Real soon..." The light faded from the robots eye's as it's head fell lifelessly to the ground.

"What the hell was he talking about?" She thought before noticing a rumble behind her. She turned just in time to see a blinding flash of green light as the reactor of the Smytron robot reached critical mass. With no time to react, Misty's form disappeared in the intense light as the powerful energies at ground zero of the blast enveloped her body.