Chapter 41: The End of Mann
Inside the Moving Fortress, Freddie and Steve moved quickly in order to not get spotted by any passing Robots. But to their surprise, the Robots didn't notice them as they all seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. The speakers kept talking about a group of humans attacking Coal Town and that every Robot was needed to eliminate them.
"That must be Aonghus and the others," Steve said. "They're distracting the Robots."
"I don't think I'm going to make it, Steve," Freddie said, collapsing on his knees. "You'll have to go on without me."
"Don't give up now, Freddie!" Steve responded, picking Freddie up off the floor. "Not when we're this close to ending it."
Then further down the corridor, Mumble appeared. He ran towards Freddie and Steve and rammed into them before they could react. Though Freddie tried to fight him off, Mumble was stronger and managed to get his hands on The Bomb. But just as Mumble was about to pull The Bomb off the chain, Steve took out his Bat and hit it on the back of Mumble's head. The impact knocked Mumble out enough to let The Bomb go, but Steve didn't want to waste any time and he quickly dragged Freddie away. They went down the right side of the corridor, and found a sign that pointed them to the core of the Moving Fortress.
After traversing a few more corridors, they came to a winding metal staircase. At the bottom was a reactor with two solid blocks of Australium gold constantly smashing into each other, a surrounding it were several control panels, but there were surprisingly no Robots. Steve was about to head down the staircase when Freddie collapsed behind him.
"Freddie, what the hell's your problem?" Steve said irritably. "This is what you wanted, right? To take the One Bomb to the Moving Fortress and destroy it for good? Well, we're right inside the Moving Fortress, and we've only got to take a few steps more to destroy the One Bomb, so what are you doing groveling on the floor?"
"Gray Mann," Freddie said weakly. "His presence is too strong here. I don't know if I can take it all the way down there."
"You know I can't carry the One Bomb down there for you, Freddie." Steve knelt down and held Freddie up by the arms. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't carry you down."
Without protesting, Freddie got on Steve's back, and Steve slowly made his way down the metal staircase. At the bottom, he put Freddie down, and collapsed onto the metal floor in exhaustion. Freddie in turn removed the chain with the One Bomb on it and walked toward the reactor. He was just about to press the small red light on the topside, but something stopped him from moving.
"What are you waiting for?" Steve said wearily. "Just pressed the red light, throw the Bomb into the reactor, and let's get out of here."
For a long time, Freddie said nothing. He looked at The Bomb as if in a trance and then he clenched it in his palm but not hard enough to press the light. Then he turned to face Steve and said firmly, "The Bomb is mine."
Next, Freddie activated the Invis Watch and disappeared before Steve's eyes. Though Steve heard Freddie's footsteps, he was too weak to move. But then to his amazement, Mumble came flying down from the platform above and landed on the invisible Freddie. The two struggled, though Steve could only see one of them, until Mumble gripped Freddie's wrist. Sparks flew as the Invis Watch was crushed underneath Mumble's hand, causing the indivisibility to wear off. As Freddie held his wrist, which was now embedded with pieces of broken glass and metal, Mumble punched him hard in the face and grabbed The Bomb. He then proceeded to dance around the room holding The Bomb in both hands while Freddie and Steve both watched. Freddie gritted his teeth, and yelled as he ran towards Mumble.
In response, Mumble punched Freddie in the jaw. The impact forced Freddie backwards, but he reacted by punching Mumble in the gut. As Mumble doubled over, Freddie reached for The Bomb but Mumble pushed him back. Unfortunately, Freddie managed to touch the red light, and it was now blinking as the two men struggled. Neither one budged, but the red light eventually started to blink faster. Knowing what would happen, Freddie used the last of his strength to steer Mumble till his back faced the reactor and then he kicked Mumble so hard that he slammed against the reactor. While Mumble was being electrocuted and crushed by the Australium, Freddie took Steve and the two made their way out through a corridor that led away from the reactor as fast as their feet could carry them. A few seconds later, they heard an explosion, and the entire Fortress shook as the blast wave expanded from the reactor.
Outside, Aonghus and the others were beating back the Robots when a loud boom caught their attention. Past Coal Town, the Moving Fortress exploded in a fiery ball that looked like an atomic mushroom cloud, followed by a shockwave that swept through and pushed back the Mercenaries. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the Robots suddenly went limp and collapsed onto the ground. A few seconds later, Coal Town's buildings crumbled apart till there was nothing left but splintered wood and fallen machines. Then beyond that was a gaping black hole in the sand where the Moving Fortress used to be.
"I…I think we did it," Aonghus said slowly.
All the Mercenaries cheered wildly, while the Doves who aided them during the battle circled overhead.
End of Chapter 41