"All alone, I pierce the chain.
And on and on, the sting remains.
And dying eyes consume me now,
the voice inside screams out loud!
I am focused on what I am after:
the key to the next open chapter.
'Cause I found a way to steal the sun from the sky.
Long live that day that I decided to fly from the inside."
"Fly from the Inside," by Shinedown
Chapter 9 – Reborn
"Stay away! Stay away!"
Dipper raised his head from the mud as a sharp cry awoken him from his unanticipated slumber. As consciousness quickly returned, he remembered wiggling free from the monstrous purple pterodactyl's grip, which sent the headstrong lad pummeling to the earth below.
"But how did I survive?" Dipper turned around to see that the blue and white parka hanging from the loose branch of a withered tree at the edge of the Gravity Falls Forest. By pure luck, the simple garment had saved his life for a second time. As he got to his feet, Dipper noticed that the weather had returned to its usual summertime standard. He set his sights upwards towards the mountaintops from which he had just descended, watching in awe as the blizzard that he faced earlier seemed to be limited to the higher altitude.
"Weird…" He reached on top his head to find it bare, excluding the thick, messy patch of brown hair that resided there. Dipper looked around for his missing blue and white pine tree cap, only to find no trace of it. He kicked at the dirt in frustration, "Great! I must of lost it in the fall. Now, I have to swipe another one when Stan isn't looking…"
"Stop! Cease at once!"
Once more, Dipper's ears perked at the sound of the distressed call. Following the noise, he made his way through the remaining shrubbery of the woods, peeking through a thick, nettled bush to see what the matter was.
In the distance, an elderly man was being chased by what appeared to be a swarm of black and red bats. The horde dove one by one at the defenseless senior in an effort to knock him off balance. The stout grown-up had ruffled long white hair with a matching fuzzy beard. His appearance reminded Dipper of Santa Claus for some reason. Dressed in a dusty white lab-coat, beige slacks, and oversized brown loafers, the man tripped over his own legs as the bats closed in for the kill.
Dipper found himself at a standstill. The last thing he needed was to be hunted by another group of monsters. At the same time, he knew deep down, that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was to stand by and let an innocent person get hurt by these things.
"…especially if Wendy was right," he regretted, "…and all of this is my fault somehow…"
Without thinking twice, Dipper picked up a nearby branch, and charged out of the brushes, blinding swinging away at the hovering enemies. With a lucky shot, he was able to make contact with one of the creatures, sending it crashing into the ground.
To his surprise, the bat split into two, revealing that its insides were made up of a system of complicated circuitry and wirings. Dipper threw his head back as it started to spark and ignite wildly, "Hold on, that thing…was a robot?"
Angered by the destruction of one of its own, the flock refocused its efforts towards the tiny defender. Dipper continued to swat away at the robotic bats until they overwhelmed him, forcing him to drop his weapon and retreat into a defensive ball on the ground. He tucked back as tightly as he could, trying his best to avoid being pecked and bitten by the flying menaces. Dipper closed his eyes, the squeaks and chattering echoed in his ears.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere grew quiet yet again. Dipper could no longer feel the flapping of their mechanical wings. He opened his eyes to see that the bats flew off into the distance to parts unknown. Seeing that the scene was now safe, Dipper stood back up and headed towards the fallen elder. He offered a helping hand towards the stranger, "Are you alright?"
The man looked up, gripping Dipper's minuscule hand; his soft brown eyes gleaming, "Thank you, my boy! Thank you!" He rose up, and dusted himself off, "I don't know exactly what happened, but I knew that you would come!"
Dipper was confused by his answer, "You –You did?"
"Why, of course!" The golden-ager responded with much enthusiasm, "Whenever have you let me down?" He looked back towards Dipper, "After all, I know that I can always count on you, Roc – " He stopped in mid-sentence as he studied the boy in front of him. "I – I'm sorry," he apologized with a hint of disappointment in his tone, "I thought…I thought you were someone else…"
"Who?"
The old man lowered his head as he sighed, "I thought that you were my son…" He looked up and met Dipper eye to eye, "To be honest, you could easily be his spitting image." The senior shook his thoughts clear, "Either way, I thank you, young man for your assistance."
Dipper smiled and waved away his concern, "Don't mention it, mister, but just what were those things? They weren't real!"
The man smiled and adjusted his blue and yellow polka-dotted tie, "Forgive my stinginess, but it's actually "Doctor." To answer your question, those "things" are called "Battons." Not the strongest units out there, but then again, their primary function is for use as scouts.
"Scouts? For what?"
The doctor itched his fuzzy beard, "For something far worse, I'm afraid. Those blasted 'bots have been pursuing me since my arrival in this strange place!"
Dipper found himself astonished all over again, "Wait, wait, wait! You're saying you're not from Gravity Falls?!" A horrid thought crossed his mind, "What if he's from the games, like those other guys working for that purple jerk?" He glanced over the elder, whose eyes shot around the area as if he was expecting someone else. "Nah," Dipper dismissed, "The geezer's totally harmless. Everything else I've encountered didn't even look remotely human."
The professor stepped forward, "I wish we had more time to converse, but we must make haste immediately! It is only a matter of time before the Battons report my location back to them…"
"Them who?"
Before the doctor could respond, a rustling rose up from the foliage in front of them. Shortly after, the sensation spread throughout the entire line of healthy undergrowth. Dipper looked back at the worried man as his face turned pale, "It's too late…they're already here…"
His reaction only shaken Dipper's nerves more so, "Who's here?!"
"…the Robot Masters…"
From the center bush, a tall metallic figure treaded out from the shadows. Donning red and yellow armor, the masked form wore what looked like a razor-edged metal blade on top of his horned helmet. He sported the same cogs as shoulder pads. A golden jewel resting in its chest plate flashed the initials "Dr. W." on and off like a light switch. His cold blue eyes never faltered off of his objective.
Despite the menacing appearance before him, Dipper felt a sense of relief wash over him, "Only one new bad guy? It could be worse, I guess. Besides, he doesn't look so tough anyways – "
Dipper's words instantly dried up as three more robots appeared at their brethren's side, each more grotesque looking than the last. The leftmost automaton appeared to be a jungle-green scuba diver with a ruby-red glowing center with the same monogram as the other robot. The small detective could easily make out an improvised harpoon gun on its left arm. His beady eyes narrowed at Dipper from behind a murky set of goggles. A mysterious nozzle was left open upon his forehead.
The center android reminded Dipper of the classic Zippo lighter that his redheaded counterpart usually carried around, save for the stubby set of red arms and legs stemming from his sides. The boy could see a dim reflection of himself in the green circle implanted into the machine's midsection. As a thin layer of flame surrounded him, the top half of the lighter-body threw itself backwards, revealing a red and orange pie face hidden within.
The furthermost automaton looked like a giant walking blue air conditioner. His saddened eyes were mounted where his shoulders blades were supposed to be. The entire stomach was made up of an enormous fan that constantly spun without end. Lurching towards on miniature yellow legs that barely supported the overwhelming weight, he had identical shooters spliced on both of his arms.
"Okay…" Dipper backpedaled. "Four guys, but again, not the worst possible scenario. Maybe the best offense in this case would be a good defense, and…"
To his horror, another four hunters jumped out from the darkness of the forest. At the left edge, a thin and nimble red robot stood next to his heavily armored blue and yellow partner. The crimson being looked up, the sun reflecting off of its boomeranged-shaped horn sticking out of his helmet, and flashed Dipper a haunting, sinister smile. The sapphire-colored villain armed the ivory-shaded blaster on its hand. The smooth, balding spot in the center of its helmet easily distracted Dipper with its outstanding gleam.
On the opposite side, a maroon android came closer, donning a suit of body armor similar to that what an S.W.A.T. officer would wear. With his face hidden behind a thick face-cover, it rotated its unusual-looking arms, a pair of extremely sharp drills, in an intimating manner. The last one creepily resembled a living tree trunk slowly making its way to the front of the crowd. The only clue that indicated that there was something more within the wooden frame was a pouting face sticking out of the top end.
"EIGHT?! THERE ARE EIGHT OF THEM?!"
The group of motorized men marched forward as one union, closing in the two vulnerable humans. Left baffled by the sudden appearance, Dipper went to approach the new threats, "Who are you guys? And what do you want with -?"
*THWANG!*
A circular saw was hurled at the soft earth, nearly missing Dipper's sneakered feet by mere inches. With a literal line drawn in the ground, Dipper looked up to see that the center robot had thrown the pointy gear with deadly accuracy.
"How the –" Dipper questioned, "It was like magic! He pulled it out of nowhere!"
"Silence, whelp!" He pointed straight at the insignificant defender. "We have no business with you!"
The boomerang-horned robot disappeared in a red flash, only to reappear at the front of the group. Dipper jumped backwards at the miraculous sight, "How did he do that?!"
He turned back towards the old-timer, "You said they're robots, right? Well, what about Asimov's Laws of Robotics? I thought that means that they can't kill humans!"
"True, my lad," he explained, "But with that being said, you'd be surprised what the average human could live through…"
"You know why we are here, old man," he spoke to the cornered elder, ""The Good Doctor" has been awaiting your arrival for quite some time now." He struck a pose, ready to pounce at any given moment, "It would be in your best interests to simply surrender…"
Dipper could feel the doctor start to move pass him. Surprised by this notion, the teenager held out his arm to halt his progress. "What are you doing?! You're going to give up, just like that?"
He let out a defeated heave, "It's no use, my boy. I appreciate your valid efforts, but this is the only way things could end peacefully…"
As Dipper watched the doctor shuffle towards his ultimate fate, a burning feeling started to form in the pit of his stomach. To him, the injustice that he watched unfold before his eyes was just another example of how the cruel world preys upon the weak and fragile with little or no consequence. The way that the stranger was being taken away only reminded Dipper of how Wendy was whisked out of his life – both physically and mentally. It wasn't right! It wasn't fair! And it made him want to fight back!
He jolted towards and snagged the corpulent man's sleeve, "C'mon, Doc! We gotta get out of here!"
"But what - ?"
"It doesn't matter!" Dipper pushed forward, knowing that the gang of robots would be right behind them, "We can't give in like this! We have to, at least, try!"
The stubborn thirteen year old dragged the good-natured doctor into the main street of downtown Gravity Falls as they heard voices coming from behind.
"Hey, they're getting away!"
"Let 'em run! It's not like they can go far! Besides, I feel like having a little fun…"
Dipper rushed up to every nearby building, looking inside of their doors and windows for any signs of life. All of the entrances he encountered had been sealed up tight, refusing to budge in the slightest.
"I…can't…believe…this!" Dipper strained in vain, trying to pry open a window close at hand. "Where is everybody?! It's like the whole world vanished!"
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
They rounded the corner, as Dipper pointed into the distance, "There!" As fate would have it, the two had bumped into the old Barrels & Crates, Incorporated warehouse. The youngster recalled his visit to the run-down factory the very first time the barrier between the digital and physical worlds were breached, when Rumble McSkirmish chased Robbie up and down its oddly angled scaffolding. Luckily, the shipping dock had been left open.
"This way!" Dipper pulled the doctor inside of the warehouse. They found themselves in what appeared to be an abandoned assembly line. Half-finished products and halted conveyor belts were covered in layers of dust and cobwebs. The paint on the bricked wall was starting to peel in countless areas, leading Dipper to believe that the factory hadn't been cared for in a long while.
He jumped up and reached for the sliding door, only to come up short. Grunting, the pint-sized teen lowered himself down and sprang upwards with all of his strength, barely catching the handle by the edge of his fingertips. The steel flap slid down with a loud *CRASH!* He bent down and threw back the latch, locking the gate securely.
Dipper stepped away from his handiwork, dusting his hands off, as he looked back at the worn out doctor, "There!" he prided. "That should keep us safe for a while!" However, the elder simply shook his head, "I wouldn't be too sure…"
"What do you –"
*KLANG! KLANG! KLANG!*
Three of the metal-bladed projectiles pierced the fortified entry, nearly making their way through the hardened layer. "Whoa!" Dipper hopped away from the possible threat. "What are they?" he asked the professor, "And what do they want with you?"
The doctor pinched above his bulbous nose as he started to explain, "They are known as the Second Numbers. They are war machines created by an insanely jealous rival of mine. Their main objective is the destruction of my own son."
"Wait a sec! Those killing machines were made to fight a single boy?!"
A proud smile stretched across the man's face as he placed a hand on Dipper's shoulder, "He is so much more than a mere boy…"
*THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!*
The two looked behind them to see that the Robot Masters were starting to pound their way into the sealed-up factory.
"…but he's nowhere to be found, so they decided that I'm the best next thing…"
"But isn't there something that we can do?! Dipper pleaded, "There has to be a way to stop them, right?!"
The doctor lowered his eyes to the grimy floor as a huge crunching noise boomed through the empty room. Dipper spun around to see several metallic fists bursting their way through the now-ruined door.
"…There is a way…"
Dipper looked back at the doctor. The man's soft eyes gleamed as he stared in space.
"…but I swore "never again." It is terrible enough that my boy must always bear this awful burden, let alone I allow it to happen to another innocent child…"
"Please!" Dipper gripped his white lab coat, "If there is a way to stop this, I am willing to try! I want to do this!"
The professor focused on the earnest boy standing before him, "Not only do you share his looks, but his spirit as well…" He reached into his oversized coat pockets as he raised his sights, "May the heavens forgive me for this…"
A moment later, he pulled out an object and offered it to Dipper. In his palm laid a purplish-blue wristwatch with red stripes set into the edges. A tiny yellow LCD monitor flicked a static buzz. Below it, a large cauliflower-colored button stuck out like a sore thumb. A polished silver band connected it.
Dipper plucked it up with his index finger and thumb, holding it close to his face for a better look, "Hmm…a watch? What's this supposed to do?"
"It was meant to serve as a way to enable him to switch between his regular self and his…other form…" he elaborated, "But given the varying physics of this strange place, the probability is extremely high that carrying this will allow you to use the same gifts…"
The boy wrapped the wristwatch around his left hand and buckled it tightly. "Okay, then. Seems easy enough…" Dipper pressed the huge key, activating the odd endowment. The screen flashed several times before displaying a bright-orange text, "SWITCH ON!"
"A small warning: there might be some slight discomfort as your body adjusts itself to the change…"
"How slight – AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
A split second later, Dipper's legs fell out from beneath him, sending him crashing to the ground. His body began to twitch and seize uncontrollably. He couldn't see as his vision turned blurry. His hearing disappeared, only to be replaced with an ear-piercing screeching sound. His head throbbed like if a jackhammer pounded from inside of his head. Dipper screaming to the top of his lungs as every orifice of his body felt like it was lit aflame!
The doctor stepped back, a frown over his bearded face as he could see how much anguish had quickly overtaken the brave child. Despite knowing it was an unavoidable, necessary evil, his heart went out to his brave rescuer, who pledged to make things right however he could.
After countless moments passed, the pain passed. The feeling returned to the fallen adolescent's body. For some reason, he felt heavier. His sight and hearing returned with a deeper clarity. Dipper opened his eyes to see that he was lying in front of a broken mirror. He pushed himself upwards and crawled closer, trying to understand what had just occurred.
Looking into the reflection, he gasped in terror as he noticed that something seemed to be moving beneath his flesh! He turned to his left and right to see small bumps moving up and down the insides of his arm. Dipper looked back into the mirror to see that his dark brown eyes had been replaced with glowing blue ones that shone as if he had headlights built into his retinas!
"What's…what's happening to me?!"
He turned towards the doctor for help, only to see that the old man had problems of his own. The Robot Masters had made their way into the factory, surrounding the elder to prevent any further escape. In the center, the red, bladed-helmet-wearing robot came forth and clutched him by the collar, "Come along, dear Doctor, before our patience wears thin!"
"Stop…"
Dipper inched closer as the eight warriors paid him no heed.
"Stop it…"
The angry sensation swiftly returned. Like a fire burning within his soul, he reached out with his right arm and shouted as loud as he could:
"STOP! OR I WILL MAKE YOU STOP!"
*KA-KOOSH!*
A cerulean blast shot across the room, striking the threatening android, and sending it across the room. It splattered against the wall with a sickening thud, before sliding down to the floor, releasing a series of explosions along the way.
All eyes on the room soon centered on Dipper as he found the strength to make it back to his feet. The remaining robots backed away from their quarry; a series of whispers rushed out between them as they began to panic as they spotted the bringer of their reckoning:
"No! It can't be!"
"How could he be here?"
"They said there was no way he could make it though to this world!"
Unsure by what had just happened, Dipper glanced towards his still-outstretched arm to see that it had undergone an incredible transformation. His right hand was replaced by what appeared to be a bulky arm cannon. A glowing yellow meter found in the center shot up and down rapidly, making Dipper think it was a form of power indicator. An armored light-blue layer traveled down his arm to his shoulder.
"RETREAT!"
They disappeared from sight, vanishing back into the outside world. However, Dipper could tell otherwise. Even from a distance, he could make out the ticking of his enemies' man-made innards.
"But how?"
His eyes widened as he watched as the tip of his cannon retracted into its socket. His right hand, now outfitted in a thick, dark blue glove poked out in its place.
"Cool…" Dipper examined his new accessory from every possible angle. "Did you see that?" he asked the professor, "My hand can pop out of the thingie!"
"Ah, yes," he nodded in response, "Your "buster" is capable of many great things. For example, try focusing all of your energy into that one spot…"
Following the man's instructions, Dipper stared firmly at the gun, concentrating as hard as he could without having his attention wane in any way.
*WHHHIIIRRR!*
Dipper's covered hand had disappeared back into the machinery as the ending started to glow neon green. Feeling the pressure build up in his wrist, he pointed in the opposite direction, making sure to get the elder's approval though.
"WWWHHHHOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!"
A large green plasma discharge flew across the room, making a saucer-sized hole in the right side of the room. Once again, Dipper looked upon his new attachment in amazement, left in total belief of the vast power left in his able hands. Left with a new mindset, Dipper proceeded to head towards the exit of the factory.
"Wait a moment, son!" The doctor called out after him. "Where are you going?"
"Those things are still out there. They're only acting like they left." He turned around with a puzzled expression on his face, "I know it sounds weird, but…I can still hear them…"
"Before you go," the man beckoned, waving his hand back for Dipper to come, "There is one last thing I must teach you." He pointed at the fallen robot in the opposite corner, "Hurry to him…"
The odd partnership came within reach of the mangled war-weapon. He was left slumped against the cold ground; a crater-shaped hole through his chest, exposing a network of complicated circuity within the slim casing.
"Touch him…"
"Huh?!"
The scientist eased himself downwards for a closer look, "Trust me, my boy. Place your free hand anywhere on his body..."
With a slight hesitation, Dipper bent down and placed his left hand, now transformed the same shades of blue as his right, on the red robot's thigh. Upon touch, his cobalt fingertips began to glow. A strange, numerical language appeared in the throes of his sub-consciousness, as if submitted by telepathy. The digits ran through his mind as they would a computer screen, until he was left with a simple, text-based message:
"WEAPON GET – DWN-009 – METAL BLADE"
Dipper felt something appear in his right hand. He looked down to see that his buster had disappeared. However, a giant spiked cog, the same type that the destroyed android wielded, sat in the palm of his hand.
"How did I –"
"Perhaps the greatest gift I gave him…" the elder enlightened, "…was the ability to copy the weapons of those he encountered. It is the nature of all things that with a great strength comes a great weakness."
The boy thought about it for a moment, "So, it's like Rock-Paper-Scissors in a manner of speaking. Everyone has a sort of Achilles' Heel…"
"Exactly!" he clapped his hands together, "Just like that!"
"Um…how do I go back to normal?"
"Just think about switching your weaponry. The armor will take care of the rest…"
Dipper glanced down at his arm, seeing that it returned to the rounded cannon from before.
A concerned look soon formed on the scientist's face, "Are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure there could be another way…"
"Perhaps," Dipper admitted, "But either way, someone else could get hurt if I let those guys loose. There are tons of people in this town, even if they aren't around at the moment…" The creeping guilt crawled its way back in his mind, "It's bad enough I let them take Wendy without as much as a fight…"
The proud teacher placed his hands on Dipper's shoulders, "Then, I wish you luck, lad. Remember all that you have learned here, and I'm certain you'll stand victorious!"
"That…That makes two of us…I hope…"
Returning towards the entrance, Dipper passed by the mirrored wall. He stopped in his tracks, as he was able to finally see the full extent of his metamorphosis.
Dipper stood in shock as his entire body was encased by an azure armor; a skintight pale blue bodysuit made of a type of metallic alloy. His feet were covered in oversized protective boots that reached up to his knees, drenched in the dim blue that coated his hands. The same shade could be found on the briefs just below his mid-section, protecting his more delicate parts.
A curved helmet was secured on his head, hiding away his messy brown hair. In the center, a raised sky-colored square was posted below a matching lengthy ridge, reminding Dipper of a sort of exclamation point. A rounded cerulean blued section with a red circle in between sat on each side of the headwear, exactly where his ears would be located. Dipper attributed them to his new-found super hearing.
Taking in his new appearance, Dipper stepped back and sheepishly struck a pose, his confidence growing with every passing second.
"Yeah…maybe I can do this…"
Dipper went outside, his left arm hoisted on top of the arm cannon on the other. An unsettling breeze flowed through the empty street.
"And cue the tumbleweed…" Dipper spat out sarcastically.
A huge figure swayed into the scene. The colossal robot sheathed in wooden wrap waddled forward, taking carefully placed step after step to avoid toppling over. His mouth twisted in an "O" shape as he started to pound on his hallowed chest like a bongo drum.
Suddenly, a bundle of leaves rose up from the ground and floated into the air. The bunch circled around the woodland machine, hovering up as if it was a shield protecting him.
"What is he doing?" Dipper narrowed his eyes at the odd sight in disbelief.
"HO!" the enemy threw his arms forward, launching the leaves in Dipper's path.
"Leaves? He's attacking me with leaves? What kind of pathetic –"
As they passed him, Dipper felt the edges pierce his new metal skin. In reflex, he threw his arms up and crossed them over his face, hoping they would be able to supply valid protection. He lowered them, noticing a series of nicks and scrapes across his shiny armor. Dipper noted one of the projectiles literally sticking out of his waist. He pulled it out and held it up for closer inspection, "A sharp-edged blende leaf. That's just peachy…"
He looked back to see that the robot began his drumming pattern. Another set of pointy leaves started to form around him.
"I gotta take him down now…" Dipper readied his gun, "…before he shoots those things off again!"
He charged his blaster, and holding the aim firmly, let loose a group of energy blasts.
*BING! BING! BING!*
All three shots ricocheted off of the Robot Master. A devious smile formed as he continued his deadly ritual.
"What?!" Dipper looked on stunned. "He deflected it!"
"HO!" Another wave of leaves came his way, forcing Dipper to dodge out of the way at the last moment. As he stood back up, an idea flashed in his head.
"The metal weapon!" Dipper exclaimed. "It should turn this guy to sawdust!" He hastily switched gears and produced a saw. "Hope this works!" The blue hero hurled gear after gear at the robot, hoping that he would strike his target before the next shield was pulled up.
"GRH!"
The copse automaton was pinned against the closest tree by the three metal blades, sparking and igniting until he stopped moving altogether. Dipper cautiously drew near the destroyed robot and held his hand against his pierced body. Once more, the binary code flashed in Dipper's mind, leaving behind a meager translation:
"WEAPON GET – DWN-016 –LEAF SHIELD"
"Well, that's two..."
*THRONG!*
Dipper looked to his left to see that a thin, white harpoon struck out of the tree in front of him. He turned around to see the scuba-gear-donning robot pointing his yellow blaster at him.
"Darn it!" he gurgled behind the heavy mask on his face, "I missed him!"
"No kidding, froggy!" Dipper replied with much gusto in his voice.
The android shook his fist in anger, "You dare mock me! You'll *BURBLE* pay for this insult!" He hopped towards his enemy with tiny hops. Dipper shortly realized that the machine's webbed feet were welded together; the hilarious method was the only way it could actually move!
Dipper snickered at the small jumps, making the scuba diver even angrier.
"Just you wait!"
Something clear was starting to form from the nozzle on top of the robot's head. A massive bubble came sprouting forth. It rolled along the ground towards Dipper's direction.
"A bubble? Are you kidding me? What's your encore? You gonna bludgeon me with a dolphin?!"
However, the laughs dried up once Dipper noticed that everything that the bubble came into contact with started to melt beneath it!
"What?! What is it?!" he questioned. "Some sort of hydrochloric acid?!"
"Actually, it's boiling-hot lead!" the menacing prided.
With the threat moments away, Dipper produced a handful of the helpful metal spikes.
"I hope this works!"
The armored teenager blindly chucked the blades into the immense bubble, popping it instantly. Dipper covered his face in order to prevent it from being singed. When he looked again, puddles of dissolving liquid had been sprayed across the earth. The diver robot lay in the middle of the road, deactivated due to the two sharpened cogs lodged in his chest.
"Make that three…" He looked back at the weapon in his hand, "Man, this thing is nifty! It's like it can plow through nearly anything!"
Dipper knelt down on one knee and touched his forehead. His glowing hand began to profile the special ability.
"WEAPON GET – DWN-011 – BUBBLE LEAD"
Before he could get back up, what appeared to be a moving fireball roared past Dipper. He jumped back as the flame came back around, barely missing its mark.
"It's almost like it's targeting me! But how could that be?"
From within the fire, Dipper could see a yellow object start to form. It was the lighter-looking robot from earlier! It threw its flappable head back, revealing its somewhat cute figure beneath.
"So," he cried out in a squeaky voice, "You think you're hot stuff, don't cha? Well, how's about you let a pro show ya how's it really done!"
The living Zippo threw its fists into the air, shooting out a wave of loose fireballs. Dipper dodged foot by foot, trying his best to avoid stepping into the raving fire. He readied his preferred weapon, "This worked for the others; it should do the same to him!"
Dipper tossed a few saws at the robot set ablaze, only to watch in shock as the shots liquefied before reaching their intended target.
"Uh-oh!"
The lighter-bot flicked his fingers at Dipper, making a living column of fire rush towards him. There was no escape!
"Okay, okay!" he tried to calm his nerves. "What was it that the Doctor said? Everything has a weakness! So, what stops fire? Water…which is wetness…which can be…bubbles!"
Without thinking twice, Dipper armed the bubble weapon. His right hand changed back into the arm cannon. Pointing at the ground, he let loose a half a dozen shots. He watched as the bubbles crashed against the moving tower of flame, dissipating them completely. They continued onwards towards the Robot Master, who threw his arms up in a panic.
"AIIIIIEEEEEE!"
*KA-BLAM!*
The scene was covered with a thick layer of steam, making it impossible to see anything. Dipper waved away the heavy vapor, in an effort to find out what happened to his enemy. The tip of his boot knocked against something solid.
He looked down to see the yellow robot, his lighter-esque case shut closed, face down in the dirt. The deep condensation rose up from its ruined corpse. Dipper poked his fingers at the shell, only to pull back in extreme pain.
"Yeow! He's so hot, I even felt him through the armor!"
"WEAPON GET – DWN-015 – ATOMIC FIRE"
Dipper switched weapons, only to discover that both hands were now enflamed! Amused by this new development, the curious child stuck his index fingers outwards and made several shapes in the air using the shorten fire.
"Incredible…"
A large gust of wind blew across the land, extinguishing the flames instantaneously.
"Ohh…"
Suddenly, another squall came rushing inwards with the velocity of a hurricane. Dipper was knocked off his feet, only to be hauled into a gigantic boulder amiss the greenery of the side streets, landing painfully on his back. With a groan, he pulled himself upwards, only to have a third blast push him back down.
"Sorry to knock the wind out of you…" The air-conditioner looking robot came forth; his twin blasters focused solely on Dipper, "…but you're getting too full of hot air!" Both arm cannons shot dual mini-twisters at the teen, leaving him pinned against the rock.
"Man! That's the very last thing I need right now!" Dipper tilted his head, trying his best to see through the double-twister, "Another killer 'bot that makes stupid puns!"
With his arms weighted down by the overwhelming force, Dipper could only watch as the indigo nuisance came ever closer. His once-gloomy eyes were now a murderous red.
"Can't aim at him …"
Within seconds, the Robot Master was literally on top of him. The rapidly rotating fan that made up his stomach was edging towards Dipper's nose. The machinery unexpectedly reminded the boy of his silly sister's zany exploits with the Mystery Shack's leaf blower.
"It may be my only chance. Gotta take it!"
Lacking the use of his hands, Dipper was able to change weapons without the villain's knowledge. As with its original owner, a group of leaves rose up from the earth and began to hover around him. The powerful winds had no effect on their flight patterns.
Dipper shot the bunch directly in the moving fan blades. The robot stopped in place as its torso started to make a sickening grinding sound. The metal leaves had jammed the fan! He reached towards his chest in an attempt to clear the blockage.
"What…" he asked in a breathless gasp, "What have you done to me?!"
*KA-WOOSH!*
An explosion erupted within the robot's mid-section, throwing him well into the distance. Dipper gave chase after his corpse, knowing it would be foolish to ignore such a valuable weapon. He stooped down by his former adversary and set his hand on his shoulder…
"WEAPON GET – DWN-010 – AIR SHOOTER"
"Five down, th –"
"Three to go…" A voice called out from behind him. Dipper stood back up to see the riot-gear wearing robot with drills for arms leering at him from around the way. "For a human, I must admit, you put up a good fight. But then again, you fought against mere appliances!" He thumped a drill bit against his thicken chest. "I am a robot specifically built for combat! Anything you can do, I can do better!"
"Oh, really?!" Dipper challenged, reverting back to his original buster. "Try giving me a standing ovation! I'd love to see you do that without any hands!"
The android took off in a blaze, his drills revving boisterously, "You'll pay dearly for that, brat!" Dipper pointed his blaster at the threat, only to have him take to the air before his energized bullets touched him. The armored rival launched the drills from his arms, only to have them hit the soil around Dipper's feet.
"AHA!" Dipper poked fun, "You missed!"
He landed with his back to the bragging boy; a new of drills formed in the empty holes where the others had been. He turned his head and flashed a devilish grin, "Did I?"
Dipper looked down to see the multi-colored tips of the projectiles started to flash. With every second passed, the blinking grew faster and faster…
"Oh no!"
*KA-POW! KA-POW!*
Dipper jumped out of the way just as the two entrenched drills exploded in a fiery blast. Knocked onto his knees, he tried to find his way through the dirt cloud as a high-pitched howl shot through the air. Dipper raised his head to see the shelled automaton flying through the air with both drills pointed downwards. Before he could get away, the left arm landed on Dipper's shoulder, making him wail out in pain!
With both fists recalled, the wounded teenager gritted his teeth and threw a powerful punch into the robot's face, sending it skidding across the gravel. Dipper tried to shoot at the swift opposition, only to have it hop over his head again. The instant beeping sound alerted him that more bombs had been planted into the ground, forcing him to flee.
*KA-POW! KA-POW! KA-POW!*
"This is hopeless!" Dipper thought to himself. "He's too fast for me to blast! If only I can use his own weapon against him…" A smirk slowly spread across his face as an idea came to mind.
"Is that the best you can do, armless wonder?!" Dipper ridiculed. He waved his arms like crazy, "I'm right here! Hit me with your best shot!"
The metallic desperado bounded towards him in an orange blur, discharging two more bombs in Dipper's direction, "Coming right up!"
At the last moment, Dipper switched his weapon out. He pointed his arm cannon into the sky and let loose a flowing mini-whirlwind of his own. The drill-bits became caught in the air pocket; the force of the flurry sent them back to their owner.
"Ah, nuts!"
*KA-POW!"
A cloud of smoke and dust lingered in the sky. The only remains of the machine, a red drilled arm, landed on the ground with a noisy crunch. Dipper picked up the severed limb as a new message flashed in his head:
"WEAPON GET – DWN-013 – CRASH BOMBER"
Dipper looked around the empty crosswalk. The sudden silence only added to his ever-growing paranoia.
"Where are the other two?"
*FLASH!*
A bright light flashed before Dipper's eyes, completely blinding him of his surroundings. Strangely enough, it felt as if his entire body had frozen over. When his sight returned, he found himself staring straight into the white-colored barrel of the blue, balding shielded Robot Master.
"Howdy…"
He shot off a series of rapid-fire spreader shots, forcing Dipper to trip backwards, landing hard on his behind. Narrowly missing the barrage, the lad raised his arm to return fire…
*FLASH!*
Another glowing radiance left Dipper dazzled. When he came to, the brute disappeared from in front of him. A hearty kick to the side sent his battered blue body rolling along the dirt. Dipper glanced up to see that the Robot Master was now on his right.
"But…but how did you do - ?"
"That's the thing about being able to control time, kid…"
*FLASH!*
He delivered a punch to Dipper's bread-basket, "You…"
*FLASH!*
A kick from behind sent him tripping forward, "…always seem to…"
*FLASH!*
With Dipper bent over, a well-placed elbow bought him face-first into the ground, "…ahead of the game!"
With his eyes burnt and his body worn, Dipper coughed and gagged on the floor. "It's like he's always a split second ahead of me! Is it magic? How is he doing this? I have to think in advance in order to stop him…"
Out of desperation, Dipper equipped the drill-bomb weapon, and held the tip of his cannon against the earth. He softly placed a set of bombs around his body as he went to stand back up. Upon one knee…
*FLASH!*
…Dipper felt something held against his right temple. The blue and white robot creepily grinned as he prepared his finishing blow. "Any last words?"
His eyes glared up and to the side, "Yeah…BOOM!"
"Huh?"
At the last possible moment, Dipper rolled out of the way, leaving the puzzled warrior in the dust. He looked down to see the series of blinking lights beneath him…
*KA-POW! KA-POW! KA-POW! KA-POW! KA-POW!*
Dipper covered his face to shield it from all of the flying debris. Once the smoke cleared, the enemy laid broken into several pieces. The various ends of his wrecked body sizzled and hissed until all power had extracted itself from each part.
The sore detective walked towards the separated white buster and grasped it with both hands. The new program displayed itself…
"WEAPON GET – DWN-014 –TIME STOPPER"
"Time…Stopper?" Dipper repeated, wondering about his new ability. As he pondered this, a red blur raced out of nowhere and smacked him in the face before disappearing back into the distance.
"Ow!" Dipper rubbed his sore cheek with his gloved hand. His eyes scanned the open area for any sign of the last Robot Master. The smear rushed back into the scene and delivered lightning quick blow after blow to the thirteen-year-old's body:
"I know the truth! You're not really him!"
*SMACK!*
"You're just some wannabe meat bag playing pretend! To think, you'd dishonor his name by wearing his armor!"
*BLAM!*
"You're not the Blue Bomber! You're not the Titanium Titan!"
Left dizzy, Dipper watched as the ruby smudge backed away, and circled around, ready to put an end to the gauntlet.
"I have to do something! I can't let him keep pounding on me like this!" He recalled his newest acquisition, "Maybe it could work…"
Dipper planted both feet firmly on the ground with his latest power in his memory bank. He closed his hands together, and threw his arms out to the side.
"You're not Megama – "
*FLASH!*
The world had crawled to a stand-still. Dipper could see the usually-invisible particles in the atmosphere frozen in mid-air. The blocked sunlight in the sky remained in a pin-pointed position. He looked ahead to see his tormentor, the red, deviled-horned robot, stuck in a permanent running pose. Dipper walked up to the android, and waved his hand in front of his face, signaling that no response was to be given.
"So that's how that bald creep was able to be everywhere at once," Dipper concluded. "He literally was able to stop the flow of time!"
A sudden ticking sound echoed in Dipper's ears, going faster with every spent instant. It was almost like an alert that the moment was about to expire. He switched to the drill-bomb, and implanted a few into the robot's chest. Dipper stepped to the side, making sure not to be in the speedster's path, and whispered in his ear.
"Maybe I'm not him…but I'll be more than happy to be his substitute!"
*FLASH!*
The red streak flew past Dipper, only to grind to a halt upon realizing had he had missed his mark. Hearing the sudden beeping in his chest, the robot looked down; a look of astonishment plastered across his face.
"Let's see you outrun that!"
Accepting his death sentence, the Robot Master sped towards Dipper, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"
With a frightened yelp, Dipper formed a leaf shield and hunched into a ball, hoping that it would be enough to survive the kamikaze attack.
*KA-BLAM!*
Taking a second to compose himself, Dipper stood back up, and surveyed the damage. Save for a few dents and scrapes in his armor, he had been left completely unscathed. His attention wandered to the mangled red form a few feet away from him. The boomerang tip of his helmet rested at the tip of Dipper's boots.
Releasing the remnants of his shield, the victorious boy picked up the item; the glowing text made one last message:
"WEAPON GET – DWN-012 – QUICK BOOMERANG"
Dipper tossed the ruined article on the ground, still in awe of his utter survival. "I can't believe it…" he muttered to himself, "I did it…I actually did it! I beat them all!"
A round of applause could be heard in the distance. The doctor walked out of his shelter, clapping both hands loudly for his recent protégé. "Well done, my boy! Well done! You were truly magnificent!"
"Thanks…I guess…" Dipper hurried back towards the factory.
"If anything, lad, I should be thanking you! Not many people can make claim to such an accomplishment!"
"Heh…I'm just lucky they all didn't try to dog-pile me or anything like that…"
"Quite unlikely…" the doctor noted. "When fighting together in close vicinity, there would have been a greater chance of them accidentally exposing their weakness upon one another…"
"So that's why they took me on one-by-one!" Dipper overlooked his new outfit in wonder, "Thankfully, the copy-weapon-system you told me about came in handy. Are there any other secret powers that I should know about?"
"Hmm…I'm not sure about "hidden," but…" The scientist motioned towards the cloudy sky. "Your suit is solar powered, allowing you to perform of a variety of abilities your human body wouldn't be able to do…"
"Such as?"
"Well, super-strength for one…"
"Wait…WHAT?! I have super-strength?!"
"Yes, but…"
Without hearing the professor out, Dipper walked down the street, eager to test out the new found knowledge. He approached a parked car, and using his knees, lifted it over his head. Laughing out loud, Dipper turned the vehicle sideways and tossed it from hand to hand as if it were a lightweight ball. Placing it back gently on the ground, the excited child quizzed his friend further, "Is there anything else?"
"Umm…the boosters in your boots allow you to have faster reflexes that most; they also increase your jumping ability…"
"You don't say…"
Dipper hopped on the hood of the car, and set his sights on the roof of the nearest establishment. Within one bound, he was able to leap onto the top of the building without difficulty. Left stunned by this feat, the tiny blue speck took a second to collect himself, before rejoicing so loud, it could be heard all throughout the entire downtown area:
"WHOO-HOO-HOO!"
With a rush of energy, Dipper ran across the rooftops, doing flips and twists over the constant pitfalls. He fooled around and played almost like the looming digital apocalypse had left his mind.
"Young man?! Young man?!"
He went back the other way and stopped back at the first rooftop. Dipper peered over the edge to see the elder calling out for him.
"I know this all seems incredibly exciting, but you must take heed! There is more to all of this besides what's on the surface…"
"Are you kidding?" Dipper exclaimed. "I can hoist cars over my head! I can defy gravity! Heck, if only Wendy were here, I could lift her up for once instead of…the…other…way…'round…" His voice cracked and dried up as he came crashing back down to reality.
"…if she didn't hate my guts."
An awful sense of irony flowed through his small form as he came to a realization: what good is all the power in the world if you can't even share it with your best gal pal?
"We must make haste! There's only – " The old man stopped in mid-sentence, leaning over in discomfort. Sweat began to pour down his wrinkled brow. "Oh…"
"Whoa!" Dipper jumped down, the concrete shattering beneath his boots. He put his hand around the professor, "Doc, are you alright? I'm…I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stress you out…"
Despite his uneasiness, the man waved away Dipper's worries, "This has nothing to do with you, son. It's just that – I'm not so young anymore. And those humanoids had me on the run for some time…"
"Say no more…" Dipper carefully threw the doctor's arm over his shoulder, allowing him to support nearly all of his weight. "I'm going to take you home with me. Once youo feel up to it, we'll regroup and try to figure out what's going on! How's that sound?"
The gentle leader nodded in agreement as the duo paced themselves pass the edge of town and towards the winding forest path leading back to the Mystery Shack.
"That way, I can also check in with my family and see how they're doing…" Dipper raised his head to the sky and offered a quiet prayer, "…hope they're all okay…"