Chapter 2

Glitch's stunned expression shifted between Krunk, the Colonel, and his present. Alloy proudly stood next to a newly customized Rapid Armored Transport. It sat glistening beneath the moonlight, accompanied by a fresh paint job and brand-new sets of tires and rims. It boasted a number of upgrades and modifications; Glitch could just make out a spoiler and two sets of mufflers in the back. Some time passed before he could find words.

"I…I can't believe it," he began, amazed. "It's the RAT. And it looks…frickin' awesome!"

He was right. It was indeed the same RAT Krunk commandeered from the Mils. Glitch recalled Vlax, the high-ranking Mil soldier he had to pursue across the wastelands. It was in an effort to retrieve Krunk's Morbot gateway chip and keep Droid Town's location secret. In an unfortunate turn of events, Vlax and his goons managed to steal the RAT and get away. He wasn't easy to take down. Glitch found himself thinking back to the brief but intense battle that transpired. He managed to destroy Vlax, but the RAT had been badly damaged in the chase and gunfight. Glitch looked warmly at the Colonel.

"I-I don't know what to say," he uttered. "Thanks!"

Colonel Alloy shook his head. "Don't thank me, son," he said. "Thank the gramps, it was his idea!"

Glitch tossed a glance at Krunk, taken aback. He couldn't believe the old, cranky mechanic had been kind enough to fix it up like this for him. Krunk flashed one of his usual glares toward him. "Oh, what're you looking at, ya two-bit Boy Scout?" he snapped. "Don't even think about gettin' all mushy with me."

Glitch's eyes remained gentle with gratitude. He could tell there was something different in Krunk's mean mug and cold words. He didn't dare show it, but underneath it all there was warmth and endearment. "Don't worry," Glitch said to him. "I won't."

"Good," Krunk flatly answered.

Colonel Alloy rode up to Glitch on his single tire, smiling. He placed a hand on Glitch's shoulder as he spoke. "You've proven yourself, kid," he beamed. "I'm kicking myself for not having more faith in you when you first joined the Rebellion. It's thanks to you that Iron Star's getting back on its feet again. The RAT's the least we can do! Right, Krunk?"

Krunk grumbled something begrudging under his breath.

"Right?" the Colonel firmly repeated.

"Whatever," Krunk muttered finally.

Zobby suddenly took one of Glitch's belt compartments between his teeth and began tugging him forward. Glitch was confused at first until it dawned on him what the canine wanted. He was eagerly pulling him toward the RAT.

"Well, well!" Colonel Alloy laughed. "Looks like the pooch wants you to take him on a joyride!"

Glitch's face lit up at the suggestion. His excitement seemed short-lived, however, as his expression suddenly grew dull. Alloy and Krunk noticed and became puzzled. Zobby picked up on the change in atmosphere and gave up on the tugging. He stopped wagging his tail and let go of Glitch, cocking his head to one side and giving a confused whine. Glitch quietly gazed at the RAT before looking down and sighing forlornly. "I can't," he said, sounding uncertain. Zobby gently nudged his hand with his head as if asking why. Glitch gave him a few generous scratches with his two metal fingers and thumb. "Sorry, boy," he whispered.

"Everything okay, soldier?" The Colonel had grown visibly concerned.

Glitch jerked his head up. He realized how oddly he was coming across to them. He hadn't meant to make them worry. He moved closer to the Colonel. "Can I talk to you?" he asked him. "Back inside?"

Colonel Alloy still appeared puzzled, but he accepted the request, nonetheless. "Of course," he said.

...

Glitch watched Alloy steadily from the other side of his office desk. The Colonel cleared away the copious amount of paperwork that was strewn across the surface from the day's work. "I'd better get used to this with all the people we still have coming in," he declared, partially to himself. Glitch silently waited for him to put everything away. He scanned the Colonel's office to preoccupy himself. Displays of medals, ribbons, and other awards decorated his walls. One in particular fell within Glitch's sight. It somehow managed to look more special than all of the rest. It even seemed to shine more brightly than the others, suggesting that it was the most precious and maintained. Glitch curiously turned back to Alloy.

"That what I think it is?" he inquired, pointing to it.

"It is. It's a Medal of Honor," Alloy confirmed.

"Get outta town, I didn't know you had a Medal of Honor!" Glitch exclaimed.

Colonel Alloy gave a brief pause. It was as if being reminded of the medal made him think of something stored in the recesses of his memory. It was only for a split second, however; before long he returned to reality. "Ah, yes, well," he started, "it's from my heyday."

"How'd you get it?" Glitch eagerly asked.

Alloy studied him for a moment. The medal had clearly piqued his interest. The hopeful glint in his young soldier's blue optics was innocent, almost childlike. It was like a boy wanting to hear a story from his father. It was unexpected of Glitch, especially after how down he seemed only minutes before. His excitement amused Alloy and he chuckled. "Aw, shucks, what the hell," he said, giving in.

Glitch leaned forward in his chair, ready to listen. Colonel Alloy got comfortable in his own seat across his desk. He lit a cigar.

"I got it a few years after I was drafted," he said.

"You were drafted?" Glitch had no idea.

The Colonel turned his head and gazed on distantly. He watched his own cigar smoke waft slowly overhead. "Yep," he replied. "Sure was. I was an architect. Went to tech school, worked hard for it…only to end up on the back of a truck to be whisked away to the army."

"Because of the war," Glitch quietly presumed.

"Yep." The Colonel took another puff of his cigar before continuing. "The war was just breaking out. Corrosive rose to power, took over Iron Star, you know the rest. Anyway, fast forward a few years, and the base where I was stationed was under attack. The Mils, of course. They were closing in on the city. They took it over in under an hour. We were outnumbered and overpowered so fast it made our heads spin. I can still remember the evil in each of their eyes as they started closing in on us."

He paused; once more his eyes grew distant. It occurred to Glitch that Alloy was focused on something only he could see. When he finally kept going, his voice had changed. It was a tone of pure solemnity.

"Next thing I know," he went on, "the Colonel and I were the last ones standing. We were surrounded up to our necks. We could feel the broken parts of our fellow men under our feet. They'd all been reduced to rubble, and we were fixin' to wind up the same way. We worked together to hold the Mils back for as long as we could. The Colonel ended up getting shot. He was practically obliterated. His arm was torn clean out of its socket. I wasn't about to just let him die, and I wasn't going down that easily, either. I took the Colonel and fell back. I managed to reach the east tower, where I knew there was a turret. Right as those stinkin' Mils were closing in, I let that baby rip. There was enough ammo to mow down every last one of them.

"I hurried to the nearest radio and got in contact with rescue. The Colonel received the medical care he needed and recovered. When they offered him a new arm, he turned it down. He said—I'll never forget it—he said, 'I want to forever be reminded of the day this fine young man saved my life.' As I wheeled him out of the infirmary a few weeks later, he turned and told me, 'Alloy, son, you have my gratitude until the day I leave this world. Before I go, though, I'll make sure to repay you in the best way I know how."

Colonel Alloy gestured to the Medal of Honor. Glitch remained silent, out of both respect and admiration. Alloy's smile suddenly came back.

"But you know something, son? Life's funny."

"Why's that?" Glitch asked.

"Because…" Colonel Alloy's voice wavered a little. For the first time, Glitch was hearing him hold back tears. "Because now I'm a Colonel," he said. "And now, I'm forever in debt to the fine young man who saved all of Iron Star."

"Aw, Colonel, come on," Glitch sighed, shaking his head and chuckling. "You don't have to get all mushy!"

Alloy gathered himself. "I know," he relinquished. He pointed a stern finger at Glitch. "You better not breathe a word of this outside these walls," he ordered. "Got it?"

"Er…y-yeah. Yes, sir," Glitch vowed awkwardly. "So, anyway, if you don't mind me asking, whatever became of the Colonel? Er, your Colonel, I mean."

"Ah, right. Well, all of that was a very long time ago," Colonel Alloy explained. "By the time I became a colonel, he was long retired. He left as a general. By then, Iron Star was in shambles. I lost all contact with him, unfortunately, and I had duties elsewhere. I was too busy to try tracking him down. All of my focus was on the war effort. I founded Droid Town and the Rebellion, and life went on. Life at war, anyway. I'd like to think he's still around, but, as I mentioned, that was an awfully long time ago." The Colonel took another puff of his cigar. "Epsilon was his name, by the way," he noted. "General Epsilon."

Glitch decided to take another glance at the Medal of Honor, for no reason in particular other than to admire it. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed the black and white picture sitting beside it. In it, a younger-looking Alloy was standing next to an older and more seasoned Droid. The young Alloy was sporting the medal along with the rest of his ranks. The older Droid, who was much more heavily decorated, had a single good left arm proudly resting on Alloy's shoulder. His right arm was missing.

"But that ain't why you're in here, is it?"

Glitch quickly turned to the Colonel again. His pale optics had become calculating and analytical—not stern, just inquiring. Glitch gave a swift and serious nod. "You're right," he said. He briefly lowered his gaze to the metal desktop stretched between them. He suddenly felt himself becoming reluctant, nervous, even. The truth was, it wouldn't be the first time Glitch brought this to the Colonel's attention. And the last time he did, Alloy wasn't very happy. The young soldier found it in himself to finally meet his superior's eyes again. Colonel Alloy continued looking at him steadily.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked.

"Yeah," Glitch answered, his voice quiet and small, not in a weak sense, but as a result of his uncertainty.

The Colonel's expression became much firmer. Glitch remained silent. He'd been expecting that face.

"We've talked about this already, son…," the Colonel began mildly.

Glitch sat up in his chair a little straighter. "I know, Colonel, but it's important to me!" he countered. "Look, I know you told me the Morbot region was off-limits for the time being, but…I need to know where I come from. And I know that's the only place I'll get answers."

"You know that isn't possible right now, Glitch," Colonel Alloy objected. "You saw how dangerous it was the first time you went down there. I sent you there strictly for the mission. Not on some blind, self-discovery quest. Besides, we still need to keep tabs on the whereabouts of that bastard Exavolt. And I need all hands on deck for that one task alone."

Glitch rolled his eyes begrudgingly.

"Let me guess," Colonel Alloy went on. "Ya had another one of those so-called 'premonitions,' is that it? Another 'divine intervention' or what have you?"

"So what if I did?" Glitch retorted. "You can't seriously think I'd make somethin' like that up."

"How should I know? As far as I can see, your time in combat might've screwed up your circuitry and you've been seeing things. You said so yourself!"

"That was last month," Glitch argued. "At the time I thought so, too. But you had Krunk check me out and he said everything was fine."

"Like I said for the millionth time to you…" The Colonel was cross now. "…that area of the planet is too much of a risk. Even more so now than it was when you were there. You know the power grid has been unstable for the past month. I sent a reconnaissance team down there a few days after the Mils were defeated, remember that? The power went haywire, and they got trapped on the other side of the Morbot entrance. They were stranded down there for hours. If the power hadn't miraculously started back working properly, they would've been stuck in Morbotland for eternity. Do you want that to happen to you?"

"I'm not some search and rescue team," Glitch protested. "I'm your best soldier."

The Colonel clenched his jaws together, trying to contain his rising impatience.

"Colonel, listen to me," Glitch urged. "You gotta let me in there!"

The Colonel still said nothing.

"What if Dr. Exavolt has something to do with it?" Glitch pressed, refusing to let up. "He's probably found a way to tamper with the energy. Maybe that's part of whatever he's out there planning."

"I am not allowing you back down there," Alloy angrily concluded. "Is that clear, soldier?"

Glitch stayed quiet, boiling inside.

"Is that clear?" the Colonel sharply repeated.

"Yeah, I got it, ok?" Glitch snapped. "You know what, yeah, you're right. We did talk about this before. I'm gonna let you have your wish. I won't come to you about it again. Matter of fact, don't worry about me coming to you for anything else."

With that, he rose out of his chair and headed for the door. "Glitch? Glitch!" He heard Alloy call after him, but ignored it. He stormed out of the Colonel's office, slamming the door back behind him.

"I feel dumb for even saying anything to him. I should've just kept my mouth shut, Vex."

Glitch spoke to Vex through a virtual communicator. He looked at him steadily through the small monitor, listening intently while Glitch ranted. "Well, you ain't gotta worry 'bout me not believin' ya," he stated when he finished. "You're right, man, you're the best he's got. What's he got to lose just from hearin' you out?"

Glitch shrugged. "Beats me."

"Well, if ya ask me, the Colonel oughta start hearin' ya out more!" Vex said irately. "You bust your axle for 'em and he don't even wanna give you no credit. That's higher-ups for ya."

"It's not that, Vex," Glitch said. "He's given me more credit for saving Iron Star than I ever could've asked for. He promoted me. He hasn't stopped congratulating me since the day the war ended. It's just that he won't let me do this one thing, you know? Just this one thing for myself. It's like…"

Glitch trailed off suddenly. Vex noticed him falter through his feed and tilted his head, puzzled. "Is the signal breakin' up?" he asked. "It's like what?"

"It's like he's tryin' to protect me," Glitch finished finally.

Vex's single green optic widened a little at the idea. He tipped his head back to laugh out loud. "HA! Get outta here with that, man!" he cackled. "What are you sayin', he's treatin' you like his boy or somethin'? We're still talkin' 'bout Alloy, right? The seasoned war veteran wants to adopt one of his foot soldiers?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Glitch responded.

Vex quietly studied him for a moment. From the despondent look on Glitch's face, he realized how much the situation had troubled him.

Glitch noticed Vex peering at him sympathetically on the other side of his screen. The look of concern irritated him. "Yo, stop lookin' at me like that!" he told him. "I ain't no puppy dog."

Vex threw up his metal hands, backing off. "Alright, alright!" he exclaimed. "My B." He decided to move on. "So what about them visions or dreams or whatever?"

"I've still got the slightest idea what they mean," Glitch replied. "Sometimes I see stuff while I'm awake, other times when I'm asleep. It's weird, dude."

"You right, man, that's some crazy stuff," Vex agreed. "Ey, you know somethin', pal? You really need to get out more."

"I have, though. The bar, remember?" Glitch pointed out.

Vex shook his head. "Naw, brother," he said with a chuckle. "I mean reeeally get out! As in takin'-some-time-away-from-Droid-Town gettin' out. Some fellas down the block told me the underground drag racin' scene's pickin' up again now that the war's over. They're holdin' a race down in Rebar Canyon tomorrow afternoon."

Glitch sat up. "Rebar Canyon?" he repeated, surprised. "I heard about that place. That's hundreds of miles away, dude! I can't make that, Alloy'd have me on the chopping block."

"Relax, bro, don't get your gears in a wad!" Vex's singular green optic narrowed. "Who said Alloy had to know?" he slyly proposed. "Just tell 'em you're takin' the new whip for a spin. Weren't you gonna be doin' that anyway?"

Glitch paused in thought. He briefly lowered his head, weighing the options. Vex wasn't wrong. The RAT would make a perfect alibi. But then he hesitated. The Colonel's already pissed at me, though, he said to himself. If I screw this up, I'll be in hot oil for sure.

He thought everything over one last time, carefully. Alloy's stern face as he chastised him over the Morbot-Exavolt-energy-crisis drilled itself into his conscience. The more he thought about the ordeal, the angrier it made him all over again. He looked up at Vex with a changed attitude. The rebel in him was back. "I'm in," he declared.

Vex's face lit up. "For real?" he exclaimed, sounding thrilled. "Niiiice!"

"Say, you think we can get the other guys to tag along?" Glitch asked.

"No, I don't think so," Vex answered. "After you left the bar, Shooter said he'd be goin' to some kinda convention they're holdin' in the square. Nerdy stuff. And Tank said one of his tires was botherin' 'em and he had an appointment to get it looked at."

"Oh yeah, he did mention that in the club, didn't he…," Glitch recalled out loud. As crummy as it might've sounded, it made the plan all the more convenient. The RAT only carried two passengers—three if you counted the machine gun in the back, but Shooter wouldn't go for that and Tank was too large to fit altogether. He was up in age, too, so he likely wouldn't be able to make the trip on his tires. Glitch shrugged. "Looks like it'll just be the two of us, then!" he decided. "When should we leave?"

"We should head out in the morning," Vex instructed. "Before sunrise, so we can be there on time. I think 5 o'clock'll be good. I'll be hangin' around outside the command center's north wing, out in the front. Pull the RAT around and pick me up there."

"You got it," Glitch agreed.

As he said goodbye to Vex and shut off the monitor, he was brimming with newfound confidence. Sneaking off-base and ditching his duties weren't exactly on his schedule. But with everything that had been weighing on him lately—and with a figurehead that treated him like a baby—he was feeling more than a little devious. I'm a rebel miner, for cryin' out loud! he told himself, filling himself with hype. Rebellion's my middle name!