Chapter 6
"Exavolt."
Glitch spitefully muttered his name. The Doctor wasn't himself. He was nothing more than a static outline that only gave a partial hint at his outer frame. There were traces of his internal structure, with a glowing Morbite fragment suspended in the center of his chest, where a heart would be. Glitch had never seen anything like it. The very nature of Dr. Exavolt's state alone was capable of giving him shivers. He had never come across anything that could affect him in this way.
"You are right to be afraid, my dear boy." Dr. Exavolt's voice was equally unsettling. "I must say, I am touched by the fact that you were expecting me!" He laughed. "You have no idea how much I've desired to live out this day. The day when I reduce you and everything you hold dear to ash."
Glitch rose to his feet, steadying himself on the unstable structure that was once the Droid Rebellion's west wing. The corridor was now nothing more than a fragile walkway of warped steel and hanging beams. He stared Dr. Exavolt down angrily. He drew his Ripper and fired in his direction. The saw blade phased through his transparent body and tore through a series of failing support beams above him. They gave way, distracting Exavolt momentarily, and Glitch was given a chance to escape.
...
Meanwhile, outside, citizens stared in horror at the state of the Droid Rebellion. The night carried on routinely as usual, when two explosions in close succession rattled the main sector of the town, startling everyone in the vicinity. The peoples' attention was drawn to the sight of billowing fire engulfing half the military facility. Terror and panic quickly erupted among the onlooking crowds. The loud wail of a warning siren blared through the air, followed by a voice advising all Droids to vacate the area. All paths and tunnel ways leading to the Droid Rebellion were quickly closed off, and the square was evacuated.
...
Glitch climbed his way down to the ground floor. He looked around and took a moment to gather his bearings. The room he dropped into had been swallowed by flames. He tried waving away the smoke collecting in front of his eyes. A minute of feeling his way around told him he was inside a spare storage room of some sort. He burst through the door and stumbled into the hall. The fire and smoke that claimed the room spilled out after him. Glitch started to make a run for the command center, hoping everyone else made it there before him. He was halfway there when a strong force threw him backwards. Glitch skid across the floor, scratching his paint before crashing into the wall. He got up to keep going, but an electric barrier of some kind was blocking his path. He tried touching it but was only met with a searing shock to his hand. He pulled it back with a sharp grunt, just as the realization dawned on him.
Dammit, he's trying to cut me off!
Glitch made a detour down another hall. It was there he remembered the crawlspace he used the night before. He eventually found it and inched his way in. His mind raced uncontrollably as he crawled to the other end. Alloy. Krunk. Zobby. He fought down the burning dread rising inside of him at the thought of them not making it. He thought of Shooter, Tank, and even Vex. He began to deeply regret his argument with Vex and cursed himself in his head, knowing there was no way of rewinding time and undoing their severed friendship. Glitch thought it meant the end of their friendship, at least. It was the worst argument he had with anyone he cared about. He and Vex butt heads every now and then, but Glitch found that he could relate to him the most out of any other Droid. He felt like a brother to him. So did Shooter and Tank. His friendship with them is what made him feel at home in Droid Town. Alloy and Krunk made him feel the same way, even if his relationship with them was more strictly business.
Glitch's eyes began to sting. He wasn't sure if it was from the smoke anymore. It didn't matter if he had to salute the Colonel or follow his orders. It didn't matter if Krunk's way of communicating was constant swearing.
They were his family.
They all were.
And he had to make sure they were okay.
He threw himself out of the crawlspace, just before Dr. Exavolt blocked its exit with another barrier to trap him. The garage was untouched but vacant. He reassured himself that Krunk, Zobby, and even his walking toolbox were safe with the Colonel. Glitch rushed to the other side of the garage, climbed through the window, and made it to the RAT parked outside the hangar where he left it. He got in, started the engine, and sped off to his next destination. I know exactly what he's after, he thought to himself while pressing down on the gas. And he ain't gettin' it, not on my watch.
Droids were still in the process of clearing the square on Glitch's way through. He honked his horn and shouted for them to clear out when they got in the RAT's path. He reluctantly pummeled through the blockades closing off the routes. He didn't like speeding through town so recklessly, but this wasn't the time for lawful driving. He had to get there. At all costs, he had to reach the Morbot gateway before Exavolt.
It was only a few miles out from base, but it felt like light years. Glitch brought the RAT to a screeching halt a short distance from the Morbot region entrance. Although no one else was there, he struggled to undo a sudden feeling of dread.
"Late to the party, I see."
Glitch felt his core sink to his feet. Dr. Exavolt made himself visible near the gateway. He appeared in his normal state now, as he was before fusing himself with Morbite. It was very much still present, however, emitting a soft yet ominous pulsing glow in the middle of Exavolt's chest. It was more than grotesque; the Morbite had clearly corrupted him.
"You got a bit of a splinter there. Might wanna get it checked out," Glitch snidely remarked.
Dr. Exavolt shrugged. "Oh, perhaps I will," he replied, nearly playing along. "Once I take care of a very important errand!"
"You know, you've been a reeeal thorn in the Droid Rebellion's side lately," Glitch said. "Still sad over your little failed plans to take over Iron Star? A dictator robot with an army couldn't do the job? You need fancy Morbot powers to get what ya want? Is that it?"
Dr. Exavolt chuckled at Glitch's words.
"Yeah, that's it!" Glitch went on, continuing to test him. "That's why you need the Morbots. You rule the Morbots, you rule the world. It'll be a win-win for ya, huh?"
"Oh, Glitch," Exavolt sighed with another laugh. "Charming as always!"
"You ain't gettin' through that entrance," Glitch snapped. "You hear me, Exavolt?"
Against his warning, Dr. Exavolt moved closer to the Morbot entrance. Glitch jumped down from the RAT and aimed his Barrage Cannon toward him.
"I got a clear shot at you from here, asshole," he threatened. "Not another move, or you're done for!"
Dr. Exavolt came to a stop after hearing the threat. He turned to Glitch slowly, steadily, and held up his hands. He seemed to have a smirk on his face, but Glitch couldn't quite tell from where he was standing. He kept his sights on the Doctor, nonetheless.
"Now step back from it," he commanded. "Come toward me, slowly. And keep your hands where I can see 'em. You're gonna get to do the rest of your plottin' in maximum security."
Dr. Exavolt did as directed. He moved toward Glitch slowly on his three wheels, continuing to hold up his hands. Glitch was almost surprised at how willfully he complied. Taking down Exavolt wasn't about to be this easy, was it?
He was almost at midpoint, however, when he outstretched the arm closest to the entrance. Glitch saw the immense glow of energy gathering at his hand as it radiated from his forearm. It was trained directly on the Morbot entrance. Glitch's eyes widened when he noticed what Dr. Exavolt was preparing to do. "He's gonna blast it!" he exclaimed to himself.
Glitch fired at the Doctor without hesitation. The rocket launched from his cannon; it proceeded to split into three while traveling through the air, hurling themselves at their target at full force. It seemed like it was going to be a direct hit, until Exavolt morphed into his ascended form at the last minute. The rockets phased through him—firing directly into the closed entrance, instead. Glitch ducked as the blast sent smoke and dust billowing into the air. He nervously waited for it to clear to see what he'd done. Shock and fear collected on his face at the horrific sight awaiting him.
"Oh, no," he breathed.
Dr. Exavolt grinned deviously, partially to himself at the satisfaction of his successful plan, and partially at the sight of Glitch's clear disbelief from his mistake. "No, dear boy," he said, chuckling. "You blasted it, I'm afraid. Oh, but how could you, Glitch? Why, this is complete, utter treachery!" He laughed, amused by his own sarcasm.
Glitch dropped his weapon away from his face. It dangled back and forth from his right arm while he stood and stared at his accidental work. He'd become totally speechless.
The Morbot gateway was completely destroyed.
"It was an elementary play, really!" Dr. Exavolt revealed. "This gateway was the Droid Rebellion's only real access to the Morbots' physical world. I don't need it, of course, nor do you, to a degree. Your Droid companions, however, do! With both the physical and astral Morbot realms at my disposal, victory shall soon be mine."
"You'll pay for this," Glitch growled, his eyes still planted on the gateway's smoking remains.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Oh, but Glitch. It seems you've already done it for me!" Dr. Exavolt exclaimed. "How courteous of you!"
He left another one of his signature cackles behind before vanishing. Glitch dropped to a knee in an instinctual moment of defeat.
"Glitch? Glitch, are you there?"
He felt a signal beaming through his antenna. The familiar gruff voice made him jerk up his head.
"Glitch, dammit, son, are you still there? Come in if you are!"
"Colonel?" Glitch managed to answer. "I'm here, I'm good!"
"Thank goodness." Colonel Alloy's voice filled with relief. "The command center was destroyed with the rest of the north and west sectors. Krunk, the pooch, and I have been relocated to a bunker on the other side of town. Slosh and Mozer are here, too, helping where they can. Everybody's in one piece. I'll have our coordinates transferred to you so you can make it here. We'll let you in once you arrive at the entrance."
Glitch had fallen silent again. He couldn't bring himself from the Morbot gateway's debris. The pressure of what he'd been tricked into doing was next to unbearable.
"Glitch? Ya still there?" the Colonel inquired.
"Er, yeah." Glitch struggled to keep his voice from shaking. "I'll wait for you to send those coordinates. Then I'll be there," he responded.
"Good to hear. I'll have them sent to you in about a minute or so," the Colonel told him. "When I do, get your rust bucket over here on the double!"
I don't want to. Glitch lowered his head. I'm not ready to face you and tell you what I did.