Chapter 4

It can't be. This can't be happening.

Glitch tried everything in his power to deny what he saw. It all had to be fake, a fabrication courtesy of Dr. Exavolt. He was playing with Glitch's mind, he had to be.

The sound of marching close by, however, was enough to make him accept his reality. He whipped around to find a patrol of Mil troops approaching. They only needed to get a little closer before they spotted him. He ducked behind the nearest pile of rubble to stay out of sight. The broken pieces appeared to have once belonged to a figure. Glitch realized they were what remained of the Droid statue.

The Mil patrol passed his hiding spot. He carefully poked his head out. The troops continued their march through the square. They were rounding up survivors. Glitch heard a distressed scream from a civilian as one of the soldiers dragged them out of their hiding place in the rocks. It was an older gentleman. He appeared to be all on his own. The group of Mils slung him to the ground with sadistic cackles. The older Droid was brave enough to try resisting. He taunted the Milbots, until he was met by a blow across the face from the butt of a gun. Glitch wanted to help him, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The same Mil who found the civilian Droid shot him at point-blank range, silencing him for good.

Glitch averted his eyes from the death. He didn't look up again until he heard the Mil troops' footsteps fade. They had moved on. Glitch watched them leave the square. He waited in his hiding place for a few more moments, then hurried for the Droid Rebellion. He ducked behind the building before another enemy patrol came up and spotted him with their lights. Glitch crouched to collect his bearings. He could try contacting Colonel Alloy, see if he would at least answer. There was Krunk and Zobby. Shooter and Tank. Glitch couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in his chest.

He was considering his idea when another sharp flash of static pricked his audio. It was another weak transmission. He quickly answered it. "Hello? Is somebody there?"

"Glitch? Glitch, is that you?"

Miraculously, the signal strengthened. It was enough for Glitch to hear the voice clearly. He sat up, feeling hopeful.

"This is Shooter!" The voice came through again. "Come in for me if you're there!"

"Yeah, man, I'm here." Glitch made sure to keep his voice low when he responded. "I just got into town not too long ago. What the hell's goin' on, Shooter? When'd all this happen?"

"Just last night," Shooter said. "The Mil soldiers came through and took everything. They wiped out half of the Rebellion's army."

"Where are you?"

"The bunker. I'm helping out with the survivors."

"Where are the others? Are they okay?"

Glitch had more questions, but the signal weakened again. He heard Shooter responding, but the static drowned out his voice. The transmission was cut out altogether a moment later. Glitch cursed under his breath and rose to his feet. He needed to get to the emergency bunker across town. There was a chance that Alloy and the others were there, too. Glitch prayed for that to be the case as he set out to keep moving.

There were Mil soldiers everywhere. The ones of the highest ranks led the patrols. Glitch stuck to the shadows to avoid them. There were occasional shouts of protest from civilians who had been found. Glitch was left to watch them be hauled away or killed in the street. Most of them suffered the latter fate. Any Droid who dared defend themselves was rewarded with a swift demise: an execution-style shot to the head. Glitch forced himself to continue forward. He never felt so useless. A voice in his head told him to try helping. But he knew how powerful these Mils were. The Droids' current arsenals were no match for them, and that included his own.

Halfway to his destination, the strong whirring of propellers came in from overhead. He looked up. A Mil aircraft carrier lowered in from the early-morning skies. A beam of light shot from its direction as the soldiers onboard combed the grounds below. Glitch pressed himself behind a small dwelling to keep out of the light's path.

"Mil Empire authorities. Surrender now or face immediate destruction."

An amplified voice rang out from the carrier's loudspeaker. The repeated line told Glitch that it was automated. He stayed behind the dwelling until the voice faded with the carrier's beating propellers. He thought the home was empty until more Droids were yanked out of it by a patrol. Surprisingly, one of them managed to break away from the soldiers' clutches. He fled from view. The Mil troops sent a barrage of bullets after him. Glitch wasn't sure if he made it out of the gunfire's reach. The desperate cries from the Droid's remaining group members verified his doubts.

He made it to the sector where the bunker was located. The area was occupied like all the others, but the bunker was hidden well enough not to be easily accessible. Glitch scanned the sector from his position under a damaged vehicle. It was crowded with soldiers, but he knew he had a chance of making it if he waited for the right moment. As soon as the coast was clear, he went for it. He made it before a group of Mils turned to see him sprinting across the clearing. Glitch dove to safety in the secret passage leading to the emergency bunker. A single light from the nearest patrol hovered toward him, but he evaded it just in time. He traveled down the passage until he reached the large, metal door. There were so many worries plaguing his mind, he could barely process any of them. Who would he find on the other side?

Glitch moved closer to the speaker on the side. He pressed and held the button on the panel. "Hello? Anyone there?"

He withdrew and waited. Seconds almost felt like hours. An eternity seemed to pass for Glitch before the door was finally unlocked. He stood back and held his breath. The bot on the other side cracked the door at first. Then, they swung it open. Glitch jumped back to avoid the barrel of a Level 1 SPEW. The Droid who answered the door held him at gunpoint.

"Whoa, hey, easy there!" Glitch put up his hands.

The young soldier's aggression faded once he recognized him. "Corporal?"

"Duke?" Glitch realized he recognized him, too.

Duke quickly let down his weapon. "Oh, er, sorry about that, Glitch!" he said. "Er, I mean, Corporal."

Glitch smiled at him. "It's fine," he told him. "A first name basis really won't hurt right about now."

Duke smiled back. Glitch still couldn't believe who it was. It seemed like ages since he last saw him. Duke appeared to be thinking the same thing as he shifted back and forth on his feet a little. He snapped out of it and motioned for Glitch to come inside. He closed and resealed the door behind them. They went down the steps leading deeper into the bunker and started their journey to the first safe zone. There was a short period of silence between them until Duke broke it.

"Glad to see you back!" he piped up.

Glitch gave a small laugh. "Yeah, tell me 'bout it," he said. "Last time we talked, I was behind bars."

"Aw, dude, I heard about your escape!" Duke breathed. "That was so kick-ass!"

"I didn't land you in trouble for that, did I?" Glitch asked, partially joking.

"Oh, nah." Duke dismissed the idea with a wave. "It was all cool."

"That's good to know," Glitch chuckled. "How've things been for ya?"

"Colonel Alloy let me and Nuke come back to the Rebellion," Duke replied. "He gave us another chance!"

Glitch was glad to hear that. In the past, he wouldn't have thought the Colonel believed in second chances. But now he knew better. Alloy likely saw the better sides of Duke and Nuke, just like he did during his time at the jailhouse on the border. It was good to see the brothers striving to keep their noses clean.

"What about you, Gunslinger?"

Glitch looked over at him. "Me?" he said. "I've been trying to stop Exavolt." His optics moved down to the floor. Doesn't look like you're doin' a good job of that, does it? he thought to himself.

When he saw Duke again, he half-expected to see a look of disappointment on his face. Contrarily, the young Droid glinted with hope. He gave Glitch an approving nod. "That's frickin' rad, man," he encouraged. "I know you're gonna hand Dr. Exavolt's ass to 'em at some point. And Nuke and I wanna be there when ya do!"

His words made Glitch feel a trifle better, more than he thought they would, at least. His gaze softened and he smiled. "Thanks, Duke."

They reached the first safe zone after a bit more walking. Duke opened the door to their room for Glitch and let him go in first. He scanned it over while Duke closed the door back. It was occupied by Droids. Civilians were being tended to by soldiers and medical staff. Blankets and other supplies were provided. Some Droids noticed Glitch and whispered about him among themselves. Glitch was able to hear a handful of their comments. Some were hopeful, highlighting the faith the bots had in his abilities. Others, however, were etched with skepticism. But Glitch wasn't concerned with his celebrity status. He tried to find the Droid he was searching for in the crowd, but he didn't have any luck.

"Holy crap, he's here!"

Glitch turned to see Nuke coming up. Just like Duke's, his optics beamed when he saw Glitch.

"Who's here?"

They all looked to see another Droid coming up to them. Glitch thought his eyes were deceiving him. It was Krunk. Shooter was pushing him forward in a wheelchair, with Tank close at his heels.

"You gonna stop this f*in' thing, or what?" Krunk snapped.

"Er, yes, sir!" Shooter halted the wheelchair in front of Glitch and put on the brake.

Glitch gave Krunk a once-over. As usual, he didn't look very happy, but his bad mood was only furthered by his injuries. Two out of his four arms were bandaged, along with half his face. Still, it didn't prevent Krunk's mean frown and uncovered angry optic, both of which he trained on Glitch.

"So, look who decided to show his face after a million years," he bitterly began. "About f*ing time, screw-boy!"

"Nice seein' you, too, Krunk," Glitch sighed.

"Oh, please, as if!" Krunk scoffed. "You've been gone for months. You wait 'til somethin' goes awry to come runnin' back, is that it?"

Duke and Nuke stood behind Glitch, awkwardly listening to Krunk's ranting. He noticed them and immediately slammed them with his cold glare.

"What the f* are you two brats staring at?" he demanded. "Don't you have work to do around here?"

Duke began to leave. He nudged Nuke to make him follow. The pair quickly made themselves scarce to avoid Krunk's wrath. He took one last look at Glitch and rolled his eye before undoing the brake on his wheelchair.

"Wait, Mr. Krunk, what are you doing?" Shooter asked, confused.

"I'm fed up!" Krunk shouted. "Now get the f* outta my way before I flatten ya!"

He steered the wheelchair in the opposite direction. Shooter started to go after him, but stopped, realizing it was no use. He, Tank, and Glitch watched him angrily wheel himself away. Glitch couldn't help but worry at the sight of Krunk's condition.

"Chipper, as usual," he said. "What in the world happened to him?"

"A Mil broke in on him," Shooter explained. "When they came through. He was done up really bad. The Mil left him there to die afterwards. He would've, if Zobby didn't find help."

"Where's he?" Glitch asked.

A strong, yellow body knocked him to the ground as he finished his question. Glitch laughed from the metal tongue tickling his face. The large dog moved back to let him sit up.

"Zobby!" Glitch exclaimed. He covered him in scratches. "Did ya miss me, boy?" he cooed. "Did ya miss me? Huh? I just heard about how brave you were, savin' ol' Krunk!"

Zobby answered him with a happy bark. Shooter chuckled. His tiny laugh sounded a bit nervous, though. Glitch figured he still wasn't used to Zobby's energy.

"Colonel Alloy's in the next room over speaking with officials," said Tank. "He should be back any minute now!"

Relief washed over Glitch at the news. He was glad they were all safe, but he just didn't know what the Rebellion would do without its leader. Or, what remained of it, at least.

As if he read Glitch's thoughts, Tank moved forward and engulfed him in one of his powerful hugs.

"We're just happy to see you again," he murmured.

"Same here," Glitch warmly agreed.

He heard the door to the room open up again. He, Shooter, and Tank looked up to see who was coming through.

Colonel Alloy entered. He was still speaking with an intelligence officer he worked closely with. They eventually finished their conversation. Alloy's gaze lifted to the rest of the room once they did. Glitch studied his analytical eyes. Although the Colonel didn't know he was there yet, he had a feeling he was searching for him regardless. Sure enough, his scouring stare fell on Glitch. Immediately, his optics widened a little. He made his way over on his single tire. Glitch went up to meet him halfway. The moment he was close enough, he felt Colonel Alloy's hand settle on his shoulder.

"It's good to see you, son," he said, smiling.

...

They found a place to talk in a secluded corner of the room. Glitch didn't mind talking. He knew the Colonel needed his company with everything going on, even if he didn't show it.

"I got here as fast as I could." Glitch didn't waste any time. "The signal I got wasn't the best, but I still heard your voice."

Colonel Alloy didn't answer. When Glitch looked his way, he found himself wondering if he'd been heard. Alloy kept a preoccupied stare on the survivors in the room. Glitch didn't rush him. He gave the Colonel the time he needed to process everything. He still needed to himself. He hoped Alloy didn't think he was alone in his struggle. If anyone was taking the defeat hard, it had to be him.

"These bots are my citizens." He spoke finally. "They came here believing they would be safe."

Glitch respectfully heard him out.

"For most of them, Droid Town was their last resort," said Alloy. "It was their last hope. Now, they have nothing."

"That's not true," Glitch objected. "They still have you."

The Colonel looked down at him.

"I know there's something we can do," Glitch insisted. "We can't give up."

Colonel Alloy sighed.

"I'm heading out to find the next set of gateways with Axon," Glitch told him. "The sooner we can activate the rest, the sooner this'll all be over."

The Colonel's eyes lowered. Glitch quietly read his uncertain expression. He quickly came to a conclusion on what Alloy was thinking, and he didn't like it.

"You don't believe me."

"I didn't say that," Alloy gently protested.

"Well, what is it, then?" Glitch demanded.

"We're running out of time, Glitch!" Colonel Alloy snapped.

Glitch fell silent.

"Hell, we're already out of it," the Colonel went on. "He's taken Droid Town. What more time is there? Are you expecting there to even be a Droid Town by the time you finish your little quest?"

"It's more than that," Glitch retorted. "Once we find all the other gateways, we can restore the one here and put Exavolt down for good. You just have to trust me."

"I've trusted you enough."

Colonel Alloy's response pierced Glitch like a metal shard. Even after he felt the Colonel brush past him, all he could do was quietly stand alone. He finally managed to turn and watch the Colonel leave the room. A few pairs of optics followed him before moving toward Glitch. He wanted to tell the Droids to mind their own business, but he wasn't in the mood for extra dramatics. He gave a small sigh before walking away himself. Shooter and Tank saw him leave the room in the opposite direction of the Colonel. They considered going after him, but soon figured he needed time alone.

...

Glitch spent the early half of the morning in a storage room. He made himself comfortable there and took time out to collect his thoughts. He was upset about what Alloy said to him at first. But after cooling off, Glitch understood what he was going through. It couldn't have been easy, leading a fallen stronghold. Glitch wished there was an immediate fix. He was confident that the Morbot gateways were the key, but they could only find them so quickly.

He stared up at the storage room's ceiling while lying on his back. Even though Colonel Alloy's words were just a product of his stress, it was hard for Glitch to ignore the validity in them. What if he was right? What if their time really had run out?

If only I could talk to Void.

She crossed Glitch's mind. As helpful as she always was, he wished their meetings were at least a bit more frequent. It was at times such as now when Glitch needed her most. Perhaps they would have been able to talk more if the Morbot balance hadn't been compromised. It wasn't like Glitch could get to the astral realm on his own.

Or could I?

He sat up, anxious from the thought. He never tried it. If he could leave whenever he wanted, why not vice versa?

It was worth a shot. Glitch closed his eyes and concentrated. Nothing happened for the first minute or so. Even as he strained to get something, all he saw was the darkness on the other side of his eyelids. Glitch reluctantly gave up after a while. He thought that after discovering some of his guardian powers, he would've been able to do more.

Just as he dismally lay back again, he felt a transmission come through his antennae. He answered it. "Hello?"

"Glitch! Hey!"

Rev's voice greeted him from the other side. An instinctive smile came to Glitch's face. "Hey, you."

"Thank goodness, you answered!" Rev sighed. "I didn't think I'd be able to pick up your signal."

"Wait, how were you…oh, yeah. Right." Glitch had almost forgotten that their communications were linked. In the week they spent in Ridgebolt after their trip, Dr. Axon thought it would be wise for everyone to stay connected that way.

"We were so worried," Rev said. "I just got off the phone with Dr. Axon. He's busy planning for the next trip, so he wanted me to check on you. He said he'll get in touch with you as soon as he can. How's everything in Droid Town?"

Glitch didn't respond right away. He despondently looked up at the ceiling, searching for a way to bear the bad news.

"Hello?" Rev thought the transmission broke up.

"Not good," Glitch answered eventually.

"How bad is it?"

Glitch closed his eyes. "The Mils are here. They've…taken it over."

He heard a small gasp escape through Rev's lip on the other end of the line—one of disbelief. It was followed up with a brief silence. She was taking in the information. "Oh, no." She spoke again finally. "Oh, Glitch, I…I'm so sorry. That's so messed up."

"I don't know what we're gonna do," Glitch admitted.

"Well, what about Colonel Alloy?" Rev asked. "Does he have a plan?"

"No." Glitch shook his head, even though she couldn't see it. "He's at his wit's end, though, that's for sure. He kinda snapped on me earlier."

"Why? How come? You came all that way to help."

"He's just really stressed out, Rev," Glitch said. "I don't blame 'em. I'd probably be the same way if I were in his place."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Rev agreed. "Where are you guys right now?"

"The bunker," Glitch replied. "With survivors. Shooter and Tank are here, too." He looked around at the storage room. "I'm by myself right now, though," he added. "Needed a quiet place to think."

"Oh, ok."

Rev went silent again. Glitch assumed she was thinking about something.

"When do you think you'll be back?"

She still sounded worried. Glitch sat up and placed his back against the wall with a tiny exhale. He didn't consider when he would be returning to Ridgebolt after helping Alloy. But from the looks of things, there wasn't much he could do. It was fairly difficult, but he reached a decision. "I'll be back by tonight," he promised. "That sound good?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Rev's voice inflected with surprise. "Are you sure, though?" she asked. "You can take your time there if you need to. You don't have to rush."

"I'm sure," Glitch said. "There's not gonna be much I can do here. The best chance we have is securing all the gateways."

"Ok." Rev sounded a touch hopeful now. "I'll see you when you get back. We'll all be waiting."

"'K." Glitch smirked a little. "Maybe we could have another dinner together," he suggested. "Just the two of us this time. Candles and everything. And I can look across the table and see those pretty green eyes of yours."

Rev giggled, flattered. "I'd like that," she concurred.

"Love you, beautiful," Glitch whispered.

"Love you, too, Romeo," Rev murmured back.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Glitch heard her give a kiss before they ended the transmission. It only made his smile widen. Talking to Rev made him feel a lot better. Just hearing her voice in the fray was enough to rekindle his joy again, even if only somewhat. He wanted to get back to Ridgebolt as soon as he could so the group could set out again. But most of all, he wanted to get back to her. She kept him grounded. So did the others.

There was a knock on the storage room's door a few seconds later. Glitch tiredly planted a hand on his forehead. He might have had time to calm down, but that didn't mean he was open to company. Ever so reluctantly, he answered the door. Shooter and Tank were waiting for him with hopeful optics. Their excitement confused Glitch. "Uh, what's up?" he asked.

"No time to explain," Shooter said. "Just come with us!"

"What for?" Glitch asked.

"Colonel Alloy's about to give a briefing," Tank revealed. "He told us to fetch you for it."

Glitch blinked. "Ok…?"

"Just come on!" Shooter took him by the arm. "You're gonna wanna be there for it!" He and Tank led Glitch along before he could question things further.

They pulled him into the makeshift briefing room with the Colonel and the other high-ranking members. Glitch sat down with Shooter and Tank. He remained at a total loss while they waited for the meeting to start. Glitch opened his mouth to ask Tank and Shooter more questions, but then just decided to see for himself. Colonel Alloy made his way to the front of the gathered group to begin. He noticed Glitch during his journey. He didn't seem very upset anymore. In fact, he looked thrilled. Glitch titled his head, wondering why. Did the Colonel finally have a plan?

"I'm glad all of you could make it back in here," he said. "Especially a certain bot out of you all."

He's talking about me, Glitch thought.

"We're changing our trajectory," Alloy continued. "We'll be aiding Glitch in his search for the Morbot gateways."

Glitch froze in his chair.

"We'll organize our team and join him on his next trip, which will be in less than 24 hours."

Colonel Alloy flashed him a grin. Glitch stayed silent, completely speechless. Shooter and Tank glowed with enthusiasm on either side of him.

"Isn't that great?" Tank beamed at him. "You'll be able to stop Dr. Exavolt in no time now!"

"Heh…" Glitch broke out a pitiful laugh. "Er, yeah," he mumbled. "Yay."

He should've been relieved, even grateful. Why did he have a bad feeling, instead?