Chapter 3

The heavy artillery units unleashed everything they had. Shooter saw the battle commence from the north wing's windows. He felt his core racing as his fear grew. He heard an audible whine from Zobby. Shooter was going to comfort him with a few scratches, but Krunk had already beaten him to it. He slowly rubbed Zobby's head, his eyes fixated on the acts of war unfolding below.

There was heavy gunfire from both sides, but only one had any effect. The Mil army's ammo shredded through the Droids like paper. Additionally, the enemies were equipped with high-powered force fields. Their shields absorbed the energy from the Droids' ammunition. They redistributed the energy through a powerful wave. Colonel Alloy took cover behind a rock pile to protect himself from the attack. He watched the blast vaporize the soldiers standing around him. Their agonized cries were beyond haunting as they met their deaths.

The Colonel refused to give in without a fight. He armed himself and emerged from behind the rocks, throwing himself back into action. He joined what remained of his battalion. They continued firing at the progressing enemy soldiers despite the looming loss.

Lieutenant Ivy was still at the head. She lunged forward at an incomprehensible speed, double-edged halberd in hand. A group of remaining Droid grunts charged toward her with their guns drawn. She dodged their bullets while swiftly maneuvering from side to side. Her movements were so fast that she appeared as nothing more than a series of dark blurs. The Droid grunts could do nothing once she was upon them. A single swipe from her blade sent their yellow heads rolling. More soldiers came her way, only to meet similar fates, one by one. The Lieutenant picked up one soldier in particular and melted him with her bare hand. He screamed helplessly before being reduced to steaming, metal goo. "Adorable," she chuckled while shaking the remnants from her fingers. Another soldier tried sneaking up behind her, but it was no use. Lieutenant Ivy knew he was there regardless. She kicked him with such force that his top half went flying. The bottom was left to pitifully collapse to the ground.

Ivy eventually grew bored of toying with her opponents and decided to end things quickly. She channeled energy into her halberd, raising and twirling it briefly above her head before driving one end into the earth at her feet. The motion unleashed an immense electric surge.

The force of the attack extended beyond the battleground, with the shockwave shattering the glass of the north wing's windows. Shooter, Krunk, and Zobby were thrown backwards. Shooter righted himself and quickly made sure Krunk and Zobby were okay. He stared at the destroyed windows in horror. The Droid Rebellion was well over a thousand yards away from the fight's epicenter. He couldn't believe how powerful that attack was to have such a large radius. Colonel Alloy's down there, Shooter thought worriedly. Did he…did he make it through that blast?

He glanced at Krunk. The mechanic's anxious eyes conveyed the same fears.

...

Back at the battleground, Alloy fought to regain his consciousness following the assault. He slowly opened his eyes. Through blurry vision, he could just make out the sight of billowing smoke and flaming debris. The Colonel sat up with a soft wince. His exterior was bruised and darkened from the falling ashes. He couldn't even begin to fathom how a robot could be capable of so much devastation.

He managed to rise. His auditory sensors were ringing from the loud blast. His tire had been popped somehow, likely from his fall over a dozen sharp rocks. He could feel the air slowly escaping from the wheel. He pushed through it and stayed vigilant. A small voice was telling him to retreat. It was probably lifesaving, but Alloy ignored it. He was no coward. He would rather die than flee.

There was so much smoke and dust that Alloy could hardly see a foot in front of him. It was impossible to make out any cardinal directions. If he were facing north, he'd be turned toward the Rebellion. He remembered Krunk, Zobby, and Shooter, and wondered how far the attack reached. The Colonel looked down at himself. He was surprised he was even still in one piece, despite having been so close.

He closed his eyes. If only he listened to Glitch. If only he didn't try to have him convicted. If only he listened to him about everything he came to him with over the past couple of months. About the Morbots. About Exavolt and what he had planned. They could have been prepared for something of this magnitude. Was this the consequence of his actions?

A sudden blow from behind knocked him forward. Colonel Alloy skid several feet before glancing around to determine where the hit came from. It was a kick, most likely. He just had no clue from where. The thick walls of fiery smoke looming around Alloy made him feel blind.

A silhouette soon rose from the dust. Alloy held his breath, waiting for it to come closer. He knew there was no point in running, even if he wanted to. The dark figure's searing red optics stopped him cold in case he was considering. Colonel Alloy watched Lieutenant Ivy steadily approach him. She gave a chilling laugh while eagerly twirling her halberd. It was like the carnage she'd just created amused her greatly. Alloy scowled at her in silence.

"Hello again, Colonel!" Ivy spoke with a cold cheeriness in her tone. She stopped not too far in front of him. "A most unfortunate circumstance to meet under, no? For you, I should mention."

"I love what you've done with the place," Alloy sarcastically muttered.

"Do you?" Lieutenant Ivy asked with a small chuckle. "That is wonderful to hear…because I am not finished just yet!"

With that, she continued marching toward her target. Colonel Alloy fired at her with his semi-automatic pistol. Ivy yawned into one hand while deflecting the bullets with her halberd in the other. She kicked him once more, this time in the face. It sent him sliding through the dirt. "Oh, Colonel, you've no idea how much this bores me," she groaned. "Allow me to spice up our little dance!"

She launched herself at him; Alloy barely managed to dodge her melee. He rolled a few times on the ground. Ivy whipped around and advanced again. She struck her halberd at him repeatedly like a pitchfork while he was still down. Her blade lightly grazed his face. The Colonel shot up at her once, and the quick-thinking act successfully gave him time to jump back upright. Alloy continued ducking and weaving from Ivy's attacks as she drove him backwards with each move. She was a skillful yet vicious fighter. Her tactics were concise yet unpredictable. She moved gracefully, zealously, but was impossible to counter. The Colonel grew a little fearful. His opponent kept her word; it really did feel like a dance to the death. He soon found himself pressed against the side of a building. Ivy had one end of her double-edged weapon pointed at his throat.

"Did you enjoy that?" she asked.

Alloy shrugged while trying to catch his breath. "Maybe," he answered with a smirk.

His smug response seemed to catch Lieutenant Ivy off-guard. The red left her optics briefly. The surprise on her face was evident, but just subtly and for a split second. The aqua shade of her eyes was quickly replaced by the red again. She pulled her halberd back, preparing for a good final strike. Colonel Alloy ducked out of the blade's path as she sent it forward. It met the building's exterior, instead. She yanked it out and aimed it at Alloy. He looked up to see her firing a large, energized beam from one end of the halberd. The Colonel dove out of its way, only for it to begin following him. He made it to a pile of debris, where he quickly picked up a large metal fragment. He used it as a shield against the Lieutenant's attack. The Colonel was able to hold the beam back until the metal sheet started melting. He let it go and jumped to the side. The beam destroyed a random vehicle sitting behind him.

A vehicle.

Colonel Alloy spotted a Loader a few feet away. He hurried over and hopped on. He hovered toward Ivy in the industrial-grade vehicle with a battle cry. The bullets from its built-in SPEW obviously weren't enough. They were, however, sufficient in letting Alloy get close enough to grab the Lieutenant's arm with the Loader's claw. He yanked her around a few times, until she had enough and sliced the Loader in half. The Colonel leaped out of it just in time. Ivy looked more agitated now than anything.

"You can dish it but you can't take it," Alloy jived. "Is that it?"

"Dish and take this."

Lieutenant Ivy vaulted herself forward on her halberd. The Colonel leaped out of her path before her feet collided with him. She landed, instead, against the side of a concession stand. The force of her feet left a dent. She hurled herself at Alloy again, and this time she caught him. She tackled him through the air and dragged him through the dirt, almost treating his body like a surfboard. Alloy weakly stood after she stepped off of him.

"You're a sore loser," he sneered.

The remark irritated Ivy even further. "I am not the one who is about to lose," she snarled.

She continued raining down attacks. The Colonel evaded a few, but he couldn't escape them all. He grunted and yelled from the searing pain of several deep cuts. A slash across his back subdued him to the ground. Ivy had sliced his power cell. He felt fluid leaking from it when the Lieutenant turned him over on his back. She punched him twice, cracking both his optics. Next, she planted a foot on his gun-wielding hand to crush it, then on his chest with a triumphant laugh. "My, my, Colonel Alloy!" she exclaimed. "You are quite the fighter! You take my hits a lot better than your men." She grimaced at the dismembered yellow parts scattered along the ground. "You barely touch them and they crumble," she scoffed.

Alloy let out a series of unintelligible, pained noises. He coughed a few times.

"How would you like to dance again some other time?" Lieutenant Ivy sneered. "If you can keep up."

The Colonel finally managed a few words. "Sounds…promising," he rasped. "You're pretty light on your toes. I've underestimated your…skills." He broke out a faint chuckle before coughing again. "Yah…ha…gotcha…"

Alloy grabbed Ivy's left ankle suddenly. She looked down at his partially broken hand with her nose turned up. It was as though he was making another futile attempt at stopping her. Or perhaps he was just being playful, knowing he didn't stand a chance. The Lieutenant thought it was cute in a pitiful way. She shook his hand off—then proceeded to curb stomp him. There were a few soldiers living, though just barely. They were left to watch the enemy officer kick their leader half to death. The sounds were sickening. She finished, eventually. She looked down at Colonel Alloy's warped metal head and face with pleasure. He was barely conscious at this point.

"Fortunately for you, liebling, I was not sent to terminate you," Lieutenant Ivy told him. "This is merely a warning. Do you recall me saying to surrender your stronghold or otherwise face death? I was only bluffing. We knew you would not back down. And as a result, we were able to show you our true power." Ivy motioned around her with one hand. "That is the warning," she continued. "Allow me to help you up!"

Ivy lifted the Colonel by his neck. She dragged him out of the smoke and moved toward the heart of town. She arrived in the square with his body. Droid civilians fearfully came forward to watch in a collective horror. The ones who made it into their homes peered outside. The Lieutenant held Alloy up for all of them to see. Oil trickled from his mouth, and he was half-delirious.

"Citizens of Droid Town!" Ivy announced. "It pleases me to gather you all here on this momentous day! Today marks the dawn of a new era. Your life here as you know it shall come to an end."

Terrified cries swept the crowd.

"I have here your precious leader," Lieutenant Ivy went on. "He is worthy of his position, I must admit. A man of resilience to the bitter end. Such a strong demonstration of leadership is rare on Iron Star, if I may assume."

The citizens looked on worriedly, wondering what was about to happen.

"But fear not," Ivy told them. "He will be spared for the time being—as will the rest of you. Your homeland shall be seized by Dr. Exavolt's forces. If anyone tries to resist, well…" The Lieutenant chuckled. "I think you understand my point," she said. "Let your colonel's state be a reminder of where opposition leads." She turned Alloy to meet her eyes. He was still barely conscious. "The Doctor sends his regards, schatz," she hissed. She then tossed him to the ground like an action figure. The other Droids quickly hurried around him.

Colonel Alloy struggled to sit up. He coughed up a bit of oil. "Yep," he choked, "we need to find Glitch."

His vision faded and he fell limp. The robots of Droid Town remained crowded around him, wailing and shouting for him to come back.

...

Tank was nervously watching the coverage of the ordeal at the senior facility across town. He stood gathered with everyone else in front of a TV in an open area. He could hear a few devastated wails from fellow elder Droids. None of them in all their years had witnessed anything like the advanced Mil army.

Shooter found Tank glued to the TV screen when he burst into the room. Tank looked over at him. "Ah, thank goodness you're all right, Shooter!" he sighed. "What on Iron Star is going on over there?"

Shooter shook his head. "It's bad, Tank," he said. "Really bad."

Tank moved over to let Shooter join him at the TV. "How was Krunk? And Zobby?" he asked.

"They're good," Shooter replied. "That one blast shook us up a little, but no one got hurt."

"Have you spoken to Vex? Where's he?"

"I don't know." Shooter shrugged. "I tried calling him, but he didn't answer. I hope he's okay."

"Hey, look!"

A senior Droid pointed to the TV. Shooter and Tank directed their attention back to the screen. The Mil army seemed to be filing out of the inner sectors.

"They're leaving," Shooter observed.

The other Droids in the room let out sighs of relief.

Tank worriedly turned away. "Nothing's been the same without Glitch," he murmured.

He felt Shooter place a hand on his arm. He looked over at him to find hope on his face.

"That's why we're gonna find him," Shooter declared.

Tank's eyes widened at the idea. "You mean, us?" he asked. "You, me, and Vex?"

"We won't be alone," Shooter told him. "The Rebellion's been searching for him, too."

"But don't they plan on apprehending him?"

"No, because guess what? I was able to prove Glitch's innocence to the Colonel! He won't be going to prison!"

"That's great news!" Tank exclaimed.

Shooter nodded. "Yeah," he agreed, "it is pretty promising news in all this. Reminds me of that one Droid philosophy quote: unite for freedom, live for tomorrow, fight forever!"

Tank blinked. "That's from an actual Droid philosopher?" he asked. He didn't sound too convinced.

"It—it is!" Shooter argued.

...

Alloy was quickly placed onto a stretcher. When he woke up, it was the next morning. He found himself squinting to avoid the sunlight shining through the window. Krunk was standing near his bedside. He'd been waiting for him to come around.

"Ugh…" Alloy looked over at Krunk through a groggy pair of eyes. "Wha…" he croaked.

Krunk went over to calm him. "Easy, there, don't get too excited," he warned.

"Kr-Krunk…" Alloy was cut short by a hoarse cough.

Krunk sat down next to his bed. He only gazed at Alloy quietly for several moments. Alloy peered back at him in a mutual silence. It wasn't like his trusty mechanic and friend to be without words. The expression on Krunk's face was one Alloy never thought he would see him sporting. It was sadness. Pain. It was like the robot at his bedside had begun the five stages of grief at some point. It was almost unnatural, seeing Krunk emit anything other than anger or frustration. It told Alloy one thing: he'd come close to dying.

"How…" He searched for what to say. "How bad was it, Krunk?"

Krunk lowered his head. He made a small choking sound, something adjacent to a sob. Alloy heard it and felt himself swell up with emotion.

"Oh, Krunk," he tearfully breathed. "I'm sorry."

Krunk seemed okay to talk when he raised his head again. "What the hell are you apologizin' for, Commando Man?" he snapped. "You're the one who slipped into a damn coma, ya frickin' gimp!"

Alloy smiled through his tears.

"Why, if you ever come close to dyin' on everybody again, I'll weld your asshole shut and make ya sh* through your piston!" Krunk hollered. "I'll crack ya damn optics myself! I'll tear your metal off your body and make ya eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!"

Krunk finally got everything out of his system. Afterwards, he broke down into a sobbing mess. He threw himself at Alloy, hugging him close while he cried.

"I know, Krunk." Alloy wept in his arms. "I know."

...

Vex stayed hidden away in his house in the next sector over from where the battle occurred. He knew what was going on, without even paying attention to the news coverage. He knew the invasion would happen.

He'd initiated it.

He was sitting alone in the darkness of his bedroom, trying to get through to his employer. His signal was finally answered.

"Good morning, Vex." Dr. Exavolt sounded pleased already. "It is morning where you are, anyway. Did you rest well?"

"Yeah, hey, Doc. Uh, sure." Vex gave him a feasible response, although he knew the Doctor wasn't genuinely concerned with his sleep.

"I have been waiting to hear back from you!" Exavolt went on.

"Uh, yeah." Vex reservedly answered him. "Yeah, I was just lettin' ya know it's been done, in case ya didn't know already."

"I am aware," Exavolt replied. "The Lieutenant and her soldiers performed beautifully."

"That's not what I was talkin' about," Vex clarified.

"Oh?" Dr. Exavolt legitimately came off as surprised. "You have acquired it already? You work quickly, Vex!"

"Yes. I have it." Vex looked over at the Morbot power chip sitting on his nightstand. "It wasn't easy, neither," he added while looking down at his fried hands. They were rather severely damaged from the burns he received. He recalled sneaking into Krunk's garage the night before. He was able to gain access to a layout of the Rebellion. Vex had infiltrated it successfully and was about to get the chip away from Krunk, only for it to shock him. It was the equivalent of being tased on the highest setting. The only reason he escaped with the chip was because Krunk was drunk. He was too busy drowning in his sorrows over what happened to Colonel Alloy to notice Vex slip in and out.

"Do you really think I care if it was difficult for you or not?" Dr. Exavolt's voice rose with indignation.

"You'd care if I ended up comin' back empty-handed," Vex shot back. "'Cause then ya wouldn't have it."

"I am terribly sorry, could you repeat that for me, please?" Exavolt requested. "The reception is rather sparse!"

Vex couldn't do it.

"Exactly," Dr. Exavolt growled. "Speak to me that way again, and you will find yourself in a recycling bin."

Vex stayed silent.

"Now," Dr. Exavolt continued, "keep the chip close to you at all times until you can make it back here. Understood?"

"Understood," Vex mumbled.

Exavolt cut the transmission. Vex sat back on his charging bed with a sigh. There was a part of him that didn't want to do it. But he was a Mil operative. He felt he had no choice.

...

"Here she is, sir. We were able to pinpoint her through the facial recognition."

"Bring it closer, please."

"Certainly, sir."

Colonel Alloy studied the ruthless she-Mil on the screen from his wheelchair later that morning. They were given more information about her after a scan.

"Ivy," said the intelligence officer. "Lieutenant Ivy. She was created recently by some of Dr. Exavolt's top Mil scientists. She's the first of her kind, a prototype, but highly advanced just the same. She's part of Exavolt's newest lineup of Milbots. She's supposed to be the next generation of elite guard."

"Anything else?" Colonel Alloy questioned.

"I'll try to get a more detailed scan," the intelligence officer told him.

A few more moments passed. Soon, more data filled the screen surrounding Lieutenant Ivy's face. A blueprint of her full body showed up with it.

"These readings are off the charts!" the intelligence officer remarked, sounding surprised. "Her bio-mechanical makeup is like nothing we've ever seen, not even from Corrosive's Mils. It's like she's been made entirely from scratch. So have all the other new Milbots."

"We need to trace where exactly they've been deployed from," the Colonel suggested. "Wherever that is, Exavolt can't be lurking too far behind."

"Of course, sir," the officer agreed.

Alloy thought of something else. "Ah, and one more thing," he added. "We're gonna need to organize a search and rescue operation. For Glitch."