Chapter 14

"Marvelous. Marvelous, indeed!"

The Morbot power chip had a unique metallic shine under the light. Dr. Exavolt studied the mystical key with wonder and fascination. Vex watched him without interjecting. He was left with minor agitation while sitting across from his boss. Ever since he brought Exavolt the chip following the invasion, nothing else captivated him more. He didn't know why he expected a thanks of any kind from someone like Exavolt. But after taking on such a risky task as stealing something of so much value from the Droid Rebellion, it wouldn't have hurt to have his efforts acknowledged somehow.

Not to mention how painful it was.

Vex got a quick glimpse of his hands. The repairs to them helped, but they still didn't look very pretty. He considered asking Dr. Exavolt if he could have time off to get a new pair, but he didn't dare go through with it.

Dr. Exavolt was too busy drooling over the chip to hear what he had to say, anyway. Vex wondered what he even needed it for. He was sure Exavolt had plans for it, but if he did, he certainly never ran it by Vex.

Who was he kidding? Since when did Dr. Exavolt have such regard for underlings? The only thing they ever needed to be aware of was their own specific assignments, their own tiny roles in the grand scheme. Vex quietly insulted himself for even thinking for a moment he was any different.

Another minute went by before Dr. Exavolt even thought of Vex. "A beautiful piece of technology!" he breathed. "Is it not? I could not replicate it myself! Or could I?" He turned the chip over in his hands a few times in silence before going on. "It contains properties not even known to our world. It defies many laws. I will conduct further studies on it sometime this week, perhaps. I would like to unearth every secret it holds!"

He'd never sounded more eager. Vex reluctantly went along with his delights. "Yeah, sure. It's pretty cool, I guess. I'm, uh, glad you figured out how to disable the hack."

"Well, unlike you, I was not planning to get shocked," Dr. Exavolt flatly declared.

Vex rolled his eye.

Exavolt noticed his irritation. He set the power chip aside and faced Vex. His stare hardened with a swiftness. It made Vex uneasy, but he displayed it as little as possible.

"Are you expecting more?"

The enthusiasm left Dr. Exavolt's tone, replaced immediately by annoyance. Vex didn't allow it to intimidate him further. The Doctor smirked at him while sitting back in his expensive, leather office chair. It was a condescending smile, one to easily be expected from a master who cared nothing of his servant. That was all he thought of Vex, without a doubt. He was disposable in Dr. Exavolt's eyes. An item. A unit. A product that could be thrown out if it stopped working like he wanted. He was one of the several thousand cogs in a grand machine. It was how Exavolt viewed all of his Milbots. They came with warranties. And they all understood the fates awaiting each of them once they reached their expirations.

It was the Doctor's way. No one else's. He made this crystal-clear, not just through his views or expectations. The portraits of himself he had painted. The ludicrously priced pieces he acquired from auctions. The shoulders he brushed at the banquets centered around him. Even his contemporary penthouse. They told Vex everything.

He answered Exavolt's question with a shrug. "Maybe."

"Oh? Are you?" Dr. Exavolt sat back in his seat. "Like what?" he demanded. "I pay you handsomely. You have steady hours. You are summoned only when I need you."

Vex quietly looked at him.

"I allow you your life." Exavolt's voice lowered. "Is that not enough?"

It was a threat. Vex realized he was walking on a tightrope and stepped off. The Doctor pissed him off, sure. But prodding him further wasn't worth losing the most valuable thing he had in his small place in the world.

"What even brought you in here to see me?"

Dr. Exavolt moved on. His voice yanked Vex out of his unease. He shifted in his seat, trying to find the best approach. His chair was nowhere near the same level of quality as Exavolt's. It was a hard, metal chair, the foldable kind that didn't provide much comfort. But he didn't let the firm steel pressing against his rear make him any more uncomfortable than he was already.

"I want a raise." He managed to make his request.

He should've expected the reaction Dr. Exavolt gave next. He looked at Vex like he'd generated a second head. But his aghast stare was quickly replaced by an amused one coupled with laughter. Vex lowered his head slightly.

"Are you an idiot?" Exavolt snickered. "It is evidently so, I am afraid! You are no less of an imbecile than your lower-ranking counterparts!"

Vex kept his optic down. Dr. Exavolt loved using the Mil grunts as points of comparison when it came to intelligence. They were some of the lowest of the low on the Mil Empire totem pole, superior only to slaves.

"What did I just tell you a minute ago?" he harangued. "Were you not listening? I pay you well already."

Liar. Vex held his tongue.

"I think it would be best for you to get out of my sight." Dr. Exavolt brushed him away. "Leave me."

Vex sat up in his chair. He was dismissing him. Just like that, after what he did for him. Vex felt the anger rising. It heated his metal. But he didn't let it. He fought it down as best he could. Without another word, he got up and walked out of Dr. Exavolt's office, leaving him with his precious little Morbot power chip. He went right back to admiring it as soon as his spy disappeared.

Vex stormed out into the corridor. The office door slid shut behind him. He stood there long enough for something to catch his eye. A weeping clown. It sat on top of a table across the hall from Dr. Exavolt's office. Another one of his awful pieces, a collector's item. Whoever sold it must've been laughing now at how much money they managed to get off Exavolt for it.

"Ugly piece of..."

Vex thought about knocking it over. He even started across the corridor toward it. But then he stopped himself. It wasn't worth it.

He continued down the corridor. He carelessly shoved past the bots coming from the opposite direction, too upset to pardon himself. The lie Dr. Exavolt had just told Vex danced in his head over and over. He wasn't paid well at all, not compared to the other spies, despite doing twice as much. He'd been livid about it for the past week. Ever since the conversation he overheard from a group of his informant colleagues regarding their salaries, he was outraged by the amounts they were given when they barely lifted a finger. It wasn't fair. He was Exavolt's best.

He couldn't decide why it bothered him so much. Being underpaid was unfair in and of itself. But something else only further added to Vex's anger. He'd made sacrifices. Everything he lost up to this point was for someone more important than him—for a purpose he had no part of.

Vex made it to the restroom at the end of the corridor. He found himself in front of one of the mirrors. He took a long look at his reflection. A Droid-disguised Mil stared back through the glass. His exterior. His facade. It was such a painful reminder of the life he came to prefer—the life he longed for. It made him think of his sacrifices again.

Shooter.

Tank.

Glitch.

His friendships. His life in Droid Town. Those were the sacrifices.

"Ugh." Vex dropped his head in his hands. "You idiot."

They weren't supposed to be. They were never meant to be important to him. They were never meant to find their places in Vex's core. He was never meant to get attached, to care for something other than his directive. He wasn't even supposed to care about himself. His feelings weren't supposed to matter. Only the purpose he was programmed for could dictate his actions. Nothing else.

And yet his programming was no longer in charge.

Vex left the restroom. Dr. Exavolt's office was on the top floor. He took the elevator down to the first. He wasn't looking forward to where he was supposed to go next. He was assigned to meet up with his two partners on the outdoor training field behind the facility. They were impatiently waiting for him, he already knew. His unsuccessful meeting with Exavolt had kept him.

A piercing, snowy breeze greeted Vex beyond the automatic sliding doors. He reluctantly stepped into the cold. Nothing could make him appreciate the conditions the polar regions offered. The relentless freezing temperatures were no better up in the mountains where the headquarters were located. In fact, they were arguably worse here. Vex would've given anything to be somewhere else. He pictured Droid Town. Maybe thinking of a warmer climate would heat him up a little.

"Atteeeeention!"

The sound of a sharp command beckoned Vex to the platform's railing beyond the doors. He stopped and peered down at the training field below. He found himself closely studying the perfect rows of Mil soldiers standing in formation. These weren't just standard grunts. They were higher up the ranks, larger and far more intimidating. There were at least a few hundred arranged on the field. They were the newest lines of troops, Vex realized. He recognized some of the creations Dr. Exavolt previously introduced them to. They were complete now, perfected in every aspect. Vex couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what they were capable of. He imagined them all in battle. They would win easily.

General Epsilon stood before the advanced soldiers on the balcony overlooking the field not far from the doors Vex emerged from. He had never seen Epsilon more serious-looking. His pale optics beamed fiercely from under his black peaked cap. His dark, decorative armor gleamed with a reflection that could make mirrors jealous. It was able to catch the light even under his matching dark trench coat. One sleeve flapped freely in the cold wind without his right arm present to fill it. It added to his look. Epsilon appeared more militant than ever. Vex's optic strip alternated between him and the Milbots. These were his soldiers. They'd been under his direction for a brief period, but it was all Epsilon needed to mold them into the unit he envisioned. He didn't have much of a choice; Dr. Exavolt didn't give him a lot of time to prepare these troops. But General Epsilon rose to the occasion without fail.

Another bot came into view down below. It was Lieutenant Ivy. Vex came to recognize her dark-magenta exterior. Her reflective armor glistened under her winter gear like Epsilon's. She slowly walked up the side of the formation. Her leather-gloved hands were placed behind her back, and her aqua eyes firmly analyzed each soldier she passed. She stopped every once in a while. It was to adjust a soldier's stance when it wasn't up to standard. Ivy gave them a dissatisfied frown before harshly moving their legs or arms into the correct positions. Vex didn't know who to feel more threatened by between her and the General.

Lieutenant Ivy arrived at the front of the formation after making a few more corrections. She stood just below the balcony and gazed out at the troops in the same manner as Epsilon. There was one recurring detail about her that Vex noticed: her black beret. It had a brooch on the side in the shape of the Mil insignia. It matched the band on her right sleeve. Epsilon wore it, too. They both took their roles seriously. Vex wondered if they knew it deep down—that they were just small pieces in Dr. Exavolt's massive game of chess. Perhaps they didn't, and perhaps they never would. Or maybe they did and they were perfectly fine with it, being that it provided them with purpose.

"You've all impressed us, men." General Epsilon addressed the troops through a microphone. The loudspeakers made his voice clear over the wind. "You're all strong. You've passed your initial trials with flying colors, according to the Doctor. You're among his best." He smiled suddenly. "Or are you?" he asked.

Vex blinked at him from his end of the platform. What did he mean by that?

His eyes moved in Vex's direction. Vex tensed a little the second Epsilon noticed him. The smile stayed on his face. "Ah, Vex!" he exclaimed. "You're right on time! Come over, you'll have a perfect view of the show from here!"

Vex joined him on his balcony. He looked down at the advanced Mil troops alongside him.

"What's goin' on?" he asked him.

"Exavolt assigned the Lieutenant and myself to test this batch of troops," Epsilon said.

"Haven't they already gone through tests?"

"They have," Epsilon replied.

Vex tilted his head.

"But our job goes beyond that," Epsilon explained. "Not every lab creation is successful. The ones that survive their initial trials are the most successful ones. That's where our job comes in. The most successful creations are sent to me and the Lieutenant. We are their final course. We test the troops further. We look to see who's the strongest among them…and the weakest. We even the field."

"Oh." Vex blinked his eye.

"We've done this with every batch of soldiers sent our way over the past month," Epsilon continued. "When we're finished with them, only the strongest remain. The best of the best. Some batches take longer than others. Like this one, for instance. This has been our most resilient bunch yet. Usually, by now, the number would already be cut in half. But that's not the case with this group. Many of these bots are lasting longer than average. That's a wonderful sign. It means each creation is more successful than the last."

Epsilon peered down at Lieutenant Ivy over the balcony rails. She looked up at him.

"Are you ready, Lieutenant?" he asked her, still smiling.

Lieutenant Ivy smiled back with a nod. They were both prepared for what they were about to initiate. General Epsilon gave her the signal. The Lieutenant turned to the Mil troops. "Soldiers!" she called. "Prepare for your final test!"

She walked up the stairs leading to the balcony to join the General. Epsilon now stood between her and Vex. Vex quietly waited to see what was coming next.

Epsilon began the final trial. He spoke into his microphone. "Z-317 and Z-318! Report to positions!"

His command blared through the loudspeakers. The first two troops in the front row of the formation marched forward. Vex heard their thunderous footsteps from up on the balcony. Their designs were among the most hardcore he'd seen so far. They were living assault units.

"The rows range from Z to A," said Epsilon. "Z being the least likely to survive, and A being the most likely. It can all vary, however! A bot lower down might end up topping a bot in the big leagues. We start with Z and work our way up." He turned back to the first two Z troops. "Begin!" he ordered.

The troops commenced their fight. They went at each other with brute force. Vex watched them lock into an embrace in an effort to overpower the other.

"This batch consists of Mil commandos," Epsilon explained. "The last batch had snipers. Those were very entertaining. If only you were here for that. Vlax, too!"

He stifled a chuckle after the last line. Vex knew neither Epsilon nor Ivy took Vlax very seriously. They likely respected him even less after what became of him during his last mission. Out of the three of them, he made the worst leader. Vex couldn't believe how delusional he was to think he was any better than he actually was. Like Ivy and Epsilon, Vex had grown tired of hearing him brag about the day he would inherit the Mil Empire. Vlax didn't know it, but that mission was his last chance to prove himself worthy of even being a Mil. Dr. Exavolt sent grunts with him, simply because he didn't think the incompetent commander deserved any better. The last Vex heard of him, his parts had to be recovered and reassembled following an "occupation hazard" during the mission. His gun-wielding arm was the only part of him they couldn't retrieve.

Whether Vlax made a bad leader or not, he would've loved the idea of the final trials. They were right up his alley: pitting two killing machines against each other to determine the strong from the weak. The fight between the two Mil commandos below were already coming close to that determination. Z-317 had Z-318 pinned to the gravel. 317's hefty metal arm kept him pressed down by the neck. In a twist of fate, 318 reached up and grabbed hold of 317's face. His fingers dug deep into the metal, threatening to crush the head. 318 tore it clean off 317's armored shoulders. The body released him and he rose. 318 wasn't done. He crushed the head in his hands, wadding it like tin foil.

Holy sh*, Vex thought in shock.

317's body was still standing. 318 simply kicked it over. The other soldiers remained still in the formation, unflinching. Vex looked at Epsilon and Ivy. They both donned pleased smirks.

"No weapons." Epsilon lit a cigar he just placed in his mouth. "All they need are their bare hands. That's where true strength comes from."

"Uh…interesting," Vex uncertainly commented.

General Epsilon addressed Z-318 through the mic. "Well done, 318," he said. "You may return to the formation."

Z-318 did as granted. Epsilon went on with the process: calling the next two soldiers and seeing who came out on top. Some of the fights ended more quickly than others. Some bots lasted longer, others not so much. They were already done for the day an hour later. By then, the bunch had gone down from 500 to 380. The trial wouldn't be over until they'd reached half or close to half. The remaining bots would be deemed the strongest.

...

Vex joined Epsilon and Ivy at the facility's bar after their shifts. He was surprised it had so many amenities. Aside from the research and development sectors, the training grounds, and the hangars, it was practically a resort for Mils. An edgy, ominous resort. Vex enjoyed a drink with Epsilon, while Ivy was busy occupying herself a different way. She arm-wrestled the other Mil troops. The General watched her beat every last one of them with an amused chuckle through his glass. Vex felt his own glass shaking slightly in his right hand. He forced it to stop.

Ivy had already cleared her first seven challengers. They all writhed on the floor around her table, holding their fractured arms and hands. An eighth robot stepped over them to challenge Ivy next. This contender was a female like her. The Milbot had a much bulkier build than the Lieutenant. She was an infantry bot of some kind, a model similar to the commandos.

The she-Mil sat in front of Ivy and placed her right elbow on the table with her hand up. Her confident mug only seemed to amuse Ivy. It annoyed the she-Mil, as her face hardened upon noticing the officer's nonchalant attitude.

"You are cocky for a prototype," she growled. Her accented voice was deep in pitch for a female. Her foreboding tone rivaled that of her male counterparts.

"I am not cocky," Ivy said to her through a yawn. "Just bored."

"You will have more than just a broken arm to remember this encounter by," the she-Mil threatened. "Your pride will suffer most of all. I will make sure of it."

Ivy propped up her right arm. "Try!" she encouraged.

Their hands joined, and their match began. The she-Mil thought she would have Ivy beaten in no time at all, but her calculations quickly turned out to be wrong. She couldn't budge Ivy's arm whatsoever. The she-Mil grew outraged. She couldn't believe this slim-framed officer was so much stronger than her. She forced the components in her massive right arm to work harder, but it was no use. She stared at the Lieutenant in shock. The "cocky prototype" wasn't even trying. In fact, the she-Mil's efforts only made Ivy yawn again. She finally looked at her unworthy opponent across the table.

"Ok," she sighed, "your time is up."

Ivy snapped the she-Mil's forearm in two. It reduced the hulking killing machine before her to a screaming baby bot. The she-Mil's cries didn't persuade Ivy to turn her loose. The wails of submission were music to her auditory sensors. She grabbed the she-Mil's head and drove it through the table. She looked down at the female bot without remorse.

"Schwächling," she scoffed.

The unpromising challengers left her disappointed. She casually walked over to the bar counter to join Epsilon and Vex. The bartender—a small slave Mil—was easily frightened by her. He swiftly fixed her usual drink and scurried out of sight. The Lieutenant calmly sipped her beverage as though she didn't just incapacitate eight other robots.

"You know, I love a woman with some flair," Epsilon quipped with a smile.

"I am sure you do," Ivy curtly answered. She didn't even glance his way.

"Aww, what's the matter, love?" Epsilon didn't stop. "Been a long day, huh? Too tired for much else? Not even a movie or a candle-lit dinner? Or maybe I'm just too old for ya, is that it? Unless you prefer silver metal."

The Lieutenant continued ignoring him. Epsilon finally backed off, laughing. He did this with her quite a bit. It became a regular part of their dynamic. Epsilon knew it got on Ivy's nerves. She tolerated it, though. Out of them, Vex, and Vlax, Epsilon and Ivy had the most natural relationship.

"So do you guys know when Vlax is comin' back 'round?" Vex asked them.

"Why, spy boy?" Epsilon inquired back. "Ya wanna ask 'em out on a date?"

Ivy smiled past her martini glass, tickled by the joke. Vex rolled his eye at them. Of course Epsilon took that route. The question was a perfect opportunity. Vex cared about Vlax no more than they did; he only wanted to strike up a conversation.

Epsilon gave him a more serious answer eventually. "Nah," he said. "Exavolt hasn't told us much. Just that Vlax is taking some time off."

"He can stay gone for all I care," Ivy remarked. "He is of no valuable use."

"He might be to Mister Vex over here!" Epsilon jeered.

"Ya best take that back, Gramps," Vex snapped.

"Alright, alright!" Epsilon threw up his hands. He was still trying not to laugh.

Vex faced the bar counter again. He didn't mind Epsilon's jokes most of the time, but he wasn't about to become the brunt of them. He had a feeling it was inevitable, though. With Vlax absent, Vex was up next for the General and Lieutenant on the ladder. He wasn't going to let that happen easily. He had a ton of problems. But becoming the next Vlax was not fixing to be one of them.

...

Rev poked her head into the group's tent for the third time. She saw Feeble exactly where he was the last two attempts: sitting alone in the far right corner.

"Hey again, Feebs! You sure you don't feel like comin' out?"

Feeble kept his back turned without a word. Rev decided to give up. She pulled her head out of the tent with a discouraged sigh. Glitch stood close by outside of it waiting for her.

"Still nothin'?"

Rev shook her head. "Still nothin'," she sadly murmured.

Glitch looked toward the tent with sympathy. Since their arrival back at camp, Feeble hadn't breathed a word to anyone. It was impossible to blame him. The death of his old friend Lorkrid wasn't on their schedule. Glitch solemnly lowered his blue optics to the snow. Of all the things he thought he would experience along the journey, killing other Droids wasn't something he expected to find on the list.

"There had to be another way."

Rev verbalized Glitch's feelings. He looked up at her again. She'd gotten closer to him during the time he spent staring at the ground. Part of him agreed with her, a big part. But his other half leaned toward the opposite. They wanted to do things differently. Feeble was going to try reasoning with Lorkrid. He planned to tell him the situation. But Lorkrid and his tribe were threatened by their presence. They hated the idea of helping two half-Morbots. He had every right not to trust them, not after what the Morbots did to his people. But Glitch and the others couldn't allow themselves to just be slaughtered.

His mind went back to the mysterious weapon Void introduced to him. It used to be his. It still was. He recalled how it felt in his hands. It was meticulously crafted, engineered for his use by the same ones who created him. He couldn't stop thinking about the words Void imparted to him.

It is your past and future. Your defense. From what opposed you before and for what is to come.

He knew it was symbolic. It alluded to his journey. There were things in store he needed to prepare to face.

"So what do we do?" Rev asked him. "About Feeble."

Glitch shrugged. "I don't think there's a whole lot," he admitted. "We're just gonna have to wait for 'em to come around." He gave her a chipper smile when she didn't cheer up. "He's bound to!" he insisted. "He's Captain Iron-Eye! Argh!"

Rev giggled at his bad attempt at a pirate voice. By the time she finished laughing, her face had lit up again. "I really want Drill-Bit to meet Feeble," she said. "You know how much she loves pirates."

Glitch chuckled. Rev was right. Drill-Bit would've really enjoyed getting to meet a real-life captain. When Rev's gaze faltered, though, he wondered what else was bothering her.

"I miss her." She stared at Glitch sadly. "And Serval. And Dad." She facepalmed herself. "I know, I shouldn't whine," she sighed. "I wanted to come."

"Aw, Rev, it's okay." Glitch didn't at all blame her for missing Ridgebolt. Their journey to find the gateways had been the most time she spent away from home. The humble, southwestern settlement had been the only thing she'd ever known.

"Do you get homesick?" she asked him. "Do you miss Droid Town?"

"Yeah, sure, all the time!" Glitch told her. He always missed it, every day. He just pushed it to the back of his mind most of the time in order to focus on the things that had to be done.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. It made Rev smile at him.

"When all this is over, I'll take ya there!" he vowed. "Uh, if ya want."

"Are you kidding?" Rev gasped. "Of course I'd want you to show me around Droid Town! That'd be so cool! And you know what else would be cool?"

"What?" Glitch asked.

Rev bent down and grabbed a fistful of snow. She mushed it in her hands until it formed a spherical shape. Glitch's gaze flickered between her and the ball.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" she eagerly shouted.

"Wait, no." Glitch stood back, laughing. "No, no, no—"

It was too late. The snowball collided with his head. He brushed the snow away in time to see Rev doubled over laughing. Glitch raised a brow at her. If it was a fight she wanted, she was going to get it. He made his own snowball, making sure it was bigger than the one she threw. He chucked it at her while she was still laughing. The snowball exploded in her face, blinding her eyes. "Hey!" she squeaked. "No fair, I wasn't ready!"

"I wasn't, either," Glitch playfully fired back. "Enemies don't play fair in war!"

"Ok, wise guy!" Rev made her second snowball between her giggles. "Take this between the eyes!"

She hurled it at him. Glitch managed to dodge it. The snowball smashed into another Droid walking behind him. He and Rev looked at them with a hint of awkwardness.

"Oh, damn, sorry, man!" He quickly apologized.

Shooter pulled off his goggles to get the snow off the lenses. "Ah, no, it's okay!" he dismissed. "I came out here to get you guys. The Colonel's about to give a briefing in the main tent."

Glitch tossed an uncertain glance at the tent behind him as Feeble crossed his mind. Rev moved closer and warmly touched his arm.

"I'm sure he'll be fine like you said!" she comforted.

Glitch gave her an understanding nod, showing her words put him at ease. He would've liked Feeble to have been able to join everyone for the mission to reach the headquarters. But Glitch understood he wasn't in a good place at the moment. Feeble needed the extra time alone to grieve.

They stepped into the main tent to join everyone else. It was dark inside. Dr. Axon and Melvin were already seated with the Rebellion soldiers. It was cramped, but Glitch and Rev made room where they could. They found a spot to stand on the outside of the group. Colonel Alloy stood at the table in the middle of the tent. There was a projection screen set up behind him. A soldier flipped on the projector, and the screen came to life with an image. It was a screenshot taken from the digital map.

"Thank you all for coming in here," Alloy began. "Now that the blizzard's blown over, we're on our way to infiltrate Dr. Exavolt's headquarters and get back that power chip. Thanks to Dr. Axon, we know where the headquarters are located."

The Colonel circled the area on the map with a finger, then pointed to it.

"It's just northwest of here," he went on, "in this mountain range. With his navigation tech, Dr. Axon was able to map out a clear path that will lead us there."

Glitch caught a glimpse of Axon's dancing optics farther up front. He was excited about all the credit his work was getting. Glitch shook his head with a soft laugh. He was a nerd, just like Shooter.

Colonel Alloy continued. He circled the location of their camp on the map and formed a line from it going to the headquarters. "We follow the path," he instructed, "and we carry out the recon phase of the mission. We'll set up on the outer perimeter and send up drones to get aerial shots—see if we can find a way in. The base'll be heavily guarded, no doubt. We'll send in RCs to map out the inside of the headquarters. Once we get a good idea of the layout, we'll send in our improvised stealth team to locate and retrieve the power chip. That'll be the final phase, and the most crucial."

Glitch stared ahead intently. The improvised stealth team included him. He was confident in his own abilities given his resume, but he didn't have so much faith in the other soldiers. Even now, some of them were struggling to stay awake. Glitch looked over them all with fading hopes. It wasn't their fault; they'd already been pushed to their limit. Nearly a month of little sleep in a tundra would do that to a bot, pretty much. Glitch hoped he would be able to make up for the slack. He wished they had time to fall back and acquire more resources. But a Morbot power chip was on the line.

The Colonel leaned over the table. His stern optics beamed at everyone in the dimly lit tent. "The operation is clear-cut," he stated. "We get in, get the chip, and get out. Whatever Dr. Exavolt has in store, it'll be there for another time, when we're stronger."

His demeanor gave Glitch a bit more confidence. The old Colonel Alloy seemed to be back.

"Alright, men. The sooner we get the job done, the sooner we can get off this iceberg. Let's gear up and move out!"