Chapter 1

The sound of his office door opening snapped Dr. Exavolt out of his memories. Lieutenant Ivy stepped into the room and walked up to his desk. She stood at attention with a salute.

"At ease, Lieutenant." Exavolt motioned toward the chair, beckoning her to sit. Ivy got comfortable. Or, something close to it. She always positioned herself with rigidity and poise: straightened back, folded legs, hands in the lap. Dr. Exavolt found her etiquette refreshing. She clearly took her role seriously, which was more than could be said of other Mil soldiers.

"You wanted to speak with me, Doctor?"

Dr. Exavolt steadily looked at her across his desk. He was sure she already knew what he called her in for. The question was practically rhetorical, a way to start their discussion. Although the Lieutenant didn't show it, he knew she was anxious deep down. Exavolt gave her a smile. Contrary to what Ivy might have thought, he wasn't planning to get rid of her.

"Do not worry, Lieutenant."

Ivy blinked at him.

"Did you think I was going to have you terminated?" Exavolt asked her.

Lieutenant Ivy hesitated before nodding. "Yes," she answered. "I did."

"Well, you have nothing to fear." Dr. Exavolt gave her another smile.

Ivy turned away. "But…I failed my objective."

A week passed since her mission to destroy Glitch. Exavolt could see how hard she took the failure. She was programmed to accomplish every assignment she was given. Understandably, she struggled to grasp why she couldn't accomplish this one.

Dr. Exavolt brought up a monitor and pulled up something for the Lieutenant to see. He swiveled it to give her a view of the screen, showing her the footage of her encounter with Glitch. He saw the visible shift in her facial expression as the footage drew on.

"I get why you are having such a difficult time," Exavolt told her. "Failure is not in your nature. Or the acceptance of it, rather. However, your reason for failing has become more clear over the past week."

Lieutenant Ivy looked up at him.

"You held back."

Ivy looked down at her hands. "I did," she admitted.

"Why is that, my dear?" Exavolt questioned.

The Lieutenant briefly closed her eyes and took a breath. Dr. Exavolt studied her behavior. Uncertainty was uncharacteristic of her. Whatever she had on her mind must have been incredibly worrisome. She finally met Exavolt's gaze a minute later. "He is different, Doctor," she said.

Lieutenant Ivy most likely noticed Glitch's symbol. The Morbot insignia. She was familiarized with it during her first briefing. What she didn't know was that one of the enemy Droids sported it themselves.

"I did not tell you about the miner's difference for a reason, Lieutenant," Exavolt stated. "This is why."

"What do you mean?" Ivy asked.

Dr. Exavolt gestured to the footage. "You saw the potential in his power," he said. "Is that correct?"

This got the answer out of Ivy Exavolt was looking for. He watched her quickly sit up in her seat as the footage went off. A subtle urgency claimed her eyes. "The rebel miner is strong, Dr. Exavolt," she insisted. "His power comes from the Morbots."

Exavolt chose not to answer right away.

"Don't you realize how useful he could be to the empire?" Ivy pressed. "He is of great value!"

"Let me make one thing clear to you, Lieutenant," Exavolt snapped.

His tone made Ivy withdraw in her chair a little. He was intimidating, even to her. Dr. Exavolt didn't care.

"His power makes him a threat," he sharply went on. "So long as the miner lives, he will continue to stand in my way. He is the most powerful weapon the Droids possess. Without him, they have nothing."

"He does not have to be their asset," Lieutenant Ivy argued. "He could be yours."

Dr. Exavolt impatiently listened.

"We could capture him," Ivy suggested. "Reprogram him. He would no longer be your greatest enemy, but your greatest defense. Imagine him as your eyes and ears. He could access places even Vex struggles to get into."

"How so?" Exavolt raised a brow.

"He is Colonel Alloy's top soldier, is he not? Imagine the secrets you could obtain with him at your disposal. Weapons, communications, launch codes! You could crush the Rebellion from the inside out."

Dr. Exavolt fell quiet as he thought about Lieutenant Ivy's propositions. They threatened to entice him.

"No." He quickly turned them down.

"But, Doctor…," Ivy began.

"I will stick to my own plan, Lieutenant," Exavolt shot at her. "The miner dies. Plain and simple."

Ivy's aqua eyes faltered under his stern tone. They lowered to her hands again. She kept them tightly clasped together in her lap. A moment passed before she softly shook her head. Exavolt figured it was partially to herself.

"I just do not understand," she quietly admitted. "The rebel miner is like them in some way." She raised her head. "Both of your powers come from a shared source," she said. "Essentially, you are both one and the same! He is your equal!"

Dr. Exavolt didn't respond.

"And to think I believed he was just some regular adversary," Lieutenant Ivy went on. "A common threat, a run-of-the-mill rogue that caused an annoyance every once in a while!"

"Which he does!" Dr. Exavolt exploded.

Ivy fell silent.

"'Annoyance' is an understatement," Exavolt growled. "He is more than that. He is an enormous nail in my side. And I will stop at nothing to pull it out."

The Lieutenant's face hardened. Exavolt saw her change in attitude and felt his own agitation rising. She was bold enough to question him. He expected different of her.

"I was right," she muttered. "The Mil Empire is not the only thing he threatens."

She got up and left Dr. Exavolt's office before he could object. He angrily turned his leather chair to face away from the door. Any other Milbot would've faced immediate termination for defying him. Lieutenant Ivy, however, wasn't like the others. She was far more intelligent. This was how Exavolt knew, deep down, that her idea had potential. As much as he hated to admit it, she called him out on his fear: that his greatest enemy was his greatest weakness. Silencing her only proved her more right.

Exavolt lifted his head with a sigh. He looked at his display case behind his desk. The empty spot where he had the power chip made him boil inside all over again, but Lieutenant Ivy's idea put him at ease.

...

The late-morning sunlight pouring into the guest attachment warmed Glitch's face, coaxing him out of his sleep. He sat up with a yawn and a head scratch, then looked out the window. A tiny robot bird met him on the other side. It eagerly ruffled its aluminum feathers.

Glitch chuckled. "'Sup, lil' fella?"

Dipper's greeting was routine at that point. Since their first morning back from the polar regions, the little owl waited for everyone to wake up so he could say hello. He arrived at Glitch's window last since he usually slept in. Glitch found it easy to do. His time in Ridgebolt gave him the best sleep he ever had. Without any soldierly duties to tend to, he didn't have as much of a need to get up early. He made sure to take advantage.

Dipper gave a happy hoot before leaving the window. He flew back around to go inside. Glitch got out of bed and put on his gear. He'd started toward the door when he remembered the Medal of Honor on his nightstand. Colonel Alloy gave it to him before they went their separate ways. Glitch quietly admired it before heading out of the attachment.

He found Melvin and Feeble with Dr. Axon in his lab. They stood around his table as he worked on something intently. Dipper swooped in from an opened window on the other side of the lab. Melvin held out his left arm for him. The snow owl landed on his wrist and nuzzled his hand. Melvin brought him in close and affectionately rubbed his head. After doing research on Dipper's species, he and Axon discovered that he was only a baby. He wouldn't reach maturity for another year.

"Yo!" Glitch called.

"Ah, the young guardian joins his crew at last!" Feeble joked.

Glitch laughed as he walked over. Feeble's good mood brightened his morning even more. His chipper attitude was a nice contrast to how he was after everything with Lorkrid. Since then, Feeble had been doing much better. Glitch was glad to see the old nomad explorer back to his usual self. Everyone seemed to be.

"Whatcha guys up to?" Glitch asked.

"It's a surprise!" Melvin told him.

Glitch tilted his head. "A surprise?" he repeated.

"Behold!"

Dr. Axon removed his goggles and proudly held up his finished product. Glitch's optics widened. It was his Mining Laser. Axon started working on it the week before. During the time he kept it hidden away in the lab, he never revealed what he planned to do with it. The suspense killed Glitch. Now, the wait appeared to be over.

"Here is your laser, my boy!" Dr. Axon moved closer to Glitch to give it to him. "Its upgrade is complete!"

"Upgrade?" Glitch excitedly turned it over in his hands. He didn't see any changes. The double barrels were still red. Axon brought Glitch over to an empty tin can sitting on the desk nearby.

"Give it a try on that target!" he encouraged.

Glitch loaded the laser onto his right arm. He aimed the barrels at the tin can.

"Try charging it," Axon instructed. "Wait to release it until I say."

Glitch did as directed. He held the powerful beam in the can's direction. Its searing light filled the room as it grew in size. To Glitch's surprise, the barrels turned white with the beam. There was a change in temperature, too, as the laser became cool to the touch.

"Fire!"

Glitch shot the beam. He landed a direct hit on the tin can. It froze before everyone's eyes. Glitch let down the laser, stunned. He took the can and held it up inside its ice casing.

"Say hello to the Level 4 Mining Laser!" Axon declared.

"Dr. Axon, this is great!" Glitch exclaimed. "How'd you pull this off?"

"The ice samples I collected from that cave," Dr. Axon replied. "I will spare you the science and math, but basically, I converted the properties into usable firepower. The Mining Laser still possesses its normal shooting functions, including regular charge beams. For the freezing effect, you have to hold the charge an extra five seconds."

"Thanks a bunch for this!" Glitch began removing the laser. "I'd want ya to upgrade all my weapons, but it might be too much trouble."

Dr. Axon laughed. "Too much trouble, you say? Well, I never decline a challenge!"

Glitch replaced his forearm. "Wait 'til Rev sees that."

"Speaking of which," Dr. Axon said, "Rev is coming over shortly! She wishes to practice with the Rocket Launcher at the range."

Glitch tensed a little. Dr. Axon noticed and gave him a reassuring smile. He admitted he'd gotten slightly overprotective of Rev since they got back from the polar regions. His close call made him realize just how much he cared about her and everyone else. Though, as much as he wanted to keep Rev safe, it wouldn't have hurt for her to learn how to properly defend herself. She was eager to, anyway.

"Hey, Dr. Axon! I'm here!"

"Ah! Speak of the devil!" Axon went over to answer the comm. "Good morning, Rev!" he exclaimed.

Rev came into the lab a few moments later after Dr. Axon remotely unlocked the front door. She rolled forward on her tires and gave him a hug.

"Oh, it is always so good to see you, my darling!" Axon gushed. "How have things been back home?"

"Great!" Rev answered. "Dad's doing so much better. Drill-Bit and Serval are doing okay, too."

She hugged Feeble, then Melvin. Glitch waited his turn. Rev spent most of her time home since their trip. Glitch recalled her mentioning how much she missed it. He was happy she'd gotten to fulfill that longing. Rev finally saw him after she finished showing affection to Dipper. She immediately hurried up to him and threw her arms around him. Glitch got used to her tight embrace.

"Good morning, hero," she whispered to him.

"'Morning," he warmly whispered back.

Rev looked at the others. "I'm surprised to see him up already!" she remarked. "You mean to tell me he didn't sleep like a rock?"

"Ah, but he did, lass!" Feeble replied with a cackle. "He still be the Rockhead ye remember!"

"Typical!"

Rev playfully nudged Glitch's arm like she normally did. He met her eyes again. When he did, though, he got an odd feeling. Glitch wasn't sure what it was, but it unnerved him. He drew himself away and froze. Rev tilted her head, confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Glitch realized how strange he suddenly acted and regathered himself. "Er, nothing!" he said. "I'm good."

"Ya sure?"

Glitch awkwardly shifted on his feet. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

Rev still seemed uncertain, but she accepted his response. Her excitement came back as she turned to Dr. Axon. "I got here as quick as I could!" she said. "I can't wait to test out that Launcher!"

"Righto." Dr. Axon nodded and briefly left on his wheels. He emerged from a side room a minute later with the Rocket Launcher.

Rev lit up even more at the sight of it. She moved forward to take it. "Sweet!" she squeaked. "I'm dyin' to get to the range! I'll make sure to have it back by—"

"Oh, not so fast, my dear!" Dr. Axon waggled a finger.

"Huh?" Rev stopped. "What?"

"You didn't think you would have unsupervised access to such a dangerous piece of equipment, did you?" Axon chuckled.

"But Dr. Axon!" Rev complained.

"Not my orders," Axon denied, shaking his head. "His!"

He pointed toward Glitch. Rev dismally glanced at him over her shoulder. Glitch cringed a little at her resentfulness. He told Dr. Axon the night before that he didn't want Rev using the Rocket Launcher on her own. He watched her fully face him with her arms folded.

"Seriously?" she huffed.

"You're inexperienced, Rev," Glitch pointed out. "You haven't worked a firearm like that a day in your life. Somebody's gotta show ya the ropes first."

Rev paused and reconsidered. Her face softened. "Lemme guess. That somebody's gonna be you," she gathered. "Right?"

Glitch winked at her.

Dr. Axon peered at his watch. "Well, now," he said, "I suppose you two can run along!"

"Er, you mean three!" Melvin gently spoke up.

His correction made Axon remember something. "Oh, right."

Glitch gave him a reassuring nod. He didn't plan to stay at the range for long. He would show Rev the basics for the Rocket Launcher, then come back to Dr. Axon's lab for something else on his schedule. Melvin would stay behind to continue overseeing Rev's progress. The three of them headed for the lab entrance to leave. Melvin set Dipper down along the way, but not without the little owlet saying goodbye with a rub against Melvin's leg.

They made their way to Glitch's RAT outside to get going. Just as he got comfortable in the driver's seat, however, he noticed Melvin and Rev standing close to the passenger's side with hesitant looks. "What's up, you two?" he asked.

"There are only two seats," Melvin nervously said. "Which means…someone will have to sit in the back. With the turret!"

He was already trembling at the thought. Glitch quietly sighed. Something told him this would happen.

"No worries, Mr. Melvin!" Rev assured him. "I'll take the back!"

Melvin's optics lit up. "Are—are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course!" Rev started toward the back of the RAT. "Make yourself comfortable up front with Glitch! I've already ridden up there before, anyway."

"Uh, Rev, no, wait…!" Glitch started.

She paused and glanced at him. A hint of irritation automatically flashed across her face. The mild look made Glitch ease off.

"Never mind," he said. "You can, uh, sit back there if you want."

The response satisfied Rev, but she still appeared aggravated as she climbed behind the RAT's turret. If only Melvin wasn't so jumpy. Glitch would've had Rev sit up front with him, instead. He planned ahead, luckily, making sure to unload the turret's bullets in case Rev got curious. Regardless, the gun still continued to pique her interest during the ride. Glitch could hear her making gunshot noises while she pretended to man the turret in a firefight. He amusedly shook his head behind the wheel.

...

The shooting range was set up a few miles outside of Ridgebolt. With Mister Fixit's okay, Dr. Axon had been kind enough to have it put together for Glitch. Despite him insisting he didn't have to, Axon was adamant that Glitch had a proper place to practice with his weapons. The shooting range wasn't too shabby, in his opinion, with the setup reminding him of the range he frequented in Droid Town. Glitch had to admit that it would come in handy.

He parked the RAT and got down. Rev was just climbing down from the back as he came around to help her. Her tires met the ground before he offered. She must have known he planned to. Her optics narrowed slightly. Glitch quickly backed off with a nervous laugh. Rev followed him onto the range without saying anything. Melvin trailed behind, staying as far back as he could to keep himself safe. As Glitch guessed, he'd already begun to tremble a bit. Between him and Shooter, Glitch didn't know who won when it came to their fears of firearms. At least Shooter had some sort of appreciation for them. Melvin couldn't even bear to be near one.

Glitch accompanied Rev on the firing point. He held the Rocket Launcher for her while she got ready.

"You're right-handed, aren't you?" he asked her.

Rev blinked up at him. "Oh!" She laughed. "No, I'm actually left-handed. My bad, I should've told you."

"No, no, it's okay!" Glitch said. Admittedly, it surprised him. Every Droid he knew wielded guns with their right arms. Rev's dexterity was a bit of an anomaly. It became more obvious once Glitch noticed the difference in her left arm compared to her right. It appeared to have slight modifications made to it for the purpose, just like the dominant arms of other Droids. Glitch wondered if any of the other guardian Droids were left-handed, too. He watched Rev undo her left forearm, then placed the Rocket Launcher on for her. He waited for her to get comfortable with it before letting go. But once he did, she sort of faltered. Glitch felt himself get anxious.

"Uh…" Rev shifted her arm.

"You okay?" Glitch asked. "Is it too heavy? Here, lemme—"

"I'm good!" Rev smiled up at him as she adjusted herself. "Just feels a bit funny, that's all."

She must have been referring to the adjustments her CPU made to adapt to the new software. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it!" Glitch promised. "Alright, let me show ya how to hold it."

He helped her get into the proper stance. Rev carefully studied where he directed her legs and arms. Halfway through, he noticed her looking directly at him. Glitch tried to avert his gaze before their eyes locked, but he was too late. Rev obviously saw him freeze up. She raised a brow at him.

"I thought this was a shooting lesson," she joked, "not a staring contest!"

"Erm…" Glitch tried to speak, but he couldn't.

Rev giggled. "Ya big rockhead," she teased at him.

Glitch forced himself out of the stupor. He couldn't help but scream internally. That already made the second time it happened that morning.

"Umm, sooo, you gonna teach me how to use this bad boy, or what?" Rev prompted.

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" Glitch tried to concentrate. He didn't want to keep holding things up. Although Rev was trying to be playful about it, he had a feeling he was testing her patience. He pressed past the faux pas and resumed the lesson. Rev let him position the Rocket Launcher in the correct place. The enhancements made the form a little different from normal Launchers, but everything else remained the same. Rev focused through the crosshairs.

"Like this?" she asked.

"Yep, you got it!" Glitch gave her a thumbs up. "Try getting the closest target first," he suggested.

"Ok," Rev murmured. "Let's do this." Her voice lowered as she concentrated.

"Breathing slowly helps, too," Glitch relayed. "Breathe in, breathe out."

Rev tried it. She inhaled, allowing herself to get a steady aim, then exhaled.

"Now shoot!"

Rev fired. Her body jerked a little from the force as the projectile launched from the barrel. Glitch steadied her. They both watched the rocket hurl toward the target. The direct hit excited Rev to no end. She jumped up and down, cheering.

"Nice!" Glitch praised.

"Indeed, Miss Rev!" Melvin agreed. "Way to go!"

"That. Was. Awesome!" Rev did a happy jig. The delight in her eyes warmed Glitch in a way he didn't expect. He never felt it before. Something about seeing Rev happy…

A certain thought stopped him cold. He looked at Melvin. "Yo, Mel!" he said. "What time is it?"

Melvin looked at his watch, then up at Glitch again. "11:57," he reported.

"Crap, I'm gonna be late." Glitch started toward the RAT.

"Late for what?" Rev asked him.

Glitch was in too much of a hurry to answer. He jumped behind the wheel and pulled off.

Rev confusedly watched him go. She eventually blinked at Melvin. "What's he so late for?" she queried.

"He has an appointment with Dr. Axon," Melvin told her.

Rev tilted her head. "An appointment?" she echoed. "You mean, like, a checkup? But he's healed. Unless, it's a follow-up?"

"Well, he didn't disclose many details with me," Melvin admitted. "Dr. Axon keeps visits with his patients confidential."

Rev tentatively kicked a pebble near one of her tires. "I wonder what could be wrong," she fretted. "I hope he's okay."

...

Glitch made it back to Dr. Axon's lab. He heard Glitch come in. He turned away from his work and smiled warmly at him. "Ah, there you are, my dear boy, I've been expecting you!" he exclaimed.

"Hey again, Doc," Glitch greeted back.

Dr. Axon removed the gloves he wore as he approached him. "Well, now, what seems to be the trouble?" he asked. "You're all healed up! Is something else wrong?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Glitch confessed. "I was hoping maybe you could diagnose me?"

"Certainly!" Axon gave another grin. "I just need you to inform me of your symptoms."

Before long, Glitch was lying on a bed in the lab after telling Axon everything. He took Glitch's internal temperature, scanned his hardware, and ran a few diagnostics. About 40 minutes or so passed before Dr. Axon was done. He removed his gloves and Glitch sat up expectantly. "Anything?" he piped up.

"I am afraid not, Glitch." Dr. Axon shrugged. "As far as I can tell, you are in perfect working order. Everything appears fine."

"Oh." Glitch looked down at his dangling feet.

Dr. Axon thought to himself for a moment. Glitch noticed him pondering. After about a minute, Axon finally looked his way again. His eyes had reignited from an epiphany. "I was reconsidering your symptoms," he told Glitch. "They are not abnormal. They are simply rare!"

"What do ya think it is?" Glitch questioned.

"Why, Glitch…" Dr. Axon happily threw out his arms. "There's nothing wrong!" he exclaimed.

"Uhh, say what, now?" Glitch blinked at him, confused.

Axon's face suddenly became distant. It wasn't in a bad way, but rather the sign of a pleasant memory. Glitch looked at him quietly.

Dr. Axon started to explain. "Your feelings were far more common decades ago. Centuries, even. Droids were built to feel. They were built to experience. Over time, however, with the fall of Droid society perhaps, it has become a much more fleeting concept."

Glitch realized how much it made sense. Female Droids were a lot more common at one point, when Droid society prospered. But as war claimed Iron Star's surface and bots were remolded for battle, things became different. Resources plummeted, which made the production of she-Droids few and far in between, if at all. They became rarer as time went on. War changed it all.

"You feel this way about Rev, do you not?"

Glitch quickly looked up at Axon. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

"Oh, Glitch," Dr. Axon laughed, "it is nothing to be ashamed of! Rev is a wonderful young lady."

He placed a hand on Glitch's shoulder. Glitch managed to meet his gaze again with a light chuckle. It was something he'd need time to get used to. "Yeah, no, you were right," he said. "I only get this way when I'm with her."

"The feelings you have for Rev are very special, Glitch." Dr. Axon kept his hand on Glitch's shoulder, his eyes warm.

"How should I tell 'er?"

Axon's smile grew. "I have an idea."

...

Rev was still practicing with the Rocket Launcher when Glitch returned to the range. Melvin nervously watched her from a few feet away.

"Please be careful, Miss Rev!" he begged.

"I'm fine, Mr. Melvin," Rev sighed. "You don't need to get your springs in a bunch."

"How's she doin'?" Glitch chuckled while walking up.

"Er…" Melvin nervously twiddled his thumbs.

"Glitch!" Rev's face lit up when she saw him. "You're back! Is everything okay?"

"Yep, all good!"

"Thank goodness." Rev practically melted with relief. It left Glitch a tad surprised. His mystery appointment had worried her quite a bit. While he expected her to be curious, he didn't expect her to be nearly as concerned as she appeared to be.

"You're not scarin' Melvin with that thing, are ya?" he teased, pointing to the Rocket Launcher.

"She is," Melvin gulped.

Rev mildly rolled her eyes. "I don't know why. I've cleared out every target so far!" She wasn't kidding. Every target within close to medium distance had been reduced to rubble. Her daring disposition quickly returned. The streak had boosted her confidence. "Get a load of this!" she bragged.

She trained the Rocket Launcher the way Glitch showed her before he left. Her stance and aim were surprisingly spot-on. It was as though she'd handled the weapon numerous times before. She focused intently through the crosshairs. The intensity in her bright-green optics deepened as she concentrated. Glitch realized she was aiming for the farthest target, which was positioned a mile away. He and Melvin exchanged a glance, tensing a little. Would she make it?

Rev drew in a soft, deep breath. Time around her seemed to slow down as she set her sights on the prize. She prepared to fire on the inhale, then released after the exhale. The rocket left its barrel, making a straight shot. Glitch found himself tensing again as he watched the projectile hurl the target's way. Going…going…

…It missed.

The rocket was just a hair away from being a successful hit. The shot wasn't as perfectly straight as it first appeared. It was off only slightly, however. An audible sound of disappointment could be heard from Rev as the rocket made impact among the canyons in the distance.

"Aw…" Rev lowered the Rocket Launcher and sucked her lip. "Dang it," she sighed. "I was so close!"

Glitch sympathetically moved closer to her. "Don't worry," he assured her. "It's only your first day of practice! You're already more of a natural than I was startin' out!"

"Yes, swell job indeed, Miss Rev!" Melvin chimed in. "You're doing really well!"

Their words of encouragement perked Rev right back up. "Thanks!" she said. She was already brimming with confidence again. "Just gimme the rest of the month and I'll be a total badass!"

Glitch hoped she was close to wrapping up her target practice. He shifted a bit, trying to muster up the courage to tell Rev how he felt. She was removing the Rocket Launcher and replacing her arm when she noticed how nervous Glitch suddenly appeared.

"You good?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah!" Glitch nodded, trying not to appear even more awkward. His eyes locked with Rev's when he looked in her direction again. But his core seemed to skip a beat the way it did earlier and it made him look away. He stopped and remembered what Dr. Axon said. Afterwards, he managed to successfully look Rev in the eye the next time he tried. "I wanna take you out!" he told her.

Rev blinked at Glitch, taken aback. "You do? Where?" she asked.

She sounded eager. Glitch was relieved at that. "It's a surprise," he said. "But I know you'll like it!"

Rev's optics lit up with even more excitement. "Sweet! Lucky for you, sir, I like a real good surprise!"

Glitch had never been happier about a plan working.

"I'm ready when you are!" Rev exclaimed. "Let's roll!"

"Actually, we're gonna have to wait 'til nighttime," Glitch advised. "When the moon's out."

"Aw, darn!" Rev folded her arms and lowered her head, pretending to pout.

"That okay, Sharpshooter?" Glitch chuckled, amused.

Rev softly punched his arm. "Pssh, yeah!" she laughed.

...

Glitch carefully walked Rev in the right direction. It was dark where he brought her. He left his headlight off for a reason, however, relying on the glow of his own blue optics for the time being.

"Where in the world are you taking me, Glitch?" Rev's puzzled voice reverberated off the walls surrounding them. "Wait, hol' up." She pondered for a few seconds. "Echos?" she wondered. "Why the heck's it all echoey, Glitch? Where are we?"

"You'll see," Glitch promised from over her shoulder. "Trust me."

"Look, dude, if I'm gonna have to do, like, a trust fall off a cliff or something, it ain't happenin'," Rev firmly established. "Not when I can't even see where I am. Or is it a jumpscare? Am I gonna get jumpscared?"

Glitch had her blindfolded. She had no concept or sense of direction aside from his guidance. He had her pressed close in front of him while gently moving her forward by the arms. Her blind faith in him seemed to be waning with every uncertain question she had. Glitch wanted to move along faster, but he didn't want to make a sudden wrong step. The last thing he wanted was to send Rev or himself plummeting.

He finally made it where he wanted to be. He carefully stood Rev in the exact right spot. Then he untied her blindfold, which was just a piece of old tarp. Rev blinked a few times before glancing around. It was still dark. "So, uh, that's it?" she asked. "Is there supposed to be more to it, or…"

It happened right on time. The full moon came in directly up above. A break in the rocks overhead allowed a sliver of its light to pass into the cave below. The moonlight touched down inside and blossomed throughout, illuminating the space around them. It lit up the diamonds dotting the cave walls. The entire space was transformed before their eyes. The moonlight's effect on the diamonds made it look like they were standing inside a disco ball.

Rev stood in a stunned silence. She was astonished beyond expression. Glitch watched with satisfaction as she slowly took in everything around her. "Whoa…" It was the only thing she was able to say for some time. Eventually, she managed to articulate herself more. "It's so pretty," she breathed. "How…how did you know this was gonna happen?"

"Had a little birdie sing to me," Glitch told her. "I'll leave it at that and keep it a mystery for now."

"Aww, you're not gonna tell me?" Rev pretended to sulk again, hoping he'd break and say more. "Meanie!" she huffed.

It amused Glitch, but he wasn't going to fall for it. "Nope, nuh-uh!" he said, smirking. "Ain't gonna work!"

Rev chuckled. "Ok, Playa," she relinquished. "Smooth, real smooth!" She hugged him. "Thanks. It reminds me of disco. So I'm gonna call it the Disco Cave!"

Glitch found himself chuckling along with her. The nervousness was gone, for the time being, at least. If it came back, he'd cross the bridge when he got there. Right now, he seemed to be on-track to winning her. He could tell, especially as Rev began to twirl around under the sparkling light with laughter. Something stopped her after a while, though. She looked at Glitch with her head tilted.

"Wait a sec." She gave the cave another quick once-over. "Are we where I think we are?"

Glitch quietly gazed at her.

"Mac Mines?" she squeaked. "Are you serious?!"

She sped back into his arms. Her squeals and giggles filled Glitch's audio. He hugged her close.

"Best first date ever."

Rev looked up at him through her pleased whisper. Glitch blinked at her.

"Come on, dude!" she insisted. "The full moon, the diamonds, the perfect timing, the romantic energy…"

"I'm glad you're happy," Glitch murmured.

Rev nodded, still giggling. "Yeah, I am. This was so sweet of you."

She pulled away from him. Her eyes returned to the diamonds. She suddenly stepped into the ray of moonlight coming through the overhead opening. She stood under it quietly with her chin lifted, serenely gazing upward. Next, she raised her right hand and held it there. Glitch realized what she was doing and went over. He joined Rev in the pool of moonlight, stopping close behind her. He held up his right arm in the same manner. They stood silently and pretended to touch the moon together.

A couple of moments went by before Glitch gently entwined his fingers with hers, joining their hands together. They both had three digits. Her hand was smaller, so it fit into his quite nicely. He slowly wrapped his free arm around Rev and held her. They were still pretending they could feel the moon, as if it were only a touch away rather than miles.

They put their right arms down, hands still joined. Rev remained in Glitch's embrace. She was faced away from him while he continued holding her from behind. He had both arms around her before long. She turned her head, as if preparing to look up at him finally. Her eyes stayed lowered.

"I dig you, Sharpshooter," Glitch professed.

He lifted her chin so her gaze met his. She let him. They focused into each other's eyes.

"I dig you, too, Rockhead," Rev whispered back.

She turned herself in his arms so that she fully faced him. Glitch allowed Rev to gently pull him down to place his forehead against hers. The sensation warmed his headlight. They stayed together this way, in the moonlit cave of rare diamonds, sharing their first kiss.