Chapter 11
Ice.
It was the second of the planet's elements they explored. Glitch got to know its grippingly cold touch. The chill of the ice was all around him, enveloping him more powerfully than any sort of cold he experienced. He wondered if robots were even meant to. The winter gear he and the others wore helped, but the bitter chill of the snowy breeze put their overcoats to the test. Glitch at first thought it was silly for them to have to cover themselves up. Robots were made of metal. But when Dr. Axon explained just how dangerous freezing temperatures could be for them, it made Glitch think twice. Metal does, in fact, expand or contract in hot or cold conditions. But if a bot wasn't properly equipped, and if they stayed out in it for too long, they could expect the cold to freeze their circuits over. Depending on one's metal, it could lose its durability over time and grow brittle. It would crumble like nothing.
Glitch studied the vast, empty tundra around them as they trekked along. The thought of freezing to death in such an isolated place made him shudder. A Ridgebolt local flew them there on his plane. Dr. Axon would contact him to come back and pick them up once they found the gateway. Glitch hoped that would be soon. He stuck close to Feeble, the current head of the party. He was the only Droid out of the five of them to have explored the polar regions before. Glitch had brought himself to trust him. Feeble knew where to take them. He carefully led them over the grand stretch of ice beneath their feet. It wasn't easy. The ice was extremely slippery, causing them all to slide with nearly every step. Glitch remembered Rev and glanced over. It was especially hard for her. Her tires constantly rolled over the ice. She almost spun out of control every time she tried moving forward.
It came close to happening. Her tires spun in opposite directions and she almost wiped out on the ice. Glitch moved in just in time and caught her before she fell. He steadied her against himself.
Rev found her balance, sort of, and warmly looked at him. They shared an awkwardly endearing moment. Glitch could tell his hold took her by surprise, but it didn't take long at all for her to adapt. She softened up again.
"Thanks, Corporal." There was a playfulness in her tone.
"Not your idea of ice skating, is it?" Glitch kept up his affections while he held on to her.
There was another minute of silence between them. It started to feel a bit awkward for them both and Glitch pulled his stare away from her.
"Erm, still on the right track, Feeble?" he asked.
"Aye!" Feeble brightly confirmed. "We be on the right track, matey. I've traveled these parts many a time, I have. I know it better than the rust I got formin' on me—"
"The power chip should be somewhere under this ice." Dr. Axon hurried to cut him off. "The metal-detecting software in my radar has begun picking it up!"
"Awesome!" Rev eagerly commented.
The loud beeping from Dr. Axon's device got even faster. Everyone stopped together on the ice. Axon bent down where he stood. He held his radar over the ice in front of him. The beeping was now faster and louder than ever.
"Bingo!" Axon did a happy jig.
"How will we get it out?" Melvin inquired.
"I have drilling equipment in my hiking bag," Dr. Axon said. "Will you be so kind, Melvin, as to retrieve it for me? It should be right on top as soon as you open it."
Melvin unzipped the bag Axon carried on his back. The drilling device was at the top like he said. Melvin pulled it out and handed it to him. Glitch analyzed the contraption. Another one of Dr. Axon's whimsical, patented gadgets, he speculated. The Droid scientist switched it on. The drill sprung to life with a strong whirl.
"Alright, everyone, stand back!" Dr. Axon excitedly got to work drilling into the ice. His apparatus proved very effective. The drill appeared to be retractable. It extended for much longer than Glitch thought it would, traveling down into the ice with ease. He watched it go. It was like the ice wasn't even solid.
Dr. Axon finished forming a hole a minute later. He stopped the drill when he was almost a foot deep. He didn't go as far down as Glitch expected. Maybe the Morbot power chip wasn't as far under the ice as presumed. When he saw the hint of concern in Axon's eyes, however, it occurred to him something was wrong.
"What's up?" Glitch asked.
Dr. Axon stood upright. "Water," he announced.
Glitch felt Rev tense in his grasp. He leaned forward a little to see the inside of the hole more closely. Axon wasn't kidding. A dark, cold liquid gently sloshed back and forth farther down. Great. Water. A robot's worst nightmare.
"I merely used the drill to determine the thickness of the ice," Dr. Axon explained. "I wanted to test how far it reached before it touched liquid. We are pretty much standing over a frozen lake. The ice is no thicker than the time it took me to reach the water."
"You mean…the power chip's at the bottom of it?" Rev exchanged an uncertain glance with Glitch. He looked back at her with reassurance.
"Yes," said Dr. Axon. "I am afraid so. But this is something I expected, which is why I prepared!"
He pulled off his bag and sifted through it until he reached another one of his tools. He pulled out something akin to a fishing rod. But instead of a normal line and hook, it had a thick, braided nylon rope with a claw that opened and closed at the end. Axon was able to control the claw and the rope with basic controls.
Glitch was actually impressed. Was there anything he hadn't invented?
"I'm gonna need you for a moment, Glitch," Dr. Axon told him. "Do you think you can use your axe to widen the hole?"
"No problem!" Glitch took on the task. He glanced at Rev, who he happened to still be holding. "Think you can handle yourself for a little bit?" he jokingly asked her.
Rev nodded.
Glitch gently turned her loose. Rev took a second to get her balance. She found that so long as she kept still, she was fairly stable. Glitch pulled his pickaxe off his backpack and eased his way closer to the hole. He knelt down and started carefully chipping around it. Eventually, he got the hole big enough for Dr. Axon's claw to get through. It would hopefully be big enough for the chip, too.
"Righto!" Dr. Axon positioned the claw over it. He moved the crank on the side of his device to begin lowering it. The strong rope extended until the claw disappeared into the icy water. The others held their breath. Axon had to do this blindly. The power chip should have been sitting just below them in the water. But there was no way to tell how deep it really was. They could only hope the rope had a long enough reach. Dr. Axon picked it up on his radar, so it couldn't have been too far.
He must have finally felt something. Glitch saw him light up with hope. Dr. Axon turned to him and the others. "I think that was it!" he gasped.
"Nice!" Glitch remarked.
Axon squeezed the trigger to close the claw. With luck, it closed around the chip. He pulled the crank in the opposite direction to reel it up. Everyone continued holding their breaths, hoping to see the power chip in the claw's grip. The claw itself emerged…
…But it didn't have anything.
"Crud…" Rev sounded discouraged.
"It's quite all right!" Dr. Axon kept his hopes up. "It might take a couple of tries before we catch it."
He was right. Glitch and the others had all gotten comfortable on the ice by the time he was on his twelfth or so try. By the twentieth, he still hadn't gotten anywhere. He ended up passing it off to someone else in case they had more luck. Glitch took it first. He gave it several attempts before passing the device to Melvin right next to him. He wasn't very fortunate, either. Nor was Rev, or Feeble, or Dr. Axon when he had the device again.
It landed back on Glitch for the fourth time. He lowered the claw into the ice, as they had numerous times before. He let it down until he felt it hit the power chip. They weren't even sure if it was the chip anymore. Regardless, they all stayed determined. Glitch closed the claw around the object and started pulling the crank backwards to bring it up. The claw emerged…and there it was.
The five of them cheered. The Morbot power chip was safely enveloped in the claw's grasp. Glitch brought it away from the hole and set it down on a cloth as Dr. Axon instructed. It needed to be dried off before anyone could touch it. Axon ever so carefully placed the cloth over it and patted it dry. He picked the chip up when he was done. "Splendid!" he exclaimed.
A sudden, chilly breeze pierced everyone's metal faces. Glitch looked up at the snow coming in with it. The wind didn't die down but only grew stronger. Since they'd been out on the ice, the sky had darkened and the temperature seemed to have dropped.
"A blizzard be comin', mateys!" Feeble cautioned. "These winds ain't safe for even the toughest of Droids! Follow me and I'll get us to proper shelter, aye."
"Feeble is right!" Dr. Axon agreed. "We will freeze to death if we stay out here."
It didn't take long for them to get out of the cold, thankfully. Feeble led the group into a cave in the side of a nearby mountain. It effectively kept them out the snow. It was with good timing, too, since the blizzard had just begun to pick up. By the time they were settled, the steady snowfall had evolved into a full-blown storm. The five of them sat around a freshly-made fire with equipment set up. For a while, they sat together in silence, focusing mainly on staying warm. Dr. Axon took the time to collect samples. Glitch sat back and listened to the blizzard's howling wind. It sounded like an off-key melody from inside the cave. He looked out at the powerful, icy gusts beyond the entrance. If the group was still in it, they wouldn't have been able to see two feet in front of themselves.
Glitch saw Rev sitting near him. Like everyone else, she shivered somewhat against the cold despite her layers. She concentrated on the fire's warmth. Glitch moved closer to her with a blanket in hand. He placed it around her. Rev looked up at him.
"Better?" he asked her.
Rev smiled and gratefully nodded. "Thank you."
Glitch noticed something in her demeanor. She didn't quite seem like herself. She seemed more shy. He wondered if he was the cause. Maybe she just thought the gesture was nice.
"Good thing we found the power chip before the blizzard kicked in," Glitch said in an effort not to make things weird.
Rev met his gaze again. "Yeah, totally!" she agreed.
Glitch smiled at her.
"I was getting a little worried," Rev admitted. "I was scared we wouldn't be able to get it out the ice. But I'm glad we did."
Her green eyes warmed again as she finished her sentence. Glitch froze as he saw them. He seemed to every time he did. It was like he felt himself getting sucked in and lost in them. He kept staring. He feared it would make Rev uncomfortable, but it didn't. She stared back at him, instead. Glitch realized they were probably thinking some of the same things. But he didn't know for certain.
Their interaction was brought to a standstill by Feeble. He was in the middle of one of his signature antics. Something swooped in from deeper in the cave. It narrowly missed Melvin's head when he ducked from it, screaming. Feeble saw the unknown creature and drew his dagger. The encounter triggered his pirate alter ego. "Arrgh!" he yelled. "Attack me crew, will ye? Come down from yer skies so I can pluck yer metal feathers with me blade, ye gravity-defyin' monster!"
"Feathers…?" Glitch repeated, confused a little.
The light from the fire revealed the creature after it flew in closer. It settled on the cave floor in the middle of the group. Everyone studied it with a mix of curiosity and astonishment.
"An owl!" Dr. Axon exclaimed. "Magnificent!"
The owl made a soft "Hoo!" noise. Glitch had never heard anything quite like it. He'd never even seen a creature of this sort before. There certainly weren't any near Droid Town. The mechanical bird rustled its shiny, silver-looking feathers.
"Fascinating!" Axon breathed. "Its feathers are made of aluminum. It is very ductile, incredibly resistant to these temperatures. A marvelous design, indeed!"
Feeble didn't think so. He ran at the owl with a fierce scream, dagger in hand. "Arrgh, I gut the thing good!" he roared.
Dr. Axon and Melvin worked together to restrain him.
"Stop, Mr. Feeble, please don't hurt it!" Melvin begged.
"Yeah, Feeble, leave it alone!" Rev chimed in. "The owl's cute!"
The owl wasn't threatened. It rustled its feathers one last time before casually flying back into the cave. Feeble calmed down and put his dagger away once he saw it leave. "That's right," he grumbled, "ye best keep it movin'."
Glitch and the others laughed.
...
Sleep came quickly for everyone, except Dr. Axon, apparently. When Glitch came around in the middle of the night, he noticed him alone. He sat in silence at the mouth of the cave, his back turned to the group. He was likely focused on the blizzard outside. The snow continued raging down at an angle, a flurried sheet of white stars against a black canvas. It gave off an eerie sort of calmness. Glitch would've liked to think Dr. Axon stayed up to watch the nightly snowfall. But he knew that wasn't the case. Something was keeping him up.
Glitch studied him for a while longer before getting up and joining him. Axon didn't bat an eye, even after he settled beside him. His frost-blue optics remained unchanging, fixated only on the storm outside the cave entrance.
"You good?"
Glitch's gentle question pulled Dr. Axon out of his stupor. He looked at him finally. "Oh, yes!" He quickly nodded his head. "Yes, my boy, I am fine. Thank you for asking."
"Can't sleep?"
Dr. Axon sighed. "I am afraid not," he answered.
He went quiet again. Glitch could tell Axon had something pressing on his mind. It left him distant, a touch absentminded. He glanced up after a minute or so.
"I was merely thinking of Exavolt." He gave a sad smile.
Glitch studied Dr. Axon's body language. It was surprising to see someone sport a grin of any kind when it came to Exavolt. Seeing one on Axon told Glitch that there were memories there. Happy ones.
"There were better times, huh?" Glitch guessed.
Dr. Axon turned back to the blizzard outside before he answered. "Yes. There were, indeed."
Silence befell them once more. Glitch allowed Dr. Axon to have the minute to himself out of respect. He saw something out there, out in the snowstorm, beyond it, possibly. It was something no other bot could see. The distant stare came over Colonel Alloy when he talked about Epsilon. It was a look of past experience, of a time from long ago. Glitch had an idea of what Axon was feeling. Whatever time or place he was reliving in his head, he would've given anything to go back.
"We were very close." He began to go on. "We were not just brothers, Exavolt and I. We were best friends."
"I remember you saying he was the head scientist," Glitch said. "That he was the oldest out of you all. How many of you were there?"
"There were six of us."
"Six?" It surprised Glitch.
"Yes," Dr. Axon giggled. "Exavolt, Iris, Tungsten, Radius, Kilo, and me." He gave another small laugh. "Kilo was the youngest. Quite the jester." Axon thought fondly of him before continuing. "Iris was the second oldest, and the only girl. She was arguably as smart as Exavolt. They were friendly rivals. I was the third oldest, then came Radius, Tungsten, and finally Kilo."
Glitch continued listening. Their ages probably went by the order in which they were built. He recalled Duke and Nuke. Duke said he was built first, so that made him the big brother.
"A bit of trivia while it is on my mind," Dr. Axon said. "Exavolt's name is a variant of our oldest predecessor's name: Millivolt. It was a tradition among the Droid scientists to pass the 'volt' down to the eldest of the next generation."
The distant scour returned to Dr. Axon's face. The current Dr. Exavolt reclaimed his place in his thoughts. Glitch saw the immediate change.
"Not a day goes by where I do not think of the others." Axon sadly met Glitch's gaze. "I miss them," he professed. "And I miss Exavolt. Not the one we are facing now. The one before."
A subtle crack in his voice stifled him. Sympathy tugged at Glitch's wires. It was impossible for him not to feel terrible for Dr. Axon. He tried putting himself in his shoes. He tried picturing what it was like to be one of two remaining siblings after losing four others. One would think that after only having each other, the last two siblings would stay as close as possible. But with Axon and Exavolt, the complete opposite happened. For whatever reason, Exavolt chose a dark path, and his only remaining brother suffered for it.
But despite his sorrow, Dr. Axon somehow managed a smile as he looked down. "I try not to allow myself to reach such a difficult place. When Exavolt and the others cross my mind, I try not to think too much of what became of us all. I think, instead, of all the wonderful times we shared."
His optics were still sad when he looked over at Glitch again, but now they carried a tinge of hope, as well. Glitch thoughtfully looked back at him.
"We lived for thousands of years," Dr. Axon said. "Long before Corrosive, before the lab was destroyed. We had plenty of time together. Plenty of time to form good memories."
Glitch's jaw nearly dropped. "Wait, did you say…"
Dr. Axon nodded, laughing. "Precisely! I told you my metal parts were old!"
Glitch was stunned. He knew Axon and Exavolt were old, but by millennia? Axon mentioned them being very young when Exavolt worked on Project Doomsday. The clash between the Droids and Morbots. Exavolt acquiring the Morbite from them. Aiding them in creating the guardian Droids. It all fell into place for Glitch. The timeline made perfect sense. It all happened thousands of years ago. Which would mean…
I'm thousands of years old, too.
He remembered Rev sleeping nearby. He glanced at her. She was still snuggled up under the blanket he put over her. They were both thousands of years old. By the time they were discovered and repaired, they'd been deactivated for just that long.
There were so many things Glitch wished he knew. He longed to know what life was like before. Who was he before the Droid Rebellion pulled him from the ruins? How did he get there? How did Rev end up in the junkyard to be found by Mister Fixit? Whatever happened, the answers were there. And Glitch was ready for them.
He and Dr. Axon were interrupted by the owl from before. It swooped in from deeper in the cave. It flew in straight for them. It landed in Glitch's lap before he could even think to react. He chuckled. He expected the owl's metal feathers to hurt, but they didn't. It turned its head at a 180 degree angle to peer up at him.
Dr. Axon chuckled, too. "Our visitor has come back!" he commented.
"Yeah, he has." Glitch studied the owl with amusement. It appeared to be male. Glitch could feel him shivering in his arms for some reason. He looked at Axon. "I think he's cold," he observed.
"Are you sure?" Dr. Axon tilted his head. "His aluminum feathers are resistant to it."
Glitch studied the owl more closely. His large, round, amber optics were fearful. He wasn't shivering from the cold at all. He was trembling. Something scared him. It was why he made his way back to the front of the cave.
"We gotta go." Glitch took the owl and stood. "Let's wake up the others."
They rushed over to Rev, Feeble, and Melvin and shook them all awake. Feeble went into pirate mode as they expected. This time, they let him.
"Keep up that energy, buddy," Glitch told him. "Captain Iron-Eye's finna come in handy in a sec!"
...
Shooter flinched from the thunderous sound of a fist slamming down on a table. Colonel Alloy stood over a digital map of the region with his soldiers inside a tent. This was the most frustrated Shooter had ever seen him. Between the bitter cold and their lack of success on the mission so far, his gasket was ready to blow.
"I don't give a damn what we have to do!" the Colonel hollered. "I don't care how long it takes! We're finding that base if it's the last thing we do!"
"But, Colonel, we don't even know where the base is," his lieutenant objected. "It doesn't show up on our satellite images. Nothing's even coming up on the map!"
Colonel Alloy leaned over the table with his hands planted on the surface. His soldiers only needed to read the sternness on his face for a moment to realize just how serious he was. He stared them all down while slowly gnashing his jaws. "It's out here." His voice was low, and he slowly delivered his words. "'Mil R & D Headquarters, Polar Regions of Iron Star.' That's what the file said. Now we either hurry up and find it, or we freeze our ball bearings off."
A few uncertain "Yes, sirs" came from his men. They returned to their assignments. Shooter stayed quiet as the Colonel started approaching him on his tire. He did not like being in the path of an angry Alloy. Shooter wondered how Glitch handled it during his time with the Rebellion. He hoped they found the Mil base soon, but things weren't looking up. The base was nowhere to be found on their maps or satellites, nor was Vex. It was like the headquarters were invisible. Dr. Exavolt did a good job keeping them hidden in the tundra. A part of Shooter really did think there was nothing to be uncovered, that they were all alone on the barren, icy landscape. But he knew that wasn't the case. Dr. Exavolt's headquarters had to be out there. Finding them would just take time. But that was something they didn't have much of. The polar regions' freezing temperatures were unforgiving, and after spending over three weeks in its grip, resources were dwindling. Shooter didn't blame Colonel Alloy for being frustrated, not when they were getting closer to freezing to death by the day.
He put on a semi-nervous smile when the Colonel was upon him. He held up one of the two mugs he had for the both of them. "Antifreeze?" he offered. "I, uh, made us some!"
Alloy sighed and took a mug. He blew on the drink before sipping. It seemed to calm him, even if only a little. He drew the mug from his lips. "Thank you, Shooter," he huffed.
"So, still no luck?" Shooter took a sip from his own mug.
"Oh, what do you think?" Colonel Alloy pulled off his helmet and set it down. "Does it look like we're gettin' anywhere?"
"Er, I guess you're right," Shooter admitted.
The Colonel plopped down into a chair. He set his drink down and let out a tired groan from the other side of his hand as he rubbed his face. His disheveled disposition was obvious, even through his thick brown leather coat and matching gloves. He was fully healed, at least, and he clearly wanted a vacation, where he could take the time to celebrate his health. Shooter wished there was more he could do. Colonel Alloy was reluctant to take him along on the mission at first, until he considered the young Droid's unique weapons expertise. He'd seen his potential to be of use. Shooter didn't feel very useful at the moment, however.
He sat down with Alloy. His hot cup of antifreeze warmed his hands, soothing them a bit. The pierce of the cold made Shooter's metal digits creaky and numb. I wonder how Glitch is doing right about now. The thought crossed his mind. He was probably doing a whole lot better on his mission.
A sound from beyond the tent made Shooter and the Colonel jerk their heads up. The other soldiers inside stopped in the middle of their work. Everyone looked toward the tent's zipped entrance. Although it was distant, it sounded like it came from a life form of some kind. It was a roar.
Colonel Alloy bolted up. "What on Iron Star was that?" he quietly uttered.
Shooter joined him in standing. He kept his eyes forward. The roaring was soon followed up with faint, rapid pops. Shooter looked at Alloy. Gunfire. Whoever was out there—with whatever was out there—was having a tough night.
...
Glitch fired his Level 3 Rivet Gun at an armored ice beast as it leaped at the group from inside the cave. He managed to land a few hits before having to roll to one side to avoid a swipe from one of its large tentacles. He shot in the same area once the monster exposed it again. The flaming rivets undid a fraction of the armor when they detonated. A large, bright beam shot past Glitch shortly after. It was an energy blast. The powerful ray repelled the enormous creature, knocking it backwards. Glitch backed up and glanced at the others over his shoulder. Axon's rifle cannon smoked in his hands.
"Ya got any idea what the heck this is, Dr. Axon?!" Glitch called to him.
"A sea monster of some kind!" Axon responded. "It must have been residing in the water under the ice!"
The sea monster didn't stay down from the blast for long. The attack only succeeded in ticking it off further. It extended a tentacle toward Glitch while he was faced away.
"Watch out!"
Rev's urgent cry made Glitch look forward. But it was too late; he felt the tentacle wrap tightly around him. It aggressively pulled him in. Glitch dug his fingers into the snow to keep from being dragged away. The rest of the group rushed to pry him free.
"Try shooting it again, Dr. Axon!" Rev frantically suggested.
"I would, but my rifle needs time to recharge!" Dr. Axon pointed out.
"Arrrrgh!" Feeble drew his dagger. "Submit to Captain Iron-Eye, ye many-legged hell spawn!" he commanded.
He ran toward the monster at full speed.
"Feeble, wait, no!" Melvin called after him.
Feeble—or, Captain Iron-Eye—ignored the plea. He kept a straight path toward the great, tentacled beast raging before him. He slashed at its armor with his dagger. It proved completely useless against it, but he didn't know that. As far as Feeble was concerned, the sea monster was getting a taste of his pirate fury. It noticed him on the ground soon enough. Without warning, it swatted down at him with hundreds of tons worth of force.
Rev lowered her visor. She broke off from the others and sped toward him. She reached Feeble just in time and tackled him out of the way. The tentacle the monster tried crushing him with slammed into the ground where he previously stood. Rev protected Feeble during their brief roll across the snow. She lifted her visor and glared at him.
"Feeble, that was nuts, what were you thinking?" she scolded.
Feeble still seemed to be in his own world. Rev realized she was talking to Captain Iron-Eye instead. He stood and looked up at the sea monster.
"Its weakness." He didn't take his single eye off it. "I know its weakness!"
"Wait, what?! Feeble, no—"
He didn't listen to Rev; he took off running yet again.
Glitch twisted around and shot the tentacle that gripped him. It made the sea monster loosen its grasp, giving Dr. Axon and Melvin the opportunity to pull him free. He switched to his Barrage Cannon. This had the firepower Glitch needed, he had a feeling. The sea monster reared back and let out another roar. It was shrill but thunderous, powerful enough to shake the ground under everyone's feet. Glitch got into position. He had a perfect shot at the sea monster's underside.
"Steady…," he whispered.
He almost fired before he saw a bot jumping up in front of his crosshairs. Glitch lowered his Barrage Cannon. It was in time to see Feeble land on one of the sea monster's tentacles. He had a perfect position in front of its face. It opened its mouth, bearing thousands of razor-like, metal teeth. Feeble leaped right inside and disappeared down its throat.
Glitch stifled a gasp. He, nor any of the others, could believe what Feeble had just done.
