Chapter 15

The Droid Rebellion's armored trucks soared over the snow. The trip northwest was a day long as Dr. Axon projected. It was smooth most of the time, until they drew closer to the mountains. The ride roughened as the ground made a transition from flat, icy terrain to frosty rocks. Almost every bump was felt with each fragment the off-road tires moved over. Glitch got a peek of the path ahead from the back of his team's truck. The mountains were approaching.

The two trucks in front of them stopped a few minutes later. Glitch's truck halted beside them. They sat a couple of miles out from the heart of the mountain range. The headquarters themselves weren't yet visible from their position, but there was evidence of their presence. Plumes of thick, black smoke silently rose from the range. They created a dark cloudscape overhead, muddying the polar sky with its inky shades. Lorkrid's tribesmen spoke of such smoke.

"That must be coming from the base. A factory of some kind."

Colonel Alloy's calculation made Glitch look at him. He was seated at the team's head. At the moment, he was turned away, his eyes placed into a pair of binoculars to study the smoke. He pulled them from his face and returned his attention to the squad. "Ok, men, listen up!" he began. "We do this by the book. We infiltrate, not interfere. We're not in a position to fight. Once the layout comes back, you'll follow the paths set out for you. They should keep you outta sight while you find that chip. Everybody got that?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the team answered.

Glitch stayed silent. He kept his goggled head down and twiddled his gloved thumbs. He was clad in Rebellion stealth gear like the rest of the team. So was Dr. Axon. He continued clicking around on his virtual remote control to prepare his aerial tech. They both shared similar worries about the mission. Glitch could only hope it went smoothly. If it didn't, he'd at least be glad that the other three of his party members would be okay. Rev advocated to stay behind on the campsite to keep Feeble company. Melvin stayed behind, too, to care for Dipper.

Glitch suddenly heard strange chattering and glanced ahead of him. Shooter was part of the team. Right now, he struggled to sit still in his seat. He couldn't stop himself from trembling. Some of the soldiers were laughing at him among themselves. Glitch gave a sparingly audible huff. If it wasn't Melvin who was scared, it was Shooter. Fear was natural, but it was only a stealth mission. How would Shooter be in the heat of combat?

"Come on, bro!" Glitch said. "I thought you wanted to get into field work."

"I know..." Shooter finally managed to stop his body from shaking so much.

Glitch's optics softened. He didn't have to be so hard on him. Just the fact that Shooter was willing to get involved was honorable enough. Only months before, he wouldn't have even joined them in the tundra. There was something different about Shooter now. He wasn't the same one from before. The recent developments with Exavolt, Vex, and the Mils changed him. No longer was he willing to sit around on the sidelines. He wanted to be of service, and that was something Glitch could really respect.

"Want a tip?" Glitch offered.

Shooter awkwardly adjusted his goggles and pocket protector. "A tip?"

"For the field."

"Sure!" Shooter sat up, interested.

"If things get dicey, just try to breathe." Glitch quickly demonstrated. "In and out," he said. "Can ya do that?"

"Uhh, yeah!" Shooter nodded. "I…probably can."

"Show me." Glitch sat back in his seat to watch him.

Shooter breathed in and out the way Glitch just taught him. Afterwards, he was much calmer. He seemed to realize this himself and smiled.

Glitch clapped. "You're a natural, bud!" he praised.

Shooter proudly puffed out his chest. Glitch briefly averted his gaze. He could only hope things wouldn't get dicey.

A series of beeps made them look over. Dr. Axon completed what he was doing. He glanced up from his screen. "My drones are now fully calibrated, Colonel!" he announced. "They are ready for launch!"

"Excellent work, Doctor." Alloy gave a gesture. "Open the roof," he directed.

A pair of team members in the last row of the truck worked together to open its hatch. Light poured in from above once they did. There was a series of soft whirring sounds from the drones before they left through the roof. Dr. Axon had just released them. The sleek aerial devices lifted high into the air. Under Dr. Axon's guidance, they made a straight shot toward the mountains. His virtual remote control provided an overhead map of the area. He stopped the drones just shy of the base. Glitch saw the facility from Axon's screen. There they were: the Mil R & D Headquarters. The facility was colossal in size. It was hard to believe it had been so easily hidden within the mountains.

Dr. Axon raised the drones higher to get clearer views of the headquarters. He positioned them in a specific formation before pressing a button on the side of his remote control. The drones took pictures. A little less than a minute passed before the images came back. The drones got snapshots of the facility at different angles.

"Righto!" Dr. Axon exclaimed. He blew up the aerial images on the monitor in the truck.

Everyone studied the pictures. They'd undoubtedly satisfied Colonel Alloy as he gave a grin. "Not so top-secret now, are ya?" he beamed.

"Bringing the drones back now." Dr. Axon sent a signal for them to begin making their return. They came back safe and sound, dropping down into the truck where they were positioned before takeoff. The hatch was resealed.

Dr. Axon zoomed in on the photos and enhanced them. They each showed different entry points. The entrances were heavily guarded by Mil soldiers as they'd all suspected.

"How will we get in?" Glitch asked.

"Ah, here's a spot."

One of the photos had captured a vent near the top of the building. It was located in an area considerably secluded compared to the rest of the facility's perimeter.

"There's the money," Alloy commented.

"Colonel, look here!"

Dr. Axon pointed out the main hangar. It was located on the far side of a helipad on the west side of the main building. The hangar door was opened to allow a wave of troops inside from a freshly landed carrier.

"An entry point for the RCs," Axon noted.

"But won't they get caught?" the Colonel questioned.

"Not if I am careful," Dr. Axon said. "They are small, quick, and silent. I should be able to get them through so long as I can make it in time before that door closes."

Alloy nodded. "Alright, let's give it a shot."

It didn't take long for Axon to prepare his RCs. He sent the signal to the next truck over.

"Their systems are a-go!" He gave Colonel Alloy a thumbs up. "You may notify the other truck."

The Colonel spoke into his radio. "This is Unit 1 to Unit 2. The RCs are ready for action. Send 'em out."

"Copy that, Colonel." Another voice confirmed his order from the other side. "Sending them out now!"

The Unit 2 truck's back doors opened. Under Dr. Axon's control, the RCs rolled out onto the snow. They were tiny remote-controlled cars. And by tiny, they were no longer than an index finger and no wider than three fingers put together.

They could see the RCs racing through the snow from their truck. The miniature, computerized vehicles made a beeline for the mountains. Glitch wondered how well they would fare in the long climb up. He waited to see. Dr. Axon never failed a task he'd been given.

His devices eventually made it to the base of the mountain range. He had a clear visual of the rocky path ahead of each RC. There were three in total. Axon controlled the main RC, and the other two followed. He had the ability to switch between them if he needed to. They began their journey up the mountain face. Dr. Axon's visuals grew bumpy along the way, but it was still fairly easy for him to monitor the progress. His little creations proved successful so far. They were halfway up the mountain before long. A bit longer, and they arrived at the base in one piece. A collective relief swept the group, but the task wasn't over yet. Axon still needed to reach the west hangar before it closed.

He turned the RCs in the appropriate direction. According to the snapshots, the hangar was just around the corner. It came up on Axon's visuals after a final turn. The hangar door could be spotted straight ahead. It was already coming back down. Dr. Axon upped the speed on the RCs and kicked it in gear.

"Come on, come on…" Colonel Alloy quietly chanted for them to make it in time.

It was close, but the journey became another success. The RCs sped through a second before the door sealed. Glitch could see the base's interior from Dr. Axon's screen. It was only a small section, but he could tell the headquarters were massive. Mapping its layout hopefully wouldn't be too tall of an order for Axon.

"This will be tricky, but it shouldn't be too difficult if I keep the cars out of sight," Dr. Axon murmured. "Enabling the mapping system now."

His system generated a rough layout of the facility's interior. A quick count of the layers revealed the number of floors. There were five, including an underground floor housing the research departments and factory. The layout took at least two minutes to complete. Axon placed it in the top left corner of the screen to retain focus on the RCs' visuals. Afterwards, he began moving them forward. He had the RCs follow a pair of Mil personnel. They ended up on an elevator not far from the west hangar. It briefly descended. Dr. Axon quickly moved the RCs after the personnel once they stepped out.

They led the tiny cars down a tunnel-like corridor until they arrived at a large sliding door. It required clearance. One of the personnel placed their right hand against a scanner. It read their blueprint before granting them access. The door slowly came open, and the pair entered. Dr. Axon rolled the RCs in after them. The door gave way to a grand lab facility with multiple research rooms. The two personnel were Mil scientists. They approached another one of their colleagues in the atrium. A momentary exchange of words preceded the third Mil scientist showing the first two a series of readings. The three of them went over the calculations together.

Glitch exchanged a glance with Alloy and Axon. "I wonder what they're saying."

"No idea." Dr. Axon shrugged. "It involves an experiment, if I have to guess."

There were plenty of those. A quick survey from the RCs showed glimpses of some of the scientists' recent work. Parts for new Milbots were carried in and out of rooms. One of the RCs provided a visual of a nearby research department. The door slid open to allow a scientist inside. There was a quick glimpse of a prototype of some kind being submerged in magma. It didn't survive. The door slid shut again before they could see anything else.

"Er, alrighty, then." Dr. Axon awkwardly cleared his throat. "Why don't I hurry along with the scan?"

He made it quick. Once he was done, he followed another Mil scientist back out of the lab. They went into the factory next door. This was where the final products were assembled. The scientist angrily approached a nearby Mil working the assembly. Although the RCs didn't have sound, it wasn't hard to determine that the scientist was yelling at the worker. They pointed to their watch, berating the bot about the time. The worker shouted something back at them. They instantly regretted it. The Mil scientist delivered a shock from their fingers that subdued the worker to the floor. The bot turned out to be a slave to the scientists, forced to manufacture their newest lines of troops. Dr. Axon scanned the room before following the scientist out and returning above ground.

The first ground sector of the base appeared to consist of amenities. There were Mil soldiers in the hub. Dr. Axon was careful to keep the RCs hidden in the shadows. The area was moderately populated, with Mils crowding the bar and conversing at dining tables.

"Didn't know they were allowed to have fun," Glitch quipped.

"They like roughhousing, too." Colonel Alloy pointed to a broken table.

Dr. Axon scanned the area. It was clearly too populated to sneak through. "Not a promising route for obvious reasons," he said. "Fortunately, we will not need to come this way."

He continued the mapping process, advancing to the next floor after every scan. It proved tedious, especially when having to keep the RCs out of sight. Glitch understood this part of the operation was necessary, however. The visuals would be of value to intelligence.

Dr. Axon arrived at the top floor. He was on his way down the corridor when a bot came along from the opposite end. He pulled the RCs under a table with an art piece to keep them hidden. He positioned the main car to get a view of the robot. Axon's eyes widened upon recognizing them.

"Exavolt!" Glitch breathed.

"See if you can find out where he's going, Axon," Colonel Alloy suggested.

"I am already on it." Dr. Axon dutifully prepared to wheel the RCs after his brother once his back was turned. Exavolt had stopped outside of a door across from the table in the hall. He got ready to go in, only for something to stop him. At that moment, Dr. Exavolt suddenly twisted around to look at the table. Dr. Axon withdrew the RCs farther underneath, pulling them out of sight again. Dr. Exavolt's optics landed directly on the main car's camera.

Everyone held their breaths.

Luckily, it wasn't the RC cars Exavolt saw. Something else had caught his attention. He waltzed up to the table to admire the art piece. Glitch and the others watched him take it into his hands and turn it over to examine every inch. He seemed to be saying something, likely just expressing his appreciation for the piece. It wasn't anything to write home about, in Glitch's opinion. The art piece was a medium-sized collectible figure, a weeping clown or something of that nature. It was a waste of whatever material it was crafted from. "Hideous" would've been a more polite word to describe it. Exavolt finally put it down again. He turned back around to go into the room. The door slid open. This was Dr. Axon's chance.

The three RC cars trailed right behind Exavolt. They managed to make it into the room after him. Axon positioned the RCs throughout by manually controlling each of them, hiding them behind different pieces of furniture and other objects. This gave him a view from three different angles. Dr. Exavolt went behind his desk and sat in his expensive chair. He relaxed his body against the leather. This room was his office. A lifetime of valuable art decorated the space. Exavolt took the time to gander at his pricey accumulation. An oil painting of himself captivated him. It took a long time for his gaze to leave the portrait. Glitch rolled his eyes. The guy was an even bigger egomaniac than he thought.

"Wait a minute. Look up there!"

Dr. Axon zoomed in on the display case behind his brother. There were many objects positioned on the shelves, but one in particular became a point of interest for the team: Krunk's Morbot power chip. It only made sense for Dr. Exavolt to have it there. It was a trophy, just like the other items he kept on the shelves.

"X marks the spot!" Dr. Axon beamed.

Glitch and Alloy exchanged a hopeful glance.

Axon brought up the layout again. After silently going over it, he came across a possible path not too far from the vent the team would enter through. It would be the easiest route to avoid security and other personnel.

"You are all in luck." Axon smiled. "The vent is not too far from the office on the top floor! This path will get you there in a jiffy!"

"Splendid!" Colonel Alloy also smiled. "We'll wait for him to leave the room again. Then, we get ready."

Axon resumed monitoring Exavolt. The RCs continued capturing him inside his office. Suddenly, he stood up again and moved from behind his desk. He went over to one of his figures and picked it up to look over it in the same way he did the weeping clown. This one appeared to be a porcelain geisha bot.

Out of nowhere, an individual barged into the office while he was still in the middle of admiring the figure. The bot startled Exavolt badly enough to make him drop it. The geisha shattered on the floor.

"What's going on?" Glitch blinked at the footage.

"I have no clue." Dr. Axon softly shook his head, equally puzzled.

...

"You fool! Do you have any idea how valuable that was? It was a gift from an ambassador!"

Dr. Exavolt raised his head from his figure's broken remains to berate the Milbot. The low-ranking officer gave his armor an awkward adjustment. "Er, I apologize, sir," he said. "I have news."

"News?" Exavolt repeated.

"Intelligence received visuals of possible intruders," the officer reported.

"Oh?" Exavolt smiled.

"They are here, sir." The officer smiled back. "Just as you were expecting."

"Excellent." Dr. Exavolt placed his hands behind his back. "Notify the General and the Lieutenant." He glanced at the Morbot power chip in his display case. It shimmered under the office light. His grin widened. "This," he said, "is going to be fun."

The officer saluted and turned to leave.

Exavolt remembered the shattered figure. He frowned at the fragments on the floor, then rolled his eyes and pressed a button on his office phone. "I need a cleaner," he huffed. "Someone get in here and pick up this mess."

...

The team watched the Mil soldier walk out of Exavolt's office from the RC cameras. Not long after the Doctor finished talking into a speaker, another Milbot entered to clean up the mess. Glitch looked up at Colonel Alloy. His face dulled. He knew something wasn't right.

"I have a bad feeling." Dr. Axon spoke up from the other side of his screen.

"You're right," Alloy agreed. "That conversation wasn't good."

It didn't take long for the cleaner bot to finish with the porcelain mess. It scooped up the last of the fragments and dashed out of Dr. Exavolt's office as quickly as it arrived. Exavolt was alone again. He slowly paced back and forth with his head lowered. He didn't seem upset anymore. On the contrary, he had a coolness about him that only told Glitch he had something planned. It was painfully frustrating not knowing what it could be. A needle of worry pricked his circuits. Something was going to happen, something huge.

Exavolt spent a bit more time pacing before coming to a stop. He was still within view of the RC cameras, until he suddenly slipped out of sight. Glitch and the others stared at Dr. Axon's screen in utter confusion.

"Where'd he go?" Colonel Alloy demanded.

Dr. Exavolt showed his face in front of the main camera. The lens' fisheye effect made his sinister grin all the more unnerving. Glitch's core dropped to his feet. He could tell everyone else had the same experience in that moment.

The mission had been compromised.

A loud wailing sound could be heard in the distance. Glitch and the team glanced in the direction of the mountains. It was an alarm.

"Dammit, he knows we're here!" Colonel Alloy alerted the other trucks. "Everyone, fall back! Exavolt's on to us! We need to abort ASAP! Go, go, go!" He motioned toward their driver. "Go, I said!" he ordered.

...

General Epsilon stood to the left of his Milbot troops outside the headquarters' main sector. Lieutenant Ivy joined him. She stood back and watched with a deviously pleasant smile as Epsilon sent out the soldiers.

"Wave 1, engage!"

His troops got ready. They spread their retractable wings and positioned themselves for takeoff.

"Go!"

The soldiers followed the General's command. They took to the air and headed for their targets. Epsilon stood with Ivy and watched the launch. His smiling metallic lips gripped a partially finished cigar.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" he asked.

The Lieutenant smiled in return. Though she said nothing, the satisfaction in her aqua eyes made her emotions clear.

...

Tidal waves of snow flew from the armored vehicles' tires as their drivers slammed them into reverse. Only seconds later, sleek objects could be seen flying out from the heart of the mountain range. There were hundreds. Their formations dotted the polar skies. Glitch saw them coming their way overhead. They were Mil aerial bombers. They launched their first attack on the moving targets. The three trucks struggled to dodge the rainfall of bombs. Glitch braced himself against the violent swerving. He caught a glimpse of Dr. Axon and Shooter's frightened faces. Colonel Alloy sat in a grave silence while clinging to the railing inside the truck.

They successfully maneuvered through the first aerial assault. But the attackers were far from done. A group of fifty or so bombers came together overhead, positioning themselves directly above the trucks. They delivered a converged attack. The single blast obliterated Unit 2. Glitch's team stared in horror at the destruction of the truck in front of theirs. They swerved to avoid the explosion of debris.

The beam followed the two remaining vehicles. They finally managed to pull around and drive forward. Only one escaped from range. The searing death ray claimed Unit 3. Unit 1, the truck with the stealth team, was the last vehicle standing. They thought they had a chance of getting away until a laser barrier surprised them up ahead. The aerial bombers formed a large blockade spanning the length of the entire mountain range. The dome forced Unit 1 to a halt. Just like that, they were trapped.

Glitch and the others kept still inside their truck. No one wanted to move or make a sound. A foreboding silence engulfed the team for what felt like days. All Glitch could do was share an uncertain look with the Colonel. Neither of them had expected this.

"What do we do?" Shooter asked.

"There's not much, I'm afraid," Alloy admitted. "We're a day away from camp. Backup would never reach us in time. We're on our own."

A strange device hovered in front of the truck. Everyone held still at the sight of the contraption. It didn't look like a bomb or gun, not any sort they were familiar with. But they couldn't be too careful. Its intricate parts began to click and turn. The team braced themselves.

"What in Sam Hill…" Colonel Alloy's voice carried a slight tremor.

The floating mechanism opened up. It divided into two separate parts in midair. The halves generated a laser-like film between each other. It was a screen. A concordant feeling of dread continued gripping the team.

Dr. Exavolt came onto the screen. His mug flickered on the red projection. He had a clear view of the Droids inside the armored military truck. The pleasure he had from the visible unease on each of their faces was blatant through his smile. "Hello, Unit 1." He chuckled. "I hope you are enjoying the company I sent your way."

Colonel Alloy inched closer to the front of the truck. He made it to the dashboard. The controls he searched for eventually caught his eye. He pressed a switch to activate the truck's loudspeaker. Once it came on, he bent over and answered Exavolt through the microphone.

"How'd you know we were coming, you double-crossing bastard?"

"It was quite simple!" Dr. Exavolt replied. "I have something very valuable of yours. I knew it would make you come crawling. All I had to do was sit back and wait patiently."

Glitch scowled at Exavolt from deeper in the truck. He lured them there. If only it had been more obvious.

"Alright, well, now you got us where you want us," Alloy muttered. "So now what, hm? You plan to kill us? You took out our other two units, so I don't see why you wouldn't."

"Actually, no!" Exavolt disagreed. "On the contrary, I plan to spare you." His grin came back. "Most of you," he added.

"What do you mean by that?" the Colonel demanded.

Dr. Exavolt held a wine glass in one of his hands. He sipped the expensive drink from the comfort of his leather office chair. "A certain Droid is in your party, I am sure," he said. "I am confident you know which one I am referring to."

Glitch felt several pairs of optics fall on him. One of them belonged to Colonel Alloy. Glitch could see a subtle tinge of worry flash across his face. Dr. Exavolt wanted him, and him only. There had to be a secret option, a way to get out of it. But Glitch knew better. He kept his eyes lowered while he pondered. Deciding didn't take long, and when he looked up again, everyone already knew the choice he came to.

"Don't do it, son." Alloy gently pleaded with him.

"Ya got any better ideas?" Glitch asked him. "I'm all ears."

"We can think of something else."

"Colonel, we don't have a choice!"

Alloy stopped when he heard Glitch's simple argument.

"Look around, Colonel." Glitch softened his tone. "He's got us surrounded. There's nowhere to go."

The Colonel closed his eyes and sighed. Glitch studied him. He could see pain in his movements. Emotional pain. It could only come from someone who cared. Glitch's grip on his seat tightened. A knot formed in his yellow, metal chest. Alloy cared about him. He really, truly cared.

Why didn't I see that before?

The question traveled through Glitch's head. Why? Why had it taken so long? Why here? Why now?

Why did it have to come to this?

"Tick, tock, Alloy."

The Colonel turned back to Exavolt. The Doctor tapped his wrist, pretending a watch was there. Alloy gave Glitch one final glance. The single nod he gave carried a sadness almost too unbearable to see. Glitch looked at Dr. Axon, then Shooter. The same sadness lingered in their eyes.

All Glitch could give them was a hug. Shooter and Axon immediately accepted it. When he pulled away, the back doors had reluctantly been opened. He moved forward. The journey felt slow, as if time itself didn't want him to leave. But even it couldn't prevent what needed to be done. Glitch stepped out of the truck. He barely experienced the crunch of the soft snow under his foot. The doors closed behind him, and he continued around. Dr. Exavolt was waiting for him on the other side of his screen. Glitch made himself perfectly visible in front of him.

"Ok," he said. "I'm here. You got me. Since it's just me you want, let the others go."

"Oh, I will!" Exavolt affirmed. "But I want them to enjoy the show first."

"What show?" Glitch snapped. "I don't have time for games!"

"You didn't think I was planning to make some sort of negotiation, did you?" Dr. Exavolt asked. "You of all robots should know that isn't my style." He gave another one of his chuckles. "You are about to die, Glitch," he told him. "And your remaining Droid comrades get a front-row seat!"

Glitch tensed a little, but he said nothing.

"Sit tight, it will happen shortly. I have chosen a special Milbot for the job. She is currently on standby, but getting there will not take long for her."

"She?" Glitch wondered aloud.

Exavolt's projection moved to the side, allowing room for the bot he had ready.

...

Lieutenant Ivy stood outside of the main sector of the headquarters with General Epsilon and his troops. He read her smirk. She was prepared for her upcoming task like always.

Epsilon smiled at her. "I hope you're still in the mood, love."

"Oh, shut up," Ivy shot at him from over her shoulder.

She received a transmission. It was the Doctor.

"I am expecting you now, Lieutenant."

Ivy smiled again. "Certainly, Dr. Exavolt."

The advanced officer ended the transmission and moved forward. She crouched momentarily, then lunged into the air. The powerful jump propelled her off the mountains, toward the battleground miles away. Epsilon watched her go. "Yep!" he laughed. "She's ready!"

...

A brief but strong tremor shook the ground around Glitch and his team. He looked forward. The Milbot Dr. Exavolt mentioned had arrived. She'd come in for landing a few yards away. Glitch waited for the billowing dust to dissipate so he could get a clear view of her. She was a brand-new model of troop, as well as the first female Mil Glitch had ever seen. Her build vaguely reminded him of the guards he'd faced previously, but it carried noticeable differences. Her feminine outer frame would easily fool a bot that didn't know any better. Glitch could tell she was incredibly strong. She would've had to be to arrive where they were just by jumping. But even without that small piece of evidence, Glitch already had a feeling. Her lean physique, her militant aura, and her dangerously meticulous optics told him everything he needed to know about her.

She moved in his direction. Her strides were slow yet confident. The dark-magenta, armored metal beneath her winter gear glimmered under the dusking polar sun. She proudly sported the insignia synonymous with the Mil Empire, both on a band and as a brooch clipped to her black beret. The she-Mil stopped not too far in front of Glitch.

Dr. Exavolt spoke to her through the projection. "Good evening, my dear. Did you have a safe trip?"

The she-Mil fancied a small grin from his question. She understood the minor allusion to her sheer power.

"You have your orders," Exavolt stated. "Bring me the rebel's head. I will add it to my trophy collection alongside the power chip. I would stay, but, its secrets beckon me. Ooh! I have an idea!"

He pressed a set of controls close to him. A group of small drones lowered in from overhead a moment later. They surrounded Glitch on all sides. The tiny machines seemingly captured him from every angle.

"I will record your death to watch later!" Dr. Exavolt declared. "Alright, I will leave you kids to play. Be nice to him, Lieutenant!" He waved a falsely kind goodbye to them before signing off. The projection closed.

Glitch looked ahead at the she-Mil. Her elegantly calculating eyes had never left him. They were an interesting shade, closer to blue but daring to be green at the same time. The color reminded Glitch of Drill-Bit's eyes.

Drill-Bit. He softly chuckled to himself. She was a pleasant thought during a time like this. So was her big sister. Think about them now, he told himself. It's probably the last time you'll get to.

"So you're a lieutenant, are ya?" He struck up the first line in their predictably short conversation.

"That is correct. Lieutenant Ivy, to be exact. The pleasure is mine. Partly."

A tiny laugh escaped between her lips. It could've been considered fun and dainty, maybe even attractive, if it didn't possess ill intent. The same went for her accented voice. She didn't answer straightaway. In the time between his question and her response, Glitch had a feeling Lieutenant Ivy used it to size him up.

"Glitch, come in. Do you read me?"

He picked up a transmission from the Colonel back inside the truck. Glitch only turned his head a centimeter or so. He didn't want Ivy to know he was being communicated to.

"She's more powerful than anything we've ever faced," Alloy warned him. "Just…try to be careful, soldier, ok?"

Glitch didn't like the uncertainty in his voice. It didn't make him feel any better.

"I figure since this will end quickly, it would not hurt to become acquainted," Ivy conveyed. "You are Glitch, yes?"

"Yep, that's right," he confirmed. "I've already got some idea of who you are, too. You've met Alloy on one occasion."

"That I did." The Lieutenant's eyes briefly shifted past him. Glitch knew she was tossing a glance at the Colonel.

"I'm sure Exavolt's told you plenty of things," Glitch guessed. "About me, that is."

"Ah, of course." The Lieutenant spoke with bliss. "He has spoken of you a great deal! You are known by a handful of names. Rogue Droid, rebel miner…gunslinger."

Vex. She knew him.

"Look, why don't we cut through the fluff and filler?" Glitch wasn't interested in introductions. "How much do you know about Exavolt's plans? I know Mils aren't exactly built to have concern, but what are you gonna get outta killing me for him? Lemme guess: a nice, cozy spot on his shoulder once he takes over the universe?"

"'Takeover' is a strong word," said Ivy. "We prefer 'renewal.' Your fellow Droids have already been given a taste. Droid Town is just one of many places on the radar for Dr. Exavolt's reign. And once that happens, I can assure you it will be for the better."

"Keep tellin' yourself that."

"Oh, but it is true, liebe," the Lieutenant insisted. "You fail to realize the Doctor's true vision."

"Which is?" Glitch mildly raised a brow.

"A better world," Ivy elaborated. "A more fit one. Just look at the condition it is in. Iron Star is in shambles following the era of General Corrosive. He was Exavolt's creation, yes, but he did not live up to his purpose. That barbarian was a failure. He was not supposed to be. He was meant to help build, not destroy. No thanks to him and his pathetic excuse for leadership, the planet is on a decline. You have seen that for yourself. War. Political struggle. Underpopulation. Societal collapse. Iron Star only has a 20 percent chance of surviving the next 50 years as a result. You don't need me to tell you how poor of a prognosis that is."

Glitch begrudgingly heard Lieutenant Ivy out.

"You will not live that far to see it, obviously," she said. "But the generations succeeding you will. That is what the Doctor strives to prevent. With the power from the Morbots, he will rebuild Iron Star from the ground up. He will make it the industrial giant it once was, and so much more. It will be a utopia. Infallible in every conceivable sense."

"Do you honestly think that's what'll come from all of this?" Glitch questioned. "Exavolt doesn't give two washers about world peace. He'd rather let it all burn so he can set up shop in its place. Corrosive just helped him get there. He might've started the war, but you're just finishing it for him."

"War is not a part of the endgame," Lieutenant Ivy argued. "It is fruitless. It only wears down the fabric sooner. Dr. Exavolt understands the mistakes he made with General Corrosive. This time, with the new Mil Empire, he plans to reconstruct this world, make it even more powerful than ever before. The Droids are more than welcome to be part of that."

"What, so long as they agree to being slaves?"

"So long as they go quietly."

"As if they'll be down with that," Glitch derided. "What're you gonna do, wipe out whoever refuses? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that'll be everybody. Who will Exavolt have to grow his little utopia with then, huh?"

Lieutenant Ivy shrugged. "Simple! We clear out the weak, whether they make up half or the majority. It will just leave more room for the strong. There will always be that one good batch. And that is all we need."

Glitch rolled his eyes. Typical talk from her bunch. Though, he didn't doubt what the Lieutenant told him. It was just like Dr. Exavolt to envision such feats, to incite an ethnic cleansing on a genocidal scale in pursuit of his own version of a better society. Glitch knew the story: his journey to evolve the world he lived in. It was something he always wanted. He wasn't satisfied then when the world was good. Now that Iron Star was on the verge of extinction, he was on a hellbent path to realize his dream. His first attempt failed. But with the power from the Morbite, and possibly even from the gateways in the future, Exavolt was closer to succeeding than ever. He didn't care how he had to go about it. He was willing to destroy everything, just so he could have his chance to rebuild it as he pleased. He only had so much time to do it. That was why he needed the Morbots' power. It would make his reign eternal.

What Glitch doubted was Lieutenant Ivy's own confidence in her likelihood of being part of it. She couldn't see it. None of the Mils could. They didn't realize their expendability. They were so caught up in the jobs Exavolt designed them for that none of them stopped to question what would happen to them at the end. They were simply cogs in a grand machine, answering to someone who cared nothing at all for them. And when the machine finished its cycle, its operator would dispose of the old parts. That was the purpose of a Mil. That was its destiny. Nothing more.

Glitch glanced over his shoulder. The other Droids in the truck seemed to be listening in. They were getting everything the Lieutenant said.

Something in Ivy's attitude changed. Glitch saw it in a fraction of a second. She realized he'd been stalling. He hoped by now he would have a plan to escape her clutches. But he didn't.

Ivy laughed. "You have provided yourself more time!" she exclaimed. "Congratulations, Glitch! I hope my explanation of things helps your understanding."

Glitch nodded sarcastically. "Sure does."

"That is wonderful to hear."

Lieutenant Ivy pulled off her gloves and put them away. Then she held out her right hand. An object appeared in her palm. It was her halberd. Her blade. Glitch didn't think a Milbot could have that sort of power, to be able to summon a weapon out of thin air. It happened like magic. But then Glitch remembered it most definitely was.

"Oh, my dear Glitch," Ivy sighed. "Extinction is imminent."

Her optics glowed a searing crimson. She raised her halberd in preparation for the strike.

"Yours is just much sooner," she growled.

Glitch didn't even see her lunge at him. She moved too quickly for his CPU to register. By the time he saw her face again, which was only a split second later, the Lieutenant was upon him. Her uppercut collided with his jaw. The pain slowed down the world around him. It affected his entire body. One of his optics cracked, and so did his headlight. He could already see droplets of his own oil traveling through the air. It all happened in an instant. But for Glitch, it was closer to an hour.

He went airborne. Lieutenant Ivy launched herself after him. She knocked him back down with a kick. The snow failed to break his fall, and he hit the ground with a crash louder than thunder.

...

The Droids witnessed the horrific attack from the truck. None of them could handle it, but Shooter especially couldn't. He lurched forward in an attempt to rush to Glitch's aid. Colonel Alloy and Dr. Axon managed to stop him.

"No! Let go of me!"

"We wanna help 'em, too, kid!"

The Colonel turned Shooter to face him. He looked up at him.

"We wanna help 'em, too," Alloy repeated. "Believe me."

Shooter knew he meant that with every fiber of his being. But it wasn't possible. They didn't have ammo, not because they decided against bringing it, but because the camp had run out. In the weeks they'd spent in the tundra, there were plenty of times where they had to use their guns to ward off threats. They used the last of their firepower to rescue Glitch's group from the beast. The team of Droids had nothing.

"No."

Dr. Axon went through one of his bags. Shooter watched him, confused.

"What are you getting?" he asked.

Axon pulled out something none of them expected: his rifle cannon. He'd come prepared.

"Your gun!" Shooter breathed.

Dr. Axon made sure it was at full charge before cocking it. "Precisely," he muttered.

Colonel Alloy approvingly folded his arms. "Nice one," he complimented.

...

Glitch slowly gathered his wits from the blow. He found himself lying in a small crater. Surprisingly, he was still in one piece. But even without moving, he could tell he'd taken extensive damage. As soon as he opened his eyes, one end of Lieutenant Ivy's double-edged blade went up to his throat. He could only see through one of his optics, the right one. Ivy's metal caught the setting sun's light as she stood over him.

"Hello again."

She snickered, almost playfully. Glitch quietly looked up at her through his compromised vision. She relished every millisecond of this battle, if it could even be called one. Glitch caught a glimpse of the drones hovering over them, capturing the encounter from every angle. It wasn't a battle. It was a televised execution.

"It is a shame you must die, my dear."

Lieutenant Ivy suddenly addressed him past her halberd. He kept his one good eye on her.

"You have fighting spirit. I can tell. Between you and me, it is a shame I must end you. It is clear to me you possess the iron will of a warrior. You believe in your cause, even if it kills you. It would have made you a perfect candidate for our regime." She sighed. "If only the circumstances were different."

"Looks like ya know talent when ya see it," Glitch croaked.

"Are you ready, rebel?" Ivy asked him, smiling. "Are you ready to be relieved of your duties?"

"Go f* yourself," Glitch rasped.

"You have already done that for me." The Lieutenant prepared her halberd for his beheading.

"Eat this!"

Lieutenant Ivy looked up from the task. A powerful beam knocked her away from Glitch. It repelled her across the snow. Glitch managed to sit up; he glanced behind him. Shooter fired at the Lieutenant from the truck. He had the Axon Rifle. Glitch couldn't believe his working eye.

Shooter quickly switched to the gun's rapid fire setting. He laid into the Lieutenant with everything the weapon had. The laser beams kept Ivy away, but it didn't keep her down. In fact, when she rose, she appeared untouched. She spotted Shooter from the truck. The second their optics locked, he froze.

"Oh, man!" he squeaked.

Ivy chuckled at the sight of him. The blasts had only made him a target. Shooter ducked back into the truck when she started toward it.

The distraction was all Glitch needed. He silently thanked Shooter and the rest of the team as he stood. He staggered to his riveted feet. They ached with the rest of his body. But he was still standing, and that was what mattered. Lieutenant Ivy noticed him rise.

"Impressive!" she approved.

Glitch reached into his backpack. He'd come prepared, too. He fired at her with his Rivet Gun. Her armor was impervious to projectiles of any sort, but it was better than not trying. He unloaded the first few rounds. They bounced off the Lieutenant's armor and exploded on the ground. Glitch lowered his weapon. He grabbed at his compartments. No EMP Grenades. He only had one before, and he'd used it on the Droid natives. Coring Charges would've been futile, and so would Cleaners.

Another flurry of lasers pelted Lieutenant Ivy's flank. The Axon Rifle was fully recharged, and the Droids let it rip again. They made Ivy stagger, but only somewhat. She laughed at them. The gunfire tickled to her.

Dr. Axon had taken the rifle over. He stopped momentarily to yell into the truck. "Step on it!"

The driver put the pedal to the floor. Unit 1 rushed toward Ivy at full speed. Dr. Axon continued shooting at her. She deflected the beams as the truck came closer. She was ready for it. She put away her halberd and waited. Her hands grabbed the front of the vehicle, stopping it cold. The impact warped the truck's front half. It threw around the Rebellion members inside. They gathered themselves. Lieutenant Ivy's grin haunted them through the partly shattered windshield. It was the last thing they saw from her before she twirled the truck around and slung it like a toy. They all screamed.

Their vehicle crashed over the ground. It rolled and tumbled across the snow for some time before coming to a stop. Miraculously, it landed upright. The impact, however, left it nearly in pieces. It was almost nothing more than a pile of twisted steel. Two of its tires detached mid-crash.

Glitch was left to helplessly watch what Ivy had done. She brushed off her hands as if she just took out garbage and faced him again.

...

"No. No, come on, stay with us!"

Shooter helped Dr. Axon tend to an injured soldier. A fragment from the truck had gone straight through him. Shooter fearfully glanced at Axon. The grave cloud over his face told him the inevitable: the soldier wasn't going to live. Shooter shook his head in denial. He didn't like it. He couldn't accept it.

Dr. Axon did what he could for the rest of his injuries with the supplies he had on hand. He worked past the sparks and oil. Something made him stop halfway. He slowly looked up. Shooter puzzledly stared at him.

"What's wrong? Dr. Axon, what's wrong, why did you—"

His optics followed his gaze. They fell on what Axon saw and his core plummeted.

The soldier was already gone.

It was Shooter's first time seeing death up close. He fell back on his rear and scooted away. He felt like he was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Shooter, do not fret, my boy! Everything will be okay!"

He didn't hear Dr. Axon. The Droid scientist's gentle voice wasn't even enough to pacify his shock. He wasn't in a dilapidated military truck anymore. His mind had gone somewhere else. Where didn't matter for him. Someplace, anyplace, was better than nothing if it dulled this experience.

It was then he recalled something important.

If things get dicey, just try to breathe. In and out. Can ya do that?

Glitch's advice faintly echoed in his head. Shooter followed it. He inhaled slowly, waited, then exhaled. It worked.

Colonel Alloy's urgent voice sucked him back into reality. Shooter looked toward the front of the truck. Alloy sat behind the dashboard, begging into his radio.

"Glitch? Glitch, can you hear me out there? Come in, soldier!"

He didn't get a response. Shooter peered through one of the broken windows. He thought he would be able to pinpoint Glitch from where they were. But he was nowhere to be seen, not at such a long distance. It took Shooter a while to estimate how far they'd been thrown. However far it was, it placed them completely out of view from Glitch.

A dismal huff from a Droid close to him made Shooter jerk his head up. Dr. Axon came to sit beside him after handling the deceased soldier's body. The other team members helped him. Now that he was settled, the dire situation was beginning to take its toll.

"What do we do, Dr. Axon?" Shooter pressed.

"I do not know," Axon whispered. "It is not up to us."

His eyes peeled from Shooter to the window. Shooter knew who he was looking out of it in search for.

"It is up to him," Dr. Axon finished.

...

Lieutenant Ivy wasn't done with Glitch. She wouldn't be until he was down for good. He grew more certain of it with every injury he sustained from her hits. It was about to be too much, but he didn't let himself fall. Whenever he did, he refused to stay put.

But he couldn't keep it up for much longer. Ivy's final strike was enough to prevent him from getting up again. He tumbled through the snow once before falling limp.

You are still healing, Glitch. I was wondering if, perhaps, you could give yourself time to fully recover before starting this journey?

Your travels will be long, undoubtedly dangerous...

I don't think you're ready! You're not ready for this journey!

Everything made sense to him now. The things he'd experienced up to this point, the things he'd learned about himself. The dangers he faced, the wounds he sustained. It all led up to this one point. And it was a point of no return.

His vision blurred. Darkness stained the white underneath him, like ink spilled over a canvas. It belonged to him.

None of that sufficed for the Lieutenant. She grabbed Glitch by the head and held him up. He felt it getting squeezed between her fingers. They were sharper than saw blades against his metal face. He felt her hand move down to his throat for a better hold. He forced his one good optic back open. Somehow it stayed intact through the beating. It still had enough vision to allow him a look at Lieutenant Ivy's face. She didn't appear pleased anymore. Something frustrated her. Glitch already had an idea what it could be, but he asked anyway.

"What's up?" he choked. "You…look like somebody pissed in your drink."

"You will not die," Ivy grunted. "That is what."

Glitch gave her an oily smirk. He hadn't known her for very long, but in the time they shared, there was one thing he learned about her. She loved a good battle. But it was only on one condition: she had to be the one winning. She always did—physically, that is. Her opponents succumbed to her wrath quickly.

That was the problem. Glitch was different.

She realized it herself. Usually, a long-lasting opponent impressed her. Something about Glitch, however, rubbed her the wrong way. But after some time, her smile returned. "I would say that this feels familiar." She chuckled. "And it does," she said. "Like Deja vu!"

Glitch felt her turn him back and forth in her grip to study him.

"Oh, but something about you…it sets you apart from the others."

A final turn showed her what it was. She found Glitch's mark. He was certain she had as he saw the flash of surprise across her face. His smirk came back.

But only for a second. Lieutenant Ivy slammed him to the ground. The impact almost knocked Glitch out, but not quite. He dizzily stared up at her from the miniature crater it created. Ivy's optics glowed hotter than ever before. They practically flamed. Glitch dropped his head onto the snow while he lay out flat.

"I knew it!" Ivy exclaimed, sounding stunned. "I knew it all along!"

Her halberd met his neck. Glitch winced. He didn't know whether to brace himself against it or allow the force.

"You are special," Lieutenant Ivy snapped. "You are one of them. You possess their power like the Doctor!"

"Heh. I guess...Exavolt hasn't told you everything after all." Glitch managed a weak laugh.

"Indeed. It appears I had to learn the important bits myself. A shame it could not happen sooner."

Ivy's blade pressed him deeper. Glitch held back his pained grunts. The crater grew around him with the Lieutenant's rage.

"Why must I kill you?" she demanded, seemingly to no one but herself. "I know why. The Doctor wants the power of the Morbots for himself! He is selfish, too selfish to even recognize someone of the same caliber!"

Glitch managed to see her through the pain.

"You are not just some rogue bot!" Lieutenant Ivy shouted. "You are so much more! The Doctor is threatened by you. That is the reason he wants you dead!"

"JUST DO IT ALREADY!"

Glitch's scream made her stop. She released her halberd from against his neck, leaving him to gasp for air. She quietly looked down at him. He glared up at her through his staticky vision.

"Do it," he challenged. "Do it…already."

Lieutenant Ivy averted her gaze. The red glow was gone.

"You're…you're loyal to him, aren't you?" Glitch rasped. "You're…down for the cause, right?"

"Of course I am," Ivy muttered.

"Then do what he sent you out here to do," Glitch spat. "Go all the way. Cut off my head and take it back to 'em."

The red came back to Ivy's optics. Her smile returned with it. "As you wish," she snarled.

Her blade returned to his neck. The pain was unworldly this time. Glitch cried out. The sever was coming. He knew it without a doubt. Though the agony stifled him, he kept his one good optic on Lieutenant Ivy the entire time. He looked up at her, for as long as he could, so that she had a clear view of the life draining from his body. The last of his sight began to fade, then his hearing. Still, he managed to make out some of Lieutenant Ivy's final words to him through the remnants.

"Your fate is not my desire, rebel. It is the Doctor's. Despite what I see in you, his wishes are what matter. I do stand by my belief in your potential. The Mil Empire could use your greatness. But you were right, rebel. I am loyal to the Doctor. I am loyal to his cause. Nothing will change that."

Glitch didn't move against the halberd. He stopped a long time ago. Ivy might have been speaking to an empty husk already.

"I hope you can witness the next 50 years from the afterlife—that you can witness the rebirth. The Doctor sends his regards."

...

Warmth enveloped him. A comforting warmth, a blanket in the darkness. The black depths would have been completely empty without it. Yet somehow, it made the nothingness feel whole. He couldn't see where he was yet, but the warmth told him it was of no threat.

He lay in someone's arms. In hers.

In Void's.

She gazed down at him with her continual love. She counted on it to save him. To call him forth. Her voice didn't work. No matter how many times she called his name, he didn't open his eyes. But he could hear her. She knew he could. He was still alive, he had to be. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to summon him to the astral realm. He would come around. She waited in the meantime. She waited patiently for Glitch.

The main central zone was silent today. There were no melodies in the background, only the steady pour from the surrounding waterfalls. Void remained still on the ground with Glitch. As time went on, nothing happened. He never moved in her arms. She did everything she could to hold back her tears, but nothing helped. The first one fell from her right eye. It landed on the top of Glitch's head. Void held him close and cried harder. Her pained weeps carried through the ornate Morbite space.

"Void..."

She looked at him. "Glitch?"

He smiled at her. He immediately felt her arms tighten around him. Her cries were happier now. Glitch didn't quite understand. The last thing he remembered was fighting for his life. Afterwards, all he heard was Void's weeping. He looked up at her. Her tears stained her sweet face. She feared losing him a moment before. He was glad she could have peace knowing he was okay. Or was he?

"What's happened to me, Void?" he asked. A pit formed in his stomach at a thought. "Am I…"

"No," Void answered. "You are still alive…which I am so thankful for."

Tears filled her eyes again. Glitch wiped them away this time. They rose off the floor together.

"You are still where you were before coming here," Void told him. "I brought you because it is time."

"Time for what?"

"This."

Void stood back from Glitch and closed her eyes. She channeled energy into her hands. Glitch shielded himself from the strong light. He occasionally peered past his hand to see what she was doing. She was holding something when the light died. Glitch saw the object in her hands. It was his weapon from before. She gave it to him. The weight it had before was still there.

"It is a mattock," Void revealed. "The most fitting weapon for the line of guardians you belonged to."

Glitch looked up at Void, determined. There wasn't much more she needed to tell him.

"Thanks, Void."

She pleasantly looked at him as he turned to go. Glitch returned to his world to finish his fight.

...

The Lieutenant stood in the same place he left her: over his body in preparation for his demise. She came close. Not long after Glitch's vision faded, she raised her halberd to finish the job. If not for what happened next in its place, Dr. Exavolt would've had his trophy. A powerful light from Glitch's body nearly blinded Ivy. She had to step back to avoid it. When she could look his way again, he was standing. It surprised the Lieutenant, but she suppressed it.

"Up for more, liebling?" she challenged.

Glitch smirked at her through his glow. "You know it," he said.

"Then take this!"

Lieutenant Ivy followed up her cry with an unfathomably powerful beam from her halberd. It was hotter than the sun; it threatened to melt everything in its path. Glitch braced himself for it. When it came upon him, he was ready. He held the mattock up to hold back the attack. He didn't know how to use it yet, but he knew how to make it come in handy. He expected it to melt in his hands with the rest of him, but it never happened. It was built with properties not of their world. And so was Glitch.

He could see how much it upset Ivy. No matter how long she shot at him, or how powerful she made it, the beam failed to annihilate her target. It almost confused her more than it angered her. Only a moment before, she was able to pulverize this half-ton Droid with her bare hands. He was no match for her. The roles had been switched. That should've been impossible, but somehow, it wasn't.

Glitch would've been just as shocked as the Lieutenant if he didn't know where his power came from. If it were months ago—before his alliance, before Ridgebolt, before Void—he wouldn't have been able to do half of what he could do now. They changed him. He came to them with wounds he didn't know he had, and they healed them without him even realizing, until today. This was the day of his awakening. This was the day he knew who he was. He didn't need to uncover his past to do that.

He wasn't sure what moved his feet forward. At first, he thought it was himself, or at the very most, his powers. But it was neither. It was his own bravery. His own strength.

His honor.

"No, get away from me. Get away from me this instant!"

Glitch hadn't even noticed Ivy standing in front of him. He'd managed to press forward against her attack. Her blast sat perfectly between them now. It was a ball of hot energy. It was no weaker than before; it still carried the force of a million bombs. Glitch felt it against his weapon. But it was like nothing to him.

He knew what it would've been enough for. He looked up at them. Lieutenant Ivy didn't need to follow his gaze to know what he was studying.

"Wait, no, stop!"

It was far too late. Glitch forced the Lieutenant's blast into the air. The ball propelled upward at lightning speed a few hundred feet above them. They went right for the targets Glitch had in mind: the aerial bombers. They were still up there, holding up the enclosure that trapped everyone. They all saw the blast coming, surely, but there was nothing they could do to escape their fates. The electric ball collided with the closest cluster. It detonated on impact. The explosion triggered a chain reaction that destroyed the aerial bombers surrounding the epicenter. Glitch glanced around. He could see the dome weakening. And the more troops they lost, the weaker it became. The remaining aerial bombers quickly retreated. Lieutenant Ivy gawked at Glitch for several moments. She'd realized something, and Glitch had no doubt about what it was. She'd underestimated him.

"I'd go with 'em, if I were you," he advised.

She clearly didn't want to right away. However, the sight of the fleeing failed army convinced her in all her reluctance. "This is not over, rebel," she hissed.

Glitch watched her go. He sighed to himself. "Tell me somethin' I don't know," he said under his breath.

He started the long trek to reach his team. The truck had been thrown miles. By the time he made it halfway, a gentle evening snowfall was in its beginnings. The tiny flakes tickled his metal and dotted his winter gear in their white. The snow under Glitch's feet crunched with his steps. He barely heard it, as he'd grown too busy struggling to keep away his dread. They're not dead, he thought. Are they?

More time passed. He finally found something. A pile of twisted steel and broken glass partly buried by the snow. Glitch didn't give it more thought. He hurried toward the truck as fast as his legs carried him. They were safe inside. It was what he told himself over and over as he went to the back and forced open the doors.

The team looked toward him. Glitch happily scanned over them all. Shooter bolted forward and jumped out to hug him.

"You're here! Oh, dude, you're here! You came back!"

Shooter's muffled cries got to Glitch a little, but he pushed through the emotions. Colonel Alloy warmly looked out at him. Dr. Axon stood by his side with a teary smile. Glitch stepped into the truck and hugged him. He felt a pair of aging metal arms immediately wrap around him.

"My boy!" Axon joyfully whimpered.

"It's good to see you, too," Glitch whispered.

...

Enraged screams stopped everyone in the corridor. Vex was one of the bots. He looked in the direction of one of the rooms on the top floor. The screams came from Dr. Exavolt's office. They strained Vex's auditory sensors. He'd gone up there to demand a raise again. But what he was hearing made him think twice, and even a third time.

Whether it was morbid curiosity or not, Vex possessed not the faintest clue what led him to the office door. He waited for it to open. During the time he did, a certain something crossed his thoughts. He twisted around to see it. The weeping clown stared back at him. He'd felt it watching him as he came over. It really wasn't, obviously, or was it? Vex had a hard time telling. Yet there it sat in all its tragic glory. The clown's painted tears streamed down its horrendous face. Ugly as usual. The screams from inside the office, however, only amplified that further. If one used their imagination, it would appear as though the anguished screams belonged to the clown.

Vex faced the office door again. It was opened. What he saw on the other side took him aback more than he expected it to. Dr. Exavolt lay on the floor in the middle of his office. His blue optics exhaustedly stared up at the ceiling. Vex didn't believe what he was seeing. He knew he couldn't make it up, though. It was just such an unlikely sight.

"Dr. Exavolt?"

He didn't look over when Vex said his name. His stare remained unchanging, intently fixated on the ceiling. Vex gave up trying to get his attention. He studied Exavolt one last time before going. There he lay, brokenhearted, among his things. His valuable possessions surrounded his limp body. The portraits no longer provided an accurate portrayal of their subject. If it had the right artist, the current scene could've been a painting in and of itself. He cradled something in his hands: the Morbot power chip. Vex understood why he was keeping it so close. That was his only trophy. The other one escaped.

Vex started leaving. The clown figure caught his attention one more time before he went. Painted tears on an ugly painted face.

Tragedy.

That was the name, the name Vex would've given the painting of Exavolt lying in a pool of his own self-pity.

...

The rescue team arrived the next day. Everything from there was a blur for Glitch. The last thing he recalled included turning down a Droid medic's assistance when they tried helping him onto the truck. He didn't need any. He left the fight completely unscathed. It was as though he'd never gotten a scratch. Everyone had questions for him: how he got away, what he did to disable the dome. He planned to show them the mattock, but he didn't have it anymore. It disappeared before he found the others.

He didn't care. All Glitch wanted was to reach camp. He could tell everyone what happened after he got some rest. As far as he knew, their time in the polar regions was drawing to an end. He was disappointed about arriving at camp without Krunk's power chip. It was still in Dr. Exavolt's clutches as they spoke. Glitch's core sunk at having to return to try getting it back again. Despite that, he softly smiled to himself while he rested his head during the ride. The unfortunate prospect didn't bother him as much as it would've before. He might've been tired right now, but underneath it, he felt his strength. And boy, did that feel good.

There were a pair of familiar pale optics resting on him. Glitch saw the bot through his approaching sleep. Colonel Alloy watched him. Glitch welcomed the warmth radiating from his gaze.

"You did good, son."

Son. The word comforted Glitch as he slept.

The remaining Droids at the camp greeted them when he woke up and got off the truck with everyone. Many of the soldiers on the stealth team were greeted with salutes, and even hugs. Glitch wasn't concerned about a welcoming committee. He anxiously scanned his surroundings in search of the robot he had on his mind. He eased through the crowd of soldiers and scoured the camp clearing until, finally, their eyes locked. Rev's vibrant green optics greeted him from their tent. Melvin stood beside her with Dipper. Feeble joined them, too. Glitch's core swelled. No other sight could've made him happier.

Rev moved forward a few steps to meet him. "Thank goodness you're all—"

Glitch swept her up before she finished. The tight embrace took Rev by surprise as she spun around and around in his arms. He could hear her laughing. It was music to him. Like angels singing. He held her long after he'd stopped spinning. "I missed you," he breathed. "I missed you, I missed you."

"Glitch…" Rev's voice trembled a little after hearing the emotion in his. "Oh, Glitch. It's okay." She gently pulled away to look at him. "It's okay," she whispered.

She held his face. He didn't let go of her just yet. Rev seemed fine with that. Glitch felt his eyes melt into hers under the gentle evening snowfall. The other Droids in the camp were gathering to see the aurora borealis forming in the sky. Glitch thought it was with perfect timing as he saw the colors reflect off of Rev's carbon fiber. He remembered Feeble, Melvin, and Dipper and glanced past Rev to see them moving closer. They joined them in the hug.

"Is there room for more?"

Glitch looked behind him. Dr. Axon and Shooter walked up to the bunch. They had just made it off the truck. Glitch looked at them with warmth. He couldn't say no. He held open an arm to let them both in. They all stood together, unified under the beautiful northern lights.

...

Icy wind pelted Vex as he flew through the sky that night. He hadn't used his wings in a while, and it sort of showed as he struggled through the moderate storm. The conditions didn't deter him. His destination wasn't too much farther away. He tried ignoring the uncertainty he had in what he planned to do. This would be the most dangerous stunt he pulled yet. He knew he would go on to regret the plan. But something deep down encouraged him to see it through no matter the consequences. There were going to be. That was just something he needed to accept.

He scanned the frosted grounds below. The place had to be out there. It couldn't have been that far from the base. Or, perhaps it was. Vex wished he considered the distance sooner. Not much more time went by before the realization dawned on him. The trip would be much longer than he expected.

Vex kept flying regardless.

It was morning when he found what he searched for. He landed just a small ways from the location and stopped to regain himself. He'd flown for some time, hours, likely. But the long flight got him where he needed to be, so it was worth it. Hopefully. He pressed forward.

There were tents set up. Vex stopped just short and analyzed the campsite before proceeding. No one walked around. They were all still asleep inside. The sun had barely come up at that point, nothing more than an ultra-thin, gold slither behind the horizon. It was still dark enough for Vex to take advantage of the shadows.

A specific tent grabbed his attention up ahead. It was bigger than the others. The main one, Vex gathered.

He snook up to it and peeked inside. Empty. The military setup confirmed Vex's mental notes. He eased in and advanced up to the table. He was sure it would be the perfect place to put it.

He pulled the Morbot power chip out of his pocket. His optic strip studied it for a moment or so. It glistened up at him, even in the dark. Vex gave himself one last chance to change his mind. Nearly every inch of his exterior screamed at him to take it back, that sneaking it out of Dr. Exavolt's office and disappearing in the dead of night had been a terrible idea. Maybe it was, and maybe he'd be found out even sooner than he thought. But there was no turning back now. He didn't come here to do nothing. The Mil spy in disguise gave it not another thought before setting the power chip on the table and whisking out of the main tent.

End of Part 2