Chapter 2

Glitch stared silently at Dr. Axon for what felt like ages. It's him, alright, he determined in his head. He tossed a glance at the scientist's friend. The Droid bashfully waved at him. And that must be Melvin, Glitch gathered. They were undoubtedly the robots Void showed him in the visions. The image of the lifeless Axon and Melvin in the devastated version of Droid Town temporarily haunted him.

"Hello, Glitch!" Dr. Axon made the effort to properly greet the miner Droid he had been expecting. He went up to Glitch and warmly extended a hand. It was like an exact replica of Dr. Exavolt's. It was uncanny. If Glitch didn't know any better, he would assume it were the hand of his enemy. He hesitated briefly before deciding to shake it finally. "You don't know me, surely," Axon continued. "But I do know of you, of course! You are the one who saved Iron Star from the clutches of General Corrosive."

They didn't notice, but Rev was standing close behind listening with great surprise.

"Actually," Glitch spoke up, "I do already know who you are. Him, too," he added while gesturing toward Melvin.

"Oh?" The information astonished Dr. Axon. "How so?"

"It's a long story." Glitch scratched his head, his optics shifting somewhat awkwardly. "But, you wanted to see me because you had some stuff to talk to me about yourself," he presumed. "Right?"

"Yes, of course!" Dr. Axon motioned to a set of chairs placed at a table nearby. "Come, come, make yourself comfortable!" he invited.

Rev suddenly received another transmission. She turned away to listen. "You there, Motorbug?" Mister Fixit buzzed. "Over!"

Rev let out a tiny huff. It was a lightly frustrated one. "Yeah, Dad?" she answered. "Over."

"It's gettin' late, pun'kin bot, did you get Glitch to the Doctor's place okay, over?" Mister Fixit asked.

"Yep, I did, over," Rev replied.

"Alright, well you can come back on home now, 'cause Sillybug's been missin' ya!" Mister Fixit insisted. "She's wantin' ya to tell 'er another one of ya bedtime stories to 'er. Over."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure!" Rev responded as though she'd sort of forgotten. "Tell Drill-Bit I'm on my way," she told Mister Fixit. "Bye! Uh, over!"

"Ok, then," said Mister Fixit. "Handyman signin' out!"

Rev turned back to the others after their transmission ended. "Gotta go!" she said. "Later, Dr. Axon and Mr. Melvin!"

"Goodbye, my dear!" Dr. Axon said with a smile. "Tell your father and sister I said hello!"

"Me, as well!" Melvin added.

"For sure!" Rev promised with a thumbs-up. She started for the room's door to leave, but not without giving a goodbye to Glitch. She looked pleasantly toward him. "Later, bot-gator!" she said to him jokingly.

Glitch gave her a wave. He watched her skate out the room, sliding the door shut behind her. He wondered what the "over" dialogue during her and Mister Fixit's transmissions was about. It was amusing. It must have been a father-daughter inside joke type of deal.

...

Rev stopped on the other side of the room door. Unbeknownst to the others, she wasn't planning to go just yet. She pressed her metal cheek up against the door while curiously listening.

...

Dr. Axon listened intently to Glitch's story at the table. Melvin went to finish a book he was reading in a side room while they talked. When Glitch was done explaining his entire situation, the scientist dipped his head, indicating he understood everything. "I see," he said. "This Morbot, Void. I wonder where exactly she reaches you from."

"You mean, she's not from that realm?" Glitch asked.

"I think not. From what you've described, it sounds like the Morbots' astral realm is simply an extension of their physical realm," Dr. Axon clarified. "We do not know much about the Morbots. What we do know from archives, however, is that they can use their abilities to connect with those similar to them."

"I remember Void telling me that," Glitch recalled.

"Right," said Axon. "There is a chance that Void can be found outside of the astral realm."

Glitch considered the prospect with a spark of hope. If Dr. Axon was right, Void could be out there in the real world—or down there, rather. In the Morbot region, Glitch thought. In the core, where the Morbots supposedly are.

"What do you know about Morbite?" Glitch had a question of his own for Dr. Axon. He had several, about his work with Exavolt, what he was like when they were on good terms...if the brothers had ever been on good terms to start with. But Glitch stayed focused on what was most relevant. "Dr. Exavolt got it from the Morbots somehow," he continued. "You guys used to work together, so I figured you'd have some idea about it."

"Morbite, yes." Dr. Axon concentrated on his hands while he wrung them. "Many years ago," he began, "we took on numerous projects. They were all headed by Exavolt, of course. He was the leading physicist. He made sure the rest of us were in the loop about them. That was typical. But there was one project in particular that he did not want anyone else to know about. He was extremely secretive about it. For months, we did not know what it was. I eventually grew tired of him hiding it from us and investigated the project for myself when I got the chance. That was when I happened upon some audio files and journal entries. He planned to use the Morbite to help the Morbots create a new line of Droids."

Dr. Axon paused for a moment. Something grim had resurfaced in his mind; Glitch could tell.

"Project Doomsday," he revealed finally. "That was what he called it.

"I knew from the name alone that it was not good. I confronted him. He tried gaslighting me, telling me it was no cause for alarm. I told him not to go through with the project. But it was too late. Exavolt had already completed it, or rather, his hand in it. He had already used most of the Morbite he'd been given to fine-tune the Morbots' work. He happened to have some left over. A single fragment, but dangerously powerful just the same. He eventually got fed up with me arguing at him and sealed it away. Until recently, it was the last time I ever saw it. That all happened, Glitch, a long, long time ago." Dr. Axon sighed. "We were very young," he said. "Almost freshly built by our scientist predecessors. Exavolt was the eldest of us, but there was still naivety under all that intelligence."

"Void said the Morbite was probably given to him," Glitch recalled. "And that the Morbots probably didn't know what he was really planning. What if they didn't know he was gonna use the Morbite to start a Doomsday?"

"Perhaps. I cannot say for certain." Dr. Axon shrugged. He wasn't even sure himself.

Glitch stared at him sympathetically. It couldn't have been easy to have a mad scientist for a sibling.

"So, my brother had you framed, did he?" Dr. Axon moved on. "The Rebellion believes your destroying of the Morbot gateway that night was premeditated, and that you were working for him."

Glitch sighed. "Yep, that's it," he confirmed. "I managed to escape from jail. I knew I wasn't gonna be able to prove I'm innocent. I…" He trailed off as he thought back to the escape. "I ended up killing someone," he guiltily admitted.

"My word," Dr. Axon gasped. "What happened?"

"It was a guard," Glitch explained. "He was on me and I sliced him. It was an accident, honest. I was just trying to keep him off me."

"I believe you," Axon told him. "It was merely self-defense."

Glitch kept his optics lowered. The pressure was setting in again. "I gotta get outta this mess," he muttered. "I gotta get my name cleared somehow."

"Of course." Axon gave another understanding nod. "And what about your attackers in the desert?" he inquired. "You said you recognized them, yes?"

Glitch thought about them again, as much as he hated to. He recalled them standing over his remains after the brutal assault. Their faces that night would stay etched in his memory bank for eternity. It made his oil run hot with fury all over again, but he kept his composure. Glitch clinched both fists, working to maintain that composure while listing his perpetrators one by one for Axon:

"Epsilon. He's ex-military, a former general. He used to be Alloy's colonel. Alloy saved him in battle years ago. He got a Medal of Honor for it. Alloy really looked up to him. I can't imagine what he'll think if he ever finds out what Epsilon's all about now. Why Epsilon's working for Exavolt now, I've got no idea. Money, power, glory, could be anything.

"Vlax. Second in command, still is, I'm assuming. Vlax and I go pretty far back already. He worked directly under General Corrosive. His job was to uncover the location of Droid Town. I had to chase him all over Timbuktu to keep that from happening. He hauled off with Krunk's Morbot power chip. Luckily, I was able to stop him and get it back. I blew 'em to smithereens." Glitch briefly looked down at his repairs. "Guess he returned the favor," he said. "Anyway, Exavolt must've brought Vlax back to repurpose him.

"Last but not least is Vex." Glitch could barely say his name without experiencing an extra tinge of fury. It was practically visceral. He pushed through his building anger. "A traitor," he muttered spitefully. "Just like Epsilon." Glitch lifted his head, peeling his eyes away from his trembling fists. "He was my best friend," he revealed to Dr. Axon. "I can't get over how he's been working for Exavolt all this time. I can't believe I never suspected him."

To Glitch's surprise, Axon's face was incredibly sympathetic. He smiled comfortingly at the young soldier sitting before him. "It could've deceived anyone," he assured him. "There was no way you could have known, I am certain."

"There's no way in hell I can forgive him, either." Glitch slowly shook his head, boiling inside. "He didn't just betray me. He betrayed our friends. He betrayed the other Droids. He's gonna have to go down with the rest of 'em. Imma get healed, and I'm goin' after him once I do. And I ain't restin' 'till his ass is in the ground, sharin' a plot with Epsilon. Traitors work together, they die together."

He half-expected Dr. Axon to assume he was being too harsh. But Axon didn't think that, apparently. His eyes remained compassionate and understanding. Though he said nothing, his sentiments were clear. He believed Glitch deserved his revenge. Glitch remembered that Axon was the one who found and rescued him. It was likely hard for him not to feel the same way after seeing what they did to Glitch firsthand. He thought back to one of the visions Void showed him, of Axon recuperating in Ridgebolt. He was injured in a similar fashion. Glitch then thought of the vision revealing what Exavolt did to himself to achieve his power.

"Void showed me you were here." He faced the Doctor. "You were hurt pretty badly yourself. Exavolt did it. Right?"

Dr. Axon's face faltered momentarily. A bit of time passed before he was able to say. "Yes." His demeanor was somewhat grim. "It was my brother."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Dr. Axon dipped his head. "Beforehand, it was I who planned to shoot him." He chuckled. "Oh, but how the tide turned," he said.

"Why didn't you?" Glitch asked.

"I wanted revenge for what Exavolt did." Dr. Axon looked down at the table. "I planned to get it, but...something hindered me. I thought that maybe, revenge was not the answer. I thought Exavolt could change, admittedly." Axon slowly shook his head. "Was I incorrect," he sighed. "I was so busy clinging to the past that I thought..."

Glitch saw Dr. Axon getting choked up. He wanted to comfort him, but by the time he was going to, the aging scientist had already recovered.

"Do not make the same mistake I did." Axon was firm. "Go after your attackers if you must, Glitch. You are entitled to that choice."

Glitch pondered silently to himself. Dr. Axon's experience with Exavolt was so similar to what he experienced with Vex. Part of him longed for things to be the way they were, before their argument, before knowing he was the enemy. But Glitch knew that wasn't possible. Vex was not the bot he was presumed to be. He needed to be stopped with the others. "You're right." Glitch nodded finally, agreeing with Axon.

Dr. Axon's expression was now one of approval.

"That's just part of my whole list of errands, though," Glitch said. "I still gotta find the other Morbot gateways to restore the one in Droid Town. And chances are, Exavolt has his sights on them, too."

"Absolutely," Axon agreed. "Which is why I will share this!"

He got up to go find something. Glitch patiently waited for Dr. Axon to sift through his projects and equipment. He returned to the table moments later with an old parchment. He placed it on the table and unrolled it for Glitch to see. Glitch immediately recognized what he was examining. He looked up at Axon. "A map of Iron Star."

"Correct!" Axon confirmed. "And if you look here and all over here…" He pointed to different spots; Glitch followed his finger over the areas circled in red. "…I have the location of each gateway marked!" he finished. "This map will come in handy."

Glitch lifted his head to look at Axon again. "How do you already have them marked?"

"I was able to thanks to the Droid who gave the map to me," Axon explained. "I was doing my own research on the Morbots and the entrances following everything that's happened with my brother. The map's original owner has circumnavigated these areas numerous times. He was gracious enough to pinpoint these areas on the map for me."

"Who's the map from?"

"Feeble!" Dr. Axon said. "That is what the other villagers call him, anyway. He is a Droid explorer. His nomadic lifestyle has taken him many places! He's spent the past hundred years or so exploring Iron Star's surface and living off the grid. He was able to avoid the war that way, apparently. Either way, he is intimately familiar with the planet's geography thanks to his travels. He likes to utilize Ridgebolt as a resting point whenever he is in the area."

"He's a nomad, huh?" Glitch rubbed his chin. "Do you know when he plans on leaving? Maybe he'll be willing to stick around and help. If he knows the lay of the land as good as you say, he'll make a nice guide. He could help me reach the gateways!"

"We last spoke yesterday," said Axon. "He said he'll be heading farther west in a few days."

"Where the closest gateway is," Glitch noted.

"Precisely!" Dr. Axon exclaimed with determined enthusiasm. "Feeble spends much of his time with the other elders while he's here. You can try getting him onboard tomorrow, but…"

"What?" Glitch tilted his head, wondering what made Dr. Axon stop with uncertainty.

"Well," Axon started, "it's just that I should mention one thing. Feeble is rather…cranky, to put it mildly."

Glitch shook his head with a laugh. "Aw, don't worry," he dismissed. "I can deal with cranky." He thought fondly of Krunk.

Axon chuckled. "Unhinged and cranky, though?" he asked.

Glitch froze. "Unhinged?" he echoed. Krunk was cranky, but certainly not insane. "Um, ok," he decided. "Thanks for, uh, givin' me a heads-up."

"I have a guest attachment," Dr. Axon said. "Feel free to stay there for as long as you'd like! While you're here, Mister Fixit and I will keep a close eye on your recovery." He pointed to Glitch's repairs.

"Thank you." Glitch was genuinely grateful.

He and Dr. Axon rose from the table. Axon stopped suddenly and turned to him again. "Oh, and, Glitch, my boy! One more thing."

"Yes, sir?" Glitch looked at him.

"I can tell you are a soldier." Dr. Axon had a beaming smile. "You are a very mature young man, full of discipline! What rank are you, by the way?"

Glitch cheered up a little. "Corporal," he answered.

...

Rev withdrew from the door. She looked down, trying to wrap her head around everything she heard. She couldn't believe any of it. There was so much to unravel. But certain details stood out to her a little more than others. Glitch, the Droid they'd been hosting, was a soldier turned fugitive. He was a warrior on a quest for justice and revenge. And there were other Morbot gateways. As shocking as all the information was, though, it was exciting. Determinedly, she rode away and went home.

...

Dr. Axon allowed Glitch a place to stay as he promised. Melvin led him to the guest attachment at the back of the dwelling. It was small and quaint, equipped with all the basics. Glitch looked over at Melvin, who was his usual, bashful self.

"F-forgive us if it isn't much," he said while shyly twiddling his thumbs.

"Oh, no, it's cool, it's cool!" Glitch assured him. "Thanks a ton!"

Melvin smiled warmly at him before leaving him be. Glitch immediately made himself comfortable on the charging bed. He pulled off his backpack and crashed. It was great having a decent bed again. It was more than decent. He hoped he never had to sleep on something like the excuse of a bed he had at the jail. It practically fell apart every time he lay on it.

He relaxed his head. His battery was low; he could tell the charging bed was working already. The room reminded him of the barracks at the Rebellion. He missed his room. A subsequent hint of doubt deeply planted itself inside him when he wondered if he'd ever see it again. What if he couldn't clear his name and he'd never be allowed back at the Droid Rebellion?

Dr. Axon was a likable individual, at least. His kindness, compassion, and hospitality caught Glitch off-guard. He pictured Axon next to Exavolt. He was nothing like his brother. How could they be such polar opposites? One was benevolent and sought to use science for good, while the other…was a complete monster. Glitch stared up at the ceiling while he pondered.

Guess being brothers doesn't mean you're alike.

It definitely stood true with him and Vex.

He sighed. Although he was going to get back at Vex, he couldn't allow it to consume him. He turned over on his side, trying to enjoy his recharge. He knew he would recharge faster if he went to sleep, but he couldn't yet. There was so much on his mind, so much he needed to do. Exavolt. The Mils. The gateway. Clearing his name. Where was the resolution to it all? Why couldn't he just clap his hands and make it all end that way?

Stop thinkin' so much, dude, Glitch ordered at himself. Shooter's supposed to be the one who questions everything, not you!

The last thought he had before going to sleep involved Colonel Alloy. He still had the Rebellion after his soldier, surely.

...

"Colonel Alloy, please! You gotta listen to me!"

"Not now, Shooter! I have national security matters to tend to. I don't have time for chatter."

"But, Colonel!"

Shooter followed Colonel Alloy down the corridor. He'd managed to get into the Droid Rebellion and catch up with him. He wasn't planning to back down until the Colonel finally heard him out about Glitch. This would make one of several times over the past two months that Shooter tried convincing him Glitch was innocent.

To his luck, Colonel Alloy finally got tired of trying to avoid him and stopped short of the command center. He turned and faced Shooter with exhausted optics. "What?" he huffed.

Shooter had to adjust his goggles after running behind the Colonel so frantically. "I just need a few minutes of your time," he insisted. "Please? Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please? Pretty please with a bolt on top? Pretty please with a gold washer—"

"Oh, knock it off, already!" Alloy took a moment to consider, then facepalmed himself. "Fine," he sighed. "Let's go to my office."

Shooter was nervous speaking to the Colonel the first few times he had this conversation with him. But when he sat in front of him this time, he had more confidence. He couldn't let his nerves keep Glitch from being found. "I know he's innocent," he said. "He didn't do it intentionally."

Colonel Alloy gave a long huff while tiredly rubbing his eyes with two fingers. "Shooter…" he impatiently groaned.

Shooter didn't let up. "The evidence was tampered with," he told him. "I've spent the past two months going over it, and this is what I found!"

He pulled out a fresh version of the surveillance photos. He stood and held them up in the office light one by one. Colonel Alloy begrudgingly studied them as Shooter went through each image, keeping them exposed to the lights overhead. He saw Alloy's expression change.

The evidence Shooter had before him now was damning.

"You see it, right?" Shooter became hopeful.

"I do." The Colonel nodded, slowly.

The light revealed what had been removed from the images. In the first few, Dr. Exavolt's silhouette could clearly be seen where his body should have been. It disappeared only after he changed himself to evade the missiles. Colonel Alloy looked down at the table without a word.

Shooter tossed the photos in front of him and sat back down. "Do you see now?" he asked. "It wasn't Glitch's fault."

Colonel Alloy remained silent. He didn't lift his eyes from his desk. Shooter gave him the time he needed to process the discovery. It was a shock to him, no doubt. He'd spent so much time accusing his best soldier of a crime he didn't commit. Glitch had become the Rebellion's most wanted robot for nothing. And now, he was missing. They couldn't even pick up his signal.

The Colonel was about to give his verdict when the emergency sirens began going off in the corridor. Shooter and Alloy both stood at the same time with their gazes fixed toward the office door. They exchanged a puzzled glance before heading out to see what was happening. They were halfway down the corridor when the Colonel received a transmission.

"Colonel, come in, Colonel!"

It was intelligence; Alloy quickly responded. "What's going on out there?"

"There's a major disturbance in the outermost sector of town," the intelligence official reported. "It's another invasion! A massive army of Mil soldiers is forcing its way in!"

"They've gotten through the extra security?" the Colonel asked.

"They were wiped clean out." The intelligence official's voice was grave. "These Mils, they're different, the one at their lead in particular. It's like it's unstoppable. Things aren't looking good, sir."

"Have units sent out right away." The Colonel didn't even wait for a response before ending the transmission and rushing forward. Shooter hurried after him.

The expansive Mil army continued forcing their way deeper into Droid Town. The Droid soldiers that were sent onto the frontline first were no match for what was in store. Their firepower stood no chance against the new line of advanced Milbot troops. The soldiers were cleared out in droves. Civilians who were trapped in the vicinity could only hide helplessly from the onslaught. Some were successfully rescued from the war zone, while others fell victim to the enemy crossfire. The Mil army effortlessly progressed into the town's inner districts.

Colonel Alloy had reinforcements waiting. He stood at the forefront of his heavy artillery units, ready to give the order to strike. Shooter stayed behind in the building. He nervously watched the scene unfold through the windows of the north wing. He wasn't sure why, but he briefly looked up at the sky. It was an overcast day. It was like a sign of darkness to come. Shooter was so unsettled by this simple observation that he almost didn't realize Krunk had joined him at the window with Zobby. It was the first time Shooter ever saw the swear-happy mechanic at a loss for words. When the Mil army marched into their view, the sheer size rendered even him speechless with fear. The Mils had the Droids outnumbered tenfold.

The army's leader signaled for them to stop with a fist; they did as directed, drawing to a sharp halt behind them. They'd reached the Colonel's blockade.

Alloy menacingly stared the leader down. They returned his callous glare with a challenging pair of aqua eyes.

"What do you want?" Colonel Alloy's voice was low and stern.

"Greetings, Colonel Alloy." Lieutenant Ivy was curt. "You are aware already of who sent us, I am sure. I shall keep this very simple." Her face darkened with malice. "Surrender your stronghold," she growled, "or die."

"Do you honestly think we'll hand ourselves over that easily, sweetheart?" the Colonel demanded. He almost sounded as though he found the idea laughable. "You and your fancy toy soldiers must be fresh off the assembly."

Lieutenant Ivy's face became even more grim.

Colonel Alloy tauntingly puckered his lips at her. "What do you expect us to do?" he asked. "Wave a white flag?" He grew serious again. "Well we ain't doin' it," he snapped.

The Lieutenant's optics glowed red. "It was a command, not a request."

"Well here's my command." Colonel Alloy pointed forward. "FIRE!" he shouted.