Antag came to in a crater formed in the backyard of Archy Manor, R0-RY had come online moments before and her self repairing nannities were doing their job to reform the parts her body that had been blown apart in the crash.
R0-RY
Good you’re awake; I’ve been working on a new pla-
Antag had his throat around her neck before she could get the word out.
ANTAG
I have grown weary of what you consider to be…
He squeezed tighter around her neck.
ANTAG
Plans.
A screeching started, soon there would be enough pressure and R0-RY’s neck would be crushed, severing her head completely from her body when a message infiltrated both of their CPU’s. Their eyes went bright projecting a hologram of Protag.
PROTAG
Hello brother, if you’re receiving this message then it means your Archy link software is active. I believe we have much to discuss, if you want me I am at the Emerald Coliseum in downtown. You are welcome to come; all I ask is leave R0-RY out of this. She has clouded your mind enough.
The message ended, Antag threw R0-RY to the ground, her neck began to repair itself as her vocal chords came back online.
R0-RY
Aha…hahaha…HaHa,ahah,HAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Father you do not disappoint, I have not the words or proper emotions to explain myself.
ANTAG
Hush, I will gladly meet my brother without you.
R0-RY
And what should I do?
ANTAG
In the past seven hours since I’ve known you all you have done is disappoint me, see if you can somehow rectify that.
Antag leapt into the sky the jets from his feet ignited scorching the earth below propelling him into the sky.
Protag stood in the center pit of the Coliseum, Le-Thario and Kris-Ti waiting in the wings when a sonic BOOM erupted above them and Antag landed right in front of his brother.
ANTAG
From the moment you destroyed me, to my resurrection and even now, I cannot escape the image of you stomping your boot into my skull. Over and over for an eternity
PROTAG
That is unfortunate, as is what I have to say next, that wasn’t me.
ANTAG
DO NOT INSULT ME!
PROTAG
I am not, the Protag you knew, whom you grew up with and did that to you was not I. We were switched at birth, I was held captive by a then undiscovered race of bots called shifters, his name was named Bel-Tron and he’s been dead for quite some time now.
ANTAG
No…NOOOOO!!!!
PROTAG
I know all of this is underwhelming, I completely understand your thirst for revenge but there is none to be had here.
ANTAG
You slew Bel-Tron?
PROTAG
His sister did.
Kris-Ti stepped forward. Antag’s turned focusing on her, his visor turning its familiar red.
ANTAG
Then it is you I shall kill and her entire race!
Le-Thario charged to the center of the Coliseum, all the bots faced each other in the round.
LE-THARIO
Don’t even think about it Antag, she’s with me.
KRIS-TI
No Le-Thario, it is time to reveal the truth. What you were told was part of the truth Antag, I didn’t kill Bel-Tron.
And finally she shifted into him the form she had sworn to never be in seven years.
BEL-TRON
I am Bel-Tron, so that means…
Then she shifted into the brother he assumed had stomped his head in.
PROTAG
I was also Protag.
Kris-Ti then shifted back into herself.
KRIS-TI
But this is who I am now, and who I truly want to be, if that’s not good enough then strike me down.
Her eyes were focused on Antag but she could not help but notice Le-Thario backing away, Protag was also speechless, the color faded from Antag’s visor as he lowered his head.
ANTAG
Good day.
Antag’s jet boosters ignited he zipped away into the approaching sunset, Kris-Ti turned to Le-Thario but he was already gone, as was Protag; she was alone in the Coliseum.
Pat-Ree paced back in forth in the hospital waiting room, when the volume to the TV was turned up by the staff to a level he could not ignore. The Reporter was in front of the Capitol building announcing the result.
REPORTER
And perhaps with support after todays tragic events, Protag-Onist-Archy has won the first election and is now Ultra City’s first President.
There were cheers and even some boos, other closer to Pat-Ree were silent until he smiled and started clapping.
PAT-REE
For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow!
Everyone joined in until R0-RY entered in her red comet form, spraying laser fire everywhere, thankfully missing the patients and staff, she stopped, laser focused on Pat-Ree.
R0-RY
I should have done this a long time ago.
She stretched her right arm into a fist that morphed into the barrel of her plasma cannon, charging, glowing a fierce magenta light.
R0-RY
Good night forever grandpa!
She got her shot off as Hugh arrived to put himself between Pat-Ree and the blast, put a violent hole of charred flesh into his torso. At the other end of the wing, Or-I-On could sense his father’s death, let out an ear splitting scream that stunned R0-RY, his tentacles changed into metal wings that flew him quickly to her but KVXIV stopped him mid-air with her mind, arriving in the waiting room.
KVXIV
There will be no more death today, I suggest you get out of here young lady, while you still posses the legs to do so.
R0-RY disappeared in a blur, KVXIV knelt down to cradle her fallen husband.
KVXIV
I hope that was good enough, I wanted to tear the metal from her exo-skeleton but I didn’t because you wouldn’t have wanted that. So I was strong for you and now I want to hurt, I loved you, I want that to mean something, right now…for some reason, I think this is how I do it.
The next morning Mat-Ree looked out from Office her sky view of Ultra-City, the rapid construction of Protag headquarters had already been complete as soon as the sun rise. If anyone else had asked for a visit this early she would have not so kindly declined their request, but KVXIV being the one across from her was too much of a call to action.
KVXIV
I know we aren’t anything to each other, but after the events of the past few weeks…
MAT-REE
They have been extreme, to say the least.
KVXIV
That’s putting it light
MAT-REE
What do you wish of me?
KVXIV
I need you to help me put an end to R0-RY’s terror.
MAT-REE
After all these years and the battles we’ve fought against one another, why now?
KVXIV
Becoming a mother has…changed the way I see things.
MAT-REE
That’s adorable.
KVXIV
Do not patronize me!
MAT-REE
I wouldn’t dream of it, now does this request come with a plan or are we flying by the seats of our pants?
KVXIV
I want you to help me create a new virus.
Epilogue
Deep beneath the Marketing Offices for Archy Lube, in the hidden lab where KVXIV and Le-Thario had stumbled up on his chryo-champer, the engine of the hot tub to the right of the chryo-chamber came to life, the control panel lit up to a bright white light under the keyboard, while a screen at the far end of the table flashed the number “1” followed by “of 12”. Water flowed into the tub, followed by liquid metal, then a thick pink substance, they boiled together forming into a naked man, the man emerged wiping away the steam from the nearby mirror. Hugh Mann looked back at himself.
HUGH MANN
Woah.
The Drewniverse 44 