A Different Place

Chapter 18 - Assault On the Garrdan Ruins

TAP! TAP! TAP! TAP!

"What are you doing now?" Number Two asked, rolling around on his bunk to relieve the boredom. Maybe he should be taking a nap, but that was hard to do with all the noise currently in the room, however.

"I'm digging a tunnel," said Number Twelve with determination, using his spoon to pound rhythmically on the aquamarine floor of the prison cell. "So we can escape and rescue Miss Tron." Number Two opened an eye to check on his fellow Servbot's progress. Twelve had actually made some progress. A hole almost the size of a Servbot's head was already dug, although it would be hidden by the bunks if a guard happened to look into the cell.

"That's not going to work," Number Twenty-Seven said. "I think it'll take about two months to dig enough to get out." He stepped up behind the kneeling Servbot, as if supervising the job. "Besides, don't you think the guards will notice all of the chipped pieces of aquamarine all over the floor?"

"Oh, I've got a place to hide them..." Number Twelve said knowingly.

Number Two kept silent for a moment, as he had nothing further to add to the discussion. "We need to get out of here," he said forcefully, "and we don't have time to dig ourselves out."

"Ummmmm...." said Number Twelve, thinking it over. Then, he continued in his digging.

Number Twenty-Seven sat up rapidly in his bunk. "I know, we could...ummm, no, I guess we don't have any 'Raisin Bran.' Never mind."

Two rolled out of his bed and stared at the door. "I think we might be able to break down this door, don't you?"

"We already tried that," Twenty-Seven reminded him. "I didn't work."

"Yeeess," said Two, "but before, I don't think we noticed that someone left the hinges on this side of the door."

"Hee hee," said Number Twenty-Seven, unclamping his hands. He and Number Two began unfastening the hinges of the locked door while Number Twelve continued working on his tunnel. After being yelled at by Number Two, Twelve stopped work on his project and listened in.

"Oooh-kaayy!" said Number Two. "We all need to run at the door at once, and if we do it just right, the loose side should open just enough to let us out."

"Ummmm..." said Twenty-Seven.

"Yes?"

"I don't think we can all charge at the same time. One of us should go after the other two."

"Hmmm," said Number Two. "Then you and I will go first, and Number Twelve should try to jump over us and hit the door on his own. Did you get that, Number Twelve?"

"Uhhhh, yes?" said Twelve.

Two and Twenty-Seven lined up in front of the wooden door. "Operation: Door Take-Down, begin!" commanded Two, and so it did. The front line tackled the cell door, which immediately collapsed outward without its hinges. Evidently Number Two had underestimated the door's holding power without its hinges. The two Servbots toppled forward, landing painfully on top of the door. And Number Twelve, naturally, had picked this time, of all times, to remember his orders to the letter. He took a running start at the open door and bounded upward, his momentum taking him through the open doorway. He sailed downward until he crashed into a heap on top of the other two.

After all three had finishing complaining and managed to return to their feet, Number Two looked around and realized, "We're out! Yay!"

"Yay!" said the other two Servbots.

"Uuuuhhh..." came the voice of the guard from underneath the door.

"Uh-ohh..." said Number Two, and ran off, leading the others out of the detention area.

The grass near the Garrdan Ruins' entrance fluttered in every direction as the Drache descended, hovering just over the ground, but never quite touching. A disheveled Teisel Bonne leapt grandly out of its back door, followed by four Servbots and by MegaMan, still clad in a loose-fitting old suit of armor that had once been Teisel's own.

"Listen up, everybody," said Teisel, pointing directly at the ruins' entrance with his free left hand. "Tron and Bon are in there somewhere, and we're not coming out until we find them. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good, then let's GO!!!" Teisel, aided by a dose of Tron's Strength Solution, hefted the Bonne Bazooka over his head, leading the charge into the Ruins, roaring at the top of his lungs all the while.

"Raaaaaaahhhh!!!" everyone yelled as they entered the Ruins, startling a couple of novice Diggers who were scavenging for small refractors in the first few rooms.

The Bonnes ran through a couple of long, twisting hallways, and, following the directions of his Spotter, Teisel took the left fork of a three-way intersection. A large group of Reaverbots was waiting for them. "Aaaaaahhhhh!!" everyone hollered as they attacked the robotic guardians. Teisel let go with the Bonne Bazooka, which had an abysmally slow rate of fire. Luckily, most of the Reaverbots couldn't withstand more than one hit from the massive powerful weapon. MegaMan and the others tossed some Bonne Bombs at the remaining few foes, but the battle was over so quickly that it almost seemed as though they hadn't even paused in their charge.

"Yaaaahhhh!!!" Teisel led his group through another couple of chambers, then the mad dash had to stop for another few moments as a few more Reaverbots had to be thrashed. After this next clash was through, everyone stopped for a moment, as there was no where to go, at least, no way forward that seemed obvious.

"I see," said Teisel. "Sometimes, once the Reaverbots in a given area are downed, the way ahead just magically appears. I was really hoping that was the case here."

"Oh," MegaMan said. He and the Servbots waited patiently. "I don't think it's going to happen."

"Maybe there's a switch somewhere," Teisel said, pawing around the walls.

A small voice coughed for attention from around MegaMan's knees. He looked down, and saw that Servbot Number Nineteen was looking at him expectantly, presenting a black, tube-shaped device. "Look what I found! Yay!"

"What is it?"

"I think it's an Arm Cannon," Number Nineteen explained. "You put your arm in it, like this..." The Servbot reached inside the smaller end of the tube, then immediately snatched it back. "There's something in here," he said, peeking into the Arm Cannon.

"Hey, be careful with that," MegaMan warned, but Nineteen had already yelped and dropped the item like a hot potato, which caused a green blast of energy to sail across the quiet, dank chamber. It sailed right past Teisel's head as he knelt on the opposite end of the room, still searching for a switch to gain access to the next chamber.

"Hey!" Teisel accused. "Stop fooling around over there!"

MegaMan rolled his eyes and bent over to retrieve the weapon. "What's in here that's so scary?"

Nineteen was shivering. "It w-was a...a..."

"Wah!" MegaMan pulled out the item that had frightened Number Nineteen, a skeletal hand, no doubt belonging to the gun's last owner. He threw it away instantly, as it happened, right at Teisel's face once again.

The pirate howled as the dessicated finger bones separated on impact with his chin. Once he had sufficiently calmed himself, he asked his Spotter, "Number One! Where's the exit to this room?!"

"That room is a dead end, Master Teisel. You were supposed to take the right fork at the last intersection..."

"You said to take the LEFT fork!"

"Whoops," apologized Number One. "Sorry..."

MegaMan blew out the dust from the Arm Cannon's inside and fitted it on his left hand. But how would he fire it? Oh, there the trigger was. He fired a test shot into the ceiling. "Let's head back then."

Teisel once again led the party in a charge through the ruins. "Aaaaaahhhh!!!" they all roared as they ran down the long hallway. Suddenly, on some sort of extrasensory suspicion, Teisel halted his comrades. "Shhh!"

MegaMan and Teisel peeked through the next doorway. They could see very little, but the conversation they overheard explained the situation to them.

"That was certainly a tough Reaverbot," said a young man's voice. "I nearly worked up a sweat back there."

"Keh-keh! But at least we got the treasure."

"That's right, once we hook this up to the Garoona Klang, we'll be able to take over any island in the world---errruuuurrreerlllll!!"

"It's Glyde!" hissed Teisel softly. "And he's got some sort of new weapon! Let's beat him up and take it." Teisel sped down the hall to intercept his smartly-dressed nemesis. the Servbots trailing him closely.

"Wait," said MegaMan, but it was too late. "What about Tron?..." He shook his head and followed the others, making sure his Arm Cannon was charged enough to shoot. For all he knew, it might have been lying in the ruins for a hundred years, but it had worked just minutes ago.

"Not so fast, Glyde," Teisel was saying just as MegaMan caught up with him. "I think we'll be taking that treasure of yours." MegaMan could see that two of Glyde's Birdbots were carrying a conical-shaped blue refractor while three others were launching themselves at the Servbots.

"If it isn't Teisel Bonne," said Glyde from his newly-designed robotic armor. "Read any good books lately? I like your new 'macho' look, by the way."

"What?" said Teisel, looking down at himself. "Oh, you're referring to this." Teisel's right arm was mostly bare except for the parts covered by the Bonne Bazooka. "Well, it really isn't a fashion statement, but---wait a minute! Why am I even talking to you?" Teisel raised his arm and fired a shell at Glyde's robot so fast that MegaMan had trouble following it. Then, aided by the Strength Solution, the eldest Bonne leaped on top of the rival pirate's shoulders and ripped off the head of the robotic suit.

Glyde's own head was now visible, his eyes each wider than the moon. "Oh, my! How did you---"

Teisel gave him no time finish his question. He bounded backwards and hurled his metallic projectile at the center of Glyde's frame with such force that Glyde was knocked back nearly ten yards, and in fact, was only stopped by the fact that the Ancients had been so studious in their construction habits. Nary a second after Glyde's armor hit the wall, it exploded.

Glyde coughed as he emerged from the wreckage, his face and clothing covered in soot. "Twice in as many months. How embarrassing." He walked slowly around Teisel, as if to exit the ruins. He stopped as he passed by MegaMan. "Ooh. I forgot how cute this one was."

"You've got something on your face," MegaMan said.

"What?" Glyde asked just as a Bonne Bomb collided with his nose. "That was uncalled for," he said as he rose from the ground a second time, "but I'll have my revenge! Ha ha! The Refractor of Iscreme is mine!" MegaMan realized that Glyde was correct as he surveyed the room. All of the Birdbots had fled, including the two that had been carrying the cone-shaped refractor. Glyde cackled as he fled the battleground. "I'll be waiting for you outside, Teisel! When you exit these ruins, you'll all be in for the fight of your lives!!!" Glyde's maniacal, villainous laughter could be heard echoing through the ruins as he ran away.

"He's going down!" Teisel said, attempting to follow Glyde out.

"Hold it," MegaMan said, catching Teisel by the arm and stopping the pirate's forward motion. "Why are we here? Do you remember? You know, to rescue your brother and sister?"

"Right," Teisel said simply. "Okay everyone, let's get going!" He and his posse started down the passage, the correct one this time, at least according to Number One.

MegaMan hoped that their recent scuffle had not put Tron in any more danger than she was already in.