"Ishaan," Marvin said. "I have to go back to the workshop."
Ishaan quieted his saw blades and stepped closer. The smoke swirled around him. "I can't let you help Gerard. You don't know what he'd do if he took over."
"He has my friends," Marvin pleaded.
Ishaan froze for a moment. Then he took another step forward and replied, "I'll help them. Let me through."
Every fiber in Marvin's body wanted to, but Gerard's words rang like bells in his head—Go against anything I say, and your friends are dead.
"I'll make a deal with Gerard," Marvin said.
"What deal?" Ishaan said bitterly.
"I can convince him to leave you guys alone. He'll need to deal with the other Manhunter faction."
"You? Convincing Gerard?"
Marvin winced. He primed his shield as Gammagrade took another step.
"I'll tell you what Gerard will do," Ishaan said. "He'll kill your friends. He'll kill you. He'll kill whoever he thinks is closest to me. He's a fucking psychopath. There's no convincing him of anything."
Before Marvin could get a coherent thought through his brain, Gerard's voice shouted in his ear, "Don't listen to him. Kill Gammagrade and get back here. That's it. That's all you have to do."
Ishaan raised a chainsaw and pointed it at Marvin. "Let me handle this."
Marvin hated Gerard. He hated that man with every fiber of his being. And the truth was, he didn't even know if he was bluffing. Ben and Renee might have escaped and were safely secluded in some comfortable shelter.
But on the off chance that they weren't, that Marvin ended up being responsible for their deaths… he would never be able to live with himself.
Marvin extended his saber out behind him and hoisted his shield. It was time for that rematch, wasn't it?
-----
Caroline listened to Marvin and Ishaan's exchange with bated breath. Once it became clear that the duel was inevitable, she folded her tablet and shoved it into her pocket. She'd collected the weapons and was speeding through the megacity's traffic streams, making a beeline for the Sawblades' garage.
Sienna. Ji. Amir. Ishaan. All had gone quiet on her. To make matters worse, Renee's last message had been quite some time ago, informing her that she and Ben had moved out of the workshop.
Renee can get out of there, especially with her EMP and the coup going on, Caroline assured herself. And she's good enough to get Ben out, too.
When there were ten minutes until arrival, Caroline was suddenly bombarded with responses. The first one from Sienna: Kobayashi's on the case. I'm ready to go. What do you need?
Caroline pursed her lips, tempted to ask for a favor. However, realistically, it was too late for Sienna to help in any capacity. Caroline had gotten them into this mess—she was determined to get them out.
The next reply came from Amir. The police chief had been investigating a murder site in Sector 8, and was finally free to take a break. He was willing to leave the Sector to help Caroline.
Again, it was too late for him to do anything. Caroline told him it'd be great if he could deal with the aftermath if it got bad.
Finally, Renee's humanoid voice came over the shuttle's speakers. "Caroline, can you hear me?"
Caroline tentatively reached for the shuttle's mic. "Yes, I hear you—"
"I've lost Ben!"
Caroline widened her eyes and put one hand against the shuttle's dashboard. "What happened?"
"There was an explosion and I used the EMP," Renee replied. "We got out of the ropes and ran but some people shoved us over. When I got up Ben was gone and there was smoke everywhere."
"Do you have any idea where you are?"
"Next to the secondary workshop, I think," Renee replied.
Most likely opposite the training grounds then, taking into account the layout of the garage on the street. "Did you find out anything else? Where Gerard is?"
"Yes, he's heading to the training grounds. Gammagrade took out some of his guys, but Jacques is dead."
Okay. That's good. Caroline braced herself and said, "Remember what I told you. Get out of there."
Renee was quiet for a moment. Almost long enough to make Caroline take back her words. But before she could, Renee replied, "Okay. You'll be here soon, right?"
"Yes, I promise," Caroline said. She squeezed her eyes shut, one hand trembling on the steering wheel, one hand threatening to collapse as it pressed against the dashboard. It was better to make sure Renee was safe, she told herself. She could save Ben and Marvin on her own. She could do this.
-----
Ishaan read the signs correctly, as any good pilot would. He raised his chainsaws across his chest in an X, then charged.
Gammagrade closed the gap in an instant, but Marvin was ready. One chainsaw he caught on his shield. The other he brought down with his sword. Gammagrade kicked Marvin away, pivoted, and thrust a chainsaw at his chest. An automated program caused Marvin to drift away just out of reach. The perks of having Sienna's prototype.
Gammagrade chased, and Marvin fended off as best he could. Ishaan had gotten better, there was no denying that. He still attacked with the same unrelenting ferocity as before, but each move seemed more calculated, intentional. He moved elegantly, spinning and readjusting with the motions of his chainsaws. The blades were no longer brutish tools of destruction, but inseparable pieces of the greater machine.
The mechs danced towards the edge of the arena. Sparks scattered across the floor and disappeared into the smoke. Thrusters gleamed violently and motors glowed with overexertion.
Marvin had also improved. Something had clicked during the brief fight with Mantis. Unlike Ishaan, he was the mech. There was no human body to return to; it was all or nothing. He could no longer feel or taste, so his mind made up for it analytically. He saw every move ahead of time and deliberated his response. Nothing felt instinctual. He was a computer whose every action was logical and premeditated.
And yet he felt a warmth in his chest. As if his heart were still racing.
Marvin's back hit the arena wall. Gammagrade stabbed. Marvin angled his head just enough to avoid it. The spinning saw blade blared in his left ear. Marvin rammed Gammagrade with his shield but the opponent barely moved. Instead, Gammagrade pressed its elbow against Marvin's neck and flared its thrusters. Marvin was slammed against the wall, then began to ascend as Gammagrade dragged him upwards. Marvin put his own thrusters on overdrive and pushed away from the wall. The two mechs fumbled in the air for a moment, saws clashing against steel in desperate attempts to inflict damage. Then, Marvin activated his thrusters again and barreled into Gammagrade. They fell a shorter distance than expected, crashing onto the bridge.
Both mechs wasted no time leaping to their feet. Marvin was barely able to register the dead Manhunters around him before Gammagrade was in his face. Their dance resumed, this time a steady push and pull as they tried to gain ground on the bridge.
Yes, it's there, Marvin thought as he weaved through Gammagrade's attacks. That feeling. It wasn't his heart, but something more raw, an intrinsic part of the machine.
I like this, Marvin realized with a start. My friends' lives are on the line, and I've never felt more alive.
He suddenly felt bile building up in his throat. This wasn't a normal human reaction. He should feel desperate. Afraid.
He hadn't really tried to reason with Ishaan beforehand, had he? Even back then, some part of him wanted to fight. Why? Why was he like this?
Gammagrade swept a chainsaw low, tripping Marvin. He supported himself with his sword and wildly swung his shield, missing by a mile.
Get your head back in the game, Marvin told himself. But with each passing second, he hated himself more and more. This was wrong. He wanted to go back to the regular duels. He wanted to go back to Caroline, Ben, and Renee and their farm workshop and their crass yet genuine deal to help him solve his murder.
Gammagrade sensed his lapse in focus and began upping the aggression. Marvin defended as best he could, aware that he was backing into another wall. He didn't know which workshop lay on the other side. If he got lucky, he could lure Gammagrade into Gerard and the Manhunters.
Marvin jumped over Gammgrade's next attack, then gained more height with his rockets before flipping and landing behind the opponent. He wrapped his arms around Gammagrade and suplexed the mech. Before they could hit the ground, he fired up his thrusters and the two of them flew across the bridge. Gammagrade realized what was happening and directed its thrusters down, grounding them on the bridge before they could reach the wall. Marvin unsheathed his sword, angled his fist at Gammagrade's gut, and pierced a sizable hole. However, the opponent got up without faltering, spun, and jammed a chainsaw into Marvin's own abdomen. As Marvin lay on the ground, Gammagrade began to drag the saw upwards towards his chest. Marvin caught it with his shield and tried another stab. However, with a swipe of the other saw, Gammagrade cleanly severed Marvin's sword hand. Marvin stared at the rest of his limb.
I'm losing.
With the chainsaw still embedded in him, he boosted upwards, knocking Gammagrade off balance. They tumbled sideways, off the bridge, and fell back towards the bottom of the training arena.
Marvin ripped the chainsaw free and bashed his shield against Gammagrade's helmet. Once, twice. Gammagrade repositioned itself above Marvin and planted an elbow on his stomach.
The mechs hit the ground.
Marvin bounced. He skidded several dozen feet away from Gammagrade, who had miraculously landed on its feet. Marvin hoisted himself up… only to find that he'd lost connection with his legs. His right arm also was a disfigured mess, and the only working limb was his left shield-arm. He could only watch as Gammagrade stalked over, both chainsaws still intact and spinning.
I lost.
Gammagrade stopped a ways away from him. The two mechs locked eyes for a moment, and a silent understanding passed through them.
Then Gammagrade turned around.
And was enveloped in blue electricity. The mech spasmed for a few seconds, gradually crippling until it collapsed and fell still.
Marvin's jaw hung open. He'd seen that pattern before—it was a paranade. It would paralyze any human and render any mech useless.
A single pair of footsteps sounded through the smoke. Marvin strained his motors to prop himself up, but his arm gave way.
A silhouette of a man walked towards him. Ben?
But the figure's pair of red goggles confirmed otherwise. Gerard stepped into the clear. Stalked towards Marvin until he was right above him.
Marvin wanted to sigh in relief, but he couldn't. Something about the Manhunter was off.
"Thank you, Steve," Gerard said. "Jacques and his followers are dead. We've won."
"Where are my friends?" Marvin asked.
Gerard glanced into the distance and smiled. "I don't know."
Every motor in Marvin's body whirred to life and he pushed himself upwards with his functioning arm. "What—"
Gerard suddenly stepped on Marvin's chest, forcing him back down with a thud. Marvin felt his heart stop. The Manhunter's hand unfolded into that horrible claw.
"Why'd you have to know about the weapons?" Gerard said. "I would've kept you alive. All of you. You would've made a great asset along with Gammagrade."
Gerard rested the tip of the claw on Marvin's forehead. "But the weapons. We can't have anyone with leverage against us."
Thuds and shouts sounded in the distance. Then, a series of zips as plasma rifles were fired. Probably the execution of the last of Jacques' guys.
Gerard raised the claw. Marvin couldn't think. He was a husk of a mech, and too much had gone wrong. He could only close his eyes.
"Wait! You need him!"
Another pair of footsteps—much faster this time. Marvin opened his eyes and noted Gerard was standing up straight, looking at someone to his right. Marvin swiveled his neck, and his cameras went wide. Ben was standing there, not more than ten feet away, facing Gerard completely unarmed.
"Bullshit," Gerard said. He thrust his claw at Marvin.
"That's Marvin Yao!"
The claw stopped an inch away from Marvin's temple. This was either the greatest gamble of all time, or the worst and last mistake Ben would ever make.
"What are you talking about?" Gerard snapped.
"He's Marvin Yao's combat upload. After Marvin got killed, someone tried to upload him to his mech, but it didn't work the way they wanted to," Ben said. "So they threw him out in a dead zone, where we picked him up."
"What?"
Ben took a couple steps forward, causing Marvin to nearly cry out. "That mech has all of Marvin Yao's knowledge and more. It's Saberstar, but better. And since it's an upload and not his actual consciousness, you can make it do anything you want. Reprogram it."
"I don't believe you," Gerard said.
"Okay, you don't have to. But no matter what, he's another mech, and a damn good one." Ben took another two steps forward. He was almost within arm's length of Gerard. "You're gonna be facing a lotta backlash over the next few weeks. You're gonna need more firepower on your side."
"I've got Ishaan and Mantis," Gerard said. "That's enough."
"Mantis is cut in half, if you didn't notice. And you really think Ishaan's gonna help you?" Ben pointed to the paralyzed wreckage of Gammagrade.
"He'll have to," Gerard said.
"I think he'll turn the Sawblades against you. It's one mech against zero. You're not gonna win."
Gerard seemed to finally absorb some of Ben's logic as his composure slackened slightly. He glanced down at Marvin, then back at Ben. Marvin couldn't fathom how fast his heart would've been beating. Ben was actually doing it.
"Reprogrammable, you say?" Gerard said.
"Well, you don't have to believe that. But it's still a whole mech for you."
Gerard slowly nodded. Though he kept his foot on Marvin's torso, he visibly let off the pressure.
"Alright. Sure. I guess I do need him." Gerard drew his arm away from Marvin's head. "But not you."
Gerard swiped the claw upwards.
The high-pitched zip of a plasma gunshot rang in the air, followed by faint sizzling. Gerard's foot slipped off of Marvin and he fell to the ground. The Manhunter's head lolled to the side, staring at Marvin with large, lifeless eyes.
Marvin's jaw hung open for a moment. His vision adjusted to where Ben was. The boy was still standing, unharmed, though clutching his chest and breathing heavily.
Someone came running. Frantic steps. Marvin angled his head towards the sound and wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or laugh more.
It was Caroline.
As she neared the two, she tossed aside her plasma rifle. Ben got to Marvin first, propping him up and offering him a look of, Holy shit, that just happened. The boy looked like a completely different person. Someone who could have stood up to anything.
Thank you, Ben.
Then Caroline arrived, practically sliding as she knelt beside them and pulled them into an embrace.
They were silent for a bit, basking in each other's company. Then Marvin, feeling dazed, asked, "What happened?"
"It's gonna be okay," Caroline said quietly. "I gave the Sawblades the guns. They're fighting the Manhunters now."
"What?" So that's what the gunshots were.
"I'll tell you later," Caroline said, and let out a disbelieving laugh. "Let's get out of here."