Megamatrix Hero Within by Phil Hester, Jon S. Lewis, Shannon Eric Denton, Jake Bell Page A
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would die--inasmuch as a non-living machine could die. There was no reason to invite competition for control of the city.
"Get him!" Napalm shouted. Android 7 didn't need the noise to pinpoint Napalm's location, but it helped. The robot's back split and exposed the barrel of a cannon that erupted before Napalm could react.
Napalm vanished in an explosion that took out the entire wall, bringing the balcony crashing into a pile of rubble. Android 7 rolled out from beneath the falling debris and took aim for the next set of Technein's henchmen.
A strange noise, like a wounded duck, oozed from the barrel of the impactor ray. Android 7's processors began running diagnostics, but he already knew the problem.
"What took you so long?" Technein said. "We've been tearing this place up for ten minutes." The squat crime boss strode calmly toward the malfunctioning robot. The rest of the hired muscle stood back, intimidated by one of the least intimidating figures anyone could imagine. Technein barely stood five-foot-five and always seemed to be nervously licking his lips. His greasy hair and buggy eyes made him difficult to look at, though his presence demanded attention.
"Four minutes-seventeen seconds," Android 7 corrected as he lay on the floor. The servos that controlled his movement weren't responding, leaving the android jerking about as he tried to face his enemy.
"Is that all?" Technein said, gesturing to the destruction around them. "That's a lot of damage for four minutes and seventeen seconds."
Android 7's technology was advanced, but it was no match for Technein. The short, greasy villain smiled at the struggling android with his rat-like teeth. "This is the end, isn't it? After all these years, it's finally over." Technein stood up straight and got scratched his chin in deep thought. "Though, I guess this is really the only way it could end when you think about it."
The thugs who'd been knocked out by the impactor rays staggered to their feet and joined Technein by Android 7's side.
"Superheroes are not killers," Technein went on. "That's the one rule we could always count on. No matter what a superhero did to you, you weren't going to die. Sure, you'd go to jail for a time, but it wouldn’t last forever. Right?"
Android 7's systems started reporting critical errors as he malfunctioned, but he could still hear everything Technein said. The supervillain made sure of that.
"If you'd had the guts to kill these guys . . . to kill Napalm. Heck, even to kill me--well, you wouldn't be in the fix you're in, would you?" Technein pointed out. "Fortunately, I have no such qualms about you or any of your super friends."
Technein knelt so he could get face to face with Android 7.
"You should have heard Lord Trident at the end, begging Napalm for mercy."
"By the beard of Poseidon!" Napalm groaned weakly, still recovering from his explosive run in with Android 7's cannon.
"We flash-fried that fish," Technein said with a laugh. "Of course, that doesn't really matter to you, does it? It's not like he was your friend. I mean, you're incapable of having friends, and that's why I always thought you were the dangerous one. You're an oversized calculator with a bazooka, and I always worried that one day you'd do the math – that you’d figure out the only way to win this war was to drop that silly no-killing rule and start cleaning house."
"If I became a killer--BZZT--" Android 7 managed to say, "--I'd be no bett--1110100101--better than you. The math is simple. A hero that kills--BZZT--does not equal a hero at all."
"And a hero that isn't willing to face reality, isn't a hero for long," Technein replied as he stood up. He signaled his men, who went to work dismantling the last superhero on the planet.
As a boot crushed into Android 7's ribcage, the last superhero felt something unfamiliar. Perhaps, he thought, it was a result of the supervillain's tampering or a malfunction of his central processor.
A preliminary scan
"Get him!" Napalm shouted. Android 7 didn't need the noise to pinpoint Napalm's location, but it helped. The robot's back split and exposed the barrel of a cannon that erupted before Napalm could react.
Napalm vanished in an explosion that took out the entire wall, bringing the balcony crashing into a pile of rubble. Android 7 rolled out from beneath the falling debris and took aim for the next set of Technein's henchmen.
A strange noise, like a wounded duck, oozed from the barrel of the impactor ray. Android 7's processors began running diagnostics, but he already knew the problem.
"What took you so long?" Technein said. "We've been tearing this place up for ten minutes." The squat crime boss strode calmly toward the malfunctioning robot. The rest of the hired muscle stood back, intimidated by one of the least intimidating figures anyone could imagine. Technein barely stood five-foot-five and always seemed to be nervously licking his lips. His greasy hair and buggy eyes made him difficult to look at, though his presence demanded attention.
"Four minutes-seventeen seconds," Android 7 corrected as he lay on the floor. The servos that controlled his movement weren't responding, leaving the android jerking about as he tried to face his enemy.
"Is that all?" Technein said, gesturing to the destruction around them. "That's a lot of damage for four minutes and seventeen seconds."
Android 7's technology was advanced, but it was no match for Technein. The short, greasy villain smiled at the struggling android with his rat-like teeth. "This is the end, isn't it? After all these years, it's finally over." Technein stood up straight and got scratched his chin in deep thought. "Though, I guess this is really the only way it could end when you think about it."
The thugs who'd been knocked out by the impactor rays staggered to their feet and joined Technein by Android 7's side.
"Superheroes are not killers," Technein went on. "That's the one rule we could always count on. No matter what a superhero did to you, you weren't going to die. Sure, you'd go to jail for a time, but it wouldn’t last forever. Right?"
Android 7's systems started reporting critical errors as he malfunctioned, but he could still hear everything Technein said. The supervillain made sure of that.
"If you'd had the guts to kill these guys . . . to kill Napalm. Heck, even to kill me--well, you wouldn't be in the fix you're in, would you?" Technein pointed out. "Fortunately, I have no such qualms about you or any of your super friends."
Technein knelt so he could get face to face with Android 7.
"You should have heard Lord Trident at the end, begging Napalm for mercy."
"By the beard of Poseidon!" Napalm groaned weakly, still recovering from his explosive run in with Android 7's cannon.
"We flash-fried that fish," Technein said with a laugh. "Of course, that doesn't really matter to you, does it? It's not like he was your friend. I mean, you're incapable of having friends, and that's why I always thought you were the dangerous one. You're an oversized calculator with a bazooka, and I always worried that one day you'd do the math – that you’d figure out the only way to win this war was to drop that silly no-killing rule and start cleaning house."
"If I became a killer--BZZT--" Android 7 managed to say, "--I'd be no bett--1110100101--better than you. The math is simple. A hero that kills--BZZT--does not equal a hero at all."
"And a hero that isn't willing to face reality, isn't a hero for long," Technein replied as he stood up. He signaled his men, who went to work dismantling the last superhero on the planet.
As a boot crushed into Android 7's ribcage, the last superhero felt something unfamiliar. Perhaps, he thought, it was a result of the supervillain's tampering or a malfunction of his central processor.
A preliminary scan
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