//------------------------------// // CM: Scumbag at the Sands // Story: Melody of the Future // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Once Marino and Cinnamon had finished cleaning the sand out of their armor with Axl's assistance, the group made their way around the new floor of the facility, exploring it as they sought out a way forward. The room was perfectly square, with four doors, one in each wall. The paths behind the doors - save one that led back to the desert outside - each led to a T intersection, leading to other rooms containing laser/mirror security chambers that involved altering mirror positions to send the lasers into different receivers to activate various functions throughout the base. These functions included unlocking capsules containing useful items in the rooms, opening other doors, or summoning security mechanaloids. On the next floor up were sealed chambers containing the controls to the jammers in each of the four corners of the facility. While several high level Preons patrolled the halls, Massimo was able to handle them in the narrow corridors in the same way he'd dealt with them previously. As they shut down all four Jammers, a whiny, nasally voice echoed over the loudspeakers. "Nyah hah hah hah! You've really done it this time! Very well...let me show you to the top floor. Take the Central Elevator. I'll have a warm welcome waiting for you when you arrive. Nyah hah hah hah!" Octavia shivered. "Ugh...that voice, it grates on my ears..." "Still, looks like we need to go," X pointed out. "We need to neutralize this facility completely, and that means making certain no one remains to hold it." "Then let's go," Zero directed, leading the way back to the elevator. When they reached the top floor, they were confronted by the fat green robot Epsilon had introduced as Botos. He had oversized hands, a pudgy face, squat legs, an orange belt with a blue focus crystal as a clasp around his waist, and a strange bronze arch on his back connected to two huge rocket boosters. He waddled slowly towards them as he laughed. "Welcome to your doom-" "EWWW!" Cinnamon suddenly cried out, hiding herself behind Axl. "Keep it away! Keep it away! It's gonna try and eat me!" Botos blinked as Octavia stifled her chuckles. "Well that's just rude-" "Ugh, I know what you mean Cinnamon!" Marino groaned, stepping back herself. "Look at his mouth!" Botos glanced down at his large, square mouth, the lower lip almost perpetually pooched forward. "What's wrong with my-" "It looks like he's constantly eating a dick!" Marino concluded, making X and Zero stifle their own chuckles. Botos began to growl. "Ya know, I'm thinking I should be taking that personally-" "Make it go away, Axl!" Cinnamon whimpered. Axl cast a quick glance Octavia's way, seeing her lightly paw at the ground with one hoof. He then turned back to Botos. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he stated firmly. "You're upsetting my...friends." Botos growled angrily. "You think I'll leave just because you say so?" Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a shining piece of Force Metal. "Behold, the power of Supra-Force Metal, that even a tiny fragment..." He placed the tiny fragment into the focus crystal on his chest, causing his entire body to blaze with rainbow light as the rocket boosters on his back ignited, levitating him into the air. "...generates this much power!" Axl smirked to himself. "You think that's power? I think it's time I showed off something new." He braced himself. "Tango, merge!" Tango beamed in with a yowl as the blaze of light signified the Adapter kicking in. When the light faded, Axl's black armor had turned green, with blue and gold markings. His helm now flared out in cat ears, and a cat tail waved from the base of his spine. His fingers ended in claws, and matching claws extended from his boots. The Ancient Arm was clutched in his right hand as the Red Scythe spun idly around his tail. When Axl grinned, he showed off a mouthful of razor sharp teeth.(1) "Now then...yourrrrr move." With an angry snarl, Botos charged in to try and strike Axl, only for him to vanish. "What the-?" "You missed," Axl scolded from behind him, lashing out with tail and scythe at the booster rockets. Botos let out a cry of pain before spinning to attack again...only for Axl to not be there. "How is this possible?" Axl backhanded the back of Botos' head, making him tumble away. "Trrrry again?" he offered teasingly. With a roar, Botos unleashed numerous laser fire, only for Axl to vanish just before each shot would have hit him. "Just fight me already!" he roared out angrily. "As you say..." Axl purred, leveling his gun as the plates burst off. "19%," the gun announced as it discharged an intense sphere of white light, slamming into Botos and knocking him back against the far wall and to the ground as the Supra-Force Metal chunk bounced back towards him. "No!" Botos called out, his voice suddenly oddly stilted. "The precious Supra-Force Metal that Epsilon gave me-" "That you wanted us to take frrrom you so it could be analyzed to lead us into an obvious trrrap?" Axl purred wickedly, leaning over Botos as he waved his gun back and forth. "Perrrhaps so you could claim a larrrrgerrr chunk elsewherrre? Such as the one in the rrrrrocket at the Melda Orrrre Plant?" Botos' eyes widened, and he immediately fled to a nearby teleporter. Axl slowly stood up, chuckling as he pulled out a key marked as the 'Melda Key'. "Picked this up while wanderrrring on my own," he told Octavia. "Rrrrremind me to get into Pokerrrr..." "Oh you can poke me anytime, kitty," Marino purred, moving up to snuggle against Axl. Cinnamon let out a sigh of relief as she glomped onto him. "Thanks for making him go away, Axl. He was unplea-Oh!" She gasped and jumped a little, as did Marino. Marino chuckled as Cinnamon blushed. "Axl..." Axl blinked in surprise, and then his eyes narrowed. "Tango! You cut that out!" (1) Axl's secondary Hyper Mode and the Power Armor form utilizing the Tango Adapter...Schrodinger. It has no effect on Axl's LE or WE generation. It drastically changes his evasion rate to the following formula. Z = (y-x)/100 Where Y is his current HP, X is the damage the incoming attack would do if it hits, and Z is the chance the attack has to hit. (Meaning if his HP is 1, nothing can hit him). In addition, Schrodinger does not drain Hyper Gauge towards cooldown unless the Action Trigger is used, which channels available WE into the Ancient Arm in a similar manner to X's 'Charged Shot' Action Trigger. If WE charged is less than 20, the damage to a single target is Axl's attack power times channeled WE. If it is between 20 and 50, it deals that percentage of the single target's LE. If it's between 50 and 99, it deals that percentage of LE in damage to all enemies. If it's 100, all allies are hit with a DOA attack.