Several crew
members removed Ito from the field and swept the platform clear while
cheerleaders danced to Jock Jams. Unlike Albro and Jefferson, the mood of the
crowd was boisterous; enjoying the AAA entertainment Calvin Reuben Hanson had
brought to town. Across the field, behind Maximillian, Hanson smiled like a
jackal.
“Why so
serious, Albro?” Calvin’s voice was amplified, filling the whole place as the
music was faded to silence in a very choreographed maneuver. “Are you ready now
to admit I am the best?”
“The best?
No.” Albro was surprised at the tone in his own voice and he looked up at
Hanson with a mixture of shock and determination.
“The field
says otherwise, I think. What does the crowd say?” The small roar gave Calvin
his answer and he seemed pleased at the results. “And while I’ve just been
informed we cannot use the term Robotech Masters, do to some legal difficulties
I’m sure we’ll clear up…” The graphics
splashing Robotech Masters all over the platforms suddenly changed to Robo
Masters and crew members pulled the banners from the walls. “…I’ve proven what
I would have proved all those years ago. You wronged me, Albro, and now I will
have my revenge!”
Hanson
brought his hand down and on cue the lights, which had been up were dimmed
again, and the umpire signaled for play to resume.
“Maxamillian.
Kill.” The brute, turned its head to eye its master and then started slowly
towards Raphael who kneeled in front of his goal.
“I can’t
watch,” Jefferson said before covering his eyes. Albro wished to do the same,
but a hand came to rest on his shoulder. T1N looked at Albro and then motioned
towards the field.
“I can’t…”
T1N leaned in and put his other hand on Albro’s shoulder. “O.K.”
Albro pulled
a blue flag from his back pocket and waved it, desperate to get the umpire’s
attention.
“What this
Guy? Is Swift attempting to surrender?”
“No, Randy,
that is the Point-of-Order flag. He must have something he wants to bring to
the umpire’s attention. Looks like we’ll find out.”
The umpire
stopped play and Maximillian halted his slow march.
“I wish to
make a substitution.” Jefferson, Hanson, and the rest of the crowd all whipped
their heads around to look at Albro in surprise.
“Who are you
going to substitute, Albro? You’re butler?” Hanson pointed at T1N and laughed.
“Is this
allowed,” Randy asked from the announcer’s booth.
“It’s an
obscure rule, but as long as whatever he fields does not go over the team’s
weight limit he can substitute. The only problem is, you don’t get to subtract
the weight of the unit you are substituting, so it’s very rare teams have
enough cap to actually do it.”
“Does he
have the room?”
“I just did
the calculations and he does.”
“And it
looks like the umpire came to the same conclusion, he’s letting Swift
substitute.”
Albro first
whispered to T1N, who then went down to relieve Raphael, and then he whispered
to Jefferson, who’s smile widened with each moment he listened.
“Gronk! With
me,” he yelled and then jumped off the platform.
“I thought
tearing the limbs off of that little toy of yours was going to be highlight,
but now you give me the gift of your most prized robot…”
“Automaton.”
“Wha?”
“Robot is
Czech for… you known, it didn’t sink in in college; it’s not going to sink in
here.” Albro fixed Calvin with an unfriendly gaze. “Do you want to know why I
didn’t fight you all those years ago, Cal?”
“I know
Albro. You were afraid to fight me.”
“I’ve never
been afraid of you, Cal; not even now.”
“Then why
did you rat me out to the college police and get me kicked out?”
“I didn’t.
You thought I was oblivious to what you were doing, but I knew and I said
nothing. We were almost graduated, I wasn’t going to do that to you… you were
my friend.”
“Then why
didn’t you fight me?”
The steel in
Albro’s eyes faded and he seemed poised to run from the platform, but then he
spoke again, “I had every intention to fight you that night. I was on my way,
in fact. That’s when I was mugged.”
The whole
expansive stadium fell silent. Randy looked ready to speak, but Guy silenced
him with hand over his mouth and a shush.
“He came up behind
me and held a knife to my back. He took everything, threw me to the curb, and
then proceeded to kick me until I passed out. I woke up two days later. I
couldn’t go outside after that. I couldn’t…” Albro looked at T1N and seemed to
take courage from the white automaton standing below.
“All this
time I’ve been running away, afraid of everything… afraid to go outside… too
afraid to get to know anyone… to be known. But I’m not alone anymore. I’m not
fighting you Cal, I’m fighting myself… and you’re in my way!
“I built T1N
so that would never happen to me again. You’re right, he’s very important to
me, but he’s not my butler, Cal… he’s my bodyguard.” Albro spoke to T1N
directly, “There are three flowers in a vase. The third flower is green.”
T1N, who’s
visor now glowed red, suddenly moved from a very relaxed position, to
performing a series of katas. Then he mimicked stretching muscles he didn’t have.
“Jefferson.”
“DJ Gronk,
some beating music if you please.”
Gronk. The little robot had tapped into
the snake leading out of the soundboard, effectively taking control.
The lights
dimmed so only T1N and Maxamillian could be seen, all else was darkness. Music
began to play, growing louder as it built up force…
You've got the touch
You've got the power, yeah
T1N strode
confidently, taking a ball from the hopper.
After, all is said and done
You never walk, you never run
You're a winner, you got the moves
Maximillian
had returned to guard his goal and he eyed T1N with malice, using one hand to
motion T1N closer.
You know the streets, break the rules
Take the heat, you're nobody's fool
You're at your best when the going
gets rough
You've been put to the test but it's
never enough
T1N crossed
the halfway mark.
You got the touch
You got the power
T1N put on a
burst of speed, directly at Maxamillian who swung two arms to pulverize the small,
white automaton daring to assault him. However, T1N dodged these attacks easily
and then struck out at the great joints that gave the arms their movement. Two
burst in explosions of green oil and two others would never move again.
Maximillian recoiled away and his blood, red eye looked at his useless arms in
shock.
You never bend, you never break
You seem to know just what it takes
You're a fighter, it's in the blood
It's in the will, it's in the mighty
hands of steel
When you're standin' your ground
Maximillian
lets out a fierce roar and swung his remaining two arms at T1N. Bobbing and
weaving around the attack like water, T1N again dodged Maxmillian’s attack.
Three quick strikes rendered those arms useless as well.
“He’s over
9000,” Calvin Rueben Hanson exclaimed in horror.
You got the touch
Now
defenseless, Maxamillian did his best to avoid T1N’s attacks, but each blow
landed all over his metal body, crushing and mangling the red monster’s form.
Then the attacks stopped and T1N move to stand directly in front of the once
great Maximillian, who now looked very much like a defeated fighter, swaying
from side to side.
You got the power
T1N gave him
one last look and then with the hand that held the ball he punched the great
iron beast square in the chest; tearing armor, gears, wiring, and much else.
T1N’s hand traveled through Maximillian and out the other side.
You got the touch
The life
faded from Maximillian just as T1N tossed the ball into the goal.
You got the power, yeah!
“Eight
points! Eight points! I can’t believe it! I can’t believe it!”
“That. Was. Amazing.
I have never…” Guy struggled to find the words, so he chose to remain silent.
Hanson
slumped to the platform just as his robot toppled over when T1N pulled his hand
out of it’s chest.
“That’ll do
Gronk. That’ll do.” Jefferson smiled a knowing smile as he surveyed the crowd
that had gone wild.
Gronk. Gronk.
* * *
I thought I'd be done after this one, but you wouldn't want to miss out on Maximillian's epic defeat would you? So, I'm not going to promise that next week is the end, but its pretty close. See you then.
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