Chapter Text
It’s not uncommon to be surprised. In the countless millenniums of sentience amongst lifeforms, the feeling of surprise or shock is not only common but expected. It’s natural for creatures to seek engagement through new experiences. Expected even for ones who wish to exploit the world’s infinite knowledge.
However, this was a mental flashbang. The collection of pebbles that once congregated to form his less-than-complex companion, Plymouth, had begun to shimmer. As he gripped the crushed windpipe of this pompous popstar he nodded along with the sound of syrup stones combining once again.
However, that wasn’t surprising.
He could hear something touch down on the ground on the opposing end of the arena. Unfazed footsteps followed soon after. There was no alarm in his form when Melodie’s body bobbed on the surface for a moment. Only to sink with the subtle sound of fleeting air bubbles.
No not even these events were surprising.
The shock. The intrigue. The stun. It was caused by what had come from the rubble. An unexpected arrival. A sleek figure. With a ticket dispenser where a rocky palm should have been.
This was… “Impossible.” That’s the first word that came to mind. The robot from before was not supposed to return from his crystal prison. It was impenetrable. Plymouth losing? That’s impractical. Yet here was the proof. A robot standing in defiance, reformed by the remnants of his ally. A scowl plastered against his metallic chin. Teal lenses turned violet as a burning rage bubbled up.
Larry moved forward like a surging wave. His speed increased with his growing ire. The grip on his ticketer nearly cracked the handle. Otis stepped backward for a swift retreat. This robot was able to surmount his rocky companion inside the confines of his candy realm. He wasn’t to be taken lightly.
The cookie monster hid behind a ruined jawbreaker. Larry planted his feet launching three projectiles into the sky with a vengeful roar. The orbs of jumbled tickets coasted along till they began their magnificent descent. Suddenly Otis appeared from his hiding spot. He slung a disc-like sheet of cookies at the law bringer.
Larry responded by sidestepping like a professional football player. He continued his sprint forward with a set of tickets flying ahead of him. Otis glared ahead while an amalgam of admission slips approached in slow motion. He closed his eyes for a moment to focus. Then with a flash, they shot open.
His body moved autonomously. His torso scrunching and arms flaring about. He navigated the incoming projectiles like a ballerina. Then he relaxed till he re-adjusted to his new position. Larry had finally gotten in range and was holding his ticket dispenser directly against Otis’s temple. His visor had gone bright red and he was practically vibrating with rage.
The sound of his barrel erupting with energy was deafening. Yet the shock of Otis’s survival was superior. He had flicked his hand upward in a flash and redirected the blast to the ceiling. As chocolate chips rained down Otis slowly turned back to his opponent. An adverse reaction as he stared down the iron sights.
He grunted, “How did you escape?”
Larry yanked his wrist free. He quickly retrieved another spool from his boot. A follow-up shot was swiftly weaved while Otis slowly approached. Larry fired once more but Otis was no longer exerting himself to avoid the attacks. His seamless movements were like a man gazing into the future. He strutted like a bodybuilder on stage as he asked, “You beat Plymouth?” He shook his head violently, “No! That’s not possible…”
The beast was confused. An opening. Larry adjusted his blaster's power then aimed upward. The bundle coasted for less than a second before beginning its descent. Otis looked up at the easy pop fly. He was going to silently step to the side until he heard an approaching wave of energy.
Larry had reset his blaster to default. This next shot was a return to his usual targeted blasts. A beamer aimed at his rugged chest. Otis analyzed the angles and nodded slightly. He quickly stepped to the side. Allowing the straight shot to whizz past him. The lob crashed next to his feet forcing him to bounce a little further away. Next came the grounds recoil. A wave of energy gave a subtle pulse. Otis didn’t need to wait for what would come next.
He jumped upward to avoid his feet getting assaulted by Larry’s trap. Then the warbling waves of approaching energy returned. He looked downward as Larry had his gun focused upward. The robot wasn’t giving some clever smirk or gaudy grin. He had hatred in his lens.
This final shot was guaranteed to hit. There was no way for him to dodge now. At least that’s what Larry thought. However, dodging wasn’t in Otis’s plan. He clasped his hands together into a tasty ball. Then with the force of a rhino, he spiked the orb into the distance.
Larry didn’t bother looking backward as the energy slammed into the milky murk. He didn’t flinch when the explosion caused the creamy drink to shoot meters into the sky. He kept his sights trained on this durable demon. The moment he landed Larry already had his gun aimed ahead. A snow-white burst of rain left as soon as it arrived.
The cookie juggernaut rolled his eyes. How much more did this intruder have left in him? Didn’t he realize it was hopeless? There’s no way Larry could defeat him. During his lackadaisical defiance his eyes managed to run over the crater he’d made before. He stared it down for a few moments more as something hit him. An odd feeling. Like something was missing.
He tracked the path not entirely sure as to what was missing. He stared onward not giving Larry any more attention. He didn’t like the feeling he was having. Then he felt it. A new presence. Something waiting behind him.
His body whipped around on its heel. His arm once again latched onto a robotic limb moments before it could attack. He twisted the wrist upward just before a wave of sparks could fly out. He noticed how concentrated the cone was at the start and ground his teeth.
That could be problematic.
He looked down at his aggressor. The shocking similarity to the other bot was stunning. He turned back to Larry then looked at Lawrie once more, “I knew you looked familiar.”
The volatile bot immediately used his free arm to throw a powerful shot to Otis’s gut. Even if futile the giant did appreciate the effort. Lawrie’s brother wanted to celebrate his return but they were in a pickle. He ran to the more assertive twin’s aid.
Otis heard his approach and slung Lawrie to his twin. They collided with one another and crumbled to the floor. A groggy Lawrie stuttered, “Well that didn’t work.”
“You shouldn’t have come here!” Otis barked.
He looked past his little brother’s legs and noticed Otis slowly approaching. The sound of his voice was making his audio input receptors blare. In a deadpan groan, Lawrie asked, “Got any ideas.”
“Ve gmm scaah vy fvannmm vup.” Lawrie stared past his caboose. He found his foot lodged in his brother’s jaw. After quickly removing his metallic sole Larry reiterated, “We could start by standing up.”
The two clambered to their feet. Just before they readied themselves Larry passed his ticket dispenser to Lawrie. The bot gave a subtle nod as they stood up to face the monster.
The two presented a confident stance as Otis approached. “I tried to warn you.” Lawrie pointed to himself unsure of where his warning was when he was planted like a turnip. Larry pushed his finger away to explain it was he and Melodie who were warned. “I told you that Nessy cannot be harmed. She must be guarded. FOREVER!”
Otis slammed his fist into the ground. A fissure rushed forth as he retrieved a chunk of chocolate. He tossed it a few times in his hand examining the density and weight. They noticed how much heft was behind each toss. If they were hit with something that dense even their metal shells would be damaged beyond repair.
Then in a powerful flex, Otis shattered the stone with a single hand. The chocolaty chunks between his knuckles crumbled to the floor as Otis finished his taunt, “To complete our mission, we shall sacrifice our lives. Interfering in my goal means forfeiting yours.”
Larry looked toward his twin. He saw his cracked helmet and the wires visible beneath. But he also noticed the complimenting maroon and orange color palette. His sadist counterpart pushed his circuitry deeper into his skull. He noticed how Larry was staring and asked, “What you looking at?”
Larry snickered, “Nothing. Just think you might look good in purple.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll explain later.” Larry flared his twin’s pistol with a playful grin, “I go high.”
Lawrie grumbled, “Yeah, yeah. I’m going low.”
Their feet shifted forward before they could process their actions. The two moved in tandem trading positions as they closed the distance. In a black and orange swirl, they appeared before their query. Otis reached his hands outward just as the two vanished.
His eyes caught Larry suddenly appearing from above. His arm was curled backward with the butt of his firearm pointed ahead. In a millisecond Otis saw the handle just inches from his eyes. Then with lightning speed, he pulled his head back. The sound of Larry’s arm passing over his crunchy cheeks snapped the air like a whip.
Then he felt something collide with his shin. It was heavy yet thin. Though it landed with such tremendous speed. He was taken off his feet by Lawrie’s sweeping low kick. A kick with such rotational torque that the bot below him twisted twice before Otis was parallel with the floor.
With the monster unable to defend himself, Lawrie aimed his gun upward. He had the gun just below where the creature’s navel should have been. Just at the base of the rocky abdomen that cracked from the excess damage it had taken. He was ready to pull the trigger and end this. Till Otis made a stupefying choice.
Rather than bracing for the incoming blast, he leaned into it. So deep in fact that his head was resting against the barrel. Lawrie froze for an instant. In that dash of time, he saw Otis staring up at him. Staring through him. Almost demanding he pull the trigger.
So he obliged.
Lawrie’s gun vibrated in his hand as the proximity electrified his joints. The ticket spool’s back blast made his servos lock up. In turn, he watched Otis rotate in midair once more. This time he twirled on his side once. Then miraculously stopped his momentum. His fingers slammed into the floor with his off-hand bracing his weight. He held up his body with one arm in a floating fetal position.
Once he’d adjusted to the weight he stared down at the robot that had fired on him. Lawrie was still recovering from the proximity of the attack. He was frozen in place. Or was it locked in his servos? Perhaps awe at this thing's resilience. Whatever it was, it had the opposite effect on Larry.
The twin brother landed from his flying forearm and made it back in range of the two combatants. Otis peered over his shoulder and easily kicked Larry away with a heel strike. Then with his bracing hand, he gripped Lawrie’s neck and held him down. Lawrie tried to push back but this brute wouldn’t budge. And the hold was so effortless, that Otis was practically doing pushups with his face.
Lawrie’s conflict resolution software blared to life. He saw only one way out of this situation. If he couldn’t outpower this thing then he’d have to remove the arm that was pinning him.
Permanently.
He placed his gun against Otis’s wrist. Just like all the times before the goliath grabbed the barrel and pointed it away. His face had been severely cracked from the attack, yet he seemed unfazed by the crumbles coming off his cheek. Lawrie felt Otis place his fingers around his own. His hand trembled trying to fight Otis’s grip.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Lawrie’s eyes trained on his unresponsive hand. His opponent continued to lean in closer as he whispered, “Did you think I was as dumb as Plymouth?” He aimed the gun into the distance. Otis pulled the trigger letting the energy ball fly off until it made a small explosion in the milk again.
Lawrie was awestruck. Unable to utter a response at Otis’s gamble. How did he know they swapped guns? Did he know he could survive a direct blast? Even if it was only one shot it was asinine to sacrifice your head for a chance at victory. And yet he was the one with his back flat against the floor and a massive fist looming over his skull.
Larry’s body had rolled along the floor from that stiff shot against his chin. He finally planted himself and smashed his skull until his visor stopped glitching. He stared at Otis and nearly short-circuited. That freak was holding his brother down by the throat with his massive hand raised. He knew what would come next. Lawrie’s smashed skull wouldn’t last.
The softer twin reeled back. He gave an echoing shout, “FALL BACK!!!”
Before it was their feet. This time their backs opened up with a set of twin panels. Rocket boosters appeared to send them flying toward one another. He was freed from Otis’s grip at such a rapid speed the monster was turned upside down. He gave a cocked glance as he watched the two swap places. With a tiny window of space, they swapped guns again. A fact that he was getting tired of.
Otis checked his cheeks and stomach. The cracks were getting bigger. He wasn’t sure how much more he could handle. However, he wouldn’t need to worry about that anymore. He ran ahead to meet Larry halfway. Yelling, “It’s useless!” He just needed to hold on for one final strike.
The police bot sent forward three pulsing orbs of tickets. The first missed by an inch. The second caught Otis’s left shoulder. He finally gave way crumbling to a knee for a moment. The third blast soared over his head just as his shoulder crumbled away.
Larry smiled seeing some lasting damage finally appear. Then his shoulder fully fell off. A crunchy pile of cookie crumbs sat at his side as he hissed with pain. A clear oozing liquid began to leak from the missing appendage.
Otis shouted something in an unfamiliar tongue. A language that Larry’s database did not know of. He dug into the floor and slammed a wad of chocolate into his gaping wound. His eyes burst open once more. No longer were they bland raisins. Instead, they’d shifted into a conglomerate of raging rocks.
Larry’s victory was short-lived. Otis stood up and slammed a foot down. Larry noticed that his rocket wasn’t slowing down. Somehow Otis must have figured it out as well. He raised his fist high above his head as he continued to flake in multiple places. Yet he didn’t look like he’d lost an ounce of strength. He seemed more powerful now than before.
Larry braced as he finally came in range. His hands pointed out hoping to somehow stop this coming strike. He didn’t have time for his gun to cool down. There wasn’t a way out.
Instead of a heavy strike something far more terrifying happened. His hand was snatched up by the beast. He was left dangling in Otis’s grasp for the beast to play with as he pleased.
Otis remained unflinching as Larry thrashed about. He could feel something in his hand. It was the gun that had been plaguing him this entire time. “Perfect.”
*crunch*
“GAAAAHHH!!!!”
Larry’s voice shook his face panel. He was given pain receptors for reasons beyond his understanding. Now his crushed hand was sending signals he’d never thought possible. He could feel the brittle remains of his wrist mixing with what he assumed was the shattered gun.
Otis finally relinquished his grip. The bot began convulsing on the floor as the shock of his missing limb continued to drive him mad. A shadow loomed over him. Otis dropped his knee down on Larry’s leg. The bot was unable to run away. Now it was him who was under Otis’s fist.
The monster steeled himself as he finally let out his final phrase, “Forfeited.”
The sound of Otis’s fist smashing against Larry’s stomach was like a car getting crushed in a compactor. The metal bending. The wires fraying. How the sounds were coming from meters in the distance.
Otis followed the sound. The bot from before, Lawrie. He was folded in half. His chest had been caved in. His head stuttered in random directions as he suffered from a severe malfunction. The only thing that remained still was his right arm. He’d placed it against his waist. Firmly placed on the massive button on his belt.
“SWAP!!!”
Otis looked back down. A small burst of light came from the shattered remains of Larry’s wrist. Random bits of crunched metal vanished only to be replaced with a new gun. A matching flash of light appeared where Lawrie was. Chunks of metal arrived with its departure.
Larry’s legs suddenly wrapped around Otis’s arm. He locked them together then snatched up the gun he’d ordered with express delivery. He placed the barrel against Otis’s skull.
The cookie monster wasn’t giving in yet. He used his remaining strength to lift Larry with a single arm. A powerbomb. That would finish this. A single arm slam that no amount of magic could save him from. He wouldn’t be able to disperse this much damage.
Then Otis lost his balance. Something smashed against his knee. It came from behind. It wasn’t powerful but he was already so weak. He fell backward with Larry now straddling him. In their struggle, Otis was able to see what was behind him.
Something had risen from the aquifer. An old grudge returning to resolve unfished business. A woman. With pink hair and a nasty attitude. A sharp-toothed smile and a peace sign as a single music note floated around her head. Even drenched in milk and bleeding from her mouth she knew how to present herself.
Larry finally wrestled away his arm. He had his laser gun placed against Otis’s chest. This was it. There was no way to dodge now. And that gun. The color. The barrel. It’s that gun with the massive wave of energy. The one he needed to avoid.
Larry roared, “STOP RESISTING!”
A microphone rolled against Otis’s cheek. Is that what had done it? That woman he’d sworn he finished. Or is it his fault? His fault for getting cocky. He’d defended this cavern for over a hundred years. All for the hopes of getting a taste of her nectar once more.
A decade of patience was ruined by a group of misfits.
He felt the barrel heat up.
In a way. Losing to these people was poetic.
*BANG* *BANG*
Larry’s blast finally cracked the shell. The chest was blown to bits. The arms and legs began to fracture as Larry continued to rest against his torso. He sat there with his gun trained on the head until the moment it finally began to crack. Even still he let one final shot echo through the cave.
Finally, it was silent again. The sound of the bubbling milk aquifer was all that was left. That and the sound of a disgruntled Melodie clambering out of the drink. He looked at his twin brother who had finally stopped shuddering. He managed to put a hand up giving him the okay signal.
With that Larry finally sent his gaze upward. He felt something welling up inside. It was this bubbling intensity that threatened to burst from his chest. It needed escape. The only form he could find was a rapturous screech from deep within his audio banks. His cries pierced the heavens and he felt something new. A feeling he’d never known was programmed into his directory.
Was this feeling… relief?
