#quietlyburningflame

Y E S

HE JUST

POPPED THEM OUT

This was going to be the end.

Guts Man was determined to make sure of it this time. In his conscious state, he tracked down exactly where Fire Man was, using the many calls and threatening messages that he’d left. Fire Man might not be wholly cornered, and it might’ve been his home turf- the sadist had to have been hiding out SOMEWHERE for the past several months, since it was no secret he’d captured and tortured numerous DWNs- but Guts Man knew that would ultimately mean nothing when he himself became just as monstrous as Fire Man. In that state of mind, thought was lacking not in a way that made for stupidity, but for pure instinct and to the extent of murder.

There was a chance Fire Man wasn’t going to make it out of this alive. But it was a risk that had to be taken, and Guts Man didn’t have a choice but to accept that- much like he’d been forced to accept the death of Oil Man and his own recreation to successfully take Fire Man down.

In other words, little had changed from the last attempt to take Fire Man down. But Guts Man felt more prepared this time. Maybe he was being worn down after so many fights, and maybe he was storing his pain with the intent of taking it out mercilessly. It didn’t matter at this point. As long as Guts Man could find the willpower to do this…

He left the lab, bringing nothing. No back-up, no weapons, not even an inhibitor collar. He knew he wasn’t going to even leave Fire Man with enough of a neck to put it around. He had his mission, and he was going to fulfill it bare-handed; not because of his pride or because he had something to prove, but because there was simply no other way to do it. He knew this already from prior fights. He hadn’t a song in his heart, because there was no song he knew of to fully express the pain of going to break your own brother.

Your own brother whom you loved, and wanted in the depths of your heart- metaphorical, granted- to protect. Your own brother whose warm smile and humble demeanor were corrupted and turned into something demented and evil. Whose comforting flames like a hearth spread and turned into a house fire. Oh, heavens… he shouldn’t have been thinking about that now, it was only going to make this that much harder. It was going to doom him- so he chose to think of the others.

Rock, who was traumatized and made into a fearful victim instead of the worldwide hero he was known to be. Roll- who would carry her brothers’ emotional burden until the day she fell apart in disrepair. Cut Man, Ice Man and Bomb Man, whose loving sibling nearly dragged them to their tombs. Elec Man, whose best friend ruined his life. Time Man, whose previously unseen heart was broken- and Oil Man, who would never be there to mend that unseen heart again.

Much better.

Guts Man found where he was looking for. He grabbed the boulder blocking the way and threw it away, like it was a curtain rather than a solid makeshift door, and heard it shatter somewhere several metres to his left. He then started descending into the dark hellhole, his optics starting to glow a blank white and his hands clenching into powerful fists. It wouldn’t take him long to register Fire Man’s presence, and thus, his far less thoughtful programming kicked in.

Even from whatever distance Fire Man was at, he would likely hear the earth-shaking roar that Guts Man let out from the sudden communication.

One main part of his upgrades was that any form of contact with Fire Man would be responded to in this way. With a complete, Hulk-esque transformation of his personality and prime directives, threatening to smash mercilessly and without guilt. Unfortunately, it was unlikely Fire Man was dumb enough to be within 100 metres of the behemoth’s rage, or Guts Man would’ve been able to track him down easily and quickly.

Incoming message... ▒

Sender identified as DLN-007. ▒▒

→ If ya’ve—

Message deleted. DLN-007 has been blocked from main line of communications. ▒▒

Incoming message... ▒

Sender identified as DLN-007. ▒▒

→ If ya’ve been missin’ Flash—

Message deleted. DLN-007 has been blocked from main line of communications. ▒▒

The DWN sat in his bedroom, idly repeating the process of intercepting Fire Man’s repeated attempts at taunting him, deleting them, and blocking his signal over and over for who knows how long. The rogue DLN had been at it for at least half an hour, Metal knew that much by the unfinished logs sitting at his desk that needed filing. Repair logs… For Quick and Crash. He would block Fire, go back to work, only for the robot to ping him seconds later.

He doesn’t want to hear about whatever horrible thing Fire Man is doing to his eldest brother. He doesn’t want to break, even though Air Man and their younger siblings are nowhere to be seen. Flash being gone had meant Metal stepped up to the plate as leader, and he would not break. Flash hadn’t broken when Quick and Crash had been taken. He hadn’t broken when poor Wood Man had been caught in an unfortunate ambush. There was no way Flash Man was breaking now, right—?

He has defenses lined up around the castle, securing the perimeter and reporting back to him every fifteen minutes. Air Man was thinking of looking for a new hideout to bring their younger brothers to now that it had been made clear the castle was not entirely safe. No DWN model was to enter or exit without Metal’s explicit permission, and any missing bodies or damages were to be reported and dealt with immediately.

He would not fail them. He would live up to his older brother’s standards, and make Flash Man proud. His metal heart was breaking to leave the DWN in Fire Man’s hands… But Flash must have known to some level he would not return from this mission. The last thing he would allow is Metal or any of their brothers charging in after him only to befall the same fate…

He would not permit it, and Metal Man would uphold his brother’s final wishes no matter how painful it was.

Incoming message...▒

Sender identified as DLN-007.▒▒

"Oh, fine then. Just shut up already.”

Metal’s voice is tired, void of much emotion. Steeling himself for whatever Fire Man had to say — or his older brother’s screams — he allows the message to play in full this time.

→ If ya’ve been missin’ Flash any, don’cha worry one bit. Ah’ll send y’all th’ pieces. Promise.

…Oh. Well, lovely. Thank you for that, Fire Man. Biting down on his lower lip, the DWN forces back a quiet sob before forming a message in reply. Do not break. You are steel. Unchanging steel. Emotions are beneath a machine of war—

→ I am aware of what you are trying to do, and it will not work. 

Sending... ▒

Message sent to DLN-007. ▒▒

Having sent his reply the machine of war rises up from his chair, removing his helmet and tossing it to the side in a fit of emotion. He crosses the room quickly to crumple up in his bed, sobs finally escaping as tears roll down pale cheeks. 

He wants his brothers back. He wants nothing more than to turn back the clock and stop himself from collaborating with Flash on getting past Dr. Light’s tamper-proofing. He wants.. He wants…