Rudy owed everything he was and had today to the selflessness of others. It was a mother's love that kept him alive when doctors believed he'd never make it past a month, let alone the year. The generosity and faith that his various first investors had in his prior innovations and technological inventions allowed him to kickstart his other businesses.
And the welcome of the superhero community gave Rudy the chance to give back to a world that was giving beyond measure to him. Though that wasn't to say Rudy didn't have aspirations of his own to fix what ailed the world. Ambitions and drives that pushed him forward, suffering day by day in what most would call a lifetime of agony. Desires that went beyond the altruistic and more to the idealistic, of sweeping reforms for efficiency not just to the Global Defense Agency, but human society in general.
Or as some people might call them, dreams that might never truly be accomplished. What was a superhero, though, but someone who did their best to achieve the impossible?
Nor were there more selfish things he didn't look toward with some degree of envy, either. His existence was a trying one, and ever since he'd been old enough to conceptualize the notion, living without pain had been something he'd longed for. Hungrily and patiently, looking covetously toward those who could walk and talk in the sunlight or feel the grace of touch of another against their body.
It was by the grace of a friend that he was walking forward toward that potential future. Taijitu, Genji, was a newcomer to their world, a man out of time and place in many regards. Mysteriously tied to some extradimensional offshoot of Japan, perhaps, and conspicuously adaptable to a modern American context. Many things that should have been red flags, from the outside looking in.
However…
He was also an intellectual peer, in his own way. Something that was rare enough for Rudy that he had to make special note of it. Yes, he didn't quite have the same breadth of technological knowledge in the more conventional material sciences or programming as Rudy did. But in his own specific field of expertise, one that was fascinating and largely adapted around the specific resources that his species had developed, he was a master.
Or, well, about as close as Earth had ever seen. An organically generated energy field that until now had been theorized but never quite capitalized on by existing science. From his own probes in the GDA's systems, he knew that their scientists were having a field day trying to explore what it was actually capable of on their own, though with slow success.
It was one thing to have someone naturally capable of manipulating it beside you, available for testing. Trying to make the tools to analyze or even detect chakra, or natural energy, and then manipulate it, was a very different prospect entirely. Something that Rudy learned first was the longer he worked alongside Genji.
Being in a lab with another who could not only intuit where his own incredibly fast thoughts were going but also genuinely offer reasonable suggestions and advice was a novel experience in and of itself. Adding in the fact that his species had such outrageous, innate physical capabilities or senses into the mix? For the first time, he found a peer who could keep up with him.
Rudy, in his own fashion, enjoyed the company of the members of the former Teen Team. Rex, Kate, and Eve had pulled him out of the dark hole that he'd been in, introducing him to human interactions on a scale that he'd only ever hypothesized about, including him in their conversations, and making him feel genuinely human for all that he masqueraded as an A.I.
But it was Genji, as his newest friend, who over the weeks and months had turned from someone he could call an acquaintance into something unfamiliar to Robot. A true comrade, whose drive for helping people could match his own. It created a warm feeling in his chest that he hadn't truly felt since his mother had passed.
It also planted the first seed of his next big ambition. That old desire to walk alongside all of his friends and allies had risen once again, and despite the short-term consequences or dangers, he was sure that it'd ultimately be worth the risk. Provided he could thread the needle and ensure that his chosen contractors didn't entirely go off the reservation.
Approaching Genji and requesting his blood had been the easy part. Briefly, he'd considered merely trying to find some pretense to steal it, but…
That felt wrong when he was doing this to stand beside Genji. While there was the old adage of asking for forgiveness rather than permission, in this instance it was better to do things the right way. It was far more straightforward a conversation than he'd have imagined, partially because for all the moral justifications that Genji made about it, he could also recognize a gleam in his eyes as well.
After assuaging his worries, though, he had to contend with the more troublesome variables in his plan.
The Mauler Twins had a past that was decidedly murky. To the best of the GDA's information gathering, it was presumed that they were originally one scientist, or the product of one, given the technological prowess they showed off. Whether or not said scientist still lived, or who they were, was up in the air. What wasn't, though, was their prowess at biological manipulation and cloning.
It was why he'd engineered the circumstances that allowed for their initial breakout and why he'd kept the typical crime analysts from tracking their whereabouts too closely. Having followed after the surviving twin of the pair was child's play, as was patiently waiting for them to set up the infrastructure needed for his future endeavor. Though the given meeting was a little more fraught than he would have liked.
However, for all of their vaunted intelligence, the Mauler Twins could still be subjected to the foibles of deception like anyone else. It made it easy to promise a functional control collar when in reality the schematics possessed several distinct but almost unrecognizable flaws that would never be discerned by someone without superlative material sciences knowledge.
Despite the fact that he was aiding and abetting crimes to turn himself into what would be a more effective hero, it was ultimately for a good cause. His current condition was one that deleteriously affected his capabilities. At least, that was what he could tell himself to excuse away some of the more questionable aspects of what he'd been doing.
Compared to what the GDA got up behind closed doors, this wasn't that much worse. Just not officially sanctioned by the powers that be. If any of his goals regarding joining the Global Defense Agency panned out in a more administrative capacity, he'd like to streamline their existing programs with villains to make it more efficient.
Until then, this would have to do.
Their first meeting was fraught with tension, but once they'd realized that they were being hired for a job, much of the initial concern faded away. Suspicion was still present, granted, and they still wished to know who was involved with the initial production of the genetic sample they'd be using. Yet for now, the Mauler Twins were accepting being kept in the dark.
Or, well, so they seemed on the surface. He didn't believe that either of them would just lie down and obediently work on his own objectives without their specific brand of subterfuge being involved somehow. Rudy wouldn't have expected anything less.
When you hired two supervillains for a job, it was the sensible thing to distrust and constantly verify what they were doing. It was why he'd infiltrated their new base of operations so heavily, so he could ensure that the promise he made to Genji that all samples of his genetic material were going to be thoroughly destroyed.
It was on their second meeting that things became a little more interesting. Arriving at the warehouse with one of his drones, he expected the whole process to be continuing apace as normal. What was surprising, though, was the look of obvious weariness and slight exhaustion on both of the twins.
"How goes progress on the project?" He asked, glancing between the both of them.
"Poorly," one of the twins admitted. "Well, it was going badly in the beginning. We fixed it, even if we had to compromise a little."
"I told you we'd have to," the other twin pointed out.
"And I told you that he'd probably want to be as pure of a subject as possible."
Both of them opened their mouths, and he recognized the signs of a tangent that was about to spin out of control. So he raised a hand to forestall it, interrupting the both of them. "What do you mean by compromise?"
He'd been aiming to receive as close to a copy of Genji's form as humanly possible. If that was no longer the case with what they were cooking up here, he wanted to know. Just looking at the tank between them, it was hard to tell precisely what was going awry. Floating there were barely the remains of a nervous system, skeleton, and other bits and pieces of flesh. So far, not enough was so clearly defined that he could remark on something obviously wrong with it.
Both of the twins shared a glance between them themselves before the one on the right spoke up. "Listen. I'd say that we're probably the premier handlers of biological manipulation and cloning of superhuman material on this planet. You'd agree with that, right?"
"That's why I hired you, yes."
"Of which we're still wondering what our payment will be, but we'll get to that," the twin on the left frowned.
"I've got no idea where you got the genetic sample you gave us—" The Mauler Twin on the right began again.
"And I won't be divulging that information."
"-But the sheer genetic complexity of what we're dealing with is…" He trailed off, looking at the one on the left.
"It's one of the most densely packed clusters of cells and epigenetic triggers that we've ever seen. Almost certainly engineered to some extent, including what we suspect are some madman's attempts at biological if/then/or statements dependent on external infusions of energy of some kind."
For all that they sounded frustrated with the issue, though, they also sounded fascinated. As if it were a challenge worth cracking. "The eyes alone are abnormal. I'm not even sure if you can call them eyes, really."
"Oh?" Robot's frame perked up, tilting its head to the side. "How so?"
"They contain cells that bear a passing resemblance to stem cells but have this sort of mutability to them, which somehow isn't spiraling off into uncontrolled cancer?" The twin on the left seemed genuinely invested in it now. "There's also this underlying secondary capillary system that's tied into the grey matter of the brain, neurons, and just about every other type of cell in the body."
Swapping back to the right twin. "Neither do they require oxygen in their purest strain. It's an organism that's fundamentally not a regular anaerobe. I don't know if this body will require anything to survive once it's fully grown."
He hummed, trying to seem noncommittal as his mind raced. "It still seems to have the structures to breathe or eat, though."
"Oh, it can still do those things, we're presupposing, and gain some degree of energy from it. But it doesn't need to. In many respects, it's the perfect organism. " Right sighed, eyes closing with the kind of bliss a rapturous scientist found when discovering something truly novel.
"Well, if you're fine with the consequences," Left shrugged.
Robot's frame didn't react, but he did back in his tank, pausing briefly. "Explain."
"It's something of a genetic dead end in some respects. I mean, not without stimulating those specific pathways of development we mentioned before. Those, uh, stem-cell adjacent parts of the biology," Left gestured to the tank, where the floating eyes and nervous system, with the slowly forming surrounding tissue, began to grow.
Right came in after that. "Or some sort of violent, selective pressure. We're not sure. The genes involved in the process seem dependent on that energy. We're good at cloning superhumans, don't get me wrong. But this is outside of our wheelhouse."
"It's actually been quite fascinating to realize how much we still have to learn on this sort of thing," Left admitted, smiling softly. "You'd think that we wouldn't be surprised by this point in our careers, but apparently not."
Yes, Rudy could understand that much at least. The delight any true scholar felt in discovering something that was otherwise hidden from others. Despite the fact that the Mauler Twins took such a destructive path in sharing their genius with the world, he'd have thought they'd have adapted well to more constructive routes if only they could put away their own pride during the matter.
"Realistically, though, what does this mean for that aforementioned compromise you two mentioned earlier?" Rudy pressed, trying to get closer to the facts of the matter.
"Keeping the cells and genetics of the body as is, and trying to ensure that they were as pure as possible, just wasn't feasible," the right twin admitted, looking chagrinned as he did so. "Something about the genetics did not lend itself to being perfectly copied. Too much inherent mutability to get a precise copy."
"Those first couple of attempts…" The left twin shuddered. "You don't want to know."
Rudy had seen them making a few attempts, but he had presumed that was natural for them. Apparently not, given how they were reacting to the methods of working so far. "So if I'm to guess where you took this, you intermingled, what, random human genetics?"
"Bingo!" The right twin grinned. "Nothing too complex, just some modifications to dilute it with human genetic code. Whoever this came from, they hybridize incredibly well with humans."
"Given that they were 99% similar, that's not that surprising," the other shrugged. "That 1%'s the devil in the details."
"And there was no other way to make this work?" He pressed the two of them, trying to ensure that this wasn't just for their own curiosity. Sometimes scientists could go a bit off the reservation, as it were, trying to test out new things.
Mad scientists a little more infamously so.
"Absolutely," the right twin nodded, with his counterpart nodding alongside him. "That, we can swear to you."
He didn't have a choice but to take them at their word. Well, outside of watching whatever conversation they had after he left to ensure that he wasn't being swindled. "I'll have to defer to your expertise in this field then."
"Thank you," the left smiled. "But, uh, there's the matter of our payment, like we mentioned before…?"
Moving over to lean against the tank, the right clone slapped a hand against it gently. "All it'd take is a few drops of liquid ammonia to bring this whole thing to an end," the other smirked. "New cells don't like it. Old cells don't like it either."
It was a threat that he wasn't sure was genuinely actionable, given the way he'd seen Genji resist damage. But neither was he in a rush to see it tested against his new body.
"I've proven trustworthy so far, have I not? Rescuing you from your bondage, keeping the Global Defense Agency from noticing your activities…"
Spreading his arms wide, Robot shrugged. "If that's not worth some measure of faith, then I don't know what is. Besides, we're both civilized intellectuals. I promise that the technology that I'll be sharing with you will be worth your while."
There was nothing from either of them as a fraught few moments passed. He didn't think they'd pitch their work, though, when they were this deep into it. Nor with how interested they were in the genetic samples in question. It was a presumption that was carried through when both of them pulled back.
"Fair enough," one of them shrugged. "Just don't keep us in suspense when the time actually comes."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Robot assured them. "For now, I'm quite pleased with the progress that you're making. If there are any problems, you know how to contact me."
There wasn't much left reason for him to loiter after that check-up, really. Beyond providing a physical presence to ensure they didn't snoop around too much or realize that he had other ways of inspecting their work. It did leave him with a rising, newfound sense of anticipation for what precisely his newfound body would be like.
Only a little while longer, Rudy told himself. A little while longer, until he could join the rest of his friends and allies in the sun.
When the day finally came, the strangest mixture of anxiety and excitement was sweeping over Rudy. Through the deeply encrypted and routed channels that the Mauler Twins possessed to contact him concerning the work, he'd been informed that the clone was ready. An empty, waiting vessel, prepared for his mind.
After so long resigned to his fate, to have the solution thrown before him so suddenly was still a touch jarring. At the same time, that didn't mean he wouldn't be eager to have the chance to shed his existing body for something new. Caterpillars effectively entirely dissolved in the cocoon, yet the resulting organism was fundamentally the same, recognizing the same stimuli after their transformation.
In his case, he was choosing to see it the same way.
Nestled in the confines of a modified garbage truck, he pulled into the warehouse garage, only to find the Maulers raising rifles toward his vehicle in caution. Though it was a very short-lived confrontation, as he opened up the side of the truck to reveal that he'd finally come in person. Along with their predictable responses to his true visage.
He could feel the familiar sight on both of the Mauler Twin's faces as they took in his true body, normally kept hidden and far from danger. Disgust, apprehension, and a sort of disbelief. It was understandable, really. The human body had been evolutionarily hard-coded over countless millions of years to be primed for aesthetically pleasing features that hinted at strong genes and both mental and physical stability.
His true body was anything but any of those things. For his prodigious intellect, Rudy was quite aware that the rest of his brain had been ultimately underdeveloped in many respects. After all, why dedicate resources to anything but an engorged skull when it was the only thing he ever used?
Movement would have been beyond him if it wasn't for the implanted cybernetic interfaces that had been drilled into his skull. His shrunken, twisted physique and malformed limbs were too small to be appropriately used. One eye wasn't even functional anymore, while the other was the only thing he possessed that truly could move without issue.
"What is that?" One of the twins asked, almost retching at the sight of his visage, floating in the breathable fluid solution that made up his home.
"Come now, gentlemen," Rudy snarked through his speakers. "I'm sure brilliant minds like yourself can figure it out on your own."
The other twin was swift enough to say it aloud first. "You're the real Robot?"
In front of him, the pincers of his mobile tank came together in a mockery of a clap. "Well done. Perhaps you're the original Mauler then, having figured it out so swiftly."
There was a brief look shared between them, with the Mauler in question smirking toward his frowning twin. Looking back at him, the first with goggles guessed the whole reason for all of this in the first place. "We've been growing you a new body, then."
"And now that introductions are complete, show me your work." There was a fervent excitement in him at this point, but he was keeping it restrained. For all that he'd been watching them through the days and weeks of effort, it was another thing to lay his physical eye on the prize he'd been awaiting.
Moving deeper into the warehouse, they came to the first chamber where he'd witnessed the body being grown from scratch the first time around. Unlike that instance, however, it was covered in a sheet, hiding it from view. Right before one of the twins ripped the sheet away, revealing the figure before him.
His new body looked restful and at peace. It was the first thing that Rudy noticed, staring at it from the inside of his tank. Not quite a clone of Genji entirely, either, for the simple reason that Ōtsutsuki genetic code was dense and complicated to the point of fiendish illogic. However, it did hybridize well with human genetics, which was why they'd diluted it with undifferentiated genetic code to stabilize things.
The skin tone was a touch more human than Genji's, pale but not inhumanly white like the alien's. Likewise, the hair was a smidgeon darker from Genji's blue, to something that could be mistaken for black in the right light. Even the horns, small as the original's were, were a touch tinier.
He wouldn't be a pureblooded specimen, but he suspected the distinction in terms of actionable strength wouldn't matter. Or access to many of the capabilities that Genji wielded. A fraction of a god was still a demigod. When supplementing those natural abilities with his technological prowess, there likely wouldn't be much of a loss of function at all.
In terms of age and build, it was a touch younger than Genji. While the clone was also fit, it did lack the same muscular robustness and firmly defined physique of the original Ōtsutsuki. Then again, the experience of working out and building muscle was supposed to be tiring but fun. He supposed he'd get to experience that too alongside Genji and Rex in due time.
There'd been a point briefly in the development of this project where he'd considered making a smaller clone to show camaraderie with Amanda…but the notion was scrapped. He knew who he wished to stand beside, and being an adult would allow him to master the newfound abilities bestowed on him all the sooner.
With an errant thought, his pod outstretched several additional arms from behind it. Scanners began to run over the body as he inspected every element of its condition in a few short moments. When his scans were complete, his sole eye turned from the body to the twins.
"It's perfect."
With satisfied smiles, one of the twins shrugged. "We are professionals."
"Except for the timed-release microtoxins sacs, the embedded cortical override, and the seven, I'm sorry, eight, synaptic transceivers." With a hum, he pulled the arms back. "Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I prefer to be the only person in control of my body."
Both of their smug, satisfied expressions turned to surprised looks that all of their traps were found out that quickly. Not that Rudy was truly that upset at them for doing so. "Please. I would have been disappointed if you hadn't tried."
"Remove all of that," he insisted, as an additional arm outstretched from behind his back showed off a new, tiny device. "Add in a small upgrade of my own design, and we can discuss your payment."
The twin without the goggles took up the cybernetics, obviously trying to discern what they were at a glance, but having no immediate success. Glancing back to Rudy, he frowned. "Let's discuss our payment first, and then we can do all of that."
That same outlet he'd extended out opened up a port before a new holographic projection was displayed to them. "A Global Defense Agency control collar, placating the strongest of wills. A highly restricted technology."
Jutting out from the same projector was a USB, with the faulty schematics presented. The Mauler Twin wearing the goggles was more than happy to reach for it, only for the USB to pull back. "It goes without saying that the plans are encrypted. Besides…a little trust goes a long way."
"Actions go further," the same twin mentioned, all but glaring at him.
He could understand their worries, and despite the fact that he did have other countermeasures prepared, a bit of theater could go a long way. Something he was beginning to notice, having watched the meteoric rise of Genji's public profile. There was something to be said about the power of social manipulation when turned to opportune ends.
To wit, he triggered the remote failsafe in the drone standing next to him as it began to melt down unceremoniously. Most of his designs had similar workups, but in an instant, the machine went from standing and operating to a melted pair of hot metallic feet. He moved forward, putting himself almost in reach of the Mauler Twins.
At their mercy, if it wasn't for the other constructs he'd had hidden around and inside. "There. I am alone and helpless."
"Alone, yes. Helpless, I doubt it," Goggles commented.
Of course, the other merely seemed fed up with the theater, handing his brother the implant. "Do what he wants."
"And be sure to put the device—"
"On the upper brain stem. I recognize a neurolink when I see one," the Mauler in question responded, sounding a little exasperated.
Fair enough. Working with professionals was new to him, but he could adapt readily enough. With the medical skills of the twins, the customized cybernetic implant was put inside the cloned body. With a touch more elbow grease than it might have taken on a human, they were strong enough to make it work with some effort.
Then, there was the matter of actually letting the procedure take place. Moves had to be taken in order to properly extract him, which saw them drilling holes in the surface as the fluid suspending him slowly began to drain out.
"Ugh," one of them commented. "Disgusting…"
"I didn't design it to be drained or ever opened," Rudy commented, any real issues he might have had with his body proving to be secondary concerns. Especially when he was on the cusp of becoming something greater.
There was no small amount of curiosity in the goggles-clad twin, mostly at what might have made someone go this far. "What changed?"
It was a fair question, considering that what was about to be undertaken wasn't a small thing at all. He paused, giving it at least a modicum of thought, before he answered. "I met a peer I wished to stand beside on my own two feet. Make room, please."
Clearing out the way, it only took a matter of seconds before the lid was explosively blasted away. Inside of the pod, adaptor arms were disconnecting his implants from his skull, freeing him from the cradle that he was placed into. It was the moment of truth, really, and the only free radical in his entire set of delicately arranged analyses or plans.
Would they genuinely assist him or try to betray him at the eleventh hour? "Hurry, please," his voice croaked, weathered and unused to being used. "The air is toxic to me. It burns my," he gasped, rasping, "-my lungs."
Within a matter of moments, he had a mask placed over his face. Something that filtered out the air to something more breathable, prepared beforehand.
Both of the Maulers stood over them, though, and one of them seemed to be more uncomfortable than the other. "Ech…"
"Don't make a face. You lost the coin toss," the other shot back.
Picking him up with a surprising gentleness, he was placed on one of the medical beds, while the cloned body was set up on the other. Nude, save for a pair of briefs. The setup to copy his own neural engram into the body was already strapped to its head.
"We're not certified medical professionals, but I do feel like I should mention that this will be painful," one of them mentioned.
"My entire life has been painful," Rudy breathed out, groaning as the helmet fit around him with a mechanical clank.
The final checks were being run around him as he maintained the tenacity to stay awake. Bit by bit, as the twin in a white labcoat looked down at him with a final check.
"You realize this procedure doesn't transfer you to the new body," he spoke, leaning over him, if only to ensure that Rudy was being candidly informed about what was going to happen.
"It creates a copy of your mind. For you, nothing will change. For him, everything will."
Death, and in the process, rebirth. This flesh that Rudy had been tied to all of his life, and this existence of pain, would come to an end. Much like the phoenixes of old, however, something new would arise from the ashes. All things considered, it was a deal that he was very willing to make.
Turning over to look at the pale figure lying on the bed next to him, he didn't have the faintest doubt about the choice that he'd make. "I understand."
There was nothing more to be said. The die was cast, and waffling over the matter would just be delaying matters needlessly. He'd made his choice, and he knew that both versions of him would be able to live with it. For the chance to walk in the sunlight, to breathe fresh air, and to eat food that wasn't from a tube.
All of the little foibles that made life worth living for a human would make it worth it.
"Hit the switch."
The Mauler Twins moved to their points at the massive mind transference device, with one of them hitting the switch with a heavy mechanical clank. For a few moments there was nothing, as the machine charged up with a loud, whining whirr of gathering energy. Then, suddenly, pain.
It was the worst he'd ever experienced, shocks that ran through his brain, that hit every single nerve ending Rudy had assumed had long since atrophied to nothingness. But compared to the agony of existence, of the dull ache and throbbing spasms that seized his body…withstanding this was nothing. Not if it meant he was getting closer to his goal.
In the periphery of his vision he knew the Mauler Twins were trying to handle an emergency that had sprung up. He also recognized that it was not his problem, even as the scent of burning machinery filled the air. All Rudy could do was focus on the here and now and pray that his weak heart didn't finally give out.
When the process came to a close, it was sudden and unexpected. He didn't have the faintest clue as to how long it was or if it'd worked. All he could do was fade away into darkness for what was hopefully the last time.
Religion and mysticism had never quite befit him. But in this instance, a final prayer before the haze at the edge of his vision claimed him felt appropriate.
The first thing that he was aware of was a rapidly fading headache, as if he'd struck his skull or something of that nature. It wasn't a feeling that lasted more than a couple of seconds, as his eyes flickered awake, and Rudy stared at the ceiling of the warehouse this lab was in. Then something flexed behind his eyes, unconsciously, and the range spilled out to not just the warehouse but everything inside of it, around it, and stretching for a few blocks out.
A dense and sudden input of sensory information, a flood, that threatened to keep coming. People living, breathing, having coitus, and working, all at the same time. It was too much, too fast, and just as quickly as it'd come, he wrenched the flow of that strange energy running through his veins, as if shutting off the tap to a faucet gushing water.
He breathed hard and sweaty as he sat up, marveling at the sensations running along his body. Not just that of skin that didn't burn when it touched the air or blister as he breathed it in, but something else. A strength that he'd never known, of having five fingers and toes that flexed and wiggled at his command with no strain. Of eyes that could see the world around them better than anyone knew.
Was this how Genji saw the world all the time? In all of its profound, resounding grandeur and ugliness at the same time? No wonder he loved Earth so much. It was beautiful.
"Which, which am I…?" He trailed off, trying to parse all of the feelings that were flooding his body. A depth of sensory information that he hadn't experienced…well, ever.
It was one thing to live life through the apparatus of machines, but there was always something sterile about that connection. Compared to the same view through the qualia of a living, breathing body, he knew which was better in his eyes.
"See? It's not just us," one of the clones mentioned, but he couldn't tell which. Rudy only had eyes for his body at the moment. "You won the coin toss, champ. You're the new one."
"I wasn't expecting this…" Rudy swallowed thickly, an almost foreign reflex to him. Mostly in how bereft of pain it was. "This sense of continuity. I closed my eyes and opened new ones. No idea which one I'd be…"
He looked down at his hands, at his properly formed fingers and toes, flexing them with the curiosity of a child. No matter how silly he might have appeared, at the moment he couldn't find himself to care.
"That's how it works," the labcoat twin stated. "We had to make it seamless; otherwise, one of us knows he's the clone."
"And that never ends well," the other admitted with a grimace.
"In your case, it's a little more obvious," the labcoat Mauler commented, glancing over at the still body of his progenitor. "But it looks like that problem took care of itself."
His original body looked at peace, for quite possibly the first time in its life. Not that it lasted, as suddenly it was wracked by a bloody cough, eyes wrenching open.
"Oh shit," the twin murmured. "Here we go."
Walking over to his old body with his new one, he had long, purposeful strides now. The actual movement wasn't that dissimilar to what he did to pilot around his humanoid drones, yet oh so different at the same time. Hard concrete against his bare feet and the subtle impact or pressure of each step against the ground couldn't have been more different from the feedback he received from cold, unfeeling metal.
Carefully bending down, he pulled the helmet back and beheld his original, his coughing lamely. What words could you offer for yourself in a situation like this? There was nothing in his general sense of qualia or experiences that could prepare Rudy for something like this. All he could offer was the words he'd want to hear, in his stead.
"I'm sorry it wasn't you," he softly spoke, cradling the misshapen form in his arms.
Then the strangest thing happened. A soft smile came over his face. "Don't be…" he rasped. "Be happy. Change the…ha-agh…world…experience everything…we never could…"
How could he do anything but stare down at himself? At who he could have been if the vagaries of fate had been less kind to him. His other self could sense that reticence, looking up at him with a considering eye. "What are you…waiting for… This was always…the plan…"
With a flex of that strange energy, he allowed his vision to bloom out once more as he held his original body in his hands. In his view, Rudy could see everything. All the little imperfections, malformed bones, and twisted organs that had made his life a living hell. Yet at the same time…
There was something beautiful about those imperfections, wasn't it? How strange that at the end of his life, his life, this would be the moment where he could note that there was something worth finding remarkable about it. Something that was worth saving.
"We could put you back in the pod," he quickly spoke, the words stumbling out of him before sense or reason could override his emotional reaction. "We could save you. Change the world together."
"No," Rudy wheezed. "This…half life…of ours…" He sucked in a coughing, staggering breath, more blood flecking the inside of his mask. "You know it was…never what I wanted…"
"Live for the both…of us…"
Rudy had prepared for a lot of things today. Pain, which was his oldest companion in every respect. Betrayal from the Mauler Twins, which was to be expected, given the way they were supervillains and thus inclined toward treachery. But this pain, this phantom ache in his heart, was a new thing.
Some situation that he could never have been inured to, no matter how much he might have wished it to be the case. With a trembling hand, he reached up and grasped the mask firmly. Carefully, delicately, he lifted it and allowed his progenitor to breathe in the air that both knew was toxic for him.
It didn't take long for it to ravage his body. Only a few moments of shaking and rasping breaths as his already deleterious condition spiraled into nothingness. Then, under his inhuman, impressive sight, he could see his own heart stop.
Human life was fragile, weak, and fundamentally prone to frailty. But it was also precious beyond reason. Strange, how he'd never felt that hammered in until it was himself who was dying.
"I-It was an act of mercy," he heard himself saying, more for the sake of the perfunctory argument than anything he truly believed.
"We know," one of the twins stated, and something about his tone felt heavy with understanding.
"We do it all the time."
He was given a moment of quiet with his body, to hold it in his hands and look down at the deceased man. Though it was short-lived, as a twin cleared their throat. "Ahem. On the matter of our schematics?"
Shooting them a mild glower, Rudy sighed, moving over to the tank. Outside the compromised containment pod, it was still functional enough to respond to his mental commands as Rudy shot a thought toward it. In response, it extended an arm, pushing out a USB that he took and proceeded to toss to the twins.
"The cryptographic key is the entire text of Frankenstein."
It was the less dressed twin that caught it with a smirk. "Look who has a sense of humor after all."
"And now that our deal is complete, it's time for you both to go back to prison."
Standing there in his briefs, nude as the day he was born, Rudy couldn't imagine that he struck an incredibly intimidating figure. It was likely why they laughed, more than anything else. Greatly amused laughs as they looked at him. Perhaps they thought that he was overconfident or hadn't planned for this situation.
Why, he couldn't possibly imagine. Despite their vaunted intelligence, the Mauler Twins failed to realize that Rudy planned for everything. The results might not always occur within his predictions, but that was what back-up plans were for.
"He's serious," the goggles-wearing twin commented, frowning.
The other shrugged. "Yeah, he's also, what, a teenager in a fresh body? We can take him."
"Wrong," Rudy frowned. "I'm a thirty-year-old genius in a teenager's body, with a neural link chip you just installed for me."
Neither of them got to respond, not as the mental commands he sent to the two drones hidden inside of the truck had been sent out seconds before. Leaping forward, they both managed to extend their arms, slamming into each twin and knocking them to the ground with grunts. The Maulers were strong and durable…
Not that strong and durable, compared to some of the real heavyweights of the world. The drones did not keep them down for very long, as they managed to wrench their way out of their mechanical grasp without too much trouble. Which was fine. Still well within expected parameters for this encounter.
"That was your plan?" The goggles-wearing twin derisively observed as the two of them looked his way, prepared for violence.
"My plan was not to hurt or inflict undue harm onto you, but here we are," he stated, spreading his arms wide as the truck behind him began to unveil the other modifications that had been made to it.
Public relations being what it was, it was rare that Rudy had much of a reason to bring out this construct pattern. For the most part, he was more than happy to limit himself to smaller, more restrained designs that wouldn't evoke too much terror in the common man. Nor were there spaces large enough or threats common enough that called for it much of the time.
However, that didn't mean he was unhappy to have an excuse to do so. Not when he'd tried to be relatively gentle with the Mauler Twins. Cleaning up your own messes was just polite, but sometimes you had to break a few eggs to make an omelet.
With a mechanical whirring and clanking, the truck behind him began to come undone. Or more accurately, shift as the position of the internal components transformed, piece by piece, rising taller and taller. Until a humanoid figure became visible, head almost scraping the rafters of the warehouse itself.
It was slow and cumbersome, but what it lacked in the elegance of his smaller robots was found in the overwhelming firepower that could be brought to bear. For a situation like this, when dealing with two superhumans as tough as the Mauler Twins, that sort of overkill was justified. Needed, even, considering at times it took the entire prior roster of the Guardians of the Globe to deal with them.
Then, it went on the attack, lifting up a hand that was riddled with barrels, shooting off lasers toward the Maulers. None of them would be lethal to superhumans as strong as them. It wouldn't feel great and would certainly make it easier to actually restrain them, as the two twins ran from it.
"All of this conflict and destruction, this pure theater, for what?" Rudy commented. "To drag out being forced back to prison?"
"Shut your mouth, you vat-grown piece of shit!" One of them barked as they ran around the room, trying to figure out some escape, like rats in a trap.
The smile that came over Rudy's face was teasing as he took cover behind a piece of equipment. "Is that kind of language really necessary? You're both clones as well, y'know."
"You want to know what one advantage of being a clone is?" They barked, tossing items to each other. It was not entirely clear what they were doing, and splitting his attention between his massive drone and their actions was growing tiresome.
"I feel as if you'll tell me."
"We always know what the other one is thinking!" They were out of his sight now, though not as he pulsed chakra, trying to get a good idea of where they were.
Whatever this alternative sight of his was, it was a little disorienting. Pulling in the range was easier said than done, with his complete and utter lack of training with it. Let alone interpret what he was seeing from more than a few meters away with a deep understanding. At least, that was what he'd blame his inability to perceive that they were making a gun from outright cobbled-together components.
They truly were some geniuses, weren't they? Not enough to do more than damage his massive drone with it, but still.
"A neat trick, but one I doubt you'll be able to replicate again," he commented, as the large construct had one arm terminated. The other was more than functional, having been saved from taking a blow to protect him. "So let's finish th—"
Whatever clever thing he was about to say was cut off by his communication channels going on alert through his neurolink.
"All Guardians to HQ, Apocalypse Level Priority!" Cecil's voice in his head ordered, much to Rudy's frustration. All he could do was grimace the way of the twins, feeling a potent irritation rise inside of him.
Truly, an inopportune time for an alert to head out. Dealing with the Mauler Twins was important, yet Guardians of the Globe business came first and foremost. Much to Rudy's frustration on the matter, he was going to have to handle them later.
Taking the opportunity while they were hunkered behind cover, he mentally commanded his machine to pick him up as they blasted through the roof together. What debris that hit him barely felt like anything against his skin, into the sky. In due time he'd likely be able to replicate Genji's flight capabilities, something he was looking forward to.
For now, his attention was more focused on getting back to Guardians HQ as swiftly as possible. If there was a crisis that demanded bringing all members back to the base, then it was only right that he was there as well. And that his teammates got introduced to the new Rudy.
"Just sit tight until I call on you!" Cecil commanded over the call as the Guardians all stood together after the high alert had gathered them. "And hope to hell that I don't have to."
The indignation that Rex was displaying, audible through his drone, was as loud as ever. "Sit tight? We're not your kids in the backseat while you run in to buy cigarettes, Cecil. What the hell is going on?"
A good question, and something that was making Rudy walk a little faster through the halls to reach the main sanctum. The alert had ruined his plans for the Mauler Twins, but alas, they'd keep until he caught up with them.
"I said, sit tight!" Cecil barked before cutting off the transmission abruptly.
"Oh come on!" Rex yelled at the dark screen, gesturing at it aggressively.
The mood in the room was such that even Black Samson was agreeing with him. "For once you're right. We need to know what's happening." Turning to face his drone, Samson had his arms crossed and a frustrated expression on his face. "Robot. Can't you do a little hacking and find out what's going down?"
Of course, his drone stayed silent, if only because Rudy was almost there. With a pulse of chakra, likely far more than was appropriate to spend, he scanned the environment to get a clue of how far he was away. Did he need to do that with the telemetry data that his drone was feeding him?
No.
Was it fun?
Yes.
"Are we even sure he's still alive?" Rex asked, poking at the robotic drone in the middle of the Guardian's sanctum. "Do we have IT to call if he has a technical issue?"
Maybe Rudy inherited a flair for dramatics from Genji. Or perhaps he'd always had that flair to himself, as he walked out from the passage he'd been watching them from. "I'm very much alive," he assured them, as multiple faces whipped his way in surprise and confusion. "More so now than ever."
"Genji?" Kate asked, blinking briefly, before shaking her head. "Wait, no. You're not Genji, who are you?"
"You all know me as Robot, but that wasn't my true identity," he explained as his drone came to stand beside him. "My real name is Rudolph Connors. Though I'd prefer if you called me Rudy."
Looking at the rust-colored drone, he smiled before giving that smile back at everyone else. "The Robot you knew before was simply a drone I controlled remotely."
Kate walked up to him, arms crossed, and her eyes flicked up and down his body consideringly. It was a look that was almost inscrutable, given that he didn't have the faintest clue what most of it might mean. "How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Which was an easy question to solve. "Ask me something only Robot would know."
"When did we first meet?" Kate shot back.
"During my preliminary ventures into crime-fighting, I reached out to the Global Defense Agency to see if they had any assets with similar ambitions and an equivalent amount of practical experience. Your name was at the top of the list, followed by Rex's."
Rex blinked. "I was below Kate?"
"Okay, first off, no need to act so surprised," Kate stated, glowering at the boy. "Secondly, what is my costume made of?"
Well, she'd always been reticent to have this known publicly, so he supposed the need was relevant to establish trust. "Replicated skin cells that matched the harmonics of your quantum duplication capabilities."
Beside them, Shrinking Rae glanced over at Kate, mouth opening and closing. "...I'm not sure if that's gross or just supremely practical."
Kate could only close her eyes and sigh, giving a slow nod. "It's Robot. I'm more surprised Genji gave you permission for all of this."
"He's far more generous than I deserve," Rudy freely admitted, rolling his shoulders back and kicking a leg out to look down at his pants and shoes. He'd never worn either before! It took a little getting used to the constant sensation of fabric on his skin, but he'd adapt in due time. "I can explain the full story."
For his part, Black Samson moved past them to head to the main computer. "I'll be listening. Just explain while I try to figure out what's going on."
Fair enough.
"So essentially, it all began when I freed the Mauler Twins from prison."
Judging by the way his audience's faces twisted, they did not entirely like that revelation. However, he felt confident that he could bring them around as the tale continued on. After all, for all of the actual damage to the Icebox they'd performed, none of the destruction had killed anyone. It'd resulted in injuries, sure, but no actual deaths.
All in all, almost a victimless crime. Contrary to how he suspected everyone would feel, though, they did not immediately
"Basically, you lied about your identity, conspired with criminals, and then helped them to stay out of jail, then lost them before you could put them back into jail, just for selfish reasons?" Amanda stated, almost as if clarifying all of the things he did wrong.
It was enough to make him frown, because Rudy wouldn't have… perhaps phrased it in such a way. Even if it was specifically true. "Yes, I mean, I did do those things, but I did them for a good reason. Things just went a touch out of my control when it came to the plan."
"Letting dangerous criminals like the Mauler Twins go is kind of more than just a goof, bud," Rae pointed out.
The people who came to his defense, though, were the people he should have expected to do so. Yet he was surprised by it all the same.
Rex stepped forward, raising his hands. "Listen, was it stupid to bring in the Mauler Twins? Yes," he freely admitted. "But I'll be damned if he hasn't stuck by me when I did all sorts of dumb stuff over the years. This is a screw-up, but on the bright side, look at Robot's shiny new body! He's all horny and shit, and you've got Genji's powers too, right?"
"Untrained, but yes." Taijitu had mentioned that he could see inside bodies, but to this degree was shocking. Even if he did have a lot of questions for him now that he had the similar ability himself. "His genetics are diluted through differentiated human traits, though. Too complex for the Mauler Twins to work out on their given timeline."
"That's huge!" Rex grinned. "Man, you're here, in the flesh now! Oh my god, we can take you cruising for girls, or out to get food, or all of that other stuff that normal people do."
Kate smiled too, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "Everyone screws up. There's not a person here who hasn't gone without making a mistake at one point or another."
Rae scoffed quietly, even if a smile was twitching on her lips. "Speak for yourself…"
It was a level of acceptance that might have felt sterile and at a remove before he had a body with completely functioning neurochemistry and balanced hormones. Now, it made him blink as heat threatened to blur his vision. "T-Thank you, Kate, Rex. Your defense is appreciated. More than either of you could know."
Whatever else they were about to say, though, was interrupted by Black Samson's calling out from the main computer. "I think I figured out why they had us on high alert!"
Throwing up a video, it showed what appeared to be a robust satellite of some kind. For a moment, the purpose seemed confusing, right up until a familiar white and red shape blew directly through it. Omni-Man, destroying what appeared to be some kind of GDA orbital installation, before the video cut off.
"... What the hell was that?" Rex spoke, breaking the quiet that had come over the group as they watched the footage.
"It was what Cecil didn't want us to see," Rex breathed out, as a hot, panicked realization began to wash over him. "Where's Taijitu?"
His absence had been conspicuous, but not overbearing, right up until that moment. Almost instantly, Rudy began trying to contact him through his communicator. The rustling of wind was the first thing he noticed as the line picked up. "Not a great time right now, Rudy. Can it wait?"
"Is it because you're going to fight Omni-Man?" Rudy all but shouted, his voice raising as everyone's head whipped around to him.
"You're gonna have to repeat that one for me." Black Samson blinked.
"Oh. Well, if you already know that, uh, then yeah. I'm on my way to try and fight him." He said it casually, with only the faintest tremor in his voice giving away how he felt about it. "If I die, you're free to look at all my notes and theorizing. Won't be as good as me training you when you get your new body—"
"I'm already in it," Rudy interrupted.
"Really? Congratulations! I guess there's some good news out of the day, huh?"
The attempt to garner some measure of levity into the situation was not welcome, at all. "You should have told us," Rudy stated, feeling a sinking sensation of betrayal in his stomach. "W-We could have helped! We could have…"
"Died? Horribly?" A grunt came from Taijitu. "You guys are strong. But Omni-Man is in a whole different league than most of the current Guardians of the Globe. It was either this or feeding my friends into a meat grinder."
Rudy knew the power displayed by Omni-Man as the world's preeminent superhero. His strength, speed, durability, and just overwhelming might gave him a special place amongst the Earth's heroes. And now he'd gone rogue.
They should have been there with Taijitu, but they couldn't because they were too weak. Somehow, Rudy had transferred bodies, and yet weakness hadn't been banished from him yet. It made that familiar sense of self-loathing ramp back up, while everyone around him was pressing Rudy for answers, or Taijitu's end of the call.
He couldn't be bothered to answer them.
"... Try your best to win. And… find out why he's doing this."
The inventor could almost hear the grin in the response that came back to him. "I haven't lost a fight since I've come to this planet, Rudy. I don't plan on starting now."
With that, Taijitu disconnected the call, leaving Rudy lost. And with a keen and sudden understanding of his own profound weakness. Whether or not Taijitu survived this, though, he knew one thing. He'd never be too weak to stand alongside his friends ever again.
That was a promise.