59 - Dark Magical Girl

“Thanks for bringing my bot back,” the mysterious Dark Girl said. As she stepped over Tearjerker, I got a good look at her. Just like the goth villainess on the ground, she was dressed in fishnets, black, and a healthy dose of mascara. But instead of black, black, and more black, a reddish glow surrounded her like a halo around the sun.

I stepped back, away from the newcomer. Springlock did, too. Both bots were much worse for wear after their duel with each other. My bot’s blade had bent, and its Gatling taser spun uselessly. Its plating was dinged and dented, but not as badly as the other. Its front leg—not the one with the blade, but the other one—had shattered, and it staggered as it tried to turn to face us. Both bots were also tangled in taser wires.

I laughed maniacally despite myself. “Yorkston Robotics wouldn’t be proud. My ex could do better than this!”

“Your ex is probably some worthless Extra,” the Dark Girl said, almost spitting.

I had a choice to make. We could fight, obviously. We’d almost certainly be fighting soon. But the longer I could stall before that fight, the more time my lieutenant had to free the ‘heroes’ and turn the tables. And I needed those heroes if I wanted to win.

“Alright, you’ve got me. He’s just some Extra from back home,” I lied. “These bots are quite something, though. Did you build them yourself?”

“No. I didn’t even design them. Our dumbass supplier said they were finished, but they wouldn’t start. I had to use—“

“Enough, Anima! If you tell them more, I’ll make you remember when Derek broke up with you,” Tearjerker interrupted, picking herself up. “Now, let’s deal with these two!”

Springlock’s eyes were locked on the two bots. The moment one of them moved, she threw a soda vending machine at them. It clobbered my bot, sending it skittering into the room and blocking the door with its bulk.

With one bot and both supervillains stuck in the room, Springlock held one hand out and stabbed under it with the other pointer finger. When I shrugged, she froze a bench and pointed at the remaining bot.

It didn’t have a Gatling taser anymore, and it wasn’t fast, but it was coming right at me. I started running as the bench caught the bot’s back leg. Then I turned and aimed at its damaged front leg.

Bang!

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point Pending]

With two legs damaged, I cheered. But my victory was somewhat dampened.

“Villainous breakdown percentage is at 80%, Understudy,” TA-1LZ reported.

“80%? How’d it get that high? That’s unacceptable!” I shouted. If it kept climbing, I’d have to switch—either Costumes or sides—and I needed [Speed Hacker] to turn things around.

Or did I? I wasn’t sure I really did. Dark Girl Anima’s power seemed to override my [Speed Hacker]; either it wasn’t powerful enough, or her power didn’t care about it. I tried once more to take over the badly damaged bot. If I could just [Speed Hack] it for a couple of seconds…

[Good Thinking! +1 Cunning Point Pending]

[Playing with Powers Beyond Comprehension! +1 Drama Point Pending]

[Warning: Red Rover Antivirus Activated!]

It felt like a dog biting my nose. I screamed and tore the Lab Assistant Panic goggles off, whirling as the bot flickered briefly pink, then went entirely red. My eyes watered, and I squeezed them shut and rubbed to get the tears out.

[HP 4/7]

Crash!

The bot inside the room slammed into the vending machine, sending what glass hadn’t shattered when it got tossed spraying into the hall. “Alright! Everyone freeze!” Tearjerker yelled.

“[Beep!] that, Tears. I’m kicking their asses!” Anima said. The vending machine gave way, and my bot thumped into the hall. I went for [Hypercompression Cannon] again.

Bang!

The golden bot froze for a second, knocked back by the wave of compressed air. It also tossed the two villains back since there wasn’t anywhere for them to dodge in the narrow doorway.

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point Pending]

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point Pending]

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point Pending]

I grinned as the notifications came in. Then I yelped. Springlock pulled on a handful of my sleeve, dragging me away from the door and the two bots. She dragged me off-balance just as a blade buzzed over my head, missing by inches. I watched it slice a lock of hair free.

“Let me go! We were winning!” I yelled, but of course, she couldn’t hear me. Even if she could, I doubted she’d stop dragging me, so I activated [Hometown Heroine]. She was ruining my plan, and I was going to fight back.

I mean, I was.

But then, a fresh robot pushed through the door behind Anima and Tearjerker, and I gave up on that plan. We’d have to stall until Fursona freed the rest of the TUSSA assault team. She was an unwilling lieutenant for my evil plans but a competent underling.

Springlock half-dragged me up the stairs, Tails following behind. I was running too, but I looked over my shoulder in case there was another window to use [Speed Hacker]. But it wasn’t any use; Dark Girl Anima was too close to the bots, and her [Red Rover Antivirus] was too aggressive for my hacks. “It’s not fair! Real antivirus isn’t anywhere near that good,” I whined to no one.

Springlock ran around a corner, let go of me momentarily, and pointed back toward the oncoming villains. She made a finger gun with her pointer and middle finger. I nodded and charged up my [Hypercompression Cannon].

Bang!

[Dramatic Damage! +1 Drama Point Pending]

The shot caught an off-balance, badly damaged robot, throwing it backward. Before I could celebrate, Springlock dashed into an open classroom in the Applied Sciences wing. I followed her, and we clicked the door shut.

A second later, I heard the first bot clatter and whir around the corner. I pointed at the door and put my finger over my lips. I had no idea if that was even a sign, but I’d always used it for ‘quiet’ or ‘silent,’ and I didn’t have anything better. When this was over, and I’d won, I would force Springlock and Milo to teach me to sign.

“Understudy, you’re at 93%. I recommend you switch back now,” TA-1LZ whispered in my ear. I shook my head. If the villains didn’t know where we were, I could turn this around, but only if I could use my Lab Assistant Panic powers.

I kept my hand on Springlock’s arm until the sound of the robot’s servos faded around the corner. Without the bot, TA-1LZ had said we had a 13% chance of a win. Then I ran to the whiteboard. Springlock followed me. She grabbed a marker.

‘What’s ur plan?’

‘Fursona saves the others. They beat Iron Fist. We fight the villainesses and bots together and win.’

‘Thats it?’

‘Lab Assistant Panic hacks a bot and evens things out. But Anima…’

‘Yeh. Anima powers inanimate objects. If shes doing it the bots don’t work. Incomplete? Broken? No power? Dunno.’

‘Makes sense. Bot ran out of energy at Mr Felsic statue’

‘Anima is key. Take her down fast’

‘Got it’

We walked back to the door. I pressed my ear against it. A bot’s messed up leg scraped against the tile floor, and it was getting louder. That meant they were getting closer. I nodded toward Springlock, held up a hand, and started counting down.

Five. Springlock froze a desk.

Four. I tensed next to the door.

Three. The bot passed by, foot scraping. Another bot’s joints whirred along behind it.

Two. I heard footsteps in the hall.

One.

As I opened the door, Springlock shot the desk through toward Tearjerker. It caught the villain in the shoulder, knocking her over.

“That wasn’t the plan,” I muttered as I ducked through the entry. We were supposed to take out Dark Girl Anima. Instead, she was focused on Tearjerker! Well, if she wasn’t sticking to the plan, I would.

The Dark Magical Girl looked shocked as I charged her. She started to say something, but I spun and kicked her in the stomach. She doubled over momentarily, then stood straight as I tried to punch her in the face.

[Stylish Strike! +1 Flamboyance Point Pending]

“You…you punched me in the tit!” Dark Girl Anima looked at me incredulously. “What the hell?”

“Uh, sorry?”

“[Energy Beam!]”

Anima threw herself into the air, sending a wavering beam of crimson light at me from the red teardrop symbol on her dress. It washed over me, biting and burning like acid. I rolled to avoid it, but it stopped almost as quickly as it started.

[HP 3/7]

As Anima pointed at one of the bots, I had a moment to take stock.

To my left, Springlock had pretty much finished off Tearjerker, but two bots were closing in on her. One of the damaged bots—the one Anima was giving orders to—stomped toward me. I couldn’t use my Lab Assistant Panic powers; I needed to take over a bot to have a chance, and I couldn’t do that if Anima was still conscious.

And I couldn’t switch back to Understudy for actual combat powers. It’d take too long. I only had seconds before the bot attacked.

As it closed in, I rolled away from it. My roll took me right under Dark Girl Anima, so I did the only thing I could think of. I kicked her in the shin.

“[Beep!]” Anima crashed to the ground, and I rolled on top of her, pinning her between my legs and sitting on her stomach. I punched her in the nose, then in the wrist when she got a hand between her face and my fist. She tried to use her energy beam, but I hit her again before she could get the words out.

[Badass Brawler! +1 Badass Point Pending]

That wasn’t right! I wasn’t supposed to be Badass. I was supposed to be Cunning and Dramatic as Lab Assistant Panic, but there wasn’t time for that.

The bot clomped and whirred closer. It was the fresh one, still armed with a Gatling taser and vibrating blade. I felt the red heat pouring off of it, more than should be there in an electric engine.

I punched Anima again. This time, she punched back, and I struggled to pin her arms so she’d stop. I had to get away from the bot. No. I had to stop Anima so I could hack it.

[Badass Brawler! +1 Badass Point Pending]

[HP 2/7]

[Gritty Recovery! +1 Grit Point Pending]

Something hit me from behind, and I screamed in agony. My shoulder was on fire—no, my whole arm was on fire—as the blade vibrated deeper. The bot pushed me off of Dark Girl Anima. Its Gatling taser whirled as it prepared to blast me in the face.

[HP 1/7]

A hero leaped over my head—something red-and-white, with cloth that flapped in the wind. Another figure in a purple super-suit ran up, pushing me off Anima and pinning me to the ground, even as a green-clad super took over my job of punching Anima in the face.

I relaxed for a moment, even though Grapple had me pinned better than Gourmet in the weight room. Fursona had come through! I couldn’t wait to enact Phase Two of my evil plan and depose that idiot pretender, Monologue!

“Understudy, you’re at 99%! You need to switch back immediately!” TA-1LZ yowled, running up to me on metal legs.

Oh. Shit.

Grapple let up on his pin, and I half-whirled free. I spun on the floor as I rattled off my ridiculous oath. “Never fear. Magical Girl Understudy is here!”

I didn’t know if I’d be able to finish before the breakdown—or before Grapple got a hold of me again!

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