Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

To say that this mission had been shit was the fucking understatement of the fucking century. Zahir had gotten his hands frozen, and it took him like three fucking minutes to melt the ice off. Janelle had broken several knives, and Colm had gotten food poisoning from all things.

So safe to say that Robert was pissed, this was just supposed to be an easy intel gathering mission but of course that got fucked hard. Of course, Mandy had been busy collecting intel with Katon, so she wasn’t there to help bandage people’s wounds. That’s why Robert is currently wrapping up Zahir’s hands while listening to him bitch about some knock off hero.

“I mean come on! The least they could have done is knock me out! At least then I wouldn’t have to deal with the humiliation!”

Robert just hums as he finished his work on the bandages. “Maybe I should look at your augments; your flames are meant to burn hotter with them. I’ll look over everyone’s augments when I get the chance. With all this bullshit things have been a bit wild”

Zahir of course rolls his eyes, “yeah yea, alright Bob-Bob. How about you go order us lunch?” The arsonist smirks as he says this, while Robert just looks up unamused.

“You have a lot of guts to say that to your boss”

“You’re also my boyfriend”

“The entire team is dating me, it’s a fucking polycule Zahir. Every one on this fucking team has had sex with me” of course Zahir just scoffs, and places a condescending kiss on his boss’ nose.

“I’ll order us all food then, we need a break any way”

“Cool you go do that, just don’t fucking forget to come to the workshop later so I can check up on your augments”

“I got it bitch”

Robert just rolls his eyes, moving to clean up around the med bay. Heroes had been getting bolder lately, attacking gear members at random... always before a serious heist. Robert’s eyes widen.

 Of course, Katon and Mandy both make it back to the base at that moment, Mandy only sparing a kiss on Robert’s cheek before heading to do paperwork (unknown to her, Robert had beat her to it). Katon, meanwhile, just follows Robert, his long dark cloak billowing around him, along with the black hood still up.

“Katon, you look like the fucking grim reaper right now, take the cloak off”

“My apologies, ... what is a grim reaper?”

“I’ll explain that later,” Robert mumbles, just another thing to explain, fuck, maybe he’ll leave that to Mandy to explain.

As soon as they make it to the quarters of Janelle and Colm, the duo themselves look up from their maps.

“What are you two planning?”

“Nothing you should worry about, lad.”

“Why does Katon still have his gear on? Isn’t his work for the day done, unless he just got back?” Janelle whispers, resting her chin on Colm’s head, as she drapes herself over his back.

“He just got back, also, I think there’s a mole in the organization... just keep your investigation quiet if you haven’t already started... Don’t kill them, trap them, and set up interrogation when you find them.”

Robert's tone changes, dropping to a deep rasp that sends shivers down Janelle’s spine. “Don't tell anyone else. Got it. If you find them. Let Crimson have a chance at roughing them up."

Colm’s eyes widen before he lets out a chuckle. “Why, you want that vampiric bitch to turn their blood into fuel if they don’t talk? God, that bloke still unnerves me”.

“I get along with them, they seem to get along with everyone too... they’re new, right?

“No, actually, they used to work with my dad before they were transferred to our branch. Turns out they caused a lot of explosions by accident because people kept accidentally ingesting their blood.”

“That is... unusual?” Katon murmurs, wrapping his arms around Robert’s waist and resting his head on the human’s. “If I remember, the consumption of blood between humans is quite odd. Though many do it for reasons I have yet to understand.”

“Victor and Janelle do it because it turns them on.”

“Hol’ up, Victor likes blood too? Didn’t think the lad had it in him with the amount of drugs he does.” Colm chuckles as he lies back and lights a cigar, taking a drag.

“He does, a lot actually, on both fronts,” Janelle confirms, a slight smirk on her face.

“Either way, I trust both of you to handle the mole. Katon, go take a bath. Zahir’s getting us all lunch, so we should all reconvene in the sitting room.”

Soon enough, the entire Z-quadrant is in the sitting room, all eating their respective meals. Though Katon and Herm are both sitting close to Robert, Katon has placed Robert into his lap while Herm leans against the alien. Of course, Beef is running around in between everyone, trying to get scraps.

“Hold on, why ain’t Courtney here? She’s normally the only one who uses the sitting room while the rest of us are on missions.” The she-daemon points out, before taking a bite of her burger, her sharp teeth tearing through the meat and bread.

“Don’t know, don’t care, Bruno, Mal, you can go find her if you want.” Zahir leans back on the couch, his long hair running down his shoulder as he leans forward.

“Damn, she was supposed to help me pick out some clothing for my next performance. Zahir, you mind joining?”

“Can’t, my niece has a show.”

“... Why am I not surprised.”

“I can go!”

“Thanks Mal. What about you, Robert? You got any plans?”

“Meetings, boring shit like always.” He explains, leaning against Katon. “If you don’t mind, you think you could hand over Katon’s measurements to your tailor? It would be nice if he had a better wardrobe.”

“What’s wrong with my current one?”

“It’s mostly your gear and lounge wear; someone needs to get you clothing, self-expression, big guy.”

“I see”

Katon-ur looks down at his food before resuming to eat. Everyone else also starts to focus on their meal and conversation.

Soon enough, their lunch break is over, Robert goes back to his workshop while the others get back in their gear, Zahir following Robert into the workshop.  

“So, you going to take a look?” He smirks, undoing his shirt and letting it fall to the side, the red and orange augments following the line of his spine and muscles. 

“Zahir, if this is an attempt to seduce me. I must remind you that now is not the fucking time.” 
 
Robert walks forward and starts to inspect the augments, his hands tracing along the metal of the devices, circling Zahir. 

“Odd, nothing seems wrong.” Robert stands back, humming to himself as he thinks. Zahir just smirks.  

“So do I get a kiss for being a good boy?” Zahir wiggles his eyebrows, and Robert rolls his eyes and kisses the other man. 

“Yeah, either way, our downtime is over. I’ve got a meeting, and you’ve got some shit to burn.” 

Zahir obviously pouts; his hope was to get some more attention from Robert, but it’s fine, he gets to burn shit after all. 

Robert walks over to his desk full of monitors, loading up the info panels about who’s working and where: 

Vanish: Unknown 

Inferno: Disposal – junkyard 

Tidal wave: On break 

Coupé: Investigation - base

Punch Up: Investigation w/ Coupé - base

Engima: Off duty 

Blaze: Off duty

Sonar: Gathering Funding - Downtown LA

Mal: Weapon maintenance - Armory

Golem: Off duty

Prism: Obtaining clothing - *Stand in location*

Robert's eyes narrow as he looks at the screen... Courtney was offline, entirely. Robert sighs; he had a feeling she was the mole. He's disappointed nonetheless. The quadrant seems to have grown fond of her over time. This would tank morale and also fuck up things with... him. God, Robert is not in the mood to deal with his daddy issues.

He sighs, rolling his shoulders as he pushes away from his desk, dragging a hand down his face as he groans. He was already burned out as shit, his father's coming to visit doesn't help at all. No matter what he does things just always seem to get worse. Robert stands up, taking a moment to stabilize before heading to do paperwork. His footfall nearly silent as he makes his way through the building. It's a mix of an old factory and an underground bunker. Hard to find and has tunnels that connect it to the rest of Los Angeles. Robert takes a few side passages before walking into his main office, looking down at the papers on his desk and walking past them. He takes off his coat and rolls out his shoulders. He opens the safe and takes out the blueprints for everyone's augments. Soon, taking them to the workshop and looking over them

He soon calls in Janelle so he can check hers. He has her extend her wing out so he can check every connection point.

"Have any of your knives gotten chipped?" 

"Not yet, but one of my wings has been spasming slightly from time to time. Don't know why." Janelle relaxes, relaxing against the blankets that she's lying on as Robert checks her wings. 

"I think that's because your wing got nicked." He whispers as he gently inspects the wound, observing it to see how deep it is. "Head over to the medical wing soon to get that fixed. Only you and Zahir seem to have had problems recently, that I know of at least." He muses, getting off the table and washing his hands.

"Thank you again, Robert. It's nice to have a boss that sees you as a person, not just a weapon." She smiles softly, standing up and flexing her wings to check their condition.

"Not a problem. I hope you find the mole out soon. If they work for the SDN, though, spare them." He warns, looking over, his expression getting serious.

"The SDN aren't our enemies, I'm working on a deal with them... just figure out who's ratting us out to the police. That's all I need."

Chapter Text

Toxin is lounging on the couch in the shared barracks when Invisigal walks in, looking like she's seen a ghost.

"Dude, why the fuck do you look like you just witnessed a ghost orgy?" snarks Toxin as he sits up, rolling out his neck. Leaning forward to look Invisigal in the eyes, an unamused look on his face.

"If I told you that the entire Z-quadrent was fucking would you believe me?" She leans against the door frame, "or if I told you that Machine is hot as hell? Like stupid levels of hot..." Visi just slowly slumps against the wall, panicking over how deep she's dug herself.

Toxin looks up from his phone with an interested look. "Carry on?"

"Okay, so when all of them are in their base, they take off their masks. For some of them, they aren't even wearing masks; they just don't fight often... either way, they are all like stupidly attractive in a million different ways. There's a nervous twink, a bear, and several bisexual people."

Toxin just stares in horror as Visi continues to rant and rant, his eyes widening as she goes into graphic detail about the relations.

"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, I WALKED INTO MACHINE'S OFFICE, AND HE WAS RAILING INFERNO, FULL ON RAILING. INFERNO WAS BENT OVER THE DESK LIKE A BITCH IN HEAT." She stood up, pacing around rapidly, running a hand through her hair.

"Who the fuck is Inferno?"

"The arsonist"

"Oh him." Toxin hums, leaning back on the couch, still slightly disturbed by how much Visi is sharing with him. "Anyone you think you have a chance with?"

"... I'd like to shoot my shot at Mandy... and Machine... maybe the she-daemon too? Honestly? Whoever is interested."

Toxin just looks up at her, dumb founded. "You really are a pervert. You used to talk about how you could only be a villain with your powers, but honestly? You should do porn at this rate with how much sex you seem to watch." Toxin snorts, his dark brown eyes glinting with the same chaos he brings to the battlefield.

"Anything else? Maybe something fucking useful?"

"... Astral is visiting soon."

"How soon?"

"Within the next month".

Toxin feezes and looks up, his eyes widening.

"You're joking right?"

Visi just shakes her head, fidgeting with her jacket. "Nope, and there's a chance that I've been figured out already."

Toxin groans as he falls back on the couch, hands over his face in defeat.

"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT VISI!" 

"Dude, you act like I haven't been trying my damn hardest to not get fucking insta-killed by these guys! They've all been doing this shit for years. YEARS. I've only been doing hero work for the past 4 years. Not to mention I'm only now getting used to actually being able to breath because of the augment I was given!" Visi rants as she paces around the room, before dramatically collapsing into a chair.

"Wait, you have an augment?" Toxin just stares at her, his eyes wide in both shock and confusion.

"Yeah?" Visi looks back at him, confused.

"Can I see it?"

"Fuck no, it's like, right under by boobs."

"Oh, okay." Toxin leans back, humming softly before looking at Invisigal.

"So, like on a scale of one to ten, how hot is Machine-" Toxin is then very promptly cut off by getting smacked by a pillow in the face.

Chapter Text

Robert sighs, pacing around his office, his body drawn tight as a bow’s string. Even with the pain suppressers that run along his neck and shoulders, the tension rises in his lower back. He sighs and sits down in his chair, disconnecting his prosthetic leg from his body and letting out a sigh at the sight. All that remains of his leg is the stump, the loss of his right leg still stings. His body relaxes some. He just lies back in his chair. Mecha is visiting soon. Hiding his face in his hands as he puts his elbows on his desk, tears stinging his eyes. Robert just sits there, all of the bottled-up tension getting to him.  

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

When Katon walks in, he’s wearing the underclothing that goes with his gear. His eyes widen as he sees Robert hunched over his desk. It’s unsettling to see Robert fall apart; it’s rare and is always bad news. Katon walks over and gently picks up Robert, carrying him over to the couch and just holding him. The alien might not understand what Robert’s life has been like, seeing as the human is quiet about his past... but Katon’s not stupid, he knows that there is darkness that is kept on a tight leash that claws under Robert’s skin. If Katon can at least comfort Robert, then he will.  

Katon just holds Robert for a while, his larger frame almost hiding Robert entirely from view. When Robert finally calms down enough to breathe evenly, he crawls out of Katon’s grasp. 

“Is everyone back on base now?” he asks, his voice back to that deadpan. He stretches out his back, going to stand up, before remembering he took off his prosthetic. He sits there for a moment before looking up at Katon. 

“... You think you could get my leg for me?” 

Katon smiles, nodding as he sets Robert on the couch and moves to grab Robert’s leg. Gently holding it as Robert puts it back on. Hooking the wires back into place. Robert leans on Katon for a moment before standing up straight. 

“I’m assuming that the others are already eating?” 

Katon nods. “Indeed, they have picked something known as Rocky Horror Picture Show, though I can’t say I’m a fan of it; it’s quite confusing.” 

Katon lowers his head, pouting like a puppy. Robert just smiles softly and pats Katon’s head. 

“That’s okay, big guy. How about we join them?” 

Katon smiles at this, nodding as he and Robert walk to the common room.  

____________________________________________________________________________________ 

The rest of the team is already there. Alice lights up as she sees Robert, before frowning as she realizes he’s still in his gear. 

“Bitch did you fucking fall asleep?” She yells, Courtney (who also came back to base) snorts. 

“Maybe he was busy?” She wiggles her eyebrows as she snorts. Going back to her phone as she drapes herself over the couch. 

“Ha ha, very funny, Courtney. I’m going to go change, and maybe get something to eat.” 

Zahir freezes and looks over, pissed. 

“Oh, you dick head! You didn’t get anything to eat yet?” 

Victor just gasps dramatically and flops onto Malevola’s lap like a swooning maiden. 

“Our beloved twunk is skipping meals again!” The hybrid cries out, his eyes closed as he continues being dramatic. 

The rest of the group just laughs, Robert rolling his eyes. "Just don't burn down the kitchen." He mutters with a soft smile. 

"On it!" Courtney and Zahir head to the kitchen to make dinner. Janelle just pulls Robert onto the couch between her and Colm, who shrugs and leans against Robert. Herm clambers over the back of the couch and drapes himself over the other arm of the couch. Soon enough, the team of ragtag villains and vigilantes are all in the common room, having resumed the movie. Robert having fallen asleep after eating. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

Zahir looks over and notices that Robert is out cold, letting out a snort and rolling his eyes.

"Bob-Bob's out cold... I'll take him to bed."

Victor bolts up straight and screeches. "HELL NO! Me and Mal get him!"

Janelle wraps her arms around Robert's waist. "I say me and Colm should get to take care of him tonight."

"I-... I'd probably give him a cold," Herm mumbles, looking like a wet dog.

"Yeah, that's pretty accurate, wet boy."

"Didn't me and Robert tell you to stop with the names a while back?" Mandy walks in, her hair tied up in a bun as she sighs.

"... I'm a just." And with that, Zahir picks up Robert bridal style and smiles.

"BITCH YOU DID NOT!" Alice shouts, standing up.

"We are doing this the fair way. Rock, paper, scissors bitch!" She stands her ground

________________________________________________________________________________

Bruno ends up getting Beef for tonight and the game ends up with Victor and Mal winning.

Chapter Text

When Visi got back to the barracks of the red team, most of them were waiting for her. Toxin was doing his hair, working the gelled hair into spikes. Volt was leaning over the counter of the shared kitchen, scrolling through her phone, while Sematar cleaned and maintained the weapons. Mantis, of course, was signing at Volt. Volt, of course, signs back every now and then. 

"So, how's the intel gathering going?" Toxin looks up, only halfway done with his liberty spikes.

"It's going okay, the Z-quadrent seems to like me," Visi mumbles, guilt clawing at her insides. "Maybe too much, we watched a movie together last night, Machine gave us a break for the next week. Then it's all hands on deck before Mecha man gets here."

Volt freezes mid-sign as she translates for Mantis. Looking over in horror.

"You mean like THE Mecha man? The dude who runs the entire organization of the Gears?" Volt signs as she speaks, so Mantis isn't left out.

"Yup, the most dangerous arms dealer... and he's not even the one who does the augments. He handles weapons only." Visi pulls off her gear, setting it down and sitting on the couch.

Toxin has finished doing his hair. slouching forward and resting his arms on his legs.

"So who does the augments then?"

"... Machine does," Visi whispers. "He's the one who makes them and puts them in, only his inner circle has seen his face... including me."

"Yeah, you've mentioned he's hot," Toxin adds a teasing smirk on his face.

"Well, he is, but that's not my point. My point is that Machine is who we need to worry about the most. Mecha man is still dangerous, yes, but he's not what we should worry about."

Mantis signs something to Volt, who translates. 'I've known about the augments. I used to be a member of the Gears. Tried to run off with my augment... Machine hunted me down and tore it right out of my skull.'

Scematar grimaces, shaking his head. "He made some weapons for me for a job. Said that once I was done, I had to hand them over, I did. He didn't do anything to me, I guess he just wants his things back, no matter what."

Mantis nods, signing. 'I thought I could get away with it. I couldn't, if I had told him I wanted to leave the Gears, he would have removed the augment safely... I thought he wouldn't notice if I just left.'

Visi just sighs, running a hand through her hair. 

"So I'm just fucked? Like royally so?"

Everyone else nods.

"Shit"

Chapter Text

Visi just stands in her room, staring at herself in the mirror, her hands clenching at her sides. 

"Why do they care more?" She hisses between her teeth.

"Why do some of the most dangerous people in LA give such a shit about me?"

She plants her hands on the dresser, nails scratching the surface. Her shoulders tense and shake as she fights back tears. They care, the people she's betraying every time she enters the base. People who care if she's not well or feeling sad. People who give her fucking hugs and goodnight kisses. People who have good hearts that are the same as the most wanted criminals, that she's supposed to be better than?

She slams her hand into the mirror, the glass shattering and crumbling. Her eyes well up with tears as she finally breaks down. She's betraying people who care and respect her; they don't see her as a weapon or an asset. She curls up against the dresser, sobbing. For once, she wishes that she were always invisible, just so she could hide from everything she's done and hurt.

__________________________________________________________________________________

When Courtney goes back to the base of the Gears, she's welcomed back. Robert was leaning against the table with a cup of coffee. Colm and Zahir are cooking up a storm; it's still morning. Everyone is dressed down. Mandy walks up to Courtney and hugs her from behind.

"Welcome back." She whispers, resting her head on Courtney's shoulder. Pressing a kiss behind her ear before going to help set the table with Mal.

"Girl, we need to get you some skin care. You look like shit." Alice looks up from her phone, her hair still in its bonnet, dressed in a set of silk PJs. Walking over and inspecting Courtney's face.

"Come on, you need to get into something comfortable, we all need to rest up before Mister-asshole-father gets here." Alice ushers Courtney away while Robert rolls his eyes.

"Look, I get that you all think that my dad was a shit parent, but he is still the head of the entire organization. Just try to not give him too much shit when he comes to check on the operation." Robert takes a sip from his coffee. Janelle scoffs.

"From what you told us, he raised you the same way the mob raised me, so he's a horrible father." She presses a quick kiss into Robert's temple before heading to the kitchen to help out.

"The lady's got a point," Colm adds. Looking over his shoulder. "Yer dad did raise you with the skill set of an assassin."

Robert just grumbles something into his coffee. Victor wanders over and just stands in front of Robert until Robert sighs and pets Victor on the head. Scratching behind the hybrid's ears with a soft smile. 

"Where's Beef?"

"Bruno has him, I think." Mal answers.

"I already fed your tame potato"

"Thanks, Zahir," Robert smiles into his coffee. Bruno walks into the common area. Beef makes a beeline for Robert, sitting at the human's feet until he gets scratches.

Chapter Text

When the notification popped up on Toxin's dashboard, he had to do a double-take. He'd been added to Visi's infiltration mission? He just stares.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Visi looks at Toxin in his gear and shakes her head. 

"Toxin, wear regular clothes, please? Machine will clock you instantly if you wear your hero gear." She says as she changes her clothes, Toxin just looks at her unamused.

"And if we get into a fight?

"Then you'll be naked, you'd be surprised with how hard it is to shock Machine."

"... fine," He grumbles and walks off, changing back into his civilian wear, a leather jacket covered in pins, some ratty jeans, beat-up boots, and a t-shirt. Returning to Visi's room and seeing her in some stupidly well-made gear that's still casual... somehow?

"Damn, who the fuck are you blowing to get gear like that?"

"Yeah, um... I might have forgotten to mention that the z-quadrent is a legit polycule...." She rubs the back of her neck, blushing slightly, mostly because now Toxin was going to be put on blast about that whole thing.

"You've got to be fucking joking... when you mentioned some of the quadrant were mingling with each other, but not to that degree." Toxin just sighs and slumps against the wall.

"Shit"

"Deep shit." Visi agrees.

Chapter Text

Grinding metal and sparks are the first things Elliot notices when he walks into the workshop; the second is the fact that there is a mech in the workshop... third is that his son and a fat little dog are in the room.

Elliot turns on the light, looking around confused. Robert just pushes up the welding mask. They stare for a while, the silence stretching on and on. 

"Hey," the younger man speaks first, rolling his shoulders as he steps down to the ground. "So I'm guessing you already know that Dad's coming to make sure the operation is moving smoothly?"

Elliot nods, letting out a sigh as he rubs his temples. "Sadly, Visi already informed me."

Robert hums, setting the welding mask down and walking forward.

"I had a feeling she was your mole, too closed off and battle-ready. Pre-trained and all."

"Why are you in my workshop?" Elliot silently notes as well that he needs to train on infiltration better.

"Technically, it's the SDNs. Second, it's the only place I could really hide a mech suit that dad wouldn't know about."

"Fair enough," Elliot sighs, leaning against the counter in the workshop. Leaning back on his hands.

"So... if Dad comes by the SDN... how do you think he'll feel about you know... the fact that you're alive?" 

"..." Elliot's expression darkens, his hands shaking. He remembers the fight that led to the brigade's split all too well. He remembers the pain, and the sickening crunches of bones being broken.

"He'll either freeze like a deer in the head lights... or finish me off once and for all."

"Or he pounces like a cat in heat," Robert adds, pulling the welding mask back on and getting to work on the mech.

"Robert, what the actual fuck?" Elliot just stares at his son with wide eyes with building confusion. "Robert, WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN?"

"He hasn't been with anyone else since the fight. And you are still legally married. I can promise you that despite the whole cold, mean asshole bullshit. He misses you. Still wears his wedding ring, too." Robert just continues working on the mech suit. Beef trots up to Elliot and sits on his feet. Elliot then picks up Beef and starts petting him, holding the fat little dog close.

"So you mean to say...?"

"Dad misses you. No one's pushed him to be better but himself since the split. And you know how self-destructive he can get over shit like this. He runs like a machine but every machine still needs a mechanic to help it stay in shape."

The silence that hangs in the air is deafening; the only sounds that can be heard are Beef's and the hiss of Robert's welding gun. It rings out for a while before Robert sets down his welding gear and looks up. The wear and tear of having to keep everything running smoothly shows; he looks down at his prosthetic. Elliot was staring at it too.

"I-... I didn't tell her to plant it," Elliot whispers. His arms tightenting around Beef.

"Visi's never been great at following orders. She did what she thought she had too." Robert sighs. "I already forgave it, even if she hasn't forgiven herself."

Chapter Text

Machine paces around the room, a fat little dog trotting along as the underboss paces. His eyes silently tearing Toxin apart inch by inch. Machine stops right in front of Toxin, leaning forward, his mask retracting to show his face. Those usually doe like brown eyes, having sharpened into those of a trained killer.

"I already know who you are, Toxin. For now, you'll be Toxic, at least while you're in the gears. Visi is known as Vanish to everyone else. A safety measure, for your sake. Not mine." Machine stands back up and walks around to his desk, sitting down, the dog jumps into his lap.

Toxin just sits there, eyes wide as it settles in his mind that the mission's been compromised this entire time. Toxin takes a shaky breath, looking up with his best attempt at a guarded expression. 

"Why am I still alive then?" He hisses through his teeth.

"... Because I need you alive, Elliot trusts you enough to let you get close to the problem without getting yourself killed. Either way, you're not my main worry at the moment." Machine leans back in his chair, his eyes lidded, his body relaxed, though still ready to pounce if needed.

"You'll be in the destruction division. You'll listen to Inferno and take his orders. Just try not to get too squeamish around the bodies you'd probably end up melting. You'll be properly inducted in the next week. I'll have Vanish give you a tour."

Machine stands up, a smug knowing look on his face as he holds out his hand.

"Welcome to the Gears, try not to get chewed up." Machine's mask reforms, the hiss of the mask sealing back into place around his head. His voice distorted behind a voice changer.

"I'll be honest, it would have been better if you joined after my father came for a visit. Mecha Man isn't known for being kind to rookies." Machine chuckles, taking Toxin's hand and pulling him up. Machine walks Toxin out of his office and into the rest of the building, it's an old factory by the looks of it, old brick and metal make up the building. There's an odd personality to it; old furniture, handmade things, and plants litter the place. 

Soon enough, Visi walks in, raising an eyebrow at the sight of Machine's hand resting on Toxin's lower back. Part of Machine's mask retracts only enough to show the bottom of his face.

"Vanish, I believe you should show Toxic around. He'll be in the destruction division with Inferno." Machine looks at Toxin, studying him for a moment before retracting his hand and folding them behind his back.

"Vanish works in the intel division, under Coupé; she's quite skilled." He smiles cryptically before the mask seals again, hiding his face. Machine then nods to Visi and walks away. The dog following behind him. Visi looks up at Toxin before putting a hand on her hip.

"Told you he was hot." She smiles

"Shut the fuck up." He hisses back

Chapter Text

Blood drips from the head of the man whose throat was just sliced clean open by Machine. Instead of the tailored suit Machine was dressed in earlier, it has been replaced with a bodysuit, belts, straps, and wires bind weapons to the underboss' body. His mask sealed around his head, changing his voice to a deeper, more mechanical sound. 

Machine steps over the body, the blade that is hidden on the inside of his arm vanished with a flick of his wrist. He walks deeper into the warehouse. His boots clicking against the concrete with a steady rhythm. The scent of gasoline gets stronger and stronger the deeper the team goes. Machine pushes open a door, a looming figure with long, blood-red hair stands over a bound, bleeding man. Machine steps forward.

"I'm guessing the mole was found?" Machine walks forward, crossing his arms, sounding more tired than anything. 

"Of course, sir," the person answers. Turning to look at Machine, their necklaces jingling softly as they move, in a dark Victorian-style suit with a wide-brimmed hat. That's how they dress, like a reaper. Toxic swallows nervously, glancing around to make sure he can get out quickly if needed. 

"You always do a good job, Crimson. Have you already spread your blood around?" Machine relaxes, the wires that run over his shoulders pulsing softly in the low light of the warehouse.

"Of course, sir, as you know, I, Crimson Fuel, am always of service." They bow dramatically, yellow eyes glimmering with joy. "I'll take my leave, I'm sure Inferno and the rookie can handle the rest of the disposal."

Crimson Fuel walks briskly past the three men and out of the warehouse, their heels clicking against the concrete.

Toxic looks up at Machine, confused. 

"Why exactly did they smear their blood on everything?" He grimaces, his nose crinkling in disgust.

"Simple, their blood is a universal fuel. Means we don't have to worry about waiting for things to catch or about buying suspicious amounts of gasoline." Inferno answers, leaning against the wall and inspecting his nails. He's dressed in his combat clothing just like Machine, though his suit has a deep V-neck, and it lacks a mask.

"Come on, newbie, we've got bodies to burn~" Inferno purrs, walking past Toxic to press a kiss into Machine's hand.

"Get the mission done, and don't be late for dinner." Machine hisses before moving to leave. He casts a look over his shoulder before walking towards his motorcycle.

Chapter Text

Robert walks forward into the meeting room, his exoskeleton suit still on. The hiss of pistons and electricity grounds him against the panic that claws at his throat and chest. The helmet hides his face, it hides his eyes, and how they dash around, searching for a way out. His boots clicking along the marble floor. Robert breathes in and pushes open the door.

Inside the meeting room is his father, Mecha Man Astral. Astral leans back in his chair, smoke hanging in the air from the burning cigar. Machine walks forward, standing at attention at the end of the table. 

"Father." Machine's helmet retracts, his face visible. The dark circles darker than usual, they always are when Astral visits. 

"Machine. I've heard that there was a mole who was captured. Give a report. Now." Astral growls, his temper already simmering under his skin.

"Code name: Razor. Ability: Making blades out of thin air. He was leaking intel about drug deals, augment holders, arms dealers, along with underground fighting rings." Machine lists off. His hands folded behind his back. His posture straight as a ruler. 

"Who handled the investigation?" 

"Coupé & Punch-up. Interrogation conducted by Crimson Fuel."

"Everything cleaned up?"

"Yes, sir."

Astral grunts, nodding before standing up. 

"Good job."

With that, Astral walks out of the room, Robert lets out a breath, his helmet resealing around his head.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment that Robert gets to his office, he slumps against the door, remembering the last time Astral visited. People died. Blood splattered the halls. Someone had made one wrong comment. Next thing, a gauntlet was through his skull. Blood on all the walls. Spines were snapped. Boots ran along the hall. The pop and snap of bones. The smell of blood and metal coat each breath. Robert just stands still. His hands shaking as he watches. The capos had been planning a rebellion against his father. He'd warned his father, but of course, he didn't listen.

He sits still in his chair, keeping his head down. He doesn't flinch as a body flies past him. The sound whistling in his ear. He stands up and looks up. 

"I'll take my leave," Robert whispers. Turning to leave. He locks himself in his office. letting himself break down. His body shaking as tears to spill.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

When Toxic returns from his cleanup mission with Inferno, a tall, looming man is walking around the base. Hair that is dark brown with grey streaks. His eyes are dark and narrow. The smell of ozone and metal follows him like a ghost. His dress shoes are impeccable, just like the rest of his clothes. Though his hands are gloved and yet the leather, though clearly high quality, are worn.

Toxic looks over at Inferno, who glares with smoldering hate at the man. Inferno leans over, having changed into formal clothing and having bullied Toxic into some nicer clothing.

"That's Astral." He hisses. Hate obvious in his voice.

Machine walks out of his office, still in his exoskeleton suit, he walks over to Inferno and whispers something to him before heading towards the z-quadrent's private quarters. Inferno soon following after him. From how tense the two men are, it doesn't take much to figure out it's something bad

Chapter Text

Blood, that’s the first thing Machine smells. It coats each breath he takes. The same metallic taste. Boot hit the ground as he runs, his exoskeleton hissing and humming as he runs faster and faster. A mech towers over the ruins of the building, standing tall and glowing. Royal blue and golden yellow glow faintly from the mech, a tsk can be hear from the speakers. Machine stands there. His heart beating in his ears so loud he can’t hear what his father is say. He looks out, and sees Toxin. His acid having managed to damage the suit. Not that Astral had give the man any notice. 

“Father, what is this? Why are you attacking them?” Machine shouts, his voice raw and his breathing picks up into a panicked pace. “What did they do wrong? 

The mech turns around, the head turning to look at Machine, it crosses its arms. A scoff coming from the speakers. 

“You need to cull through your people better. If they survive you can keep them. Otherwise, you’ll have you favorites clean this mess up.” The mech moves to clean up, acting as if there aren’t hundreds of people bleeding out on the ground beneath it’s feet. Machine rushes forward the moment Astral is gone, his hands shaking as he checks pulses. Tears stinging at his eyes as he does so. He turns the silencer on in his helmet so no one can hear his sobs.  

Soon enough there is a pile of the dead and a small collection of the living. The rest of the Z-quadrant finally arrives after getting the distress signal. They walk into the junk yard only to smell the blood. All of the team rushed forward. They see Machine, kneeling as he bandages up the wounded, he’s covered in blood and dirt up to his knees and elbows. The rest of the team rushes to work. Inferno calls Crimson Fuel to the location so they can cremate the dead. Along with Sonar and Coupé handling bringing people back to base and bringing medical supplies for those who can’t be safely transported. In the center of it all Vanish stands, her whole body shaking. Trying her best to help where she can. Machine looks up and gestures for her to come closer. Toxic is clutching Machine’s hand. Machine’s mask retracts and he takes a deep breath. 

“He’ll make it, but you need to run, tell the rest of your team. Take him with you and warn Elliot.” He rasps, his eyes bloodshot, eye bags even worse. Clearly, he’s been crying as he tended to people. Vanish freezes, looking over in horror as she realizes that Machine has known the whole time... he knew she was a traitor. 

“Y-you knew?” 

“... Elliot’s my dad, I keep the peace as best I can... for his sake. With Astral back in the picture everything’s gotten way messier, I’ve called a friend to help with the plan.” He answers as he tends to Toxic’s wounds.  

“Just take Toxic and run, I’ll cover for you both, just get back to the SDN and recover before the blood bath fully starts. This was just a taste of what’s coming within the next few months at best, weeks at the worst.” Machine sighs. Looking up at Vanish. 

“Please, Courtney. Just do this for your sake.” 

Vanish’s breath catches in her throat. She helps Toxic up, holding up over her shoulder. Wheezing as she walks them to a car. Laying Toxic down in the back before getting in the driver’s seat. 

Chapter Text

First thing that Toxin hears is beeping, then footfall, and finally, the hiss of Machine's mask? When he sits up he's in a hospital room, IV and other such things bound to his body. He rubs his head as he looks around, only to realize he's in the SDN medical wing. He relaxes and looks over at the couch, and his heart drops. Machine is sitting on the couch, looking at a clearly panicking Invisigal. Toxin just stares before it clicks that Machine of all people is in the fucking SDN.

"HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET IN?" Toxin bolts up right, before being forced back down by pain. Visi screams and Machine just sighs.

"I copied someone's key card a few months ago, that's how." Machine leans back, completely calm. His helmet retracting as he stretches out on the couch.

Visi looks over in horror, just staring at Machine, processing what he just said.

"That... that only raises more questions, Robert." Her pacing had ceased.

"His name is Robert?" Toxin looks dumb founded, having expected something cool... not Robert.

"Robert Robertson the third. Blame immigration for that."

Both Visi and Toxin look over, confused. Machine rolling his eyes.

"My Gramps was a Korean immigrant, escaped Korea during the Imperial Japanese occupation. He barely spoke English, and when they asked for his name, he just said Robert Robertson. Everyone called him 'Bobbie' though. Yeah, that's where the name came from." He explains, with the deadpan tone of someone who's explained this one too many times.

Toxin just lays back down, staring at the ceiling, letting out a sigh.

"Soooo, what now?"

Machine purses his lips together before grimacing. 

"Talk to Elliot. Neither of you are coming back to base until further notice. War has started, I'm afraid."

Machine stands up, his mask sealing back in place as he walks out. The doors hissing back in place, the cold lights and anti-septic smell of the hospital now overwhelming without his presence.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text