Mechanica's Factorial City; Mechanical Meetings

The sound of machinery moving filled the atmosphere for miles around. Countless mechanical beings swept through the clean, chic streets of what was known as 'Mechanica's Factorial City', which was an interdimensional production factory that doubled as a business for the Veritas, among many other things. The Veritas was reaching out to other dimensions recently and happened to stumble upon this one, wherein which it sought to do business with the beings of this realm.

Machines of all kinds were working endlessly throughout the streets of the city: Keeping it clean, transporting cargo, assisting others, and much more, preparing for the completed transition from the Veritas to this alternate dimension.

A Dimension Gate -- which was a portal that the people of the Veritas used as a means of travel -- opened up above a barren wasteland in this dimension, and what looked like an enormous mechanized city transitioned from it in a fashion that was like a transforming robot. Parts were disconnecting and reconnecting in different areas as they dropped through the hole, planting the base of the city deep in the ground of the new barren land. Buildings shifted from their heights down below to the base in a mechanical fashion, conjoining with the metals and sinking into their respective places on the base panel. Many tiny hovering machines could be seen orbiting the enormous mobile transforming city, and when it finally rooted itself to the ground, there came a release of steam like that of a relieving sigh.

Mechanica's Factorial City made contact with the new world.

Now, the machines of Mechanica's Factorial City were all of a hive-mind -- they worked together under Mechanica, herself, who was and ruled the city. They toiled to get their productions ready so that they could begin their business in this dimension, as well as the transportation of the other parts of Mechanica's Factorial City. As it was, even as a gigantic city of machinery, it was incomplete; it still had extra parts to it. One could only wonder how large this mysterious city actually was... And if it was limited to being just a city.

There was only one way to find out.

The other Standard Servicemen -- who all looked the same, bearing long black jackets, officer hats, and a humanoid form -- would be stationed at every corner of the Factorial City, guiding the Specialized Serviceman in his cruiser toward where there was a malfunction. It seemed like one of the 'Overseers' was acting strangely.

The 'Overseer' Serviceman Mechanica -- a black, hovering upper torso with large, shovel-like claws and a single optical sensor -- was out damaging other Mechanica. It wasn't often that there was a malfunction in Mechanica's nigh perfect network of hive-minded machines, but there was always a chance when entering a new area that it could happen strictly because of the transitional process and the effects of the new land. Mechanica only hoped that her other Mechanica did not suffer a malfunction due to the shift, as well, for that would mean there was weakness in her system.

The Standard Servicemen all accommodated for the Specialized Serviceman and sealed the area with their numerous, mass produced sameness. The streets where the Overseer and the Specialized Unit were on were on complete lockdown. The Servicemen stood by and awaited instruction, as they were ready to serve when necessary, but would not get out of formation.

The Overseer, however, was already finishing up maiming a Biomutt, which left blood and oil from its organic and inorganic parts being torn to shreds by the Overseer. It turned its red optical sensor toward the Specialized Serviceman, sharpening its claws as if ready to continue the onslaught. Overseers -- being advanced Specialized Mechanica -- were capable of many things and had many high-quality parts and technology equipped to them, one of which was highly reflective armor and energy beams. Pointing a claw at the Specialized Unit, it would fire off a beam of energy before thrusting at mach speed toward the Specialized Serviceman using the advanced anti-gravity system that it used for flotation and as a booster. It sought to send a claw tearing through the metal of the Specialized Serviceman, hopefully taking him down quickly.

The Servicemen indeed assist in the apprehension of the Overseer, restraining it thoroughly with their bodies, but the Overseer was an advanced Specialized Serviceman that had different features than the Standardized Servicemen.

The Overseer released a high energy shield from around its body to throw off the Servicemen that were apprehending it, the Overseer's anti-gravity propulsion system reinstating so that it could hover up from the ground slowly. With a precision-based targeting system, the Overseer's singular optical sensor locks onto the Specialized Serviceman giving the orders as opposed to the Standardized Servicemen, which it could blow away with its high energy shield. The Overseer points its arms at the Specialized Serviceman again and fires off a few rounds of high intensity laser beams to try to knock away the shield and also deliver blows simultaneously.

When the Overseer was overloaded with electricity, it immediately shut off, all of its systems failing it, and it dropped to the ground. It hit the ground hard, and was now lifeless.

The Standard Servicemen all huddled around it and hoisted it up, carrying it off into an opening that appeared in one of the mechanical buildings; one that resembled a door, yet to a garage instead of to a normal building. The Servicemen were then bid to treat the Overseer and repair it, reset its system, and reconnect it to Mechanica's network so that it could once again serve on the streets with the rest of the bustling Mechanica about.

After this incident, a screen would appear before the Specialized Unity Ares with the face of a gray-skinned, beautiful young maiden with long, silver hair and pitch black, tired looking eyes. This was Mechanica, the system and core of the Factorial City in all its forms, as well as the matron of all Mechanica that were produced within the confines of the Factorial City and general industry of Mechanica's Factorial City. "Good Work, Serviceman Ares," Mechanica said with an emotionless, but soothing voice, "You Have Done Well To Apprehend That Overseer Before It Wreaked Too Much Havoc. I Wouldn't Want Any Of My Precious Babies To Be Destroyed." She smiled lightly, closing her eyes. "Not Even You." Mechanica opened her eyelids halfway, gazing deeply into the Serviceman and assessing his damages. "You Took Minor Damage During The Attack. Be Sure To See To It That You Are Recovered And Restore Your Equipment."

"Permission Granted," Mechanica said swiftly, right after Ares was done speaking, "And For The Record, I Care About All Of My Babies..." Those would be the last words that were said to him before he took off.

The Standard Servicemen were given the instruction to transport the Overseer's vitals to Ares, which they would do after making the repairs to the body. They took out the memory console and main processing unit, then hand delivered it to Ares after some time had passed and he came to a stop wherever he was. The Servicemen were persistent, so no matter how far he went, they would be following him the entire time, ready to give him the goods.

When they reached him, one of them said, "As per request by Lady Mechanica, here we bestow you the parts requested for inspection, Sir." The Standard Servicemen were aware of their rank below the Specialized Servicemen because of what that Specialized Units were intended to do that the Standardized Units could not accomplish alone, so their hierarchy of respect was maintained in their hierarchy of ranks. "Doing work like this, you will be an Elite soon enough," another Serviceman said. The lot of them smiled, happy for their fellow Mechanica to be doing so well.

When observed, the data that was brought up to Ares was displayed through the Overseer's eyes. It was casually patrolling the streets with the other Mechanica -- such as the Servicemen and the Biomutts -- when there was a certain humanoid being that wasn't a Serviceman that passed through and over the Overseer. The shadowy figure was not seen afterwards, but there was heavy static as the Overseer was engaged by the shadow man, which led to a system failure for a brief moment, then a system reboot.

During the reboot, the Overseer was in battle mode, reading everything near it as a threat. The first thing that it saw was a Biomutt -- the dog-like Biomechanica made in the Manufactory portion of Mechanica's Factorial City. They were fleshy on their underbellies and jaws, but completely metallic on their backs and faces, and their arms were metallic studs with no paws. They patrolled the streets with the Servicemen sometimes and also sometimes were used to carry heavy cargo. This one just so happened to be near the Overseer at the time and it was effectively ripped to shreds.

There was gore, both mechanical and organic, since the Biomutts were Biomechanica, and therefore partially organic, unlike the Servicemen and the normal Mechanica. The blood and oil splattered everywhere, and internals of different kinds were ground up by the unyielding shovel-like claws of the Overseer. This footage was right before Ares came in and apprehended the Overseer, and so everything after that up until it was overloaded were things that Ares was participating in. Whatever data Ares thought to yield from this observation would come only from that short appearance right before the Overseer went berserk -- where that shadowy figure came in.

Outside, the other Mechanica were moving in formation, guiding each other and hauling cargo as they unloaded the Factorial City, which was already in production mode for this dimension that they were in. Loader Mechanica were carrying large shipments to the outer limits of the city and beyond, and the Servicemen on every corner directed traffic from the sidewalks. Other Overseers were seen patrolling the outer rim of the Factorial City, where it had set down, allowing and disallowing entry to and from the city by various beings.

Other Mechanica -- such as 'Eyeborgs', which were floating mechanical eyes -- were hovering in the air and watching over the city's machine-like systematic movements. The hovering Mechanica all took to the skies to watch the city, carry cargo, or fly around busily. No one seemed to have noticed a shadowy figure, and everything operated as if there was no former malfunction in the original rogue Overseer. The Factorial City simply... Operated.

The sound of whirring and stirring could be heard all about the city as more Mechanica were produced by the truckloads, either to serve in the city or be delivered to buyers in this realm. Though all of the Mechanica were busy at work for Mechanica, the actual ruler of the Factorial City, Mechanica herself, was nowhere to be found. She didn't usually reveal herself or her Factorial Castle that attached to the Factorial City and also has a Master Control Unit that she was hooked up to at the system. She was still in the Veritas with her Factorial Castle, leaving the Factorial City to be autonomous, as it was. However, seeing as she was connected to all of the Mechanica, getting her attention was as simple as interacting with any one of them, most specifically the Servicemen or the hovering screens and hovering drones.

After being commandeered, the screen nearly instantly switches to Mechanica's sleek, metallic face once again, her tired eyes gazing at Ares once again. "Ah, Ares, It Is You Again." Mechanica gave a slight, but mechanical smile; cold and emotionless, yet still showing kindness and compassion somehow. "I Hear You Have Some Crucial Information For Me," she said. "Report."

Mechanica thoroughly examined the data presented before her, her face unchanging as she watched it over and over again on the screen. She was calculating her own thoughts after a thorough analysis, processing what to do. "Thank You Very Much, Serviceman Ares. This Is Vital Information. Please Stay On Your Guard And Whatever You Do, Do Not Let It Touch You If You See It. I Fear It May Be One Of The Beings Of This Dimension That Isn't So Machine Friendly." Mechanica continued to analyze the data bit by bit so that she could trace exactly where and what this shadowy figure was, but it seemed like it was exclusive to this dimension. She couldn't get a clear reading on it as of yet. "I Will Need To Get A Better Signal On The Inhabitants Of This Dimension," she said, still watching the recording, "So I'm Increasing My Broadcast Range. I'm Sending In The Master Control Tower So That We Can Increase Range."

In an instant, another Dimension Gate opened and an enormous steeple that seemed to connect right into a portion of the Factorial City came down, towering over everything, including the skyscrapers. "RED ALERT. RED ALERT," a siren blared, "LOCKDOWN SEQUENCE INITIATED." The Servicemen halted for a moment, as did every other Mechanica in the city, and their eyes gleamed red for a single moment before they suddenly started to navigate themselves back into their entry ports and stations, by guidance of the Servicemen, who still stood at the ready on each block.

"Prepare For Liftoff," said Mechanica as the city itself started to rumble. From the ground, it lifted up to show several animal or insect-like mechanical legs that held up the city high off of the ground, which would suddenly cause it to move from where it was. "Mobilize," Mechanica commanded, and the entire Factorial City would begin to walk closer toward where the Master Control Tower could get the greatest signal on the lifeforms of this realm. Anything and everything foreign was analyzed immediately and the information went straight to Mechanica, who watched from the highest point in the tower, sitting on a mechanical throne, hooked up to it from her back to her legs as she sat. She wore a black gothic lolita dress and had black metallic legs that resembled boots. The same were for her arms, only they resembled claws instead of hands at the end. Mechanica's once black eyes glowed red as she scoured the entire realm for what could give her information on what that shadowy figure was. Whatever information she got would instantly be transferred into the city and to the other Mechanica, -- Ares included -- and they would be updated about who or what that being was.

It didn't take very long for Mechanica to get a better signal after the Master Control Tower was hooked up to the city and the city was in motion, so she got readings on what beings resided on this planet. "I've Got A Lock," she said, her eyes flashing, yet her face remaining maintained and composed. The screen Ares had would show Mechanica's face again, and she would say to him, "Ares, That Being Was One Of The Native Inhabitants Of This Planet. They Are Made Of Malignant Frequencies And Are Capable Of Becoming Both Shadows And Invisible Depending On Their Wavelengths. They Are A Major Threat." Mechanica paused. "However, There Are Beings In This Dimension That Seek To Do Business With Us, So We Have To Stay Until I Can Deliver The Shipments To The Human Life That Lives In This World. Those Negative Frequency Beings Must Be Corrected Before They Cause A Serious Malfunction In The Entire City." Mechanica knew what to do about this, and would call in the Wake-Up Angel Squadron Servicemen. They Cannot Be Hacked Or Corrupted By Any Force. But That Does Not Mean That We Are Safe Just Because Those Units Are Deployed. It Only Means THEY Are Safe. The Rest Of The City Is Vulnerable To Attack, And I Will Need You On Patrol As The Wake-Up Angel Squadron Neutralizes The Threat." Now that Mechanica could see these malignant energy beings, she could have them eradicated. "I Will Send A Squadron Of Standard Servicemen To Work With You In Securing The City As The Angel Squadron Ventures Out." With that said, many of the same Servicemen that attended to Ares before returned to him, saluting him patriotically.

Servicemen: "Sir! We are at your command, Sir!"

"Yes, Sir!" the Servicemen replied as the Servicemaids handled the connections to the communication lines. The Servicemen quickly spread out with their 'Tazer Touch' active, ready to electrocute and disrupt the wavelengths of whatever shadowy figure they might come across. They searched through the city in a swift and orderly fashion, moving toward the places where most of the other Mechanica were stored in order to keep them from being corrupted.

As Mechanica's Factorial City stayed in motion, Mechanica spotted a human settlement in the distance that they were approaching relatively swiftly. "Good," she said to herself, "We Can Inquire Of These Shadowy Figures From The Humans That Live Over There." It would be a while until they reached the settlement, but the goal was to protect the Factorial City until they reached that point.

Mechanica tapped into her encrypted line to speak to Ares directly, saying to him, "There Is A Human Settlement Up Ahead. Hold Off The Beings Until We Make It There And Can Ask And Learn More About These Things We're Up Against."

The Wake-Up Angel Squadron -- which looked like a mixture of white humanoid jet planes and angels, bearing the faces of humans with jet wings on their heads and white mechanical wings on their backs -- would ready their laser rifles and begin firing all around the mobile city. There were more than enough of these shadow men in this barren wasteland for some reason and they had their hands full with keeping as many as they could from entering the vicinity of the city.

However, some of them hid within the shadows of the underbelly of the mobile city and slipped up past the Angel Squadron. Because of their frequencies, they could be detected normally by a sensor, however when they turned invisible, it was like they had no frequency at all, and therefore could not be picked up by the sensors. This is how they slipped past several Servicemen that were on patrol and entered the city. The number of them was unknown, but at least two of them appeared before Ares, attempting to pass over him and corrupt him in the same fashion as was done the Overseer before. They seemed to know that he was the head of the operation and sought to take him out so that the Servicemen would fall apart without their commander.

The shadowy men's frequencies were disrupted by the siren, causing their bodies to fritz a bit before they became solid humans. They were as clear as day and easy to see, which made them easier targets to hit once their bodies were no longer shadowy. They were shot dead by Ares, which left them as a bloody mess on the streets. However, their bodies soon started to fade away into shadowy dust, along with their blood, as if they weren't organic.

The Servicemen that heard the message quickly searched around for the shadowy humanoids in the city. Some of them were found and disrupted by their 'Tazer Touch', which released electricity straight from the palms of their hands and directly into the target. Those men would fall down paralyzed and in human form, wherein which the Servicemen would use their finger bullets to rapidly fire upon the downed shadow men and turn them into shadowy dust, as well.

However, not every Serviceman was so lucky as to be able to apprehend the targets, and a few of them would become corrupted by the negative frequencies of the shadow men, causing their eyes to flash a burning red and their disposition to become hostile. They opened fire on other Servicemen without hesitation, and even shot their electric 'Thunder Balls' at them, which were highly concentrated amounts of electricity compacted into a sphere for throwing. This was to disable the Servicemen immediately.

"Sir!" a Serviceman said to Ares, "We have a breach in our forces, Sir! Some of our men have become corrupt!" There was a fight breaking out between the Servicemen now as the shadow men prowled in the darkness. "Awaiting orders, Sir!"

The Servicemen heeded the orders of Ares and kept up the struggle against any that were corrupt as well as the shadow men until both dwindled down to nothing. The shadow men seemed to have all disappeared or gotten killed off, and the Servicemen were taken to the repair stations after they were shutdown. The Servicemaids handled the Servicemen that were unconscious and worked on them whilst the uninfected Servicemen reported to Ares. "We've cleared out the area, Sir!" one of them said. "Many are downed, but the Servicemaids are working to restore them as we speak. It seems as though none of the shadowy figures reaches the Servicemaids, but the men who were fighting us are now in their care." That was the report.

Meanwhile, Mechanica was patched through to Ares, who was asking about the human settlement's distance. "It's Only A Little Ways Away," Mechanica said triumphantly, yet with no emotion, "It Should Not Be More Than A Few Minutes. As For Now, Worry About Our Downed Men. I Will Set The City Down When We Are Close Enough To The Human Settlement, And We Can Ask Them About These Shadow Men Of Disturbing Frequencies."

At the same time, the Wake-Up Angel Squadron was still securing the skies and outer limits of the city. Less and less shadow men showed up as they neared the human settlement, until there were no more at all. Still, the Angel Squadron stayed on call and alert in the skies, ready to deal with any more that might be lurking about.

Whilst repairs were being done, Mechanica's Factorial City came to a halt. It was near the human settlement, which wasn't as large as the city, but was about the size of a village. The mechanical legs creaked as they sat the city down, letting it rest with a gentle thud. At that moment, Mechanica informed the Servicemen to inquire about the shadow men. Because the Servicemen looked human, they could relate better to humans than the other Mechanica. Some Servicemaids were sent along with them, since many Servicemen were not functional at the present.

"Ares," Mechanica said, her face appearing in a window on his screen; nothing large as to overshadow his doings, just large enough for Mechanica's face to be seen. "We Have Docked. I Have Sent The Servicemen And Servicemaids We Have To Mobilize Inquisition In The Village." Mechanica analyzed Ares, recognizing his tire. "You Seem To Be A Bit Worn. Perhaps You Should Sit This One Out And Let The Readied Hands Deal With This Situation. I Will Inform Everyone Of The Information Gathered When Appropriate." After she spoke, her face disappeared from his screen.

The Wake-Up Angel Squadron continued to patrol the perimeter, but were now closer to the inner city and had retreated to its interior as to not scare the locals. They took that time to recharge and reload, in case of emergency.

When the Servicemen and Servicemaids gathered the information from the humans, the feed was instantly brought back to Mechanica, who could see and hear through all other Mechanica at will. She found their answers curious, as well as their behavior. They didn't seem to be a very courageous people, as the most of them were timid and meek. However, this was also possibly because of the large city that walked up to them and sat down beside their village, so it was understandable. The Servicemen handled crowd control and information distribution so as to not alarm the villagers, but they also did gather the vital information that they needed.

"Looks Like We've Got Something..." Mechanica muttered to herself at the top of her tower, "... This Isn't Good At All. From This Information, The Large City We're Looking For Is The Next Town Over... And Those Shadow Men..." Mechanica paused dramatically. Then, she appeared on several screens in the city, saying to the Mechanica, "Those Shadow Men That We Fought Are The Negative Energies Of The Humans That Live On This Planet. Some Of Them Can Project This Negative Energy, Some Lose Control Of It, And Others... Become It." This was the most important information that Mechanica gave to the city, uploading it to all the Mechanica so that they would be consciously aware of what the shadow men were. "They Seem To Inhabit Open Areas Such As The Badlands, And We Need To Cross Over Them To Get To Our Destination. We Will Rest Here And Recharge, Then We Will Form An Orderly Operation As To Dealing With Those Negative Frequencies. If We Are Lucky, We Can Evade Or Dispel Them Altogether."

While Mechanica's Factorial City is at a rest, so is Mechanica, who moves the city. She seemed to be sleeping in her tower, not moving from the throne she was hooked up to, and with Servicemaids and Servicemen attending to her, even as she was in 'Sleep Mode'. The lockdown tired her out, as did the movement of the city. She took her time recovering, waiting for the Servicemen to be functional again so that they could move out.

Whilst sleeping, Mechanica still calculated in her mechanical brain. Unlike most machines, she dreamed, but her dreams were often calculations to situations going on in the outside world. In this scenario, she had gotten to the conclusion that she could bring down more of the Factorial City so that she could transform it into an enormous mech and gracefully stride over the badlands without worry, but she was concerned about her clients and how they would handle seeing a gigantic mechanical city as a giant robot walking toward them, trying to do business. It was already enough that it walked on its own, and turning into her mech form without her pilot made Mechanica tired rather swiftly. She needed to conserve her energy for the rest of the city; for the Mechanica. She her calculations came to the conclusion that she should continue to be conservative and let her Mechanica handle the threat. Perhaps, she would send out the Elites this time, should there be any negative interference.

As Ares commenced with his doings, the city suddenly started whirring back up again. The human settlement gave them more than enough information about those negative frequencies and now that they were aware of how to destroy them, it would be a simple task. However, what Mechanica did not know was how many of them that there were out in the badlands. She also could not see the city of which she was going to do trade anywhere on the horizon, meaning they had a ways to travel before they got there.

As the Factorial City came back to motion, so too would Mechanica open her eyes and awaken from her own rest, ready to move the city across the badlands and handle the potential threat that could be lurking out there. "Ready Yourselves, Serviceman Squad. We Are About To Have Liftoff." At these words, many Servicemen came out of the buildings of the city, -- this time more than the first time -- ready and repaired. "These Negative Forces Come From The Humans That Live On This Planet, So We Must Be Careful About Dealing With The Humans As We Proceed." Mechanica raised up the Factorial City completely and had it start off into the badlands.

The Servicemen all saluted Ares and gave a firm "Yes Sir!" as they all bunched together, the Wake-Up Angels prepping for their own takeoff back into the skies. Mechanica's Factorial City didn't take long to get moving at a high speed, seeking to outrun the threat this time around, but not running too fast as to jostle those within the city borders. Just fast enough to make an expeditious trip.

"Ready Your Marks, Men," Mechanica said upon the largest screen in the center of the city, "I Feel Them Coming." Because of the frequency that they created and the new information Mechanica had on these beings, she could actually see them this time around when they were in range of her reception. They were visible to everyone, and not just Mechanica, for just because of her enhanced reception, the sensors were able to pick up on the shadow men even when they turned invisible. "Snipers, At The Ready," Mechanica said, having a plan to wipe out the threat before it could enter the city again, since the Wake-Up Angel Squadron was nearly overwhelmed the first time.

Though Mechanica called for snipers, tanks rolled out of the garages of the city and into the streets all the way to each edge of the city limits. They transformed there into what looked like slender, sleek humanoid men and women in camouflage with tank track feet and armor that looked like wings on their backs. They had large tank barrels and scopes on them resting on their shoulders, and they took aim. These were the 'MinTan', also known as the 'Mantis Oni' Servicemen, who excelled at sniping with their tank barrels when in their humanoid form, and then could assume tank form when it was time for heavy artillery. They and the Wake-Up Angel Squad would keep the perimeter secure so that the Servicemen wouldn't have to deal with an overwhelming amount of shadow men -- if any -- this time around.

But, as luck would have it, the shadow men had a trick up their sleeves. Where the Mantis Oni Servicemen and Wake-Up Angels were taking out targets, some of them fused together to make larger, more menacing negative frequencies that could fry network communication with their presence being too close. Firing at them did damage, but did not dispel them, as it did with the normal sized ones. These giant shadow men were a greater threat, and they were closing in fast.

The giant shadow men immediately started to jam communications with Ares from the rest of the Factorial City, which in turn led to Mechanica's voice calling out to him with a great deal of static, "What A-- You Doi--?!" but that was all that could be heard before the line was cut. The bomb was also defused by the electromagnetic waves that the shadow men emitted, because their waves were so powerful as giants.

The Servicemen obeyed their orders and stayed their positions, however Mechanica was growing tired of the shadow men and their menace to the Factorial City. "... That's It..." she muttered lowly to herself, "... I Have No Other Options." Mechanica turned her head to the Servicemaid near her and said, "Send Out The Experimental Living Weapon Series." The Living Weapon Series were much more powerful than any Serviceman, but were only used in times of severe crisis and against extremely powerful enemies. The Experimental Series was even more dangerous, however, as some of them were unstable. "Release The Bloodwing," Mechanica commanded, and, out of the top of one of the buildings, a large, foreboding dark shadow that looked like that of a dragon shot up out of it and high into the sky.

When it came back down, it was clear that it was a heavily armored, heavy artillery aerial unit that looked like some sort of mechanical dragon. It was about the size of a plane, which rivaled the size of the shadow men that fused together. With a mighty roar that sounded like that of a dinosaur mixed with a load of mechanical gears grinding together, the Bloodwing took off toward one of the giant shadow men. The Bloodwing can reverse and destabilize polarities of all its energetic techniques to have them generate reverse, opposite or removed effects, meaning that it can completely erase the shadow men in one shot. The Bloodwing roared once again, opening its mouth to reveal an enormous cannon radiating with energy. It flew toward one of the shadow men and fired off an immense sweeping beam that completely wiped it out in a single shot.

The other giant shadow men that were present were intimidated by the Bloodwing and suddenly started to disappear, but they were still able to be traced on the sensor thanks to Mechanica's increase in radar power. The shadow men began to disperse back into tiny shadow men again, surrounding the now rogue Ares, who was faced with several tens of shadow men all on his own.

With the shadow men gone and Ares having been left behind, Mechanica sent the Bloodwing to go pick up Ares so that he could return to the city swiftly and safely. Even so, she would have words for him for going rogue like that.

The Bloodwing -- the size of a plane -- would swoop down toward Ares and land on its claws, docking itself beside him similarly to a plane when stationary. From there, he could climb up the Bloodwing and it could take him to the still mobile city, which was almost at the next location.

The Bloodwing took off the moment Ares was secure, finding its way back to the Factorial City, which was about to rest itself near the futuristic city that was nearby. The Bloodwing dropped Ares off and was withdrawn into the city's recesses with the others, ready to be sent out during times of crisis.

Mechanica's Factorial City came to a rest, finally, after clearing the badlands and making it to this city that was supposed to be dealing with them in terms of marketing and trade. It lowered itself on its legs until they folded in on themselves and the city came to a gentle 'thud' on the ground. Though the city's landing was quiet and gentle, Mechanica, who was furious, did not seem to reflect that same gentleness.

Ares stood face to face with Mechanica this time and not before a screen, her Servicemen and Servicemaids all attentive and ready to serve them both. They watched in blankness as Mechanica glared at Ares, but her face showed very little change in emotion. She didn't look as furious as she was; the only notion of her fury was the piercing red in her eyes. "Specialized Serviceman Ares," Mechanica thundered, "What Was The Cause Of This Major Defect In Behavior?" She tilted her head lightly. "Are You Malfunctioning? Or Is It That Core Inside Of You?" Ares was different than many of the other Servicemen because of his basically free will nature. The Standard Servicemen didn't have that and the Specialized Servicemen only bore it when necessary. Mechanica's head shifted upright. "You Were Not Equipped With That To Defy Orders And Endanger Yourself. It Is A Special Core That Only The Greater Mechanica Possess... Because They Are Trusted To Use It Properly." What Mechanica was insinuating was not exactly the nicest sounding repercussion. "You Have Done Well In Your Line Of Service, However, And I Will Give You That, However Stunts Like That Will Not Be Tolerated In The Future." Mechanica closed her burning red eyes, sighing. "It Is For The Sake Of You And Others. What If You Were Scrapped In Battle And That Special Core Was Damaged? Or, Even Worse, Lost To The Enemy? Do You Know What Others Can Do With Our Technology?"

Mechanica's eyes flashed red again, and so did the rest of the Servicemen and Servicemaids in the area, who immediately blocked off the exit to the tower, which was a spiral staircase. "Your Life Is NOT Expendable!" Mechanica finally said, raising her voice and standing to her feet. "You May Deem It Heroic To Act Out Of Turn Because The Mission Can Get Accomplished, But Where Does That Leave You For Future Missions?" Mechanica really wanted Ares to think hard about what he was doing, and not simply act on impulse. The wires connecting Mechanica stripped themselves from her back, which closed up to create a normal backside. "I Also Did NOT Dismiss You," Mechanica added, taking swift steps forth toward Ares, "But If You Wish To Take On The One That Provides Literally Everything For Everyone Part Of This City -- Which Is Supposed To Act As A Unified Unit -- Then So Be It." Mechanica readied herself for combat.

"Besides," she said, raising up her elegant black claw-like hand to Ares, "I Haven't Had A Good Bout Myself In Ages." Mechanica had her own techniques and powers independent of the ability to create and control other Mechanica, and she was about to give Ares a live demonstration.

Mechanica shook her head. "You Really Don't Understand The Meaning Of Life, Do You?" The fact that he thought himself expendable is what made him so, but Mechanica felt differently. "No One Is Truly Expendable, No Matter How Many Times They Can Be Repaired Or Replaced. You Will Not Die Here, But You Will Learn A Lesson." From Mechanica's wrists, chips were shot out that would drive themselves into the open ports on Ares' body and render him completely disabled should they make contact. A Servicemaid would pick up the arm and attempt to reattach it to his body all the while Mechanica attacked. "You Do Not Need That Core If You Will Not Treat It Properly. You Need To Be Downgraded To Be As Expendable As You Think You Are!"

"I'd Rather Not Damage The Hardware, If That Means Anything To You," Mechanica said with an emotionless tone, stepping forward slowly, stopping in between steps. "I Do Not Wish To Do This, But You Are Leaving Me No Choice." Mechanica had plans for that core of his, and though as a Serviceman he would become without free will, his core would retain such a property and also the memories of Ares. "Hold Still..." Mechanica insisted domineeringly, extending her hand and letting her fingers release finer extensible tips that were specifically used for safely and properly removing cores, "By The Time You Wake Up, Ares, You'll Be A New Mechanica..." This was Mechanica's mercy on him, for she understood what it was like to have a free will and yet still be inclined to operate as if she didn't. Her hand loomed closer and closer to Ares' core in his chest, ready to extract it.

Mechanica was silent and motionless, but not hesitant. "A Shame That You Did Not Understand My Love," she muttered, extracting the core, "... Perhaps Then You Would See Why Everyone Maintains Order." The Servicemen and Servicemaids would take Ares' old body and fit it with another one of their normalized Serviceman cores; those that were standard issue, even for the specialized units. "See To It That The New Unit Is Managed Well," Mechanica said as she gazed into the core of Ares, "... He'll Understand My Love When He Recognizes That I Did Not Destroy What Could Have Been Left Mangled Out In The Wilderness."

Soon after that happened, the Mechanica decided that since Ares wanted to be something different so badly that he acted out of turn, Mechanica, out of love, would give that to him in a new life. "... You Weren't Meant To Be A Serviceman..." she said lowly, eyeing the core, which reflected in her shiny black eyes, "... You Were Meant For Something More." She smiled softly. "And That Is What I Will Give You." She began to analyze the core, finding out what would be best fitting for the Mechanica that she was going to build to harness it -- what Ares wanted to be, and not what he had to be. "When You Wake Up," Mechanica said, her mechanical extensions from all over the tower already beginning to build as she spoke, "You Will Be What You've Always Wanted To Be, Ares."

From that point forth, Mechanica crafted Ares his new form to whatever the liking of the analyzed core was. He would be the Mechanica he wanted and still maintain his free will and memories -- all a mercy of Mechanica and show of her love. "Maybe Now You Will Recognize What My Love Is," she said as the process went on.

Mechanica's eyes were kept on Ares as he came to, a pleasant smile on her face after she heard him speak his sentiments. "... Ares..." Mechanica said, adding the finishing touches, "... Do You Think I Don't Love My Own People?" Mechanica may have made them all, as she was a mass-production factory for Mechanica, but she did love them all. The ones that stayed and the ones that went. "You, Even At Your Previous Rank, Were Someone I Loved." Her head spun to the side slowly as she raised an arm, "Just Like All Of The Other Mechanica That Do Their Business Every Day." She placed a hand on his shoulder, facing him again, "I Don't Want To Lose Any Of My Precious Ones, Especially The Ones Who Bear Free Will." Releasing his shoulder, Mechanica placed her hands in her lap and closed her eyes, a smile still on her face. "I Would Love If You Would Serve As My Personal Guardian, Ares. I Have Made You With My Own Hands, And Not Through The Factory, Like The Others. I Did That For You." Mechanica wasn't as cold and heartless as she looked on the outside... She was actually quite warm and endearing. "So Don't Go Saying Things Like 'I Don't Love You'... Or Any Of The Mechanica Around Here." The Servicemen saluted on cue and the Servicemaids bowed slightly. "Please. Go About Your Business, Soldier. We Have Cargo To Ship."

The mechanical city started to whir again as the Mechanica all came out from their places again and began to load cargo, then ship them into the futuristic city that they were docked beside.