Megaman Legends: Eternities part 1

by SpaceCaptanFace

Legends 3. SpaceCaptanFace style!

1. Chapter 1

1

1. Stranded

The days seemed to grow longer every dawn. The sun would rise. A brilliant fire would burn away the pale shrouds of dark night, and the horizon would explode with a million gleaming colors that sparkled like a nameless jewel. The meadow that encircled the Master's Spire gave host to a myriad of green blades that danced with the rushing wind. I closed my eyes as she blew past me, feeling the gentle caress against my skin, tousling my hair with her fingertips, beckoning me to play.

I was nearly positive that I was going insane. I had seen these flawless days for so long… so long that I was beginning to hope, to pray for a day with a little more variety. Maybe some rain, or a little snow perhaps?

I shook my head in hopelessness. What useless thinking I thought to myself. It would never change. The sun would always shine bright, the sky would always sparkle its dazzling radiance, and the days would grow even longer.

"Thinking again" came the soft, warm voice of Yuna walking up from behind.

Yuna didn't seem to mind the isolation here as I did, something that I didn't mind at first, but now was beginning to irritate me.

"We've been here for one hundred and eighty three days," I said, not turning to meet her eyes. "There really isn't much left to think about."

Had it only been six months? It seemed like so much longer than that. Of course, it helped in that I never slept. There really was no reason to; I never felt tired. Ever since I had arrived I hadn't felt the need to sleep, eat, or drink… at all. I would have thought that after four months of this I would eventually lose my mind, but apparently, losing ones' sanity would go against Elysium's affliction discrimination clause. Unfortunately, this did not cover excruciating boredom.

"Where is Sera?" I asked, trying to act unaffected by her cheerful attitude.

"She's inside," Yuna answered just as warmly as before. "She's still trying to figure out what we're going to do if we get back."

Yuna saw my involuntary shift of discomfort immediately after she said this. It was hard to hide even the slightest reactions from her.

"I mean… when we get back." She reprised.

I turned my head to look at her, trying to fake a reassuring smile, but the gesture was useless against her eyes. She could see clearly how I truly felt.

I wanted to go home. I wanted to be back where I belong, with the people I cared about. Technically, Elysium was my home… once. That was a long time ago. My new home was on the Flutter, with Gramps, and Data…and Roll. I winced in silent pain at the thought of her name. The passage in her diary continued to burn itself inside my mind.

I hope he realizes how much I love him.

What did she mean by this? Was it the love of a sister that after years I had always accepted? Or… could it be possible… that it meant something more? My eyes turned back to the sky as my beleaguered mind plagued itself with reckless hope.

"She will find a way," Yuna said reassuringly.

"I know" She always did.

"So then tell me," she continued, "if you're not thinking, then what are you doing?"

I gave a deep sigh, then looked back at her with utmost sincerity in my eyes.

"Waiting for her to find a way" I said, and turned my head once again to have my eyes be carried away by this eternal world.

2.Worlds apart

My eyes were hardly watching my hands as I worked. A malfunctioning fuel injector was just what I needed right now, a distraction, anything to take my mind off of the horrible emptiness I felt inside of me. I scanned the main piston and noticed a loose bolt.

"Could you hand me a wrench Mega…" I stopped myself before I could finish his name.

It had been six months since the day he had left and still I was unable to comprehend the fact that he wasn't here. He wasn't standing next to me, warming the room with his sweet smile, always offering to help me whenever I needed him, always there for me. But now…now he was gone, now when I needed him most, to tell me that he would always be here, that he would never leave me. But… he did. He left me…left me alone in the dark pit of my despair. Not because he wished too, but because he had too, to save me, to save us all.

The little, yellow faced servebot standing at my side looked up at me quizzically. He then walked over to the tool chest and returned with a wrench in his hand holding it out to me.

"Thanks" I said emotionlessly, retrieving the wrench from his small hand. I could feel tears growing in my eyes. They were getting heavier each day. The servebot gave me a full-bodied nod and went back to sorting the machinery on the floor.

"Roll, is that fuel injector finished yet?" I heard Tron's perpetually impatient voice fill the Flutter's intercom.

" I just need a little extra time to make a few more adjustments. It'll be ready soon." I said, trying to stay calm, something that Tron was determined to make as difficult as possible.

"Well, hurry it up. Everything else is prepped and ready. All we need is that injector."

"I don't want to rush this Tron" I replied wearily. Why did she always have to complicate things? "You have to understand that we can't afford to make any mistakes this time."

"Well, I hope Megaman's as patient as you are. Tron out."

I felt a gash of pain cleave through me at the sound of his name. Her words sliced into me like a searing hot blade.

"Why do you do this to me Tron?" I whispered as the heartbreaking loneliness tore my body in half. "Why do you torment me like this?"

It took every fiber of my being to stop the heavy tears from rolling down my cheek. I didn't want to show weakness in front of anyone, even if it was just a little servebot. I quickly continued my repairs on the injector. I had to make sure I didn't miss anything.

It was true when I told Tron that no mistakes could be made. If something were to go wrong, if we made some type of miscalculation… then…it would be over. There would be no hope left. All of our money was gone. Anything and everything we had left was poured into this final design, our masterpiece, the Eclipse. This magnificent creation, an apex of human engineering, was now our last, and greatest hope yet.

My eyes scanned our last piece of equipment needed for take-off. Everything seemed to be in working order. I walked over to the far wall of my workstation and clicked on the intercom.

"Tron, this is Roll. Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Roll. Are you finished?"

"Yep, The fuel injector is working 100 and is ready for transport to the launch site"

"Glad to hear it. I'll send Bon over right away to pick it up. Have it ready when he gets there."

"You got it. Roll out"

I clicked off the intercom and looked over at the servebot still sorting machinery.

"Do you mind taking this to the loading platform?" I asked him. "I'm going to stay here and clean up."

"Right away Miss Roll" he said, and walked up to the trolley to wheel it out the door.

Hearing the door click shut behind him, I walked over to my chair and sat down. Slouching over, I put my elbows on my knees and my face in my grease-covered hands. Then, alone at last, I relieved my eyes of the heavy tears they burdened.

"All final preparations are made?" Tron asked me eagerly.

"I've checked and rechecked everything three times over" I replied just as enthusiastically. "It's now or never."

"Are you sure you want to do this Roll," Gramps' voice echoed through my headset. "Especially after what happened the last twelve times."

"I have to Gramps." I replied sympathetically. "It's the only way."

Tron and I had discussed this issue for a long time. It took even longer to convince Gramps and Tiesal of what we had to do. If we wanted to guarantee success… we would have to pilot the ship manually.

Gramps wasn't enthused by this idea, especially after witnessing our previous twelve ships explode, but he knew there was nothing he could do to stop me. I didn't want to do it; I didn't want to leave him here wondering whether his only grandchild, the only family he had left, would ever come back… or simply be incinerated within a few moments after take-off. I could see the pain in his eyes whenever these thoughts would hit him and it hurt me so horribly. This hurt, however, was nothing when compared to the agony of the emptiness that ached within my every molecule. I knew what I had to do. I wasn't going to abandon him. I would do whatever was possible to bring him back…even if it killed me.

"I truly hope you know what your doing." Gramps continued. "I don't want to lose you the same way I lost your mother. And if we lose you… we lose Megaman as well"

That did it. There was no way I could hold back the tears that were now flowing freely from my eyes. I wanted to hide my face. I didn't want Tron to see me like this. I knew that she would use it against me somehow.

Her reaction to my weeping, however, took me by surprise. Instead of cutting into me with her razor sharp words, she simply looked at me with an appearance that made me wonder whether I was staring into a mirror. Her eyes were not wet like my own, but her face held the same expression that mine did. It was filled with the same sadness, the same despair - some inner emotion she had kept secret all this time. She turned her face away from me, apparently fearing me as I feared her.

"Oh…Oh no Roll I didn't mean", Gramps stammered

"I know" I cut him off "it's just that I miss him so much. I don't want to lose him either"

I tried to gain control of myself. I was able to stop the convulsions in my chest resonating from my sobs, but the tears would not cease.

"Don't listen to what I say," Gramps said sincerely. "I don't know for certain what may or may not happen but I suppose that's not important. All that matters is what you decide and what you feel is right."

What I feel is right, I thought to myself.

"Thank you Gramps," I whispered. "I think…I think I know what the right thing to do is"

"So then what are you waiting for?" Gramps laughed. "Get going! He's waiting for you."

I smiled. The sweet sound of his laughter made the tears in my eyes fade away, replacing them with a new glimmer of hope. I looked over at Tron who laughed as well. Her laugh, her true laugh, carefree and full of joy; it was beautiful, something I had never heard before.

"You heard the man," Tron said still laughing.

I couldn't help but laugh along with Tron. It felt good to laugh again after such a long time.

"Let's go!" I shouted.

Onboard the Eclipse, Tron punched in the coordinates that Data had given us. Since he originated from this place called Elysium we figured it was only logical that he would be our guide.

"Is everyone strapped in back there?" Tron called out to the back of the ship

"Roger" the team of specially assigned servebots called back.

"How's Data" I shouted back.

"Don't worry." One servebot called out. "He's not going anywhere"

I did feel bad about taping Data to a seat. It was for his own safety really, not to mention as well as our own. The last thing we needed during a high-risk launch was a little monkey bounding every which way. Keeping Data still was like trying to bottle a tornado.

"Hey, um, Roll" Tron said somberly, keeping her eyes away from mine.

I looked over at Tron. Once again her eyes were filled with that same sadness I had seen earlier.

"What is it Tron?"

Tron bit her bottom lip as she searched for the right words. This obviously didn't seem very easy for her, whatever it was.

" I…I just wanted to say that…"

Tron closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you lately."

I looked over at Tron, astounded by what I was hearing. Tron and apologetic were not usually associated with each other.

"Tron… is something wrong"

I saw in her eyes the same sadness that I had seen before. What it meant I had no idea.

"Well…no, um, it's nothing really."

"Tron, come on, you can tell me" I said reassuringly.

She turned her head away from me as if she had not heard me speak. It was clear to me that whatever she was feeling or what it was she wanted to say, I wasn't going to be ready for it when it came.

Nonetheless, I continued to prod.

"Tron I know we've had our disagreements in the past"

I smirked. "Well, maybe 'disagreements' is a bit of an understatement"

Tron gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Yeah, I guess so." She said, smiling at me.

I smiled back.

"But," I continued, "We are working towards the same goal right? I just want us to understand each other, even if we don't always agree, so I want you to tell me how you're feeling so that I can understand your situation.

Tron's eyes carefully rose to meet mine. Her grieved expression once again wore heavy on her face.

"Roll," Tron began hesitantly, "h-how long have you known Megaman?"

I was taken by surprise at this sudden shift of our conversation. The question she was now asking me took me off guard. It didn't seem very relevant.

"Um, I guess I've known him my whole life really, since before I can remember." I didn't know where this was going, but I was sure it wasn't going to be good.

"And you know him really well right? I mean, the whole spotter digger thing."

Tron spoke very hesitantly, as if she were waiting for the worst.

"Well, I guess you could say that"

Her features tensed, whether by what I just said or what she was about to say.

"So…how do you feel about him?"

"…W-what?"

Tron closed her eyes and she spoke softly, softer than I had ever heard her speak before.

"Roll, do you love him?"

This, I was not prepared for. My eyes wandered as I searched for an answer to her question.

"Well, of course I do Tron." I said half heartedly, hoping that my casual reply would draw her away from my true feelings.

Tron just stared at me with her penetrating eyes. She knew that I was well aware of what she was really asking.

"Tron," I said in defeat, "the way I feel about Megaman is…complicated."

"Roll I don't appreciate half truths" Tron said provoked, seeing right through me. "I can see it in your eyes, your expressions, every time you hear his name; it's as if a small part of you dies inside.

Had I been that open with my feelings? After trying so hard to keep them hidden, had Tron really been able to see through all my methods to conceal my pain? I should have known that she would figure it out. I felt so stupid that I had even tried. I looked over at Tron and saw that her expressions had become gentler.

"That's the reason why it hurts so much, isn't it?" she said sympathetically, "Not knowing whether he's alright, whether you'll ever see him again."

I could feel the tears begin to pool in my eyes, ready to overflow. I couldn't hide them this time. But then again, what was the point in doing so? Tron already knew, so what did I care? I had not yet relinquished my tears before I saw that Tron had beaten me to it.

"I know," she whimpered as the tears continued to pour from her eyes. "I know because it's the way I've been feeling."

I looked at Tron wide-eyed as the comprehension hit me like a train.

"You…love him?" I said incredulously

She didn't dare look at me. She just stared down at her feet, letting her tears soak her shoes.

"I didn't want anyone to know," she whispered. "Not even myself"

She gave a faint laugh that was quickly drowned out by her grief

"That's why I've been acting the way I have, towards you, so unjustly. I didn't want you to think anything else of how I felt, what I was going through. And that's the reason why I've been so rude lately, because that just seems to be the way I handle these sorts of things."

She then looked up at me with her tear soaked eyes, filled with such compassion and empathy that I could feel my heart breaking for hers.

"And for that I am so sorry." She confessed. "I didn't know how much pain I was causing you, more than you had already been suffering. Not till I saw your face just now outside the ship did I realize."

She sat quietly then waiting for my response. My body was still trying to recover from everything I had just heard. My comprehension must have overloaded and was now trying to recollect on what Tron had said.

She…loves him?

My mind shut down. I looked up at Tron who withdrew in her chair waiting for my reaction.

"Tron" I began weakly "I…I don't know what to say."

"This must all be a little confusing, huh?" She replied hesitantly.

She hit home with that one, though "a little" might not have been the most appropriate choice of words.

"I suppose now isn't the right time to discuss this." Tron exclaimed, wiping away the excess moisture from her eyes. "Besides, we have more important matters to attend to, right?"

I nodded. This definitely was not the time for fretfulness, not now, not when the pressure was already so high. I shook off all the troubling emotions Tron had provided me and prepped for the launch. We could deal with this later.

"Activate fuel cells," I announced

"Charging…" Tron replied. "Fuel cells at 100"

"Engage rotation chambers"

"Engaging"

A deep hum reverberated through the entirety of the Eclipse as the fifteen refractor-powered engine came to life.

"Rotational chambers at optimum velocity! Beginning power transfer!" Tron shouted.

"Retracting landing gear!" I shouted. "Hold on!"

The ship rocked violently as the anti-gravity boosters kicked in, holding the ship aloft.

"C'mon, fly." I murmured to myself.

"She's holding her own!" Tron yelped. "Powering main engines!"

Tron looked over at me intensely.

"This is where it gets interesting" she said half smiling.

"Fire main engines!" I cried

A deafening blast exploded from the engines, launching the ship forward. I felt my body plaster itself to my seat as the G force smacked me backward. My body was burning with invigoration. The ship held together, we broke the pull of gravity, and as the atmospheric shrouds began to fade The Eclipse was consumed by darkness, illuminated only by the small specks of light from the stars that now surrounded us.

"Yes!" Tron yelped, laughing with joy. "We did it! We finally did it!"

She was right. It was finally happening. At last, we were on our way to Elysium.

"Here we come Megaman!" I shouted as the Eclipse soared through the stars

3. Reunited

The tip of the Eclipse began to flare as she pierced her way through Elysium's atmosphere. I felt beads of sweat drip down my forehead as the temperature in the cabin rose.

"We're coming in too fast!" Tron shouted.

"Open the drag fins and activate all reverse thrusters!" I shouted back while I fought the controls to steady the ship. Tron punched in the activation key and the thrusters exploded with a fiery roar, slamming me into my restraints at the sudden deceleration.

"It's working! We're slowing down!" said Tron as she scanned the instrument panel. "Indicators show velocity at 280 mph."

She paused for a brief moment to calculate.

"At this rate we should have a final approach speed of at least 200 mph, still too fast!"

My mind raced as fast as the Eclipse. This was a problem. At that speed we would probably be able to survive depending on the angle of landing. But severe damage to the Eclipse would be unavoidable. My grip tightened as I felt the air in my lungs cut short. Right now, all of our hopes rested on how well I would be able to land this thing.

The strangely illuminated clouds of Elysium's atmosphere were beginning to fade as the Eclipse continued its streaking course downward. At last, with the fires around the ship dissipated, I was able to make out what looked like small pieces of land scattered across the surface.

"Over there!" Tron screamed. "Do you see it?!"

Tron was pointing here finger toward a portion of land that was significantly larger than the others. There was a large structure that rose from the center.

"The building in the middle of that one island, that's the one Data said we needed to look for! That's where we'll find Megaman!"

"I see it!" I shouted at her, "plotting new course!"

The Eclipse lurched to the left as I steered her toward the area Tron had pointed out to me. My heart pounded like a hammer on steel as we began the final approach. This was it. All we had with us now was luck.

"Five seconds to impact!" Tron cried out.

My hands continued fighting the controls, desperately trying to make the Eclipse parallel to the ground.

"Four!" Tron counted down.

This was going to have to be perfect. There really wasn't that much landing space on this strange plateau to work with. If I didn't want to fly off the other side, I would have to hit the edge right on the mark.

"Three!"

The ground raced toward us faster and faster. At this speed I was beginning to doubt the chances we would actually survive.

"Two!"

I thought about Megaman and hoped that he would forgive me if we didn't.

"ONE!"

Everything happened at once very fast, so fast that I didn't even realize what had happened. All I could remember is that everything suddenly stopped.

"Roll! Roll!" I heard someone cry out to me.

This voice, I thought to myself, it sounds so… familiar. I had heard it somewhere before, a long time ago.

"Roll, please, please wake up!"

It was beautiful, this voice that sang to me. I tried to search for the source of this melodic sound but all around me, all I could only see was darkness.

"I don't know what happened!" another voice, laced with sheer panic, cried sobbingly. "The impact…it must have snapped her restraining belt!"

This voice I knew all to well. It belonged to none other than Tron Bonne. But why was she crying.

"Roll, open your eyes, I'm begging you!" The voice sang to me once again.

"Her pulse is getting weaker" yet another voice, more composed than the others, spoke solemnly. "If we don't stop the bleeding soon she isn't going to last much longer"

"Twenty-Three where ARE you!" Tron screamed. "We need that med-kit NOW!"

What's going on? Where am I? I thought to myself. I felt so completely disoriented. I couldn't even remember how to open my eyes. From what I could hear, someone was severely hurt, but it was too dark to see who it was.

"What took you so long?!" Tron yelled.

"I'm sorry Ms Tron," whimpered a servebot. "The storage bay is a complete mess."

"Never-mind that." Tron cried impatiently. "Just give it to her, hurry!"

Wait a minute? I thought, suddenly putting the pieces together. Is it…me? Am I the one they're talking about? I searched my frazzled mind to remember what had happened. Tron mentioned a restraining belt snapping…that must have been mine. It was all coming back to me… unfortunately.

"You can help her right? She's going to be okay isn't she?" The familiar voice spoke with desperation.

"I know that I can treat her injuries." The calm voice replied. "But I don't know what the outcome will be. All we can do now is hope for the best."

I could feel the disorientation begin to fade as consciousness slowly crept back into me. My eyelids slid open partially and were glared by bright lights that shined above me. I opened my eyes a bit more to see that I was inside of a white room with two people at my side. My eyes were still slightly blurry and because of the white lights, I couldn't make out the faces that were looking down at me.

"Looks like she's finally coming to" I heard Tron say, overcome with relieve.

"I knew she would," The mysterious voice whispered

I could see the outline of him, the source of that voice that was calling out to me earlier. My vision sharpened and my eyes adjusted to the light allowing me to at last look upon his face.

My eyes did not deceive me. It was him. By all things I had dreamed of, had prayed for in the night, I was actually looking at him. His eyes were gleaming like emeralds as he looked down at me with a smile that would put the glory of the sun to shame. My mouth quivered as I looked at him, overtaken by his presence at my side. I reached up to touch him; to make sure that this wasn't some illusion my mind had created to appease me in my final moments. My eyes filled with tears as my fingers brushed across his face. It truly was him.

"I've… found you," I whispered, whimpering like a child.

"I've finally found you"

"That's right" Megaman whispered. "I'm right here. You found me Roll"

He was almost crying. I blushed to see how incredibly overjoyed he was to see me alive. It was as if we had traveled back in time to that moment on the Sulpher Bottom when our places were switched, when he was the one waking from death and I the one holding back tears of joy.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, brushing away the strands of hair that covered my face.

"I feel…fine," I said, feeling a bit confused at my comfort after such an ordeal.

"You have Elysium's pain suppression fields to thank for that." Someone out of my line of vision suddenly cut in.

I recognized this voice. It was the same voice I had heard earlier that spoke with such composure amidst the panic and confusion. I turned my head to see the woman who had called herself Yuna, the same woman I had once thought was my mother, standing against the wall with one leg crossed over the other and her arms folded across her chest. Her face was grave as she looked over at me.

"You're body, however, is "not" fine."

"What are you saying?" Megaman said, panic growing in his voice.

Yuna closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh.

"Roll's body has suffered extreme internal damage. So extreme in fact, that if it weren't for the pain suppressers, she would have already died from shock."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was it really that serious? I looked up at Megaman with a frightened expression, terrified that after only being with him for so brief a time, I might be stripped away from him once again.

"But…but how can it be that bad?" Tron stammered.

"I mean, I was just fine after the crash. It couldn't possibly have been that bad for Roll, even if her belt did snap."

Yuna looked over at Tron and shook her head.

"Whoever said that "you" were just fine?"

Tron looked over at Yuna horrorstruck. As with me, it was apparent that Tron had suffered some injuries as well, she simply couldn't feel them.

"Within you, Tron, I'm detecting several fractured ribs, as well as a collapsed lung."

Tron placed a shaky hand over her chest. Her face turned pale

"Didn't you wonder why you were so short of breathe?" Yuna asked Tron.

"Well what are we going to do!?" Megaman suddenly shouted.

"Well, how about calm down for starters."

"Calm down! How can you tell me to calm down!?"

"Megaman, Roll and Tron are going to be fine."

I found that hard to believe. From what I had heard Yuna say, I was only moments from death. What did she mean I'd be fine?"

"How do you know that?" Megaman reprimanded Yuna.

Yuna looked back at me. She still seemed worried; despite the words of encouragement she had given Megaman.

"Roll has a certain…body type, that can be easily repaired when given to the right hands."

Yuna turned her gaze back to Megaman and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll have her back in one piece in no time at all."

Megaman closed his eyes and sighed.

"Well that's a relief"

He opened his eyes suddenly and looked over at Tron

"But what about Tron?" he asked, once again sounding concerned.

"Well, Tron should be grateful that her injuries aren't nearly as serious as Rolls'" Yuna said, looking at Tron who was still shaking.

"Sera, you wouldn't mind escorting Tron to the medical facility would you?" said Yuna, looking across the room.

I turned my head to see the same young girl Megaman had found trapped in the drop ship on Forbidden Island was standing on the opposite side of the room from Yuna. I didn't expect to see her standing there.

"I don't see why not," Sera said indifferently.

"Oh and Megaman" Yuna said turning her head to meet his eyes.

"Why don't you go with Sera as well? There are certain things that need to be taken care of."

Yuna nodded at Sera who in turn repeated the gesture. From what I could see, it looked like there was something they knew but were not telling. Megaman glanced over at me and seemed hesitant to leave.

I looked into Megaman's eyes with desperation. The last thing I wanted was for him to leave me.

"Don't worry about Roll Megaman, she's in good hands." Yuna told Megaman warmly.

"Besides, it will be easier for me to do this without any distractions"

Megaman stiffened for a brief moment and then sighed in defeat.

"Please take care of her" He said softly, and then followed along with Sera and Tron to the door at the end of the room. My eyes followed his as he walked away, taking apart of me with him. Sera turned her head to look at Yuna who walked to my side.

"Megaman" Sera said without looking away from Yuna, "take Tron to the East gate. I'll meet you both there"

"Understood" Megaman said, leading a still shaking Tron out the door, finally tearing his eyes away from mine.

Sera walked up to Yuna and then looked down at me.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Yuna?" Sera asked looking at me with an empty expression."

Yuna sighed, placing her hands on her hips and looking up at the ceiling.

"I hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this," she said, staring into the nothingness.

Yuna looked down at me, her mouth stretched into an apprehensive glance.

"But it looks as if we don't have any other choice do we?"

Sera closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said, turning to walk out of the room

"Yeah," said Yuna, "so do I"

Now that we were alone, Yuna looked down at me and placed her hand right above my forehead. She closed her eyes

"Roll…tell me that I have no other choice," Yuna said heavy-heartedly.

Before I could respond, Yuna's hand flicked out, sending a shockwave through my body and causing everything around me to go black.

4. Blade of Elysium

"Where are we going?" I asked Sera as the elevator continued it's decent into the depths of Elysium.

"The Vault" She said without looking at me. "It's near Elysium's core, highest level of security."

I was feeling uneasy about all of this. I shuffled tighter into the corner of the elevator we occupied and let my thoughts wander back to Roll. The look she gave me before I left… it tormented me. I could see it in her eyes, her desperation for me. It seemed that as I left the room, I was also taking away her oxygen.

"She'll be fine Trigger" Sera said, finally looking at me directly.

I looked away from her. It was as if she could read my thoughts whenever my eyes met hers.

"Besides," she continued, "You have other things to be worrying about."

"Like what?" I said skeptically.

I could think of nothing else that could be as distressing as what was happening right now. It wasn't enough what Roll was going through, but Tron too? I remember her looking at me with the same desperation as Roll when we left her to the care of the medical drones. I had never seen her so terrified before. It hurt me to leave her like that, but Sera was insistent that both she and Data escort me to this place called the Vault.

I felt the lift suddenly decelerate, nearly knocking me down as it came to a dead stop.

"We've arrived" Sera said, tapping the controls to the service panel next to her.

The doors to the elevator slid open, revealing an enormous dome shaped room. It was shrouded in darkness, lit barley by the small, sparkling lights that covered the entirety of its surface. I followed Sera as she walked gracefully into the vastly enclosed area, letting my eyes wander the imposing room in fascination as I tried to see what it was this place sheltered.

"So…" I said, still letting my eyes wander the room, "this is the vault"

"Yes," Sera said, "This is where the most advanced of Elysium's technology is kept safe."

Sera almost disappeared into the darkness of the room as she walked ahead of me. I quickened my pace to keep up. The pitter-patter of Data's footsteps followed close behind me as we all walked farther into the nothingness.

"I was put in charge of maintaining and securing the contents of this room. They can only be accessed by me."

"So then why are we here?" I asked, turning my head to look at Sera.

"We're here to give you back something that is rightfully yours." She said suddenly stopping dead in her tracks.

I nearly ran into her at the abrupt halt. I looked at her closely to see what was wrong. She was staring at something, something hidden in the darkness. I turned my head to face whatever it was that was drawing her gaze.

"It is an honor to once again look upon it." Sera said, nearly letting a smile betray her indifferent expression.

"The embodiment of hope, of sacrifice, and of our sheer determination to rise triumphant from the darkest of circumstances."

Sera turned her head to look at me, letting the smile she cleverly hid, manifest itself across her face.

"Behold, Trigger, your greatest weapon; The Blade of Elysium."

A shaft of blinding light suddenly shot down inside the middle of the room, instinctively causing my hand to rise and block the light from my sight. As my eyes began to adjust to this gloriously bright ray, my hand lowered, allowing me to gaze upon it. Floating in place within the pillar of light was a suit of body armor with the most intricate detail I had ever seen. Strange markings engraved the light blue surface of the breastplate, wrapping elegantly around the arms and legs, all meeting at different ends of a gleaming red orb that was embedded in the chest.

"The Blade of Elysium" I repeated softly, entranced by the armor's beauty.

"The strongest weapon in Elysium's arsenal." Sera said, letting the gleam catch her eye.

"That is, of course, when it is worn by the right person."

I looked at her with utmost excitement painted on my face.

"Can I try it on?" I asked, nearly jumping out the armor I was already wearing.

"It's your suit." She said, sounding amused by my enthusiasm. "You can do with it what you wish."

My hand eagerly rose to detach the lock on my armor's chest, not before Sera's hand rose to stop it.

"That won't be necessary," She said, lowering my hand.

"All you need to do is touch it."

I was confused at first, but decided to trust in her word. My eyes looked back at the spectacle and my feet slowly began to move toward it. I raised my hand as I drew closer to the armor, almost feeling hesitant as to what was about to happen. My fingers barely brushed the surface of the suit, shocking me when it suddenly disintegrated on contact. Everything happened so fast after that. The armor I was wearing seemed to evaporate as the suit reconstructed itself on my body. My chest, my arms, my feet…all of it was, in an instant, surrounded by the shining blue metal that now encompassed me.

"Don't forget the final piece," Sera said pointing her finger above me.

I looked up to see a battle helmet, just as meticulously designed as the suit, slowly descending above my head. I locked my hands around it and held it in front of me to examine its features. It appeared to be designed to cover the entire head of its wearer as evidence from its metal faceplate and triangular visor. I looked at Sera who nodded in approval, and slowly I lifted the helmet to put it on. Slipping it on, I heard several mechanical clicks as the helmet locked itself into place. The visor screen flicked on and a bright flash within the helmet blinded my eyes. As the white glare faded, I saw that I could no longer see any interior of the helmet. What I was looking at, however, shook me to the very core. I could see…everything…everything around me. I could see behind me, in front of me, above me…all…at the same time.

"It would seem that the helmet's sensory amplifiers have interfaced with your neural components." Sera said, tapping her lip.

"How do you feel?"

"How do I feel?" Could I even describe it?

"It's…unreal," I said almost shakily. "I can feel… power…strength. Almost an unlimited amount of energy."

"Hmm, I thought so." Sera said, almost laughing.

"Of course, we're not yet finished." She said at once

"Before you can fully activate this suit, we're going to need Data to restore the rest of your purifier programming functions."

"What will that do?"

"Well, once your programming is completely reactivated, you will be restored to your fully active purifier capabilities."

I looked at her with a look of confusion, not fully comprehending her words.

"Which means?" I asked her

"Which means," she repeated, "you will once again become more powerful than you ever thought possible."

I still gave her the same puzzling look. There was still something I did not understand.

"Sera," I said timidly, "why are you doing this?"

She didn't answer. She simply looked over at Data who sat at the ready. She nodded and Data jumped up on my back. What happened next seared itself into my memory forever.

It felt like my mind was on fire, burning with images and data that streamed into me at a thousand thoughts per second. It was so much, too much, more than I could handle.

"Normally, this would be done when your body is unconscious, but we're short of time." I heard Sera say, amidst the blazing inferno that raged inside my head.

"As you can see, the information Data is feeding you must work through several mental barriers that are active when the body is alert, a process that isn't entirely pleasant."

"W-What." I tried to say.

It was difficult to speak. It was difficult to even move. If I could, I would have grabbed Data and thrown him from my shoulders.

"I'm sorry Megaman" I heard Data say

"Don't worry, it's almost over."

The sooner the better, I wouldn't be able to take much more of this. My head felt like a balloon that was about to pop.

"…Finished!" Data shouted, immediately jumping off my back.

I fell to my knees as the fire in my head slowly withdrew. My entire body was shaking.

"Stand up Trigger." Sera said at once. "Open your eyes."

Were my eyes closed? I was so disoriented I hadn't even realized. I stood up shakily with my eyes still sealed shut. I could feel something…something strange, flowing through me. It was a fire, different from before, that burned inside my core, burned with power.

"It is done." Sera said solemnly. "You have been restored to your full rank, Megaman Trigger! First-Class Purifier!

My eyes opened to a world I had never seen before, a world where I could see everything. I could see the room in which I stood in its entirety, despite the fact that no other lights had been turned on. Information fed into my mind almost instantly from every direction. I could calculate the scale and volume of the room, measure the percentage of oxygen in the air; I could even feel the vibrations of sound waves coming from Data's feet before they had a chance to enter my ears.

"What's…happening to me?" I nearly whispered.

"Your purifier functions are re-establishing connection to your nervous system. What you're experiencing right now is Extreme Alert. It's a purifier function that will engage every time you enter combat. It will eventually pass, once you reach full connectional output.

"It's so different." I said slowly. "Indescribable"

"You'll get used to it." Sera said, turning around and walking toward the entrance of the room.

"But for now, we must continue on. We're not finished yet."

I stared at her incomprehensibly.

"There's still more?"

"Yes, and we should hurry. Like I said before, time is short. Quickly, follow me."

"To where?"

Sera turned around and looked at me with a full-on smile.

"To the combat training facility."

5. Trigger

It was still burning; this new feeling that filled me with power. I felt so different from the individual I had once been. The individual who would rather discuss things peacefully than to take the fight head on, who would prefer to shy away from conflict were it possible, and who would show empathy to his enemies rather than finishing them off at a moment of weakness.

I didn't want to believe that my true self had replaced all of these feelings of emotion and character, but could I deny who I truly was?

I tucked farther into my corner of the lift, attempting to hide myself in its shadow. I supposed that I could at least try.

" Is something the matter Trigger?" Sera asked, looking into my eyes.

I wanted to tell her that it was nothing and simply shake the feeling off. However, I knew that it wouldn't do me any good, not against Sera anyway.

I looked at Sera with heavy eyes and drew a deep sigh.

"It's…like my two existences, the separate lives I've lived, have suddenly collided together with such… aggression. I don't know how to deal with them. It feels so incredibly complicated.

Sera looked at me head to toe, acknowledging my conflict with a curt nod.

"Give it time Trigger. I'm sure you'll find a proper median to these feelings sooner or later."

I hoped that she was right. I knew that I wouldn't be able to live like this forever, like two magnets of similar poles being forced together.

"How much farther?" I asked subtly, trying to change the subject.

" We just passed level 13. The training facility is on level 4 so it shouldn't take more than a minute."

Everyone was quiet from that point. I looked over at Data who occupied the opposite corner of the elevator. There was something wrong about him. He was just standing there, motionless - so much different from his usual eccentric behavior.

I didn't say anything to him. I suppose it didn't make sense to. What could I tell him anyway, that everything was going to be just fine? I knew that would be lie. In utter truth, nothing about the current situation was "just fine." From the looks of things, that fact wasn't going to change anytime soon.

The lift slowed to a stop and Sera once again punched in the codes to open the door, revealing an enormous rectangular room even larger than the Vault. Unlike the Vault, this room was completely illuminated by bright lights that reflected off its bright metallic surface, all built into the ceiling. However, it didn't share any of the Vaults elaborate eye-catching features. Rather, it was just a big, empty, rectangular room, nothing extraordinary.

The only thing that really stood out was a large glass window located at the opposite side, looking down on the room. Behind the window was a smaller room that, from what I could see, was filled with machinery that looked like control terminals and viewing screens. I figured that that room must be the observing deck.

Sera looked over at me and smiled. She seemed to be getting used to that gesture.

"Well Trigger?" She said with a hint of enthusiasm in her voice. "Shall we begin?"

I nodded and the three of us walked into the room.

"So this is the combat training facility?" I said sounding a little unimpressed.

"You sound disappointed." Sera said, turning her head to look at me.

"Were you expecting more?"

I smiled

"Well," I said, letting a light laugh escape me, "what exactly is it I'm supposed to combat?"

Sera smiled at me mischievously, apparently knowing something that I didn't.

"Oh you'll see soon enough." She said, revealing her hidden smile even more. "But first, we'll need to upload your old weapons."

I looked at Sera, puzzled by her choice of words

"Did you say…upload?" I asked confused

"That's exactly what I said." She replied back indignantly.

"Strange," I thought to myself. I'd never heard of weapons being uploaded before. Equipped, or installed maybe, but…uploaded?
Sera slowed her pace as we approached the center of the room, stopping when a holographic viewing screen suddenly materialized in front of her.

"What the… What is that?" I said, staring at the suspended symbols and grids all floating around on a purplish axis.

Sera ignored me and began tapping on the symbols. I could understand what the images stood for, considering my built in knowledge of the language, but I couldn't keep up with the movements of her blurring fast fingers. I would have easily been able to, had I still been in that Extreme Alert function.

"What are you doing?" I asked her as she entered in the last few codes.

"I'm bringing up your weapon index." She said lowering her hand.
The view screen faded and a small column began to rise from the floor. It stopped a little above Sera's waist and the top of it began to glow with a strange symbol I couldn't understand.

"Place your hand on the scanner Trigger." Sera formally asked me.
Rather than asking what would happen – which I probably should have considering what had happened last time with Data, I decided I would trust again in Sera and simply do what she asked.

I placed my hand on the glowing surface and waited for the worst. I was relieved when I found that the process was not in the least bit painful. Rather, I was astonished at what happened next. Thousands of tiny algorithmic symbols started crawling up my arm and around my body. Before long I was completely surrounded by the countless bits of information that streamed to and fro across my suit.

"Weapons index uploading…" I heard a voice in my head say. "Connecting to Neural Interface…beginning weapons download…"

My head recoiled in exploding pain as my brain was once again consumed by fire. It wasn't nearly as painful as before, for which I was extremely grateful. Nonetheless, It was still excruciating. Flashing images and encoded transcripts swiftly began flittering sporadically through my mind. Weapon specs, damage ratios, activation codes…all of this and more instantaneously forged into my head as I clutched it in unbearable pain.

I remembered everything I saw immediately and perfectly, every single detail to the exact, as if I had already known it for years. It was incredible…and agonizing. The flashing images finally stopped and I heard the voice speak again.

"Download complete…returning to user interface"

I felt my mind numb to its original coolness and I breathed a sigh of relief. I then turned to look at Sera, frustration deeply engraved on my face.

Though she couldn't see it behind my helmet, it was easily readable from her expression that she was aware of my provocation.

"That's the last time, I swear." She said holding her hands up.

I looked down at the ground and shook my head, just relieved that it was over.

"But…" she said, suddenly chuckling.

"I suppose now you understand why I said, "upload"."

"Funny" I said impassively

Sera's sarcasm seemed to be improving. It appeared she was becoming more and more comfortable expressing emotion since her neural inhibiters had been deactivated. At least, when she was around me. I couldn't help but smile at her; despite the suffering she had just put me through.

"But there's still something I don't understand"

"Ah," Sera said, raising her chin, "you're wondering how to use those weapons you just downloaded aren't you?"

"Basically."

Sera folded her arms across her chest and began her explanation.
"Well you see, those weapons you just downloaded; they aren't exactly, per say, weapons, more like programming files that were uploaded into your suit. That's the reason why I used the term upload. The true weapon, in fact, is your armor…and your body."
"My…body?" I said dumbfounded.
Sera smiled once again
"I suppose it would be better if I simply showed you."

Sera looked down at Data. I'd forgotten was even standing in the room.

"Data, why don't you head to the observing deck right now, just to be safe? Sera said to him smiling.

"Okay!" Data said with a jump in his step. "Good luck Megaman!"

It was nice to see Data in his usual eccentric demeanor; however, something about it didn't seem convincing, almost as if he was trying too hard to be in an excited mood. I watched him bound with unusual speed to the other side of the room. When he reached the end of the vicinity a small portion of the wall slid open, allowing Data to walk through. The doorway closed and a few moments later I saw him looking at me through the glass window of the observing deck.

"What was that for?" I asked Sera

"Like I said - just to be safe."

I decided not to prod and simply let Sera continue on with wherever she was going with this. I simply hoped it wouldn't turn out like the last two instances.

"Alright then Trigger, it's time to show you the full extent of the powers of your suit!" She said enthusiastically.

That got me going. I could feel the fire in my veins glow hot with exhilaration, a reaction I wasn't pleased with. The blaze of my past was slowly becoming harder to resist. If I continued to let it burn freely like this…

Oh who cared! I would let it go this time. For now, I was going to let it burn for all it was worth!

"Okay, first off," Sera began, almost seeming as excited as me. "You know all the weapons you downloaded right?

I opened the weapon files in my head. It was strange at first. I felt like a computer, which I… guess I sort of was. Maybe not exactly, but I suppose that didn't matter at the moment. I looked over all the weapons in my arsenal in an instant. All of them looked powerful, but in truth, I had no idea what any of them did. One particular device that caught my attention was a weapon entitled "Piercing Beam". What interested me about it was how it looked almost exactly like the Shining Laser attachment Roll had made for me from the technology I had recovered from Elysium's docking station.

"Well…" Sera said, waiting for an answer. "Your familiar with them right?"

"Besides the fact that I don't know how to use any of them, yes"

Sera smiled

"Don't you worry, we'll fix that very shortly." Sera said while turning and strolling to the other side of the room.

"Stay right here would you?"

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked her apprehensively. For some reason I didn't want her to leave me.

"I'm going to the observation deck." She said smiling. "There's no way I'm going to stick around you when you're re-learning the basics. That could be very dangerous for me.

I watched her as she walked to the end of the room and entered the same door Data had used earlier. Moments later I saw her standing next to Data inside the small room.

"Now let's see if we can get you to activate one of your weapons." Sera said over the intercom.

"This shouldn't take long. I can't imagine it being difficult for you." She said with an air of confidence

"Let's start off with your primary weapon: the Omega Buster"

I liked the sound of that.

"First," she said, "I want you to highlight the weapon in you weapons inde-"

"Done" I said, before she could even finish her sentence.

"Well aren't we cocky." She said with a light laugh.

All of a sudden, something in my head clicked. I remembered. I could remember how it was done. Nothing had ever simply come to me before like this. Without hesitation, almost as if acting on instinct, my right arm shot out in front of me, and I activated the Omega Buster.

6. Instinct

What happened nearly caused me to jump back. Starting at the base of the elbow, my arm began to shift and transform before my very eyes. It took less than a second before my entire forearm had reconstructed itself into a terrifying-looking weapon. It was similar in shape and size to my old buster gun, but it carried much more hostile features. The tip of the barrel looked ferocious, almost like a vicious claw. A series of protruding spikes that curved inward encircled an orifice illuminated by an aura of glowing blue light.

Despite the fierce appearance of this weapon, like the armor, it was incredibly elegant. I was almost hypnotized by the way the light caught its unblemished exterior, danced within its shining surface, and reluctantly reflected off in a dazzling array of glittering magnificence. Truly, this was a weapon that graced Elysium's beauty of creation.

"Incredible!" Sera said through the intercom, breaking me from my trance.

"I'm thoroughly impressed Trigger; I never thought you'd be able to activate that weapon all on your own! Excellent work!"

I'd never heard Sera so excited before. It was strange in the very least to hear her like this, but frankly, not entirely unexpected. It seemed that Sera was consistently growing more and more comfortable with her newfound emotions during our isolation here on Elysium with each passing day. It was almost eerie at first, but in all honesty she was starting to grow on me. I had to admit that I preferred the slightly more cheerful Sera to the old sociopathic one, whose personality rivaled that of a cardboard box.

"Now," she continued, "would you like to try it out on something?"

The fires of my past began to rage. I wasn't about to douse them now, not when I might need them for whatever Sera was about to throw at me.

"I would very much like that Sera" I said, trying to contain the excitement in my voice.

"Then it's time to see what you can do."

Right as Sera finished her sentence, I could feel my E.A. functions activate. It wasn't nearly as strong as before, but allowed me to instantly sense a reavorbot materialize out of thin air precisely thirty-two point three-eight seven meters behind me. Instinctively, my body swung around, my eye's aiming coordinates flashing into my vision, locking on target as my gun's magnetic propulsion rails charged to full capacity, and it all took less than 0.386 seconds. The speed at which my body moved was incredible, like everything around me seemed to slow down while I in turn sped up. However, as impressive as this display was, I did not fire my weapon. Instead, I cocked an eyebrow at the foe that stood before me.

Now standing thirty-two point nine-eight meters away from me, walking around aimlessly on its chubby legs, was a green reavorbot grunt, or as it is know in the Elysium dialect, a zakobon.

"You've got to be kidding me." I said aloud.

What was this, a joke? My mouth hung open as I watched the stubby little robot walk around cluelessly in circles, completely oblivious to the world around it.

"What's wrong; why did you stop?" Sera asked me.

"This is what I'm supposed to fight?" I said confused.

I heard Sera give an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh right," Sera said, sounding amused.

"I didn't tell you; I just wanted to get a reading on your suits power levels – make sure there still working at full aptitude."

I sighed profusely. I wish she had told me that before. I had not taken my aim off the zakobon, and I prepared to fire. I thought to myself that if this weapon was anything like my old fully upgraded buster gun, it would take no more than one or two shots to finish off this pest.

I triggered the gun to fire, and faster than I could even blink, the zakobon was instantly blown to pieces. I stared inconceivably at the smoldering scraps of the reavorbot that rained down on the floor in a series of metallic clinks and clanks. I looked down at my gun in sheer amazement.

Did this…do that?

"Good," Sera said, "I'm getting a positive read-out. You're suit is still functioning at full power."

No kidding, I thought to myself. My old buster gun, even at optimum level, was nothing when compared to this thing. When I fired it, rather than shooting a rotating orb of quantum particles, like what my previous gun shot out – which honestly moved at a painfully slow speed; this thing discharged an incredibly powerful blue stream of exploding energy that moved at an exploding velocity.

"Don't forget," Sera suddenly added, "You have both arms to work with. You can activate the same weapon on your left arm as well as your right, or any other combination of weapons that would work best in any given combat situation."

"I can?" I thought to myself excitedly. The moment Sera told me of this new information my left arm shot out to the side and transformed into another Omega Buster just as fearsome as the first.

"Well this is just…cool!" I said laughing.

"I'm glad you like it." I heard Sera say enthusiastically.

"But of course, there is a downside."

"A downside?"

"I'm afraid so."

Well that figured.

"You see," she continued, "while your armor is capable of producing huge amounts of perpetual energy, so to do weapons like the Omega Buster discharge it. Normally, this isn't a problem, as your armor's central core can supply enough power to support most of your major weapons, even when they are used simultaneously with both arms; That is, as long as the suit is given the proper amount of time to recharge after each encounter with an enemy force. However, when you repeatedly use these weapons for extended periods of time, say, like in a major battle with several thousand of the enemy…"

"Several thousand!?" I interrupted hastily. "When on earth would I, or could I for that matter be fighting several thousand enemies!?"

"Well you have done it before, single-handedly from what I can remember."

Was she serious? When was this?! What was going on when that was happening!? I was about to ask Sera myself before she suddenly continued speaking

"As I was saying, when facing situations like this you'll want to use one of your close-range weapons. These weapons use significantly less energy and will allow you to conserve your suits power."

I interrupted once again to voice a concern I was having.

"So…what happens then…if I do happen to deplete my suit's energy core?"

It was silent for a moment. Sera then spoke.

"Don't let that happen; that's all you need to know. You see that bar in the right hand corner of your helmet's frontal visor?"

I hadn't even noticed it before. While I couldn't exactly see the helmet, I was able to spot several symbols on a heads-up display located in the corners of my peripheral vision.

"Yes, I see it"
"That's your suit's energy indicator. It will monitor the supply of power your armor has stored. Make sure to watch it closely."

"I understand."

"Now then, getting back to what I was saying earlier; Should you be running low on power you'll want to switch to one of your close combat weapons."

I heard Sera muffle a small laugh under her breath.

"Surprisingly enough, one such weapon was actually your personal favorite"

Now that got me curious.

"Which one was this?" I asked eagerly

I could see Sera from where I stood in the finest detail thanks to the slight E.A boost I had gotten earlier. She was smiling, happy to see my excitement.

"Well, the Arc Energy Blade is it's official term," She stated nonchalantly, "but I remember you affectionately naming it the Zero Saber."

"Zero Saber huh?" What a strange name.

"Why exactly did I call it that?"

"From what I remember, that name belonged to a fellow purifier that was once under your command. He used a weapon that was similar to the Arc Energy Blade – a handheld, downgraded version that was the predecessor to your more advanced model"

"How is mine more advanced?" I asked curiously

"Well why don't you find out"

I heeded Sera's ambiguous advice and searched my index for the Arc Energy Blade, or "Zero Saber" as I apparently called it. It took only a fraction of a second to find the file. I was wondering what I should expect upon activating it. Was my arm going to transform into some kind of built in laser sword like the zetsabre Roll had designed? I supposed that there was only one way to find out.

I reset my arms to their original state and held my right arm out to the side. I figured there was no sense in rushing into things and transforming both my limbs at once. With slight hesitation I triggered the activation code.

I was surprised at what happened; that seemed to be happening a lot today. Instead of my whole arm transforming, a flat, circular object constructed on the top of my hand. It was a small rotating disk, elaborately decorated with fire-like markings. It was precisely two centimeters thick and seven centimeters wide. As I examined it more closely, I discovered a small socket glowing a slight yellowish hue located on the side of the disk.

All of the sudden, it happened again, the recollection of my former knowledge that would hit me like a train at the strangest, yet most convenient times. It seemed that the influence of my past was growing stronger. As my instincts began to kick in, a smile crept across my lips as I remembered why this was my favorite weapon.

I whipped my hand out in front of me and with a crackling flare of flaming light burst forth the piercing stream of yellow energy. I gazed in awe at the beauty of the radiant shaft of concentrated energy that illuminated the surface of my armor with a soft yellow glow. I could feel such a strange sense of nostalgia by looking at the beam. For reasons I didn't fully understand, this blade…it was very important to me. This was my weapon; this was my legacy handed down. The disk that housed the beam twirled around my hand at my command making the blade dance and spin, bending around me in a string of graceful arcs and weaving motions as I displayed perfect control and balance of this tool of swift extermination.

"You seem to remember this weapon perfectly Trigger" I heard Sera say.

"Your movements while handling such a dangerous device are still awe- inspiringly beautiful."

I retracted the beam and looked up at Sera. Her face was serene, carrying an expression of deep pride and respect. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"You truly are the Master Trigger I once knew."

She opened her eyes, her smile still glowing.

"This should be very interesting"
All at once, all around me, Sharukurusu Elites materialized from every direction. I lowered my stance in readiness, not for an instant losing my composure. My mouth slowly curved into a grin as the fire in my blood roared to a blazing inferno.

"Bring it," I said, smiling intensely

Within one motion, the whole room charged in toward me in a violent commotion of ferocious bloodlust, my annihilation being the only motivation of movement. As death enclosed, my head lowered in silent thought.

"Who am I?" I whispered like a ghost in the darkness, and then in a blinding strike, I unsheathed my fury on the enemy.

7. Complications

I anxiously twirled the strands of hair that scattered down the side of my face. It didn't help much to ease my anxiety, but at least it was keeping me slightly distracted. I fidgeted around, trying to get more comfortable as I sat against the wall with my legs pulled up to my chest. My eyes concentrated on the white patterns engraved in the wall, stretched and tangled as they traversed across its surface. It was simply another distraction.

Where are they, I thought to myself?

After waking me from her trance Yuna had left me here alone saying that she needed to recover Tron from the medical facility. It had been a while since she had gone, at least an hour from what it felt like. I tried not to worry, since it wouldn't benefit me in any way, or the others for that matter. Still, it was in my nature to be concerned, one of the universal emotions of the spotter, and it wouldn't be easily thrown off.

I let my head rest back on the wall as I closed my eyes and let my thoughts return to Megaman. I wondered where he was, what he was doing. It was probably foolish thinking, but I hoped that he was all right. It was silly of course, thinking that he could be in any danger in a place as beautiful and serene as this, but nevertheless.

I let out a deep sigh as my eyes opened back up. I glanced down the curves of my body frame. Until recently it had been a shattered mess on the verge of death. It was so strange to think that after all the damage that had been done; my body was now restored to perfection. I remembered it perfectly, the smell of blood, the sickening feeling of my bones twisted, cracked and broken. I shuttered at the memory. I wanted to forget it had ever happened, but every time I tried to repress those thoughts I would see his face; that horrible expression he wore, as if he were looking at me for the first…and for the last time, and it would make my gut wrench.

But now, there wasn't a scratch on me. It was like nothing had ever happened. I could stand, walk, probably run were the act necessary, and I wouldn't feel a thing. One wouldn't be able to tell from looking at me however. My clothes were still ripped and torn – modestly thank goodness, and some areas of my clothing were completely drenched in my blood. I was grateful at least that I was already wearing red so it didn't stand out too much.

I thought about a way I could clean myself up when suddenly the entrance door slid open. I quickly turned my head in anticipation of Megaman's arrival, but was dismayed when it turned out to only be Yuna and Tron. Not that I was disappointed that Tron had returned, not at all. I was relieved to see that she appeared functional.

"Roll, are you alright!" Tron yelped, running to my side and kneeling down next to me.

I smiled. It was strange to see Tron so worried about me, but I was deeply appreciative of her concern.

"I'm fine Tron, better than fine in fact. Are you ok?"

"Yuna said that I should be alright as long as I take it easy for a while." She said smiling. "But…are you really feeling ok? I mean, Yuna said you were going to be fine but I had trouble believing her after seeing you like that. You're sure nothing's wrong?"

"I'm positive Tron," I said with a light laugh.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"That's a relief"

Tron's smile faded and she looked over at Yuna

"But…where's Megaman? Has he not gotten back yet?"

"He's probably still with Sera" She answered with a warm smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

I hoped that she was right. I was getting more and more anxious the longer he took, and it wouldn't be long before I went off to look for him myself. It was then that I suddenly realized something wasn't right, that name Yuna had just mentioned…

"Sera…" I spoke out loud. "She was the one Megaman had come here to stop wasn't she?"

"Initially." Yuna said formally with her hands on her hips. "I suppose you're wondering why she's still here."

"Well, a little bit"

Yuna gave me an appraising look and began her explanation

"This may be a bit hard for you two to understand, so I'll try to keep it simple. First of all, you remember why Megaman had to leave don't you."

"I think so," I said, trying to remember the details. "It had to do with something called the Master System right? It was supposed to wipe out all of the carbons, which I guess is what we are. He was going to stop it"

"That's right." Yuna said with a nod. "That was his intention, and he knew he would have no choice but to terminate Sera if he was going to take the system offline. Well, he eventually caught up with her. During the battle that ensued, Megaman was somehow able to deactivate the behavioral inhibitors that restricted Sera's independent thoughts and emotions. When that happened she was finally able to see things from Megaman's perspective. She understood at last what it was the Master truly wanted, what made him happy, something Sera had strived so hard to give him."

Yuna's head lowered and her expression saddened.

"All she ever wanted was for the Master to love her…love her like he loved Megaman."

She looked back up at us and continued.

"But by then it was already too late. Sera's shell had been all but destroyed and her life-support systems were about to fail. Luckily, I arrived just in time with an empty shell, or body as you might call it, that Sera was able to transfer her programming files into."

Yuna smiled once again.

"Long story short, She's good now."

I nodded. That made sense I supposed, in a strange way perhaps. I looked over at Tron. She seemed lost.

"Did you catch all that Tron?" Yuna smiled

"Mostly, I think, but… what about the Master System?"

"Ah yes" Yuna said, bringing her hand to her chin "Well since Sera was the monitor of Elysium's systems, the Master System shut down along with the rest of Elysium when her original shell had been destroyed."

Tron cocked an eyebrow.

"You're saying that Elysium shut down?"

"Yes."

"…Completely?"

"That's correct."

Tron's eyes scanned the room around her in a quizzical, almost sarcastic, gesture.

"You sure about that?"

I then realized what Tron was talking about. Yuna had said Elysium had completely shut down, but from what we could see, there was still working lights, automatically opening doors…was there something we didn't know?

I looked at Yuna, who appeared to be taken off guard by our newfound observation. She hesitated at first but then explained.

"Well…we have several back-up refractors still powering parts of Elysium. They won't last much longer, which is why we should return to Terra as soon as we can.

"Easier said than done," Tron said rolling her eyes. "Thanks to blondie's spectacular landing, we barely even have a ship left. I doubt we'll be able to repair it anytime soon."

Yuna gave Tron a sly smile

"Oh you don't have to worry about that." She said folding her arms across her chest smugly. "I'll take care your little ship problem"

Before Tron could say anything the doors to the entrance slid open once again. The sound of footsteps entering the room made my heart jump. It had to be him this time I just knew it. I shifted my eyes eagerly to the source of the footsteps hoping to be rewarded by that shining smile that could light up even the darkest of situations. My eyes met the new arrivals and all at once my mouth dropped open as I recoiled with a gasp.

I could hardly believe my eyes at what I saw. Following Data and Sera into the room was someone I didn't even recognize. This threateningly intimidating figure was clad in an incredibly elaborate, yet fearsome armor that nearly made me tremble. I couldn't see his face behind the helmet he wore, which only seemed to amplify his already terrifying visage. It was impossible…there was no way this could be who I thought it was…could it?

He looked over at me with an empty gaze that made me shrink back in fear. It was menacing, nothing like anything I had ever seen before. Within an instant after seeing me the faceless being tore off his helmet and threw it to the side, revealing the familiar face I knew and loved so much. My face lit up as our eyes met. Everything about him, everything that had changed, made him look like a ferocious, merciless machine dissolved away as I lost myself in his presence. He ran over to me with a brilliant smile of relief painted across his face. He knelt down, shocking me when all at once he took me in his arms and laughed with joy.

"Roll! You're all right!" he exclaimed happily, holding me tighter in his iron grip.

I blushed intensely. I didn't know what to say. I was so overcome with a feeling of rapture and ecstasy to be held so close to him that I could hardly even breathe. That…or he was holding too tightly. Either way, I wasn't about to stop him. He backed away, keeping his hands firmly gripped on my shoulders as he examined me.

"That's interesting, I didn't know I could do that." He said, looking at me from head to toe

"What do you mean?" I inquired, trying to keep my voice from trembling. The exhilaration of having him right in front of me was more than I could handle

"I can read your vital signs," he said with a slight smile. "Everything looks completely stable, what I'd expect from you; Looks like I have Yuna to thank for that"

He turned to look at Yuna and gave her a smile of appreciation. She simply waved her hand casually.

"It was nothing," she said cheerfully. "But I'm glad I could help."

Yuna looked at Sera who was also smiling at Megaman.

"So it went well I assume?" she spoke to her, breaking her gaze from Megaman.

Sera's attention turned to Yuna.

"More or less" she said with a wicked grin. "Perhaps not for Trigger in some instances, but as you can see, the end product was more than worth the trouble."

They must have been talking about Megaman's new appearance. He certainly looked more dangerous than ever before, especially while wearing his helmet, but at the same time he had never looked so entrancingly beautiful in this gleaming armor. But other than his appearance, I had no idea in what way he had changed, except that he could now somehow tell how healthy my body was.

"Do you think he's ready?" Yuna asked intuitively.

"Oh he's more than ready." Sera smiled mischievously. "He clearly hasn't lost any of his former prowess and skill."

Megaman seemed to ignore the conversation between Sera and Yuna. He stood up and walked over to Tron. I rolled my eyes in contempt as he placed his hand on her shoulder and examined her the same way he did me.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing all right too Tron," he said smiling at her

I nearly curled into a ball of jealousy as she blushed slightly and smiled back at him. As I tried to turn my head away, as this was something I preferred not to look at, I saw that Megaman's smile had faded into an expression of befuddlement.

"What is it Megaman?" Tron asked, worried by this unusual reaction to her.

He looked back at me, his eyes still carrying the same puzzlement, and then back at Tron.

"Yuna…" he said softly removing his hand from Tron's shoulder. "What exactly did you do to Roll?"

That got my attention immediately. Was there something wrong with me? It didn't feel like I had been broken in any way, but Megaman's solemn expression was starting to make me second-guess.

"What do you mean? What's the matter with me Megaman?" I cried out a little too loudly. "Am…am I all right?"

"You're perfectly fine Roll…and that's the problem."

I looked at him strangely, confused by his words.

Isn't that a good thing? I thought to myself. I couldn't understand why he would be distraught by something like this. I mean did he want me to be hurt."

"It's not that I'm unhappy you're unharmed." He said turning to look at me, almost if he were reading my thoughts. "I'm thrilled that you're ok, but there's something that's not fitting right."

"Well what does this all have to do with me?" Tron asked impatiently.

"Well, if Yuna apparently doesn't know what I'm talking about then I guess I'll just have to explain it."

Yuna folded her arms and leaned back against the wall. She looked intrigued, slightly smug in fact, as to what Megaman was about to say, almost as if with a Bring-it-on attitude.

"I didn't notice at first when I was looking at Roll." Megaman began. "I suppose I was simply too overjoyed to see her all right that I completely ignored it. But then I saw Tron's life-signs and realized that something wasn't right. From what I could see, Tron's vitals were slightly weaker than average due to the injuries she sustained. That's completely normal, what anyone could expect from an average person, and thanks to the treatment she received, her wounds will heal at a steady rate."

Megaman turned his gaze toward me with a reserved look about him.

"Then there's Roll." He said mysteriously. "After examining Tron I turned my attention back to Roll to make sure what I was seeing was accurate. It was impossible to even consider, but Roll's vitals were even stronger than normal, as if she had never even been injured in the first place."

Megaman looked back at Yuna. She drew a deep breath and sighed, looking displeased that she was unable to avoid this.

"So, why is this Yuna? How did you do it?"

She bowed her head in silent thought as she assessed Megaman's quandary. What was it she not telling, I thought to myself? There was something she was avoiding, something she wanted to keep hidden from us, and somehow it involved me.

"Megaman…this isn't the time." She said solemnly. "We have much more urgent things to think about right now that need our direct attention."

"You're not getting off that easy Yuna"

"I know, and I promise I'll explain everything, but for the time being we must focus on the much more serious issue at hand. Right now we need to make speed to Terra as soon as possible, before it's too late"

"Why?" Tron asked somberly, "What's going on?"

"Let's just say that Megaman's mission is far from over, and what's coming will be far more than he can handle on his own."

Yuna turned to walk out, leaving Sera to motion for us all to follow

"The time has come for all carbons alike to prove their ultimate worth, show what it means to have the determination and true tenacity to survive."

8. Return to Terra

"Miss Tron!" A shrill voiced servebot cried.

Tron walked ahead to greet the little robot who was apparently waiting for us near the entrance of the spire.

"Are you ok? We were all so worried when we last saw you come by here. You looked really scared about something."

As usual, Tron completely misinterpreted the servebots concern as an insult, as evidence of the creases that formed in her forehead.

"Well what's that supposed to mean!? You think I was worried or something!? Of course not, I'm great, better than great even!"

Tron flying off the handle wasn't a rare case in the slightest. I could see that the servebot was used to this.

"Anyway, how goes the repairs? Have you made any progress?"

"Actually…" The servebot squeaked timidly, "everything's already finished… thanks to those nice robots who helped us out earlier."

Tron stared at her little robot servant for several seconds before she was able to grasp what he had just said.

"Uh, did you…did you just say nice… robots?"

Yuna's lips curled into a crafty smile as she gave a suppressed laugh at Tron's bewilderment.

"Oh right," Yuna cut in "I forgot to mention. While you two were away, gallivanting who knows where, I called in several Reavorbot Repair units to work on that little ship of yours. It's ready for take off as soon as everyone's prepared"

Everybody but Sera and I stared at Yuna in amazement. I looked at everyone's stunned faces in confusion. Was there something I was missing?

"You mean they actually managed to repair it!?" Tron said in disbelief. "That's impossible, how on earth did they manage that in such a quick time!?"

My face blushed as I shrank in embarrassment. Just how badly had I destroyed the Eclipse during that landing?

"That's right." Yuna chuckled. "And as an added bonus, I even called two salvage teams to load the cargo hold with some of Elysium's best technology, along with the blue-prints and data files that will give you two more than enough intel on how to build this kind of technology for yourselves."

I could feel my lips were quivering as Yuna lightheartedly explained what she had gone and done. Was this a dream? Would I actually be able to create this kind of technology? I looked over at Tron and saw that she was carrying the same expression of incredulity. Megaman simply smiled as he watched our eyes glow like those of excited children.

"I'm sure you both realize how this will drastically change the world you live in." Yuna said calmly. "The moment we land on Terra the age of digging will come to an end. With some of the machinery I had put on board, carbons will be able to make all the refractors they need at whatever time they wish."

Her face all of the sudden lost its glow. Something was bothering her again. I then remembered what she had said while we were making our way out of the spire.

"The time has come for all carbons alike to prove their ultimate worth, show what it means to have the determination and true tenacity to survive."

Apparently something big was about to happen on Terra. I figured that that must have explained Yuna' mysterious behavior. I thought of Gramps still back there waiting for me to return, or wondering whether or not I was still alive. The recollection caused me to feel sick to my stomach. What if whatever Yuna was talking about had already happened, I suddenly thought. What if something happened to Gramps while we were gone?

I shook the thought from my mind. This wasn't the moment to worry. I'd have plenty of time for that later. For now, getting home was our main priority

"The main engine is working at full capacity," Tron said, sounding more awe-struck than informative. "She's ready when you are"

I nodded as I looked back at everyone strapping themselves in. I saw Megaman roll his eyes as he clamped down the restraining harness – as if he would actually need it. The only reason he did I assumed was simply to humor me. Either that, or he knew the scolding I'd give him for not buckling up.

I walked over to the pilot's seat, giving Megaman one last smile as I turned my head away from him. Before I could sit, however, Yuna's hand snapped out and caught my wrist.

"What are you doing?" I asked belligerently trying uselessly to break her grasp.

"Keeping you from making the same mistake as last time"

I huffed and looked away from her in contempt.

"I just made a little miscalculation, that's all" I muttered under my breath.

"And that "little" miscalculation nearly got you all killed. I think it would be better if I piloted this thing from here on out."

Tron looked away from us idly, trying not to be caught in the fray. I could have sworn I heard her chuckle.

"But…but I built this thing"

"Helped build it!" Tron blurted out, making sure not to be unmerited of her contribution.

"Fine, whatever. My point is that I know this ship. I would probably be a better pilot than someone who has no idea on how to even work it."

"Roll," Yuna said reprehensively. "You shouldn't underestimate me, especially when it comes to machinery."

Yuna's grip on my wrist loosened and she withdrew.

" You can go ahead and sit in the pilot's seat, but I'm still going to be piloting this ship."

My brow ruffled in confusion.

"What do you mean? How are you going to do that?"

"I've retro-fitted a support column into the Eclipse's mainframe that I can use to transfer my data files from this body directly to the ship. More or less, I'll actually become the Eclipse rather than simply its pilot, and will thus be able to control it at will."
She smiled as she glided her fingertips across the control panels of the ship.

"So that means you and Tron can just sit back and relax while I take care of everything."

"Wait a minute" Tron interrupted. "What will happen to the body you're in right now once you switch to the Eclipse"?

Yuna's grin widened extensively.

"Why, it'll be returned to Roll's mother of course"
My face went pale as my breath shortened.

"My…my mother?"

This couldn't be real. This had to be some sort of dream I had accidentally slipped into. Everything around me seemed to slow down as my breathing suddenly quickened.

"Is something wrong Roll?" Yuna asked amidst the fluttering clouds that enveloped my mind. "I thought you'd be happy to hear this."

I swallowed hard as I tried to hold back the pools of tears forming in my eyes.

"Roll, what's wrong?" I heard Megaman say. "Yuna, what did you say to her?"

"Nothing's wrong Megaman" I said with choked up words, overfilling with joy.

I looked up at Yuna and smiled as bright as the midday sun as the tears brimmed in my eyes, eventually cascading over as my hope and happiness burst.

"Do you really mean it?" I asked Yuna, barely able to control my words as they stammered broken and cracked. "Can you really give me back my mother?"

"Huh?" Tron broke in. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that you're Roll's mom?! Did I miss something here?!"

We both stared at Tron blankly. It was silent for a brief moment.

"Tron," Yuna said vacantly, "you're… ruining a special moment."

Tron crossed her arms and slouched back into her chair.

"Well excuse me for being out of the loop." She muttered.

"Anyway" Yuna said, breaking away from that rather awkward moment. "I can indeed give you back you're mother, as long as you're willing to give me your ship in return."

That sounded like a fair trade. Of course I would have given a thousand times more to have my mother brought back to me."
"It's yours," I whispered.

"Well I don't know what's going on." Tron said, "but I really have no argument with you flying the ship. I mean, better you than her."

I drew a deep breath and sighed. She really trusted someone she barely even knew to fly the ship over me? "Oh well" I thought. At least Tron was beginning to act like her old self again I supposed.

Yuna walked over to the control panel and placed her hand on the area directly between Tron and me.

"You may want to get behind me Roll."

I got up from my chair and did as she asked without hesitation. I didn't know what was going to happen but I made sure that I would be prepared for when it came.

"Alright, here we go." Yuna said eagerly.

The panel on which Yuna's hand rested began to glow a strange greenish hue and within a few moments her head dropped and her body swayed and toppled like a rag doll. I was able to catch her before she hit the floor. I assumed that this was the reason Yuna had asked me to stand behind her. I looked into the vacant face of the body Yuna had left behind…my mother. She looked so peaceful, like she was sleeping.

"Ah, this is much roomier than my old body." I heard Yuna's voice sound over the ship's intercom system. "I could get used to this."

"My my Yuna," Sera said playfully, "you've certainly gained a lot of weight since the last time we met."

"That's very interesting." Megaman joined in. "I thought only servitor units could merge with machinery."

"What's wrong with her!?" I suddenly broke in, stopping everyone from their bantering. "Why won't she open her eyes!?"

Everyone stared at me for a moment before Yuna's bodiless voice finally answered me.

"It's alright Roll, you're mother is perfectly fine. But it might take a while for her to regain consciousness. She hasn't used her body or mind for quite some time and her cerebral cortex needs to first recuperate before she can become fully functional again."

"How long will that take?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm afraid I can't give you an exact number Roll; her mind must recover at its own pace."

"Can you at least give me an estimation?" I asked her frantically.

"Less than twenty-four hours" Megaman said.

I looked over, surprised to see him suddenly kneeling next to me with his hand on my mother's forehead. He had moved so fast…how did he do that without me even noticing?

I watched Megaman closely as he stared down at my mother's face. He closed his eyes and concentrated, filling me with curiosity at what it was he was seeing.

"Of course." Yuna said. "Megaman's ability to read a carbons mind and body is significantly enhanced, at a level even higher than mine."

I continued to watch Megaman's expressions as he persistently delved into my mother's mind. I was so jealous of him, being able to see things I couldn't. I wanted to ask what it was he was looking for when suddenly I saw a small, tranquil smile manifest itself across his face. He opened his eyes slowly, and gradually looked up at me with glowing eyes.

"What is it?" I whispered.

Megaman's smile grew wider as he looked back down at my mother.

"She's dreaming." He said calmly. "I can see her standing in the middle of a meadow beneath the clear morning sky of a cloudless day. She's singing softly to a young child cradled in her arms."

Megaman looked back up at me.

"You were smiling at her Roll. You were both very happy."

My eyes were overfilling with tears as Megaman spoke to me. I smiled at him; let my gaze wash over him with a tenderness and love I never even knew existed. I knew just how sincere he was being, knew because this dream he had showed me was also my dream, the dream of a memory I had locked away in my subconscious, relentlessly holding to it with every ounce of my will.

"Thank you Megaman." I whispered to him. "Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. I hope you realize what it means to me."

I could feel my heart bursting. I couldn't stop it now, nor did I want to. My face lowered as I spoke, so softly that only he would be able to hear me.

"And…I hope you understand…truly…what you mean to me.

I looked up at him. His face was lost in disbelief, incomprehensive to what I was saying. But that didn't cause me to hesitate. Whether or not he felt the same way about me, I was going to tell him.

"Megaman…" I said compassionately, "I hope you realize…how much I've fallen in love with you."

It was silent for a moment as we stared into each other's eyes. His mouth hung slightly open, as if trying to grasp what I had actually said to him. I simply continued to smile at him.

"Hey!" Tron suddenly broke in "What are you two talking about!? I hope you're both not forgetting what's going on. We need to get a move on here so stop wasting time and let's get going!"

Thank you Tron I thought to myself. Without missing a beat, Megaman scooped up my mother and stood up.

"Don't worry about you're mom Roll. I'll take care of her," Megaman said with a reassuring smile. "You should get strapped up, Yuna's getting ready to take off."

Just as Megaman had finished speaking I felt the ship's engines roar to life. I got on my feet, paused for a brief moment, and then nodded complacently. Reluctantly I turned away from him and sat down in the pilot's seat, clamping down my harness extra tight this time just to be safe.

"I hope everyone's secure" Yuna said as the ship lifted off the ground.

My grip on the harness tightened as the ship's rotational chambers reverberated throughout the hull. I could hear the deep hum of the main engine grow more and more intense as it prepared to fire. I looked over at Tron to see that her eyes were sealed shut, meaning she wasn't the one operating the ship's systems. It looked like Yuna was doing all of this on her own. I simply hoped she proved to be as competent a pilot.

"Here we go." Yuna said calmly.

The ship exploded forward without warning and lurched upward into the sky. The instantaneous G-force nearly caused me to black out as my vision blurred and darkened. I didn't remember the Eclipse having such power before. Apparently Yuna had made some modifications.

As she shot through the shimmering clouds of Elysium's outer atmosphere the gleaming colors began to fade. Before long the Eclipse was once again consumed by the dark emptiness of space. I felt my body start to float as Zero-G kicked in and I took a deep breath to regain the oxygen Yuna's lift-off has punched out of me.

"Oh, I'm sorry" Yuna apologized half-heartedly. "Was that a little too fast?"

Before I could make my snide remark, Tron cried out in pain. I turned my head quickly to see what was wrong and saw that she was clutching her side, trying to stifle her cries with a clenched jaw.

"Tron, what is it!" I said panicked. "What's wrong?"

"It's her injuries" Yuna said coolly. "We've gone out off range of Elysium's pain suppression fields and she's now feeling them all at once.

"It hurts," Tron whimpered. "It feels like I can't breath"

I cringed as I watched her. I felt so useless. I wanted to help but there was simply nothing I could do for her. I felt guilt searing inside of me thinking that she had to go through the pain of her injuries that I had caused, while I for some reason felt nothing.

"Miss Tron!" A high-pitched servebot cried out.

"Are you alright!?" Another one with a deeper voice called out.

Before she could answer them, assuming she was even able to, Megaman floated over to where Tron and I were sitting. Gently, he removed her grip from where she held her injured area and lightly pressed his hand against her side. Tron's writhing began to cease and she looked up at him redder than a tomato, while his expression remained concentrated and relaxed.

"What on earth is he doing!?" I thought to myself. Did he even realize that his hand was only inches away from Tron's…

"Finished" Megaman said, calmly removing his hand from Tron's side. "I've dulled the nerve endings near the damaged area. You should be all right for now."

Tron looked up at him dumbfounded.

"I…I didn't know you could do that." She stuttered.

"Until recently, neither did I." He said flipping his body around and pushing himself back to his seat.

My eyes followed him as he floated by; awe-inspired by these incredible things he was now able to do.

"He's changed so much" I whispered.

"You truly have no idea," Yuna said solemnly.

9. Unleashed

Gravity's pull seemed to strengthen as Yuna piloted the Eclipse inward toward the large mass of green terrain called Terra. The ship rattled and jarred through the barricading clouds of atmosphere that clashed against the outer hull in an array of flaming lashes that burned themselves across the withering metal armor. The heat of the cabin soared to a fiery 135 degrees Fahrenheit as the ship streaked downward, plunging deeper and deeper toward the grave it was about to dig itself.

I couldn't be sure whether Yuna had lost control of the ship or was simply having too much fun with her new toy, with the cost of everyone's comfort apparently being acceptable losses. As Yuna's hoots and holler's of excitement testified to the latter, I was not too worried as we continued our perilous descent. That of course couldn't be said for the servebots as they writhed in blood-curdling screams, flailing about as there imminent pulverization drew near. As incredibly entertaining as this sight was, quite especially the ones who simply went catatonic in dread, I couldn't shake off these new emotions of incalculable perplexity Roll's confession had placed on me.

Roll's falling in love with me was, in all truth, completely and absolutely absurd. Notwithstanding the deep affection I had for her, which time and again I had forcefully attempted to dismiss simply as a false hope that would only bring about unnecessary complications, I would never in my entire life believe that I could actually become a romantic interest of hers. But now that it had actually happened, would it be right to engage in these feelings?

And what about Tron, I thought to myself. As ridiculous, illogical, and completely incorrect as it seemed, during the brief encounters we had shared in the past I was beginning to find myself more and more attracted to her, the only reason I allowed such thoughts being that I knew Roll would never love me the same way I tried not to love her. It was almost painfully obvious that Tron had something for me. I tried to ignore this as well, despite my hidden attraction, since of course falling in love with a pirate was about as absurd as Roll falling in love with me.

"Yuna, could you take it easy" I said as the Eclipse rattled and shook me in my seat. "I can't concentrate on my thoughts."

"You can think when we've landed." Yuna said reproachfully. "We don't have the time to slow down, and besides, I'm having way too much fun."

That's what I figured

"Now then, where was it you say I was supposed to land?" Yuna said as the ship's velocity began to slow down.

"Calbania, about five-miles north-west from the location you and Megaman departed from." Roll yelled out.

I smiled as I heard Roll's voice. It was so sweet, even when she was shouting. I couldn't help but be absorbed by every little thing about her. The way she spoke so adorably, her endearingly appealing smile, even that little sparkle in her eye whenever she looked at me caused my heart to skip a beat every time. She was simply so perfect in so many ways, in my eyes at least. I lowered my head and my smile slowly faded.

"And what am I?" I thought to myself. "A machine, built for destruction and death, undeserving and aberrant of harboring such feelings of care and affection."

I couldn't fight who I truly was, someone not worthy of Roll's love, nothing more than a piece of equipment, an instrument so to speak, or bluntly put…a tool.

"Megaman" Roll shouted. "Are you ok? How's my mother doing back there?"

"She's still unconscious." I shouted back looking over at Roll's mother strapped in the seat next to me.

"And you're alright to, aren't you?"

I smiled once again – she was so good at making me doing that.

"I'm perfectly fine Roll." I said laughing light-heartedly.

I kept smiling this time, unable to tear myself down with pessimistic thoughts. She loved me, that's all that mattered. I knew there was no point in hiding my feelings any longer, not when she had finally given me the green light. I promised myself that I would tell her how I felt the very next chance I got.

The Eclipse's speed slowed increasingly as we drew closer to our destination till at last I felt the ship come to a complete stop and gradually start to descend. It looked like we'd arrived, and with such a nicer landing too. I hoped that Roll wasn't too upset that her landing wasn't as graceful.

"Well I, for one, am going to say that Yuna piloting the ship was a good trade-off" Tron said cheerfully. "I didn't even know this ship could make such fancy landings."

"It couldn't" Yuna said over the intercom. "At least not until I was done with it."

"And look!" Tron yelled excitedly. "Everyone's on their way to welcome us back!"

I undid the harness to my restraints and rushed to the front of the ship. I looked to where Tron was pointing and saw the familiar faces I had left behind making their way to the ship.

"How did they know we'd be here?" I asked.

"This is the launch site were we took off from." Roll said smiling up at me. "They must have waited for us the whole time."

My smile broadened profusely as I watched our welcome-wagon make there way closer to the ship. Without thinking, I grabbed Roll's hand and eagerly pulled her up from her seat.

"Well let's not keep them waiting." I said excitedly.

Roll's eyes glistened as she beamed her captivating smile at me. We started making our way to the ship's access way before I had even realized that our hands were still interlocked. I looked over at Tron. She had not made a move. I let my hand slip away from Roll's – she released reluctantly – and made my way back over to Tron. I could see in her eyes that were staring vacantly into the control panel in front of her that my little outburst I had just shared with Roll had hurt her. I felt disappointed in myself that I would show such a complete disregad to her feelings.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, and smiled.

"Well c'mon Tron, are you just going to sit here? I'm sure your brothers and the other servebots are all really excited to see you."

"Well…" she said poignantly, making sure that her eyes kept their distance from mine, "I'm glad that at least they are"

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

She paused briefly and then after a few moments stood up. She smiled at me and shook her head.

"Oh it's…it's nothing. Forget I said anything."

She walked briskly to where Roll was standing and turned back to look at me. "Let's get going. I'm sure Tiesel and the other's will be excited to see what we brought back."