Crashman leaned himself against the wall, his arms crossed. The drill-like appendages that stood in for his hands reflected the moonlight in them, freshly polished and ready to be launched from their chambers.
Any moment now. He'll be coming for me.
… Megaman...
The android had no doubt that he would have to fight the blue hero. But something about this entire operation... spooked him.
Wily had sent him out to this construction site after a very short briefing. All he knew for sure was that Megaman had to be stopped...
But for what reason? Why did the doctor despise this particular one so much? Was he really as horrible as Wily made him seem to be? Destroying other androids and robots... for mere amusement?
Airman popped into Crash's head. The big blue had confided in him before they were sent to their separate locations; Airman resented his very design. He feared that, once this "war" of theirs was over, that he would never fit into human society. That massive fan in his chest, he had said, could only push others away. What good was that after the battle was won?
But Crash worried about Airman. He had mentioned something about cleansing the planet... It seemed that he was working on his own agenda, something bigger than Wily would have known.
The other android Crashman had the "pleasure" of meeting was a red and yellow fellow called Metalman. Cocky as all-get-out, he remembered. He chuckled at the data he'd recalled when Metal bragged about Megaman reaching his area first. He ranted for several minutes over the intercom when Megaman almost got hit by some of the traps he'd set for him.
The last Crashman had heard from him was just as Megaman entered his chamber. Metal shouted something at him and turned off his comm. A few minutes later, the doctor contacted Crash and said that Megaman was heading his way.
Apparently, Metal was all talk.
All that Crash knew about Megaman was that he was a scanner; he could "steal" his opponents weaponry and use it once they were defeated. He would likely be using Metalman's weapon in the upcoming battle; the deadly Metal Blades. Ironic that the first to fall to their "enemy" would have such a lethal weapon...
The sound of blaster fire echoed through the building. He was close now, almost to the last hallway. But Crashman stayed back against the wall, relaxed. Not because he felt that he could easily win, but because he was beginning to have second thoughts about this.
Then, the final door opened. Crashman took one look at the blue robot that now stood before him, and grinned.
Megaman raised his buster at Crash.
"What's so funny...?"
"I half-expected you to look like some kind of bulky war machine. Maybe something like that Gutsman. You look like a twelve-year-old in a costume."
"… I... What?"
Megaman kept his weapon trained on Crash as he moved away from the wall.
"You can put that thing down, kid," Crashman yawned. "You aren't gonna need it."
Megaman's aim stayed unwavering. Crash sighed.
"Fine. Whatever suits ya."
The blue boy raised an eyebrow.
"What's your game, Crashman?"
"Hm? Oh, you know my name. Great," Crash rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing Light told you about me?"
"What are you playing at?" Megaman shot a glare at him. Crashman would've been intimidated by this, were it not coming from the face of a young child.
"No games... I'm not here to fight."
"You're... what?"
"You heard me. I'm not going to fight you."
There was a silent moment. After this, Megaman finally lowered his weapon. He didn't actually put it away, but at least he had the sense to keep his guard up.
"Why not," the boy asked.
"Why would I?"
"You're one of Dr. Wily's robots, aren't you?"
"… yes. I am. But don't compare me to the others. I'm no fool."
Crashman crouched down near the edge of the platform they were standing on. Both sides of the platform were completely open to the night sky; the only walls were at the front, where the door where Megaman had entered from was, and the rear. From here Crash could look down below to the construction site.
There were robot parts strewn everywhere. Mets with their armor caps blown off, blue Float-bots sliced cleanly in half, Springers that were literally in pieces...
"Jeez, you really did some damage there, kid," Crash chuckled. "Do you really know what you're doing here?"
"I'm... I was looking for a rogue robot."
"Well, I'm afraid you're out of luck. I have no intention of fighting this war. I have no intention of fighting for Wily, either...
"It doesn't seem like you're the heartless machine that the Doc said you were. It seems to me like you're just fighting to bring down Wily, am I right?"
"Yeah."
"That's great and all, kid, but..."
Out of the corner of his eye, Crashman saw Megaman step back a bit.
He still thinks I'm going to come at him as soon as he lets his guard down. Smart kid.
"… but you're not going to get far without my Crash Bombs."
"Huh?"
"Therein lies the problem."
Crashman explained that, if Megaman was to proceed on to Skull Castle safely, he would need his weapon to breach the fortress's walls.
"None of the other Robot Masters' weapons are strong enough to break the walls. You'll need some pretty high-powered explosives to make it through. Only my Crash Bombs can do the job."
"But... You won't fight me?"
"I can't. It wouldn't be right."
"What if Wily finds out...?"
Crash chuckled, a bit dryly. "He already knows. The moment I made this decision, he knew. He sees everything we do, and if I go back to him now..."
"He won't be happy, right?"
"Not at all."
"Then... why can't you..."
"I can see through Wily's lie. You're not what he said you were. Not at all. Wily lied about that, so he probably lied about this whole war, too. And if the war is a lie..."
"Then you have no reason to fight."
It all made sense at that moment. Wily was the real threat. Not Megaman. Not Dr. Light. It was Wily.
Wily, their creator. Wily, the mastermind behind the Eight Robot Masters.
Wily.
Megaman grabbed Crash by the shoulder.
"Come with me, then."
"… What?"
"You can help me. You can fight with me."
"I... I can't."
"Why not?"
Crash thought of Airman. All he wanted was to feel like he wasn't alone. He had trusted Crash with his fear, and that was something that resonated with him. If he went along with the blue boy, he would have to face Airman... and possibly fight him. That would deny him everything he wanted.
"I just... can't fight my brothers."
"…"
There was no way around it. Megaman needed the Crash Bombs, but the only way he could acquire the weapon was if Crashman was defeated. He would have to battle Megaman.
Unless...
With a blast of power from his leg servos, Crash leapt across the platform, landing at the far wall. As he landed, he slammed his drill-hands into the floor, embedding them in the steel.
"What are you doing?"
"I refuse to fight you. For that reason, I willingly give you victory."
A faint beeping sound was heard from where Crash stood. As the beeps sped up, a horrified look came across Megaman's face.
"Crashman! Wait!"
"Give Dr. Wily my regards."
A deafening explosion rocked the construction site. The platform shook from the high-powered explosive blast from where Crash had stood. Bits and pieces of debris from the wall were hurled away from the platform, causing the ceiling to come down on the now-unstable platform.
Megaman, seeing little other choice, leapt from the platform. He landed about halfway down the structure with a heavy thump.
When the boy came to, he sat up and looked around, holding his head. He grunted as he stood up, and stumbled a bit while regaining his balance. A small streak of synthetic blood ran down his arm; he would need some minor repairs from Dr. Light before continuing on to the next Robot Master.
Robot Master... Crashman!
Rock looked around frantically, seeing no sign of the android. But over in a pile of rubble...
He scrambled over the mounds of debris left from the crumbling structure, to what appeared to be a reddish-orange helmet. It was long, streamlined, and dented slightly. The glass visor on the front was shattered, with a few sharp fragments still clinging to the helmet.
It was Crashman's helmet.
Rock picked up the helmet. He could get what he needed from the data stored in the helmet's memory chip. Crash wanted him to.
I'll do him one last justice...
After getting what he needed, he took a large metal pole from the mound of debris and shoved it into the ground so that it stood straight up, pointing to the night sky.
He placed Crashman's helmet on the stake and called Dr. Light.
"I'm ready to go."
In a burst of light, Megaman was gone.
One of the glass shards that hung from the helmet dropped to the ground and shattered.