Soundtrack: http://www. youtube ....... /watch?v=cj2gIGk5zco

Oh yeah, don't own Mega Man. But you weren't thinking that, were you?

-----

The yellow scarf floated in the smoky breeze, anchored by the knot that kept it bound to the neck of its robot owner. Like a little flag of defiance it waved, the last bright thing remaining in the torn, deserted landscape. Chunks of road were strewn about, and burnt stone and rubble were everywhere. The wind bore the scent of flame, and though this couldn't bother the lonely robot, the ash that still filled the air fit into every crevice of the machine and made the view vague and hazy.

The robot paid no heed, and instead stepped over the crumbling, jagged remains of what was once Laramie Street. Though in its time the block had been crowded with people and tall buildings, the people were now long gone and all that remained of the buildings were ruin, most of it scorched. The robot remembered with sad irony that the city was more peaceful now than it had ever been.

These thoughts had to be shaken aside. It was a time of waiting. Waiting for him. He would be coming soon, certainly. The red-armored bot had made no attempt to signal him yet, but the need was doubtful. This was the apocalypse, and any robot that showed signs of intelligence would be found soon enough. Wait any amount of time, and the destroyer would make his appearance. It hardly felt right to rush things. When looking one's own death in the face, one might not be so eager for it to arrive.

A spurt of fire shot up, and the robot immediately focused in on its source....only to realize that it was the fire that had already been burning far to the left. It had reached a half smashed car, and had finally eaten its way into the gas tank. The fighter considered putting it out, but now that much of Monstropolis was a barren desert, it would burn itself out eventually. And the hazard might be a help when the killer arrived.

Shifting in the dirt, the robot had to admit some anxiety. This battle was going to be worse than any of the ones before it, and there had been many. But fear was a deadly path for the mind to tread. It was better to be aware, and to concentrate on watching the surroundings while going over strategy, numbing all inward emotion. But for a moment, one last desperate thought found its way into the robot's conciousness.

I can't believe this is happening....when did it come to this...?

The robot's lip quivered, and a sob escaped. But immediately the robot straightened, refusing to succumb to the grief. This was no time for tears.

Steady now, Roll. she told herself. They need you to be strong now.

Roll looked up to the barren, grey sky, lifting her buster hand nobly over her chest, as if she was taking a vow.

"For Rock....for everlasting peace....."

She said this out loud, and her words were lost in the ashen wind, to be heard by no one. The fire kept burning, the yellow scarf kept waving, and Roll was still standing there, still waiting for him. Her destroyer.

Simulating a deep breath, she sent out a transmission.

" ---- I'm here. Come and get me. ---- "

And she waited. It wouldn't be long.

\\\\\\\\\\\

Okay, since I don't like having to go back and read prequels just to understand a story, here's the bare minimum of what you need to know for the characters in case you have not read the two previous stories.

- Bass

After having his life saved by Mega Man, Bass has very reluctantly given up trying to destroy him. Due to Dr. Light's influence, he's decided to try out being a good guy, though he aims to be more popular and successful than Mega Man still. Last we heard, he was traveling the world with Crystal Bot, his technician, after believing that he has successfully destroyed Zero.

- Crystal Bot

Crystal Bot is the daughter of Crystal Man, created in secret with parts from Roll, Auto, and Mega Man X. Crystal Man was attempting to liberate and improve the Mega Man 5 robots (of whom he was the leader), but ended up being killed. Crystal Bot, having left Wily with Bass and Team 5, is now Bass' technician, and she is always thinking of ways to improve Bass.

- Team 5

Wave Man, Napalm Man, Stone Man, Gyro Man, Star Man, Gravity Man, and Charge Man are now at Star Man's space station, working for science and space exploration.

- Dr. Light

Having aged a good many years, Dr. Light has died peacefully and mostly without pain. He now resides in a computer, where he himself tests Mega Man X. He is now effectively cut off from the rest of the world.

- Proto Man

Convinced by Bass, Mega Man, and Roll, Proto Man finally went to see his creator one last time, and was able to say goodbye. Seeing how sad Dr. Light's death made Roll, he decided that he would undergo the repair to have his power core fixed. He is now wandering mysteriously, trying to decide what to do with himself now that he is going to live.

- Mega Man

Improved with his optional super armor that gives him strength (and cuts his speed), Mega Man was able to defeat the Dr. Cain's robots and their master, but for some reason he feels that the threat isn't over, and wishes Dr. Light was still alive to guide him.

- Dr. Nikola Cain

A villain whose works used to include only theft, Cain decided to build robots in order to outdo Dr. Wily and prove once and for all that robots have too great a place in human society. His scheme ultimately failed, and he was seriously injured. However, during his stay in the hospital, Dr. Wily visited, and the implications of that visit are unknown. Nothing has been heard from him since, but he has escaped police custody.

- Dr. Wily

After visiting Dr. Cain, Wily used Team 2 and the Cain-bots to attempt to destroy Mega Man, Proto Man, and Bass. This failed. He also attempted to get Crystal Bot to return to him and complete Zero, but this also failed. However, Wily seemed undaunted by both of these failures, and commented to Cut Man that the battle itself didn't matter. He died shortly after the battle's conclusion from heart failure, and is now buried in the robot museum. Any attempt to extend his consciousness into the future as Dr. Light did is unknown.

- Roll

Having played only a bit role in her brother's past adventures and stayed behind to take care of their creator, Roll now feels lost, and is trying to find where she fits in society now, wondering if she ever really will. Fate, however, has its plans for her.

\\\\\\\

=====Roll

"Good luck, Megaman!"

Good point: Helpful

Bad point: Cowardice

Like: Cooking

Dislike: Cockroaches

Japanese CD data:

Bad point: Cowardice

Like: Cleaning, cooking

Dislike: Cockroaches

Yeah....all stereotypes there. One of my problems with the Mega Man fansection is that nobody really seems to do anything with robot Roll. I mean, netnavi Roll gets plenty to do (most admittedly involving romance), but robot Roll is often an afterthought in a lot of fics. I dunno...she should be taken a bit more seriously as a character, but I suppose Capcom gave us little to work with.

In any case, like most people I see Roll as a more normal person. The robot masters might have crazy personalities, but not her. She's a normal girl who cares about normal things, but in the end isn't really into fancy or overdone lifestyles. All she really wants is to be with the ones she loves and have a happy life. She doesn't care for adventure or too much excitement. She doesn't like fighting, and can't understand why the bad guys would do bad things. It makes no sense to her, as she hates making others suffer.

- I would like to point out that I have been doing a bad thing in my stories. I was putting quotes around the thoughts, and you're not supposed to do that if you want to get published. So yeah, word of advice to anyone out there wanting to get published.

- Okay, if you're wondering about the link at the top of the page, that's my new gimmick for this story: melancholy tracks! For each chapter I'll post a link to a song that I think fits, mostly because I just want to share the things that I listen to. If you want, you can post some links (only to youtube, please) of music you like in the reviews. I'm not sure if I'll keep doing character profiles...eh, I probably will. So this song is "Doomsday", a song for the character Rose in Doctor Who. Hopefully this song will give you some sense of what I'm about to do in this story. Consider it a prologue. :D

- The title of this song comes from Air Man Ga Taosenai, or "Air Man will not die", a really silly song that's a lot of fun. There's even an english version of it. Here's a link to the original Japanese, and I'm sure that the link to "I can't defeat Air Man" will be on the side somewhere: www. youtube .com /watch?v=hUVdA9ABzpg