Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. All characters are owned by Capcom.

Chapter 2: Sparks Fly

Megaman rushed through the corridor, the red lights flashing as the alarm went off, blaring throughout the entire lab. "Dr. Light, we have trouble!" he said upon entering the control room.
"Yes, Wily's robots are attacking our fortress, they seem to be in search of something." Both the doctor and Megaman turned to Bass, who stared at them blankly. The doctor had just finished repairs on him when the alarm had sounded, Roll hurrying to lock down the entire fortress.
"What?" Bass asked innocently. The two continued to stare at him, giving each other meaningful glances. "Alright, alright! He's out looking for me! I stormed off on him, and now he's turning the whole city upside down in order to flush me out."
"I don't get it, Bass," Megaman shook his head, "why didn't Wily repair you from our battle?"
"We had a fight, a big fight. He threatened me, and refused to repair me because I'm 'incompetent' so I left. No doubt he's suddenly worried about me," Bass said bitterly, "one minute, I'm a waste of titanium and should be scrapped, the next, he needs my help. That old doddering fool."
"There's no time for that. Megaman, do you think you can fight Wily's robots off?" Dr. Light asked, pointing at the screen. The many Wily bots were causing major chaos, smashing things, setting them on fie, attacking civilians.
"Yes, once I fuse with Rush. Bass, where's Treble? Can you fuse with him? I really need your help." Megaman said, the look in his eyes hopeful.
"Whoa, I'm grateful for the repairs and everything, but I'm still your adversary. I don't do nice. I still work for doc Wily."
"But you just said..."
"I know what I just said," Bass interjected, "but regardless of that, I still work for him. One day he will learn to appreciate all I've done, one day."
"You have to do something! They're destroying the city, Bass! All this in search of you. Let them know your okay, go back home if you have to, I don't care. Just take the fight away from here!" Megaman replied, his patience wearing thin with the Wily bot.
"As you wish, Megaman. We will fight another day. Until then, I'll get the other robots to stop their attack." Bass complied, whistling for his robotic wolf-dog, and fusing with him. With that, he took off out of the lab, rounding up the robot masters as quickly as possible.


"Why did he leave?" Roll asked as Megaman and Dr. Light lounged in the office, the weary doctor sipping on his mocha latte, his hand trembling slightly.
"He had no other choice, Wily had laid siege to the entire city, we couldn't allow it to go up in smoke all for Bass' sake. Besides," Megaman added upon seeing the disappointment on Roll's face, "I'm sure he'll be back." Though I guarantee it won't be a happy reunion. He thought grimly, staring out the window. Fortunately, the city was only in minor need of repairs, and no one was seriously injured.
"Well, so long as he was okay, I guess it doesn't matter." Roll replied solemnly, looking at the grey thunder clouds that loomed over the many buildings in the distance.
"What's wrong, sis?" Mega finally asked, noticing the saddened expression on the female Light bots' face.
"It's- nothing..." she replied, her voice trailing off thoughtfully. It's everything! I'm in love with the most dangerous Wily bot ever created, and I barely know him! What's worse is, he's so rude and...obnoxious!
Megaman stared at his sister worriedly, but decided to shake it off. If something was wrong, Roll would tell him if and when she was ready to, and not before. With that, he leaned back in his chair, trying to relax before he set out to help repair the lightly damaged city.


Bass stood in Dr. Wily's main chambers, feeling oddly uncomfortable as the doctor continued his rambling and shouting. He was most displeased with the dark robot for taking off, and even more displeased that he had allowed himself to be repaired by his arch nemesis. "What were you thinking, going to Thomas like that?!" he chastised, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
"Well, I had to be repaired by someone, you know! I was losing too much fluid to go on much longer. And you were no help," Bass snapped, "had you given my repairs when I requested them, you wouldn't have had to search for me in the first place!"
The evil mastermind turned abruptly, his face deepening to an angry purple. "You had no right to leave this fortress! That's it! I'm resetting your programming. You will not go outside this base for a ten-yard radius! You are stuck here until I have further use of you!"
"What!? Are you out of your bloody mind?! If you really think I'm going to comply to this, you've got another thing, coming doc. I come and go as I please, end of story." Bass growled stubbornly.
"You will listen to me. Otherwise, you may find yourself in the trash compactor." Wily whispered menacingly.
"You've been saying that since the day I was made. I'll believe it when I see it," he then added curiously, "just how do you plan on reprogramming me? Do you really THINK I'm just gonna stand there and let you do it? Get real, doc!" he snorted, crossing his arms in defiance.
"Don't test me, Bass. I have my ways, and I suggest you shut your large trap, or you might find out sooner than you care to." Wily replied quietly, narrowing his eyes at the rebellious robot.
Bass only scoffed, and headed back to his quarters, settling down in his "bed" in an attempt to recharge. Wily's out of his league, he can't do anything to me. Besides, if he did, he wouldn't have me to help him conquer the world. He may not admit it, but he's nothing without his machines, nothing without me! He continued to fume until he finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.


When Bass awoke, it was nearly dawn. He decided to rise before the others, and headed into the control room. He looked at the screen, which displayed the main parts of the city, divided into four sections. All was still peaceful, not a plasma cannon in sight, no wreckage, no people running in the streets, screaming. It's so boring, Bass thought to himself, Wily's attack didn't even stir these people up. He shook his head, and headed out the door. Treble sauntered up to him from the woods, just getting back from one of his late night capers.
"Hey boy, you catch anything?" he greeted the wolf-dog, scratching behind his ears. Treble only whined appreciatively, and settled down on the ground. "Well, you can lie around here if you want, but I'm going out into the woods." Bass chuckled, turning on his heel. The robotic dog whined, staring at his master anxiously. "Then come with me." Bass replied irritably. Treble whined again, letting out a dog-like groan. "Okay, fine. Once you've recharged some, come look for me, you know where I'll be." Bass sighed, shaking his head. Sometimes, Treble was just like a new-born pup. So damn helpless. With that, Bass patted the dog one more time, and set off into the woods.


Roll was disappointed that Bass had departed so quickly. The ebony robot was so mysterious, and charming, and- Get a hold of yourself, Roll! He's a rude, obnoxious, crass...evil...handsome... No! I will NOT fall for him, no no, no! she scolded herself, getting up from her bed. "What I need, 'she said aloud, "is a little walk in the woods, it'll do me some good, get some oxygen into my brain. Wait, do I really call it a brain? Hm..." with that, Roll headed out of the lab, careful not to wake up her father or brother. Rush was lying in the hall, his eye lids half open. "Sh, don't let them know I'm going out, okay?" she told the red robotic dog, tiptoeing down the spiralling stairs. It was still pretty dark out, barely 5 a.m. The trees outside were casting dark shadows on the walls, making Roll edgy. Get a grip, they're just shadows! She told herself, gripping the oak banister tightly. She proceeded down the stairs, passing the main living room, where an over-stuffed couch and small, black set were visible from her standpoint. With a deep breath, she grabbed hold of the brass doorknob and quietly turned it. So far, so good. As she opened the door, it emitted a loud squeak, causing Roll to jump and suck in her breath. She listened for any stirring she might hear upstairs, but no one came. With a sigh of relief, she snuck out the door and headed into the green brush.


Bass had been snoozing peacefully when he heard the snapping of twigs directly behind him. He was resting on a flat boulder in the forest, completely relaxed. "Treble, is that you?" he called out, lifting himself up on his elbows.
A giggle emitted from the bush, Roll coming forth. "No, not Treble, just me." She replied.
Bass stared at the Light bot inquisitively, realizing just how pretty she was for the first time. "What are you doing all the way out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," she countered, "I came out here to think, I couldn't sleep."
"Me neither, Wily is really getting on my nerves lately. Um, I never got to properly thank you for the repairs, you did do most of the work, and you kept your promise." Bass flushed, turning his gaze to the rising sun in the east.
"Promise? Oh, it was nothing, really. It isn't our place to reprogram you if you don't want it. I had to respect your wishes." Roll replied, fidgeting where she stood, wringing her hands together.
Bass' gaze met hers, and for a moment, the two just stared into one another's eyes, completely entranced. Then Bass shook his head, and stammered, "Uh, you can sit down, if you want. I-I mean, you don't have to, but if y-you want to, you can...not that I'm in any position what-so-ever to tell you whether you can sit or not, but, w-well, you know.."
Despite her mixed feelings, Roll laughed, shaking her head. "Okay, I'll sit with you." She replied, still giggling.
"Great, now you're laughing at me." Bass muttered, blushing furiously.
"No, I'm not laughing at you, really. It was sweet of you to offer me a seat. You know," she added, batting her eye lashes, "you're kinda cute...for a Wily bot."
Bass chuckled, "I suppose I should take that as a compliment, missy?"
"Don't call me that," Roll laughed, "and yes, it's a compliment." She sat down, leaning back on her elbows as she stared up at the sky.
"So, you come out here much to think?" Bass inquired, settling back on his elbows as well, gazing at Roll tentatively.
"Not really, once or twice, maybe even three times. Why, do you come here a lot?" Roll turned onto her side so she was looking directly into Bass' fiery eyes.
"Yup, usually after a major battle with Wily...or your brother. I come out here to think a lot."
"If it isn't too personal, what about?" Roll inquired, searching his eyes for a trace of an answer.
"Well, a lot of things. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really happy with myself. I-I don't know if my destiny has any real meaning, and, I often wonder, if I fulfill all my duties according to plan, what will be left? What will be left of me?"
"I'm not sure I fully understand. What is your destiny, Bass?" Roll asked, fully interested in what he had to say. It wasn't everyday someone got Bass to open up to them, after all. And the fact that he put his trust fully into her, meant a lot more than even he knew.
"My mission, and only destiny, sadly enough, is to destroy your brother. It's what the doc programmed me for. But, should I fulfill my mission, Wily will have no further use for me, then what?"
"You think he'll scrap you, is that it?" Roll concluded. Bass nodded, and lay all the way back, staring at the lightened sky. "Bass, do you ever wonder why you haven't beaten my brother yet?"
"Because, as much as I hate to admit it, he's more powerful than me. Dr. Wily hasn't given me a decent upgrade for quite some time now."
"I don't think that's it, not fully. What if," Roll suggested, "it was because you subconsciously don't want to beat Rock. As you said, if you beat him, your mission is fulfilled, you'd most likely be scrapped."
"Do you really think that's why I haven't defeated him yet?" Bass raised an eyebrow, shifting into a sitting position.
"Well, I think it's part of the reason. Maybe you also want to be friends with him, just like Mega wants to be friends with you, but I'm not saying that's it," she added quickly as the black bot's eyes narrowed, "it could be a lot of things, you'll have to figure it out for yourself. I'd help, but I don't know what's going on in that noggin of yours." She playfully rapped on his helmet, letting out a nervous chuckle.
Bass relaxed, letting his famous canine-toothed grin split across his face. Suddenly, a rustling in the bushes got their attention, Roll gasping. "What was that?" she whispered, both their eyes falling to the right, where a steady growl was coming from. A purple wolf-dog leapt out of the bushes, letting out a soft whine.
"Treble! You scared us half to death! Where have you been,? I expected you an hour ago." Bass scolded, Treble putting his ears back.
"Aw, he's sorta cute." Roll commented, petting the dog carefully. Bass stared at her in amazement, his eyes darting between her an his loyal companion.
"Hey, what d'ya know? He must like you. If anyone else tried that without consulting me first, they'd have one less hand then they started out with."
"Is it good that he likes me?" Roll asked, her voice carrying a flirtatious edge.
"Maybe." Bass replied coyly, leaning in closer to the blue-eyed robot. His eyes closed, Roll leaning in as well. Their lips brushed, tingling. Bass plunged forward, their lips fully contacted, the kiss passionate and warm. Treble buried his nose in his paws, not at all intrigued by the lovey- dovey attitude he'd never seen in his master before. Their lips parted, both their eye lids half closed, smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths.
Suddenly, Roll looked panicked, and jumped off the boulder. "Oh, damn! I have to get back, they'll be looking for me by now!"
Bass leapt up too, and looked at her, feeling dejected, "When will I see you again?" he called, Roll beginning to run towards home.
She turned back, looking into his ruby eyes, feeling sorry for him. He probably thinks I'm leaving because of the kiss, I have to say something. "I don't know, but I hope soon. I really do," she called back, "you're okay, Bass. You really are. I like you." She smiled at him, winked, then took off like a bat out of hell, not sure of what to tell her brother or father what she had been doing out in the woods.