Disclaimer: I do not own the Megaman franchise...I own nothing...well, you get the point...
Megaman Legends: Love Heist
Legends Arc One: Elysium Rescue Arc
By Traingham
Episode Two: Welcome back to Reality
There was just something about traversing the flooded halls of an undersea ruins that could make a person realize some things. Now Tron knew that she basically thrust herself in to this situation by willingly taking the dip in to the undersea ruins with her Gustaff but why was Roll up on the surface doing nothing else but giving her directions and she was down her risking her life? Could this really be considered an equal effort when that blonde was safe and sound and she was in danger of being lunged at by the terrible reaverbots that guarded these halls?
"You owe me big time Megaman..." Tron muttered under her breath as she entered another corridor with her faithful servbot squad surrounding the Gustaff to protect their mother. So far there was no sign of any reaverbots but the pirate knew that they were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. She'd been on enough digs to know that these robots kept on getting smarter with each new "problem" that chose to brave the dark depths of their home.
"Well?" Tron tapped the red button on her headset to speak with Roll on the surface. "Have you gotten any suspicious activity yet? A giant red dot or something?"
"Nothing up here." Was Roll's reply. "Data says that Megaman's ruins is somewhere on the third basement level."
"Then we're close." Tron grinned as she pushed forward on the controls to get the Gustaff moving a bit faster. She had to admit that the thought of reaching her goal was exciting. The quicker she got what they needed, the quicker she could bring back Megama-NO! No, no, no! She was not getting excited over that idiot! Why would she want to bring back that dull witted guy anyway? All he'd do is run back to his manipulative blonde as soon as they brought him back anyway! "Oooooh! It really ticks me off to see him so cheerful whenever he hears "HER" voice."
"Is something the matter Tron?" Roll suddenly asked in her soft, soothing voice. It was the complete opposite of Tron's over energetic voice that Megaman had come to associate with the word "DANGER" or maybe even, "Oh my gawd. When do I ever get to just relax?"
"Nothing..." Tron replied calmly. She stopped the Gustaff when her and the servbots came to a large door with two rather sturdy bolts linking it shut. Obviously no one had ever gotten through this door for a while which brought up the question of just how did Barrel find Megaman? It was a good thing the girls didn't find out that the Guildmaster had an "annoying" little tunnel sealed off some time ago just about the time Megaman and Roll had been stranded on Kattleox...hint, hint... "Alright guys! Get to work!"
"Yes, Ms. Tron!" The servbots complied in unison before running to the door to get to work. They all began to melt the slots with their lasers until they heard the dull creak of the large steel door. Tron grinned with satisfaction and wrenched open the chamber door with the Gustaff's powerful arms. She praised her children to their delight and pushed on forward when suddenly she heard something cutting through the water at a frightening speed. "!"
"I'm on it!" Tron flipped on a switch on her right control and the Gustaff's dual cannons shifted in the reaverbot's direction. The marine monstrosity opened it's mouth and let out a metallic screech before zeroing in on Tron's position.
"Tron, I'm getting something on my radar!" Roll warned the pirate just as she let loose on the shark like reaverbot. The plasma shots that the dual cannons discharged bounced off the reaverbot's fortified armor and Tron was forced to lunge forward to grab ahold of it just before it could close it's razor sharp teeth around her Gustaff's midsection.
"Feisty, huh?" Tron taunted as the Gustaff's hands grabbed ahold of the Reaverbot's upper and lower jaw with a reverberating clank. She turned her attention away from her grappling match with her current opponent when she heard something else coming from the darkness. "Guys? Some assistance would be just great, ya know?"
"Yes Ms. Tron!" # 1 nodded as he switched on the lights mounted on both of his shoulder's. Tron inwardly wished he never did, however, when she realized that the shark reaverbot she was grappling with now was nothing in compare to the lobster-like reaverbot that was lumbering in their direction. "Number 28!" # 1 called to his comrade.
"Yes, number 1?"
"You're up!"
"Got ya!" # 28 nodded to # 14 and he mounted his grenade launcher on 28's shoulder as he stood behind him. #28 pulled the trigger and they both braced themselves for the powerful recoil when an explosive shell rocketed towards the large intimidating reaverbot that was still lumbering towards them. When the explosive shell made impact with the lobster reaverbot and it staggered until it crashed against the side of the chamber.
"HA!" Tron cried out when she was finally able to rip the shark reaverbot in two. She turned her attention to their other adversary, which was still recovering from the grenade and switched on the Gustaff's boosters to send herself jetting towards it. "Let's go!" The Gustaff's right arm turned in to a buster cannon and she proceeded to unload on the large reaverbot as her servbot's continued to bombard it with grenades. Tron kept her aim steady as she moved across the chamber until they finally subdued the titanic reaverbot.
"Alright! Good job guys!"
"Thank you, Ms. Tron!"
"But don't slack off just yet!" Tron immediately shot them down before they could completely bask in the good feeling that her praise offered them. They all moaned like little children at her stern words. "We've still got a lot of work to get done. There has to be more of those reavebots ahead if we met them here!" She had the Gustaff land on the floor again so she could head over to the door on the other side of the chamber. This one opened automatically when it sensed the presence of Tron's mech.
"How inviting..." Tron purred with a cat like grin. "Let's get moving guys!"
"Yes, Ms. Tron!"
[ Turning to Roll and Data up on the surface... ]
"ATTACK! YEAH, OH YEAH! TAKE THIS AND THIS AND-HUH? YOU WANT SOME TOO? DIE REAVERBOT SCUM! HYAAAA! NUMBER 24, WILL YOU DO THE HONORS?"
"YES, MS. TRON!"
Roll and Data cringed when some more battle cries followed along with some rather ear splitting explosions. They both heard the ominous metallic roars from the reaverbots that the lovely pirate was facing but they didn't last too long since another explosion usually followed afterward, marking their death. "GOOD JOB, GUYS! ONWARDS TO THE NEXT CHAMBER! WE CAN TAKE THESE MEASLY REAVERBOTS ON ANY TIME OF DAY!"
"Yes, Ms. Tron!" Came the reply of Tron's faithful servbots over the sound feed from the comm-link. Roll was relieved that her and Data were doing the spotting from one of the "Spotter Rooms" in one of the many Digger Guild's departments. The walls were sound proof so other diggers couldn't eaves drop on the discoveries of other digger teams but Roll lowered the volume just a tad bit so they wouldn't have to sit through all of Tron's yells and screams.
"She's even more trigger happy than Megaman!" Roll groaned as she ran both of her hands through her prickly blonde hair. After having to repair Megaman's overheated buster cannon a few times after every mission Roll started to pay attention to the nature of how Megaman would dispatch his enemies. Sometimes she wasn't sure if he knew what the meaning of "Over kill" was.
"Well...she is a pirate." Data remarked hesitantly as though he was afraid Tron might have heard him. She didn't seem to react well to most of the Pirate stereotypes out there. There was that one time that Roll was kidding around with Tron during one of their man attempts to bring back Megaman. She said something along the lines of, "ARRRGH" when Tron got frustrated and that only sent the Bonne in to another fit of annoyance.
"What's the progress so far?" Roll suddenly asked Data anxiously. "We are close to the chamber right? I don't know how much longer Megaman could possibly hold up in Elysium with all the time we've wasted!"
"Don't worry, Roll! Megaman isn't exactly human you know?" Data laughed lightly. "He just eats and drinks because he enjoys it." The mechanical monkey got the hint that Roll was no longer in the mood for leisure chit chat when he saw the frustrated expression on her face. "Um...well..." Data observed the radar and saw a large blue dot followed by a group of other blue small dots representing Tron and her servbots enter a room full of red dots representing the horde of reaverbots that were waiting patiently for them inside. "That isn't goo..." Data trailed off when more than half of the red dots disappeared seconds later; the sound of Tron's yells coming faintly from the comm-link.
"She seems to have everything under control." Roll mumbled when the remaining red dots disappeared as well. "It's a wonder how she isn't able to handle Megaman the same way she handles those reaverbots. Brutal doesn't describe it."
"Right..." Data stole a glance at Roll. It looks like her feelings for Tron weren't going to change anytime soon. "Increase the volume for a moment please."
"Alright." Roll did as she was asked and handed the communicator to Data.
"Ms. Tron!" Data addressed the pirate.
"Yeah? What is it?" Tron asked, sounding a little out of breath from her blood thirsty cries of battle.
"In the chamber beyond the one you are about to enter you must access the door on your left! The one on the right and the other side of the next chamber will trap you in an elevator that will force you back up to the second basement level!"
"Thanks for the warning! By the way..." Tron trailed off to wait for a response from Roll.
"Yeah, Tron?" Roll asked.
"Are there anymore signs of Reaverbots?"
[ Turning back to Tron... ]
"The radar isn't giving me anymore readings." Roll replied over the comm-link in the cockpit of the Gustaff.
"That's too bad." Tron sounded a little disappointed. "Well, it can't be helped!" Tron pushed forward on the controls to get the Gustaff moving again toward the other side of the chamber so they could enter the next room ahead. Her lips curled in to a small smile as she pictured the debt Megaman would be in for her help. She wasn't going to let him off that easy when they brought him back from Elysium. "Your services for my services Blue boy..." Tron's voice took on a libidinous tone as her eyes twinkled with mischief. She crossed over to the next room and headed for the door on the left just as Data told her...or was it the right? "...It was the left." Tron mumbled to herself, making her decision.
The door opened for her to reveal a descending corridor. She had one of the servbots shine a light in to the darkness making one last chamber door visible. "Ah! There we are." Tron gasped with delight.
"That's the passage to Megaman's old resting chamber! I'm not sure if there are any traps set so be careful!" Data warned Tron.
"Why would there be traps set around here for?" Tron quirked an eyebrow in puzzlement.
"Megaman committed treason against the Eden system! He would need something to protect him while he recovered if the Mother Units managed to find him."
"...Now you tell me." Tron sighed. "Stay alarmed guys!" She ordered her servbot team.
"Yes Ms. Tron!"
Roll turned to Data when he was done speaking with Tron. There was just something wrong about all of this. What exactly did her grandfather have to go through to find Megaman anyway? Why didn't he mention any of this to her. He simply said that he found the young hero resting in some pod. "Data...what exactly is going on? Didn't my grandfather already pass through there?"
"I don't recall what route he took to find Megaman. My systems weren't activated until Megaman woke up." Data explained before the comm-link went on without warning.
"So far so good!" Tron said confidently.
Tron and the servbots reached the very bottom of the corridor without tripping any unfortunate traps. What ever system Megaman installed, it sure wasn't too effective. "Let's see now..." Tron had the Gustaff's scanners lock on to a control panel beside the chamber door. It seemed simple enough. All she needed was a code to access the chamber judging from the numbers on the key pad. Her Gustaff's bulky fingers wouldn't be able to do the job but one of her servbot's should be able to handle that little problem easily enough. "Hey Data!"
"Yes?"
"Is there some sort of code to enter the chamber?"
"...Erm...let me search through my memory!" The line went silent for a moment as Data did a scan through his memory files leaving Tron to look back at the last obstacle in her way. She tapped the armrest of her piloting seat impatiently as the wait started to stretch from a mere few seconds to a few minutes.
"HEY! Aren't you done yet?" Tron cried out.
"...I'm, um...getting something!"
"Then go ahead already."
"0700700!"
"Huh?" Tron felt a little let down by the simplicity of the code. "Are you sure that's it?" When Data confirmed it she stroked her chin with one hand and thought about it. Why was this bothering her so much? "Whatever." Tron shrugged her shoulders and had number 2 step up to input the code.
"I'm on it!" # 7 saluted to her and floated over to the control panel to input the code. The panel read out the numbers on the screen in a sexless voice and went silent for a moment before confirming, "ACCESS GRANTED." Vents opened on the walls in the corridor to drain the passage of water and Tron heard a series of doors opening behind the chamber door in their way before the main chamber door allowed them entry. Tron made the Gustaff curl tightly before having it roll forward through the narrow passage made fit for a person. The servbots were able to traverse the passage easily because of their size so it wasn't a problem.
"I'm here!" Tron's eyes went wide with wonder when she entered the main chamber. It was enormous! The interior was dome like with some type of alloy lined over the walls for protection from the pressure of the water outside. In the very center there was a cracked pod where Megaman had supposedly been resting in before Barell opened it by force judging from it's condition. "It seems to be safe in here..." Tron opened the hatch for the Gustaff and climbed out with a sigh of relief. It felt good to get out of there. "...Let's see." Tron jumped down, landing on her feet lightly before she proceeded to approach the damaged pod with her servbot squad.
"This is Megaman's old home?" #28 asked curiously.
"I don't really get it either but...I guess so." Tron answered, sounding a bit unsure of the words that left her mouth. Teisel would have been like a child in a candy store if he was in here with her. The technology in this chamber was unlike anything she had seen before. The floor was constantly glowing and fading from the series of energy networking to keep the pod functional. Hanging wires were crackling from the top of the ceiling and a large control panel was stationed in the far right corner of the chamber. "...What is that?" Tron saw some words blinking on the base foundation of the pod.
...PURIFIER UNIT TRIGGER RELEASED...ELDER FACTION CLASS...RESTORATION DISTRUPTED...SEARCHING...SEARCHING...SEARCHING...
"Trigger?" Tron spoke Megaman's name softly. "What is this system searching for?"
"Ms. Tron!" #1 brought her out of her thoughts.
"Yeah?" Tron placed a hand on her hip as she turned her head to face him.
"We've discovered another passage!"
"Really?" Tron took a moment to glance back at the scrolling message again before she went to check out the other passage. "...It leads up." Tron observed astutely, looking through the passage. The passage gate was unlocked by someone before but at the end of the passageway there was cement. "...Someone blocked it off."
"What's the matter Tron?" Roll's voice came from Tron's headset.
"...I've accessed the chamber...but..."
"But?"
"There's something really creepy about this place."
"What about it?"
"Well..." Tron shook the feeling off quickly. "Never mind about that." Tron turned to her servbots, "Prepare the Gustaff for excavation! We're going to take a look underground!"
"Yes, Ms. Tron!" The servbots went off to do as she ordered.
"Ms. Tron! Are you alright?" Data asked.
"Yeah...I'll tell you all about this later." Tron slipped on her goggles. "It's time to get down to business."
[ Setting our sights on Elysium... ]
Yuna watched on from afar with Sera as Megaman transferred all of the energy sustaining his life in to the titanic form of Sera's former shell. Yuna clutched both of her hands against her chest tightly from watching the young hero go through with the exhausting process or at least it looked exhausting from the way Megaman was breathing. His breaths sounded shallow as the sweat trailed down his forehead. Exhausting wasn't even the word to describe what he was feeling right now. It didn't do the excruciating pain that was replacing the life in his body any justice. He felt as though his very soul was being ripped away from his body forcefully, which oddly enough was the one thing he found himself contemplating as he spent his last moments fading away.
Do I have a soul to call my own or am I just another machine like those reaverbots? Megaman found himself thinking back to the time he had come to search for the final key to Elysium. He had to ask permission from the priest first. He remembered donating to the church and receiving the priest's blessings.
Do...I...have...a soul? Does Sera or Yuna have a soul? Did the Master give me a soul or am I just another creation? Megaman fell to his knees but he kept his hand pressed against Sera's shell. He started to pant now as his chest began to constrict along with his throat.
"It's happening..." Sera said as she watched the color slowly drain from Megaman's hair. The brown slowly dissipated to be consumed by the color of pure white snow. "He's giving away his final reserve of energy."
"MEGAMAN!" Yuna cried out but Sera placed a hand in front of her fellow unit to keep her from approaching the purifier unit. "Why won't you allow him to stop? Hasn't he given up enough already?"
"You're allowing your emotion to get the best of you. This is why such things are not meant for us." Sera said coldly but the lone tear that was threatening to slip down her face betrayed that.
"Sera!" Yuna turned a fierce glare upon her but it didn't seem to phase her.
"Hey." Megaman called to both of them faintly. "Hey...can you hear me?"
"Trigger?" Sera stepped forward to hear him out. Yuna followed closely to stand beside him as well. "You wanted to tell us something?"
"Yeah..." Megaman nodded weakly. "I want you to explain everything...to my friends...I..." Megaman paused as if to consider his next words. "I don't...want them to get worried."
"Megaman-"
"Wait..." Megaman cut Yuna off. "I'm not finished..."
"Go on." Sera urged him on.
"I want you to tell Roll...that I'm sorry for leaving her like this...I promised her...tell her..." Megaman found himself shedding tears. "...That I never meant for it to be this way...I still want...to help her with so much..." Megaman closed his eyes and began to sob."So, so much...but I'm not sure if that will be possible...after I lose my memory...I don't know how I'll behave towards her!"
"Calm down." Sera told him.
"But I can't! I...can't calm down!"
"You'll waste your energy faster if you don't Trigger."
"Just tell her...I'm sorry...and Tron. Tell Tron that I'm...sorry too." Megaman steadied himself. "She'll probably get mad but...I hope she'll understand. I-I know she'll understand..." He found himself fading and Yuna could see the light that filled his brilliant eyes slowly dull from it's emerald green to a dead gray. "And tell her to please...please make the right choices. I don't want...her to be a criminal..." Megaman finally released his hold on the shell and fell backwards. Sera and Yuna were immediately down on the floor beside him to hold his hands.
"Forgive me..." Megaman said softly.
"You've already been forgiven Trigger." Sera told him.
"No...It's my fault that Geetz and Gatz are dead..."
"No." Yuna cooed to him soothingly. "They fought to protect us til the end. They did their duty and you did yours."
"I just feel...guilty." Megaman turned his head to the side before he spoke his final words. "I just want to...make everything right again..." Yuna threw herself against him with tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close as she buried her face in to his shoulder. She knew he would come back but he wouldn't be the same person she had grown to become fond of over the time she had known him before this entire mess.
"Well..." Yuna looked to Sera furiously. "He made his sacrifice."
"Yuna..." Sera began but Yuna didn't give her time to speak any further.
"Just do what you must already!" Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. "Do it now!"
[ Turning back to Roll and Tron's situation... ]
Roll polished off the sweat on her forehead with her hand before going back to work on the engine with her wrench. Tron was busy with her two brothers plating the exterior of the shuttle with the assistance of Bleucher's men. Everyone was surprised to find that both girls had actually set their differences aside and worked together successfully enough to attain the parts needed to reach Elysium, however, they wasted no time with questions. Megaman had been stranded up in space for a while and they weren't about to add on to that time because of their shock.
Soon enough the sun started to sink into the horizon and late hours had begun to take its course over the blue sky, gradually coloring it with the darkness of the evening . The stars glittered in the night sky along with the blinking lights from the space station high above them and the sounds of construction had yet to die out. Commands were barked out at the busy workers and the metallic screams from the equipment they used contributed to the undying racket. After Roll was done putting on the finishing touches to her engine with Tron's help they both configured it to the shuttle for some tiring hours before finally taking a breather while the other workers continued to modify the armored plates of the shuttle.
"We're almost there." Roll moaned, entering one of the many tents that were set up near the Shuttle construction site with Tron.
Both girls took a seat at the inviting table waiting for them inside and relaxed. Their bodies were aching from all the work and quite frankly they looked a mess. Roll's hair was frizzled and damp from all of the sweat earned from her hard work and her clothes were ruined from the grease and oil smudged on her during her maintenance. Tron was no different from her damp hair which fell past her shoulders since she didn't bother to tend to her hairstyle while she was on her shift. Her clothes weren't looking too good either with the sludge that was smudged all over her as well. The pirate undid some of the buttons on her shirt to cool off and she slumped in her chair with an exhausted sigh, her chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm.
"Megaman will be surprised to find out that we did all of this together." Tron giggled. Had anyone just met both of the girls they would not have known the animosity that was once shared between them. Of course, this truce was only temporary and was only destined to wither out as soon as Megaman was back on Terra.
"No..." Roll grinned as she imagined Megaman's smiling expression when he would see her waiting for him as he walked out of the shuttle. "...I'm sure he would have expected us to join forces."
"You think so?" Tron was surprised to hear those words come out of her rival's mouth but it made her feel some warmth inside to hear that Megaman would have faith in her. Maybe when he stepped out of the shuttle he would have a smile in reserve for her. And then I'll spend our time together telling you about how I risked my life for you. Maybe she would even be able to make him pledge his life to her. Oh, what a pleasure that would be for Tron! "I don't know what to do when I see him again..."
"Well, I do." Roll said confidently. "I'll hug him tight and have a nice dinner prepared for him!" Roll neglected to mention that Megaman was the cook on the flutter. Every time she had her occasional chance to cook she either ordered take out or whipped up something nearly toxic, but Tron definitely didn't need to know anything about that.
"You cook?" Tron sounded a bit skeptical.
"W-well, of course I do!" Roll blushed before returning the look and asking, "Do you cook?"
"Yeah." Tron answered casually. "What do you expect? I have two brothers to feed."
"Oh...yeah..." Roll slid her right hand up and down her left arm when an awkward silence followed. Maybe this wasn't the right subject to pick up on. "So...what are you going to do after this?"
"You mean after we bring Megaman back?"
"Yeah."
Tron crossed her arms and thought about her question. Teisel told her that they needed to gather another crack load of zenny to rebuild the Gesellchaft again so that'll most likely be the next thing on her "To do" list. That means I'll be pulling off some jobs again since Teisel's clothing store isn't doing so well on it's own. I wonder if that means I'll also be facing off against Megaman again just like old times. He always manages to show up whenever I'm in the middle of business. For some reason the thought made her grin. Despite the usual outcome of her duels with Megaman she always enjoyed her meetings with him. It was always exciting for her and it pushed her through the limits to try even harder to best him whenever they had another rematch.
She blinked a few times when she realized that Roll was still waiting for an answer and shoved her thoughts aside. "I'll just be on my way again." She answered.
"Really?" Roll tried to sound disappointed but Tron saw through her ploy.
"Yeah...I mean it's not like I have a place here with you Casketts."
"I guess not."
"But maybe..." Tron decided to do a little messing around with the blonde engineer. "...If Megaman begs me to stay I'll consider it. He owes me for risking my life in the Nino ruins anyway."
"Well you don't have to worry about that!" Roll retorted quickly. She inwardly cursed herself when she let that one slip out. Maybe she said that a little too forcefully.
"What do you mean by that?" Tron raised an eyebrow. She caught Roll when she averted her eyes and scowled. "Does it bother you that Megaman just might want me to stay around?"
"Well, why would he?" Roll shot back.
"You never know! Maybe he's got a thing for me!"
"For you?"
"Yeah! I'm a whole lot more appealing than you!"
"Don't even dream of it!"
Data stood outside the tent eaves dropping on both girls as their calm conversation exploded with shouts and insults. He knew this little peace between them wasn't going to last very long. It was only a matter of time before the subject of Megaman got them both fired up again. Data looked up at Elysium and it's blinking lights for a moment with a laugh. "At least we have what we need now. Those girls can't set us back any longer."
[ The Next Day... ]
The shuttle departed for the space colony of Elysium as soon as it struck dawn. Bleucher, Barrel, and Teisel decided to take the mission with Data as their guide since Roll and Tron were definitely the wrong candidates for the rescue operation. Bon stayed with Tron to keep her calm while she awaited their arrival and Roll was sitting on the roof of the Flutter in wait. After their fight last night, both girls had not been on good terms again. The tension was simply overwhelming whenever Tron and Roll managed to be present in the same room and it did well to unsettle everyone around them.
"Today is the day." Roll whispered.
"He'll be here today..." Tron thought aloud.
"What will I do?" Roll felt discouraged. "What will I say?"
"Should I stay when he comes back?" Tron laid against the green grass of the hillside facing the launch site with Bon standing beside her. "I don't know what to do anymore."
"Huh?" Roll saw a flicker in the sky and stood up. "Is that them?"
"Is that them?" Tron saw the flicker from the hillside as well.
"IT IS THEM!" They both cried out aloud. Roll rushed down from the Flutter to reach the landing site while Tron rushed from the hillside to do the same. Bon tried to keep up with his older sister, but the lovely pirate seemed to be compelled by some unseen force as her legs became too blurry to even make out at the speed she was sprinting. Roll skidded down the hill and turned her attention to Tron when she realized that she wasn't alone in this welcoming party. The blonde engineer narrowed her eyes imperceptibly at Tron as her rival did the same and sprinted for all she was worth.
"You're not going to one up me..." Tron growled under her breath. She looked to the gate that blocked entry in to the landing site before stealing one last glance at Roll. "I'm gonna make it first!" She managed to put some distance between Roll and herself, reaching the gate, but her hands were trembling so hard with excitement that it was a challenge in itself to get it open.
Come on, come on! Not now! Tron looked over her shoulder to check on Roll's progress as her hands fumbled with the I.D recognition swipe. She swiped the card uneasily and fumed when she realized that she had been swiping her I.D on the wrong side the entire time. "Come on..." Tron grinned when she finally got it right, however...
"Ha, ha!" Roll cried out triumphantly as she rushed right past Tron when the gate opened for her.
"What the he-" Tron snapped out of her stupor and pumped her legs for all they were worth. She looked up to see the shuttle coming in fast and came to a skidding halt. That didn't look too good. "It's gonna crash!" Tron saw Roll come to a halt as well before turning on her heel to come running back.
"Brace yourself!" Roll warned. Tron opened her mouth to respond, but moments later she was thrown back when the shuttle made impact! Bon, who had been pursuing them all along caught his sister before she shot past him with one arm and caught Roll with the other arm. He stood his ground against the shock waves as they passed through and finally relaxed when it was all over.
"L-let me go!" Tron demanded, flailing her legs and arms.
"Babuuu?" Bon asked skeptically.
"Yeah! Let me down!" Tron demanded a final time before Bon obeyed her. As soon as her feet touched the ground she was off running again. "Hold on to Roll!" With that she was a mere speck in the distance.
"WHAT?" Roll fumed. "Let me go Bon!"
No response...
"NOW!"
Bon looked to the side...
"...P-please! Don't do this to me! I need to see Megaman!" Roll pleaded with tears stinging her eyes. Bon found himself submitting to the girl's wishes, setting her back down on her feet, but- "Thanks a bunch, sucker!" Roll was suddenly herself again as she made a dash for the crash site, leaving Bon to stand there reflecting over what he had just done. Yeah...Tron was seriously going to have her way with him when she got back. On the bright side...wait, no...there was no bright side to that.
"Babu Babuu." Bon turned around and started to make his escape. At least he could hold off his punishment for a day or two; just enough time for Teisel to convince Tron to let him off the hook. Right now aforementioned pirate had neared the crash site with Roll following not far behind. The crater, surprisingly enough, wasn't as big as she expected it to be. Half of the shuttle was buried underneath the rubble and mass of concrete and dirt, but the hatch was above ground at an odd angle so as to allow those who were inside to get out.
"Hey!" Roll yelled at Tron but her anger fizzled away when she heard the roaring engines of some trucks behind her. She whipped around just in time for two trucks to rush past her along with a group of medics and Bleucher's men. Two ambulances accompanied by a few jeeps followed, kicking up a cloud of dust in their wake. "That was fast." Roll turned back to the crash site as the shuttle was hosed down. "Are they alright?"
The hatch was forcibly removed and the medic and rescue squad entered the shuttle to bring everyone out. The first was Teisel who had been covered in soot. His eyes were blazing with fury as the medics hauled him out and he broke away from them. "W-where's Tron? Get Tron away from here!" He bellowed. "Get her away from here now!"
"Teisel?" Tron ran to her older brother. "What's going?" She supported Teisel since his footing was a bit uneven.
"N-nothing!" Teisel replied quickly as he pointed ahead. "W-why don't we just meet everyone up at Roll's Flutter, huh?"
"Don't be crazy!" Tron let go of Teisel's arm, almost causing him to fall over and ran to the shuttle where the squad of Medics were tending to the crew.
"Tron!" Teisel called out to her, but she ignored him. Then to make matters worse Roll ran past him. "Roll!" He cried, reaching out to her to stop her from getting any closer to the shuttle, but his voice fell to deaf ears. Well, this wasn't going to do anything now was it? The older Bonne slumped over and covered his ears to spare himself of what was to follow next.
"Roll!" Barrell called to his granddaughter when he saw her approaching them. "Return to the Flutter!"
"What do you mean, grandpa? I want to see Megaman!" Roll demanded. "You brought him ba-"
"HEY!" Roll and Barrel turned their attention to the source of the scream to see Tron being carried away by some of the rescue personnel. "Let me go! What's wrong with him?" She kicked her legs to break free, but the men holding her were much stronger than she was and kept a firm hold around her waist and shoulders.
That was all it took to send the blonde engineer into panic, "Megama-"
"No Roll..." Barrel held her back with a hand when she moved forward. "Just meet us at the Flutter."
"No-"
"Now!" The retired digger ordered her harshly. "Why won't you listen, girl? I'm telling you thins for your own..." He stopped in mid-sentence when Bleucher placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, old friend." Bleucher told him calmly. "You can't hide him from her forever." He turned to Roll to give her a confirming nod and the blonde engineer ran past them.
"She'll be devastated." Barrel muttered.
Roll pushed through the medics and the workers that were crowded around the shuttle and gasped when she saw Sera and Yuna. Sera was in her respective body, restored to its original form and Yuna was in her own body as well, holding Matilda in her arms. From the looks of it the older woman was still unconscious.
"M-mom?" She rushed over to Yuna and her mother. "Mom! Are you alright?"
"She is still in a comatose state, dear." Yuna informed her. "She should come out of it within a few days. It's been a long time since I've been in my own body."
"And y-you?" Roll turned a confused look upon Sera who stared back at her with mild interest. " What are you still doing here?"
"You mean why am I not dead?" Sera asked coldly. "I see now that Trigger's intention was never to kill me. That is the reason I still stand before you now."
"And Megaman? W-where is he?" Roll tried to steady her heartbeat, but both Mother unit's stayed silent without offering an answer to her question. This welled up a deep fear in Roll and she clenched both of her hands at her sides before asking again, "Where is Megaman?"
Yuna turned her head slightly, avoiding her eyes...
"Megaman!" Roll demanded again, throwing down her fist nervously, "Where is Megaman!"
"You see, dear-"
"Don't call me that! Where is Megaman?" Roll cut Yuna off angrily.
"He's here." Sera answered. "They must be bringing him out of the shuttle right now." She saw Roll start off for the shuttle and quickly added, "However!" Roll stopped dead in her tracks. That was definitely not a comforting thing to hear. "You may not like what you see."
"What...are you..." Roll died off in the middle of her sentence and shook her head. She clutched her hands to her chest and continued to shake her head before crying out, "NO! No, no, no!" She turned away from both mother unit's and walked quickly to the shuttle. "M-megaman! Megaman, answer me!"
"Megaman!" Tron joined in with Roll's cries for the young hero. "You answer me right now! Hey-" Tron pushed pass a few more medics until she finally reached the hatch where two medics were carefully pulling out some white-haired youth. Who else had they brought along with them? "Mega..." Tron regarded the young man's face intensely. Her eyes wandered over the blue armored suit that he had on and she almost lost it. "Megaman? Megaman, is that you?"
"Keep clear, miss." One of the Medics told Tron as they cleared a path for a stretcher. They laid Megaman on it and buckled him down before they started to wheel him away in the direction of the ambulances. Roll caught a glimpse of him as well and held her hands over her mouth in utter horror. What had gone on up there in Elysium all this time? Why was his hair the color of snow and more importantly why wasn't he conscious? Both girls could not begin to fathom what was happening at that moment, but there was one thing that they heard that almost sent their worlds crashing down on them.
"What's the status on Megaman?" The chief leader of the Medical team asked.
"He isn't breathing sir."
...He isn't breathing...
...He isn't breathing?
...He wasn't dead...there was no way that Megaman could have been dead...
He wasn't dead...Megaman couldn't die...
Right?
...Right?...
To Be Continued...