Chapter 2
The red-haired news anchor on the holovision was obviously shaken. So unprofessional. Nancy Goff thought, sitting on edge, in her Beverly Hills estate.
"And in more somber news," The anchor began, "the death toll of last week's domestic terrorist attack closed today at seventy-four. Among the brave servicemen and women who lost their lives was Secretary of Defense, Frank Willis, who was heartlessly assassinated by his predecessor, Tracy Bonne." She took a moment to let the images of Marsh and Fairday load on her side-panel. "Two of the attackers were killed in the assault, but a number of the rest are still at large." She cleared her throat, as two more images loaded. "Including the suspected leaders of the attack, Cameron Radcliffe, the step-daughter of Tracy Bonne; and android extremist Alex Light, known to all as 'Megaman'..."
Nancy clicked the holo away, lighting a cigarette. She was forced to return home before her career savings had dried up for her "special" security team. She rolled her eyes, "Jerry, I can feel you hovering. The least you can do is bring me a drink." She said, over her shoulder, to her housekeeper.
"I'm afraid Jerry is no longer with us." A rugged voice replied.
She spun on her heels, reaching for the pistol in her end table. Only to have a fusion bolt erupt inches from her fingers. The man before her was in good physical condition, but clearly mentally shattered. Over his thick, dark beard were three, jagged, vertical scars that ran up his cheek and forehead over his right eye. His eyes themselves could only be described as "void", the kind she knew never bluffed. "What have you done to Jerry?" She asked, nervously, raising her hands.
"Poison." He said with no emotion. The gun never wavering. He pulled four empty hypodermic needles from his pocket, tossing them to the floor. "The dogs too." He added, watching her eyes well up as she listened for any sign of them.
Nancy's eyes grew wide. "Wait, I recognize you." She said quietly. "The scientist, from the news."
He nodded slowly, "Yes." He mocked, "The scientist, from the news."
"Bryson Oldman." Nancy confirmed. "Those people, it's not what it seems. You aren't the monster the news thinks you are. And you want to tell your story." She guessed. "You were taken, tortured, experimented on. But you miraculously got free." Her head lowered. "And like everyone else, you blame me."
Bryson rolled his eyes. "Give up your shitty psychologist act. You couldn't be more wrong." He stepped forward, angrily. "I am the monster everyone thinks I am. I was created by Megaman, the second he trapped me and the others sixty feet under ground. All to save one of Wily's creations."
"I can help you." She whispered, shakily.
"You can help me?" He scoffed. "Night after night, we were all wondering who would break next. Who we would have to fight off, or kill to keep from starving." He was standing in her face now. "This scar." He said pointing to his cheek. "My fiance was the last I killed. "She tried to claw at my eye while I beheaded her. She didn't have a lot of meat left on her, but I needed the energy to climb the shaft and escape."
Goff was horrified. "What do you want with me?" She whispered.
"Bait." He responded simply.
Aboard The Phantom
Trevor sat, staring at the holomap, not sure how any entity could follow or make sense of the flickering colors and numbers. "Is any of this helpful?" He asked the android version of his mother, who was eerily designed younger than himself. He didn't think he would ever get used to that.
"Means shit to me." She replied, raising her eyebrows. "But he seems to read it like a child's book." Tron said, motioning to Zero, who stared intently scanning the globe.
"The readings are all small-functioning fusion-driven devices." Zero said, still looking. "I can determine their origin from the map that reads off my core chip, and if close enough I can manipulate the fusion itself and determine the source of it's device's controller."
"One of the 'mysterious' abilities of The Atlas that we continue to learn about." Tron said, ruffling her hair.
Zero looked over to her, pushing a lock of his blonde hair behind his ear. "It's better that you all understand my capabilities, because Megaman inherited the same when he synced our chips." He looked back to the map. "That way we have a better chance to kill him when we find him."
"That's not acceptable." X said walking in. "We can still stop him and bring him back."
"Preston, you know as well as I do that artificial intelligence cannot be altered.." Zero stated to his old friend. "You can override and add new knowledge, but not erase. We can't take a risk of relapse."
The young Preston Light was obviously frustrated. "Still the same Curtis Wily. Bent on killing everything. He is my son! You've already killed him once!"
Zero stood up slowly. "First, I am not Curtis Wily, regardless of my mold. Second, I did not kill your son, the madman you compare me to did that. And lastly, none of us are those people. Wily, Preston, and Alex are long dead, in graves." The two men looked at each other for a brief moment, before Zero went back to his map. "We were best friends once, Preston."
"And bitter enemies." X added.
"Exactly." Zero said. "Let's start anew from where our predecessors left. Right now, Alex is lost. Let's make a decision when the time comes." He said looking up, and extending a hand.
Preston thought for a moment, before walking forward and taking Zero's hand.
"I hate to interrupt some kind of moment, or anything," Slate said, barging in, "but some shit's happening."
The four exchanged puzzled looks before joining the others in the Lounge. Huddled around the holovision an aura of tension could be felt, and the anger on Cammy's face was unmistakable. "The nerve, of this useless gash!" She shouted, fixing her glare on the frozen image of Nancy Goff.
"What, exactly, are we looking at here?" X asked as Tron walked up putting a hand on Cammy's shoulder.
"See for yourself." Cole responded. "This video was released a few minutes ago to every news station." He added, restarting the recording.
"People of America," Goff began, intensely, "for the past eighteen months I have been living under constant scrutiny due to my documentary. Over the past four months I have been forced into hiding by the very traitors I exposed. I'm finished living in fear. A large number of you may hate me and threaten me for what I've uncovered, but in the end, I was right. The Bonne-Radcliffes, lead by their treasonous and vile mother, have spit in the face of all of us, and waged war on the people of this country." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm finished being your scapegoat. I'm opening my gates and doors to any of you, human or not, who thinks they can be the one to shut me up. I'll be waiting."
The team was silent with shock, unsure of what they had just witnessed. "That is insane." Tron said. "Is she being literal?"
Cammy, without looking or missing a beat, clicked to the live feed from a hover drone. The gates to the estate stood wide open. The police had taken it upon themselves to blockade the entrance where dozens of angry people had already gathered.
"Cam, should we do something?" Slate asked.
Still staring at the holo, she replied, "Nothing we can do. No matter what happens there, she wins. As 'domestic terrorists' all we can do is watch."
Bunker 268
Sigma was quite pleased at the large variety of tools he had to work with. He took a few moments to admire the workspace before approaching the two bodies, fully wrapped in steel cables. He tapped on the one to the right, causing it to squirm violently, with muffled grunts. "Hey, hey!" He snapped back. "I'm about to cut the cables covering your head. So hold still." He told the body, as he revved a spinning diamond blade saw.
"Sig!" Megaman shouted over the screeching of the metal, interrupting him.
Sigma sighed, turning around. "Yes, my lord." He responded sarcastically.
"Agile, Violen and I have something we need to tend to in California. Can I trust you here with them?" He asked, nodding to the bodies.
"Nothing out there interests me at the moment." Sigma replied. "So yeah, I'll behave. But I'm a little offended that you aren't inviting me to take part in the fighting adventures."
Megaman grinned slightly. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun here." He assured the android. "Every week or so the military tries to retake this bunker. They up the ante each time, but you should be fine if the stories I hear are true."
"Hold on a second," Sig said, putting up a finger. "You're hideout is a United States military bunker?"
"Former United States military bunker." Megaman corrected. "It's ours now."
"And I'm the crazy one." Sigma muttered, resuming the removal of the cables, as Megaman departed.
The steel cords fell loose, revealing the android's face and long, blood-red hair. "Get the fuck away from me!" Gerard shouted up at him. "You have no idea what kind of shit storm you're in for when my friends find me!"
Sigma stared at him with a raised eyebrow, "'Captain' Helix?" He said, mostly to himself, rubbing his bald head. "What the hell have I missed?" Sigma asked, smirking.