Chapter Two
Rhythm Emotion
The right half of his face felt as if it was on fire, vision blurred and red, probably from his own blood pooling into his eye. His left hand was unsteadily keeping the upper half of his body off the floor as his right hand cradled his throbbing face. If he was struck again while his hand was in the way, it would likely break some of the artificial bones in his hand, but he almost preferred that to being struck in the head again.
"I knew it was a mistake to give you the chance to prove your worth," came the harsh voice above him which he dared not look up to lest he be struck again. "I should have destroyed your soul and made a new one the second I found out what you are - one of the most worthless classes Isis ever created!" He didn't respond to the verbal abuse despite how much it hurt. He knew doing so would earn him more pain. "Look at me!" He bit back a whimper and reluctantly did so only to choke back a cry as the weapon - a piece of a pipe, he suspected - struck the other, previously uninjured side of his face. He felt something crack under that blow, and it took all of his willpower to keep himself from curling into a ball at his tormentor's feet.
"Why I continue to bother putting up with you, I don't know," the snarling voice continued. "You're worthless against Rock, worthless in your missions, worthless even in the practice field!" He froze when he felt cold metal at the underside of his chin which forced him to look back up into cold, hateful eyes. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
He choked on his words, trying desperately to think of something which would not anger his tormentor further. "I-I..." he stammered after a brief, tense moment. "I t-tried...m-my best-"
"And it wasn't good enough!" The metal was taken from his chin and brought down upon him again.
Forte's eyes snapped open, and a hand flew of its own accord to his left cheek as if to protect it as his eyes darted around the room to search for who or what had assaulted his dreams. Shivering and wiping cold sweat from his forehead, he slowly lowered his hand and sat up, forcing himself to calm down. Glancing to his left, he saw Rock sleeping peacefully, curled up with one arm tucked underneath his pillow, a small amount of blood staining his bandages.
Forte stood and walked shakily toward the tiny bathroom, his breathing coming out in ragged gasps, shoulders heaving. Closing the door so as not to disturb Rock, Forte cast the spell to light the three torches on the walls to illuminate the room, looking at himself in the looking glass, at his wide eyes, at his sweat-drenched and tear-stained face. The nightmare and many similar others plagued him every night, but he still had not grown accustomed to it, still acting upon instinct to protect himself until fully awakened.
Forte shook his head, growing angry with himself for still being affected by something that had happened four years past. The first two years after had been the worst -- the nightmares had plagued him every time he closed his eyes to sleep, but it had gotten better during the last two, allowing him a few hours of sleep before awakening him. Despite his anger with himself, however, he still unconsciously rubbed his right cheek and eye as if to make sure they were still fully intact.
He sat on the stool, resting his chin on his folded hands as he thought over the last night's events in an attempt to distract himself, to divert his thoughts from the source of his nightmares. His thoughts trailed to the sleeping form in the other room - Rock seemed so helpless, his eyes filled with dying hope, not caring if he lived or died anymore. Forte could not imagine what Rock had seen during the past three years which could kill him inside like that. He did not entirely know how Roll, Rush, and Beat died nor where Dr. Light or Tango might be hiding, if they were even still alive. It was the one thing that kept Rock going - the small, minute chance that his creator may still be alive somewhere away from Dr. Wily's tyranny and destruction.
Forte sighed. Despite how he used to feel about Rock, he hated seeing the smaller robot so depressed and hopeless, and he knew the morning would be followed by Rock leaving to fight again. Leaving to fight his brother.
Forte's eyes narrowed. Blues was a Shadow Warrior, the highest class of Mages there was. The only other Shadow Warrior Forte knew of was Shadow, and even he could not compare his power to Blues'. Blues' strength in his power made him Dr. Wily's most treasured soldier
How could he control a Shadow Warrior as powerful as Blues...? He wished he knew. Shadow was controlled solely by his loyalty to his Soulgiver which Dr. Wily reinforced so as to prevent himself from losing Shadow as he had lost Forte. The only other who had compared to the two was Metal who could have been called a "flawed" Shadow Warrior though his power was actually not very similar to that of a true Shadow Warrior; however, he could not be controlled at all by Dr. Wily regardless of the fact that Dr. Wily was his Soulgiver as well. Forte shivered when he remembered the unruly and unpredictable Metal who had gone insane shortly after the sixth war and rebelled against Dr. Wily long enough to escape the scientist's hold and run free. I wonder what he's been up to these past four years...
Elec had rebelled not long afterwards and had also been successful in escaping as had Quick and Centaur. Ring had managed to flee with Dr. Cossack and Kalinka and their other three surviving robots. Forte had not heard anything of any of them since their "escape", and he assumed they were doing okay. He hoped so. Elec had been one of his best friends when they were still among Dr. Wily's ranks. Elec had been a Myrmidon, but it had not been Dr. Wily he took orders from - after all, Dr. Wily was not Elec's sole creator - he and the entire first army had been a joint project between Dr. Wily and Dr. Light, and Dr. Light was their Soulgiver, tying their loyalty less to Dr. Wily and more to Dr. Light.
Myrmidons were another special class of Mages, overpowered only by Shadow Warriors and Rosicrucians. As a Myrmidon, Elec had been gifted with the power to manipulate and control electricity and light as well as the power of Healing, making him another valuable member of Dr. Wily's ranks. The scientist had been extremely unhappy at the loss of Elec and Metal, taking out his anger on his remaining Robot Masters, forcing them in a fit of insanity to fight each other to the death in front of him in a makeshift arena. Not many survived.
Forte drummed his fingers on the side of the stool. Remembering these things gave him no answers. Dr. Wily could not control a Myrmidon nor even a flawed Shadow Warrior, so how could he control Blues so well? It just did not make sense.
Shaking his head, Forte stood, waving his hand to dispel the torches' flames as he exitted the bathroom and quietly made his way back toward the bed. He crossed his arms and looked back down at Rock who had not moved since Forte had awakened. Forte knew when morning came, Rock would leave to fight again. To fight a hopeless battle. And judging from the way he was talking earlier, he might just let himself get killed next time... He swore at the thought that he was too much a coward to help the smaller robot, but it was the truth. Dr. Wily was a Scion and could destroy the soul he had given Forte without a second thought.
It was why he hid. Dr. Wily needed Forte to be near him in order to destroy his soul. It was something Forte had always envied of Elec. Elec had received his soul and life from Dr. Light, not Dr. Wily. He needed not fear it being destroyed though Dr. Wily certainly had enough influence from helping build Elec and was powerful enough to have easily wrenched it from his body and used that to control him.
Forte nearly slapped himself.
Of course! he inwardly swore, slapping his forehead for not seeing it sooner. He's taken control of Blues' soul...that has to be the reason! That has to be how he's controlling him. The thought of Blues' soul floating inside a jar in Dr. Wily's quarters sent chills up Forte's spine, but it was the only possible explanation.
"But how could he get Blues' soul back...and also put it back in him..." Forte muttered, crossing his arms again and leaning against the wall.
"You tell me."
Forte yelped and dove forward, spinning around and growling as Blues slid from the shadows on the wall, expression blank as before. "So, this is where you have been hiding," Blues spoke as the tails of his scarf came free of the wall. Forte's eyes narrowed.
"If you knew where I was, Wily, why didn't you come after me yourself?" Forte snapped and reached behind his back and into the waistband of his pants, gripping the withdrawn rod of his duelsabre, Solandri.
Blues - or, rather, Dr. Wily - did not answer. Blues merely stared at Forte, unblinking, unmoving, for a moment before slowly turning his head to his left and raising his arm cannon. Forte swore.
"Rock, run!"
Rock snapped awake with a snort and blinked stupidly for a brief moment at Blues' charging arm cannon before yelping and rolling off of the bed just before the shot was released and burned a hole through the wall. Forte sniffed, "You're cutting the replacement lumber this time."
Fumbling his helmet back on and recalling his armor, Rock stumbled to his feet and brushed pieces of burning wood off of his shoulders. Blues reformed his arm and brought his hands together, crackling shadow energy forming in the small space between his palms. Before Rock could even begin to speak, if he even had anything to say, Forte lashed out to get in the first blow. Solandri was extended, and her trident blade on the end facing the floor was ignited, bathing the room in a bright, neon green firelight. The electrical fire became a blinding arc as she was swung upwards. Blood gushed and smoke billowed from Blues' torso as his armor was pierced and skin and circuitry were shredded and seared from his hip to his shoulder, yet he did not flinch, did not blink. Forte then leapt backwards, grabbing Rock by his wrist, spinning around, and bolting out of the still burning hole in the wall where he dragged the smaller robot out into the rain and disappeared into the bushes and trees.
It all happened so fast, Rock was dazed, confused for a brief moment before he shot a glance over his shoulder and howled, his legs stumbling and half-limp underneath him as Forte made him run through the darkness, "N-NO! Blues!"
"I didn't kill him!" Forte snapped, weaving through the trees, using Solandri's fire to guide them through the shadows. "It's nothing Wily can't just patch up later or get one of the Healers to take care of," Forte continued, hissing as his foot caught on a tree root and nearly sent the duo to the ground before he managed to right himself and continue running. "You're still to weak to put up a fight, and I can't take him alone." Rock wanted to protest the accusation of his weakness, but he decided better of it. He was already tired of running, and a fight would only exhaust him further.
Once deep into the trees, Forte slid to a stop and spun around to face the direction of his cabin. He could already see the bright yellow of Blues' scarf cutting through the wet darkness, so he did not have much time to think and had to act on the first idea which came to him. He raised one hand to the sky, narrowing his eyes and concentrating on a small patch of dead leaves on the ground. Thunder rumbled over the canopy, and lightning lit the landscape, flashing over Blues' visor in the distance. Rock wanted to ask Forte what he was doing, but he dared not break his concentration, and his unspoken question was soon answered as Forte quickly brought down his hand in an arc. As if called by him, and it probably was for all Rock knew, a bolt of lightning tore through the canopy, flashing brightly enough to blind, and despite the rain soaking the grass and leaves on the ground, they were lit aflame to form a barrier between them and Blues. One was not enough for Forte to feel safe though, and he repeated two more times until a solid wall of flame separated them from Dr. Wily's slave which quickly spread in a line to cut off any easily accessible way around the barrier. Satisfied Blues was sufficiently cut off, Forte resecured his hold on Rock's arm and resumed their dash through the trees.
"Where are we going?" Rock demanded as he tried to twist his arm out of Forte's uncomfortable grip. He was no more worried than Forte about the burning forest behind them - he knew the rain was falling steadily enough to prevent the flames from growing out of control yet not so much as to extinguish them before he and Forte could escape.
"There's a farm on the other side of these trees," Forte answered between dodging around vegetation. "The farmer let me stay in his barn when I was building - and rebuilding - my house. Wily never followed me there, so it should be safe enough until the morning." As if on cue, the foliage parted to reveal a large field surrounded by a wooden fence. The barn could barely be seen across the field, shrouded by darkness and sheets of rain, but the younger robot guided them both toward it, throwing open the barn door just long enough for the two of them to disappear inside it before he closed it again.
Forte left Solandri extended and ignited even as the duo sank into a pile of hay, panting from exhertion and ignoring the inquisitive glances, sniffs, and noises they received from the cows and chickens. The two sat in silence save for their panting and shivering for nearly an hour until they were sure they had either lost Blues or Dr. Wily had given up. With a weary sigh, Forte diminished and collapsed Solandri, keeping her out and ready just in case.
While he recovered from the run, Rock took a few moments to survey the barn from his position in the hay, counting five drowsy cows, a few dozen noisy chickens, one annoyed cat stalking one frightened rat, and a bloodhound which was still asleep despite thunder and noises from its barnmates. One stall was empty, but the splintered door was what caught Rock's attention. The hinges were hanging limp from where they had once connected the door to the stall, and the interior of the stall was not in much better condition, holes in the barn walls patched with planks of wood messily nailed into place. The cows were stalled far away from it. The chickens were loose with the cat and dog, but all avoided that end of the barn as if afraid.
"What happened in that one?" Rock asked and nodded to the stall he to which he was referring.
Forte followed his gaze before answering with a shake of his head, "He found a foal. Thought he could control it when it grew up. Humans think they can control anything."
"A foal...that's a horse, right?" Forte nodded, and Rock had to suppress a shudder. Horses were beings of nightmares as were all of their relatives from seahorses to unicorns. Only Dr. Wily rivaled them in their viciousness.
That thought brought to mind Rock's next question which he was more hesitant to ask, "What do we do now?"
"That's a good question," Forte answered with a sigh and leaned his head back against the wall of the barn. "Drying off sounds like a good idea for right now." He squeezed some water out of his pants leg as if to emphasize that. He stood and glanced around the barn for a moment. "Ah, there it is." He picked up a stool and carried it over to one stall, and, ignoring a cow's inquisitive moo, he used the stool to lift himself high enough to pull an old blanket from its compartment above the stall. "It's a little scratchy, but it'll do until your clothes dry."
"What about you?" Rock asked, his voice a little muffled as he tried to peel his soaked shirt off which was doing its best to get stuck on his head. With a helpful tug from Forte, he was able to escape the wet fabric and continue. "You're just as soaked as I am."
"Yeah, but you're still weak whether you want to admit it or not," was Forte's answer. "You don't want your systems to cool down too much, especially this rapidly." Rock's next question was cut off as the blanket was thrown over his head. "Wrap up in that and start drying off. I'll be right back."
"What?" Rock protested as he struggled out of the blanket. "Where are you going?"
"The farmer's house. He'll be a little crabby this time of night, but he probably won't mind loaning us some dry clothes." He stayed barely long enough to hear Rock's muffled "Oh, okay" before disappearing back into the rain.
Rock let out a frustrated yell as he finally managed to untangle himself from the blanket and wet tunic, quite sure his hair was in complete disarray by now. As if confirming his suspicion, the barn cat had climbed atop a barrel and was batting at his hair with a contented mew. "What are you looking at?" he questioned the feline even though he could not help but give it a small smile. He shook his head and began peeling off the rest of his wet clothing, huddling up in the rough blanket when he was finished. The air was exceptionally cool on his still damp skin, and it did not take long for him to start shivering despite how hard he tried not to.
Thankfully, Forte returned after just a few more moments, dry clothes wrapped in a tarp to keep them dry. "They probably won't fit, but they're better than nothing," the younger stated. Rock just nodded in agreement and took the offered clothing before turning away to pull them on as Forte struggled out of his own wet clothing and used the blanket to dry off his skin. Once he too was dressed again, Forte turned back to Rock and had to choke back a laugh.
"'Probably won't fit'?" Rock asked as he attempted to find his feet in the overabundance of pants legs. His hands were nowhere to be found either in the sleeves of the tunic he was given, the neck of the tunic sliding off one shoulder. Forte's clothes did not fit either, but they did fit better than Rock's, just a little bunched up at his wrists and ankles.
"Well, those are his wife's, actually..." Forte responded, amused. "And she's...well, suffice it to say she doesn't skip many meals." Rock rolled his eyes and began rolling up the sleeves and legs so he could find his hands and feet. "I'll trade if you want."
"No, this is fine. I could use a belt or something though." Thankfully, Rock quickly found a length of rope short enough to function as a belt. "That's better."
Forte sat back down in the hay and sighed. "It's just for the night - our clothes should be dry in the morning." Folding his hands behind his head, he started trying to drift to sleep but was jarred when Rock sat down beside him.
"And...what do we do now?" came the question Forte had been expecting.
"Well," he drawled in response, staring up at the ceiling of the barn. "Can't go back home - not for a while, anyway. Road only goes two ways - Fuu or Ivona. Take your pick." If Rock was going to say anything, it was cut off by a long, drawn out yawn. "I figured out how Wily's controlling Blues." As expected, that received Rock's full attention. "He helped build Blues, remember?" Rock nodded, and Forte continued, "Dr. Light was his Soulgiver though, so only he could destroy his soul; however, simply because Blues is technically half Wily's, Wily can take his soul out of his body, leaving just the shell of his body as an obedient puppet."
Rock had to take a moment to let that sink in before he dared speak again, responding, "So, technically...that's not really Blues."
"Not anymore, it isn't - it explains why he doesn't react to anything and why Wily has to talk through him." Forte squirmed a little to get more comfortable.
"Is there any way at all to help him?" Rock had to ask.
"That's the tricky part," Forte replied, folding his hands on his stomach. "If, and that's a big 'if', we could somehow get Blues' soul and body, we could find someone to reunite them, but there are a lot of problems with that plan. We'd have to get into the Fortress to get Blues' soul, for one. Second, we'd have to detain his body and somehow keep Wily from controlling it to fight us. Third...we'd have to find someone who could put Blues' soul back in his body."
"Who could do that? With Dr. Light...gone..." Rock looked down at his lap.
"That's where I turn up a blank. I don't know if only another Scion could do it or anything else with the right power." Forte shook his head. "Dr. Cossack probably could, but he's practically on the complete opposite side of the continent from Wily's Fortress. With Wily trying to control Blues' body, we couldn't drag it that far, and that's assuming we could even get both in the first place."
"So, basically, we're stuck either way," Rock sighed.
"Well, let's just wait and see. I have a friend in Ivona who may be able to point us in the right direction. If we can find someone other than Dr. Cossack who could push Blues' soul back in his body..."
Rock finally looked at him with a confused frown and vulnerable expression as he asked, "Why are you even offering? You don't owe me anything..."
Forte shrugged. "Well, I can't exactly just go back home, like I said. Only way to go is forward. Besides, we aren't enemies anymore...I can't just stand by and do nothing." Rock looked away again, unsure as to how to react to Forte's offer. It was going to take some adjustment to grow used to not being alone anymore. "Well, that, and I was hoping you'd fix the hole in my wall when it's safe to go back." That earned him a wet blanket to the face.
"Are you sure Wily isn't still searching?" Rock asked to which Forte shook his head.
"No, but I'm not very sleepy anymore. I'll stay up and keep an eye and ear out while you get some more rest. And before you even ask, yes, I'm sure." Rock's face flushed lightly at Forte answering his next question before he asked it. He was hesitant to do so, but after a moment more's coaxing from the younger robot, he finally rolled over and closed his eyes to sleep, trusting that Forte would not leave during the night.
Rock pulled against the grip of Shadow and Gyro, but could not break free as Dr. Light's laboratory burned like an inferno in Tartarus, tongues of flames reaching high in the sky and the heat searing Rock's face even as he was held several hundred meters away. The flames roared angrily, trying to lick those who had started it. Rock roared and pulled harder against the Robot Masters' grip as an explosion inside the laboratory sent a plume of fire into the air, smoke clouding the sky.
A scream tore Rock's attention from the burning laboratory, his gaze shooting to his right as Roll kicked and squirmed in Tomahawk's grip on her long, blonde hair, the axe in his other hand dripping blood. Rightot's body lay on the ground in a growing pool of circulatory fluids, internal circuitry and wiring being ripped and torn from his lifeless body with merciless regard by a cackling Gemini. Rock's blood ran cold as his struggles increased.
"No! Stop it!!" Rock screamed, arm cannon firing wildly but never hitting his targets as Gyro jerked his arm to the side, sending the shots into the night.
A rapid flutter of feathers issued as Beat attempted to flee, eyes wide and filled with terror. A wolfish grin spread across Gemini's face as he looked up, aiming at the blue bird and firing. The Gemini Laser neatly sliced off one of Beat's wings, sending it crashing to the dusty ground as Gemini walked closer, cackling and firing again and again. Circulatory fluids splashed and gushed, and chunks of metallic shell and armor flew into the air as Beat screeched at the top of its robotic lungs, the noise piercing Rock's soul like a red hot iron before Beat's optics darkened and it finally went silent.
Rush tore from the burning lab, flames clinging to his back as he galloped across the burning ground, howling and screeching like a hell hound. Tomahawk spun around, throwing an arc of feather-shaped razors. Rush fell hard on his side as one of the blades pierced his cracked and burned chest armor, skidding along the ground to tumble to a stop a few paces from Shadow and Gyro and their captive.
Rock screamed, now firing charged shots as rapidly as he could, giving Shadow and Gyro increasing difficulty in keeping him still. Roll screamed again as Tomahawk pulled back the arm holding the axe and swung. Roll's scream died in her throat as her head was sliced neatly from her shoulders, blood splattering, her body falling to the ground in a heap as her head dangled in Tomahawk's grip. With a sadistic grin, the Robot Master tossed her head away to let it land at Rock's feet, Roll's lifeless eyes staring up at him.
Rock's eyes clouded with tears as he screamed at the top of his lungs, his heartbroken agony reaching into the smoky sky as the Robot Masters laughed.
Rock snapped awake with a scream, strong hands pinning his shoulders to the haystack to keep him from tossing and turning and bolting upright. Forte kept him pinned even as Rock's scream died off and was replaced with uncontrollable sobbing, face hidden in the palms of his hands, whimpering.
"Shh...shh..." Forte crooned, rubbing Rock's arms as the smaller robot wailed underneath him.
"All dead...all my fault..." Rock whimpered. "My fault..." Forte shook his head and pulled Rock into a sitting position as one of the barnyard cats sauntered closer, bright green eyes curious and unblinking.
"It's not your fault," Forte admonished, gently shaking Rock until he could get the smaller robot to look at him.
"Yes it is...yes it is..." Rock whispered, his breath heaving as his body attempted to calm him down but failed. "Th-They needed me, and I failed them...Roll called for me...she begged me, and I failed..." He looked down as the ash-grey cat rubbed against his waist, purring and blinking up at him with its bright green eyes. For a brief moment, Rock's eyes betrayed him, and Tango purred up at him and rubbed his waist to try to dispell whatever was upsetting him. Then reality took over again, and Rock cried even harder.
"T-Tango...Dr. Light...th-they must be dead - they must be, or...or I'd have found them by now..."
"Rock, none of this was your fault," Forte snapped, gripping Rock's shoulders tighter. "And Dr. Light and Tango aren't dead. You can't give up so easily!"
Rock shook his head limply, his still damp hair sliding over his cloudy blue-green eyes. "I've searched for so long...I'm tired...I don't want to anymore..." Forte sighed, releasing Rock's shoulders and sitting back on his haunches as Rock curled back up, pulling the cat into his lap to rub its ears. The cat responded by purring louder and licking the tears from Rock's face.
"I'm tired...of being lonely," Rock sighed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I'll stay with you," Forte offered, pulling Solandri free from her place at his back and looking over her retracted, harmless-looking rod.
"...you'll die, then. He'll kill everyone near me..." Rock muttered, scratching the cat's chin as it purred louder.
"I'm not so easy to kill."
Rock let the next several moments pass in silence, content with petting the cat and seeing how loud it could purr. The nightmare had been the same as always, making him relive that fateful night. He remembered the Robot Masters teleporting away, leaving him to stare at the bloody, torn bodies of his family and the burning remains of the laboratory. He remembered carrying Rush into the trees and caring for him three days after the attack. He remembered Rush sitting up that third day, licking his face one last time, and dying in his arms. He remembered burying his family next to the smoldering remains of the laboratory.
He remembered all this, and his heart clenched, his stomach convulsed, and his eyes burned.
"Where...where will we go?" Rock finally spoke, trying to avert his mind. "I've got to face him again..."
Forte answered, putting Solandri away, "Ivona's closer than Fuu, and like I said, I have a friend there. Last I heard, he was still staying there. I doubt he's left." He shook his head, moving back up the haystack to sit beside Rock again. "We'll set out in the morning. Hopefully the storm will pass over by then. Blues shouldn't be able to attack us during broad daylight, or, at least, he won't be nearly as powerful, so we--" He cut himself off and let a half-amused half-sympathetic grin pass over his face as he looked to his right and saw that Rock had fallen back to sleep, the cat curled up and resting on his chest. Forte did not blame him - the older robot was likely exhausted beyond words.
Forte sighed and lay back on the haystack, arms resting behind his head as he closed his eyes and hoped the next day would be much more pleasant.
"Rhythm Emotion" -- Two-Mix
"Gundam Wing"
