(A/N: It kept confusing even me, so listen up. Italicized Text when a person is talking represents emphasis. Bolded Text represents machines, or overly (such as yelling) emphasized words. And the combination of the two, means, well, what they two are combined. If it sounds confusing, it'll straighten itself out as you read. Enjoy the chapter!
Also, Bud makes a joke later on, and I'll explain it now. When I was little, I was taught to spell together, to, get, her. You'll see why I told you that as you read.)
Chapter Three: Shooting Star, Guide Me Home
Geo sat silently at his desk. It had been almost two weeks since Sonia had left. He was so conflicted inside; his mind in emotional turmoil. The day they came back from school, Bud, Prez, and Zack could feel the vibe coming off Geo, and decided to leave him alone, even though they didn't know what was wrong.
He tried endlessly to get a hold of Sonia. He called her hundreds of times, emailed her when ever he had a spare second; all trying to get that glimmer of her. He didn't know why...but he was suddenly aware of how much he cared for her. *Ping. Ping. Dong.*
"School's over, kid..." said Omega-Xis. Even he was leaving Geo alone; he knew that's what the boy needed.
"Huh? Oh...Thanks Mega..." said Geo, as he stood up and left the room. He was heading for the elevator, when Bud wouldn't let him pass. Suddenly, Zack and Prez came from around the corners, blocking his way.
"Geo...We're worried about you..." said Bud, expressing concern to the friend he had grown an almost brother-like bond with.
"I..I just want to be alone, guys." said Geo.
"But Geo..." said Zack.
"NO! Don't you see what's happening?! Your regressing to how you where six years ago! Before you ever met.....is that's what's wrong? Her?" said an irritated Luna.
"Go on, kid...Tell 'em what happened." said Omega-Xis, encouraging Geo.
"....Sonia and I where watching some meteor's at the AMAKEN part of WAZA, using Mr. Boreal's telescope...We fell asleep there....when I woke up, Sonia was crying...she said she was sorry, and just disappeared. She broke our Brotherband, and I haven't been able to make contact since."
"So she just broke your BrotherBand and left? (He made a BrotherBand with her first?! AND they fell asleep together!?!)" said Luna.
"(Uh-oh! Prez has gone off the deep end!) Well, Geo, you know we'll help you find her, right?" said Zack.
"(I would not to be Geo right now...) Yeah, I'll always have your back! Me and you are like Ginger Beef! Your the Ginger, and I'm the Beef! We have to work together...to, uh, get her. " said Bud.
"Yeah...Thanks guys!" said Geo, a smile on his face.
*BrotherBands Established.*
"Now come on, we are going to see the new Solar Boy Django remake. Your coming along!" declared Luna.
"Oh, I've read those comics! They're, like, two hundred years old, but they are great!" said Geo, suddenly a little kid again. As they walked into the elevator, and down the stairs, Geo's mind was momentarily at ease.
"Four for Solar Boy Django, please.," said Geo to the Concessions Wizard, "thank you."
As they walked towards the theater, Geo made the excuse that he had to use the bathroom, and that he'd be in, in just a minute.
He ran behind the building, and tried to send a message to Sonia. Nothing. He was glad it was dark; no one could see him fighting back the tears. Suddenly, he heard a very labored breathing.
"Who's there!" Yelled Geo, ready to fight.
"Geo Stelar...?" asked a boy, who looked beat up. He had short brown hair, and blue eyes. He wore a white jacket, with gold around the wrists. His pants where the same style. His under shirt and shoes where black.
"Who are you? Are you okay?" asked Geo, running over to help the boy.
"I'm Orion Vibrato. And my well being isn't important. Listen, and listen closely. Sonia is being controlled. She is under the name Black Queen of Harps, or Bqueen Harp Note. She is being controlled by Null. Do. Not. Fight him; your not strong enough, even if you where to use noise. In three days time, she will attack. Be prepared; she has strength unlike anything you've encountered from her before. I'll help if I can, so take these. They're Celestial Programs. Star and Earth. They'll enable you to...AAARgh... the pain...I can't hold on much longer...you'll know how to use them when the time is right...please...stop Null." As Orion finished, he ran, leaving a trail of blood. Geo followed the trail, but it abruptly ended. This encounter told him when he'd find Sonia; answering that question...But it raised so many more.
"What do you think that was about, kid?" asked Omega-Xis, just as confused as he was.
"I don't really know..." replied Geo, noticing something on the ground. It was a Battle Card, and a Mega Card at that. "Star Rain?" he said. It had a picture of hundreds of Black and White Stars, falling to Earth. "90 damage, twelve shots on back-most 3x3 panels. Null,Break, and Wind elements."
"Sounds like a pretty good card to me." said Omega-Xis.
"Yeah.... C'mon, lets get in the movie." said Geo, still looking for traces of Orion.
Django was rolling from side to side, dodging black, bat-like bullets from the Count. He fired three shots, each one hitting the Count in the chest. As the Count fell, he broke the floor, and the speed of his fall increased. Django jumped after him. He turned in mid air, and fired straight up, destroying the black skylight. Light flooded into the chasm. He pointed his Gun del Dol straight down, and light started to gather around it. "Light Burst!" he yelled, as a massive beam of sunlight fired at the Count, nailing him to the ground. Django pulled out his sword, and the seal of the Pile Driver formed around him. He looked like a falling gold comet. As gathered speed, so did the intensity of the light. He slammed into the Count. With a bright explosion, the Count turned to stone, and Manor around them, crumbled into dust.
Django pulled himself from the rubble, the Sun high in the sky. He held his hand up to, and let the warmth engulf him. He turned around, to see all his friends, cheering for him. Django smiled, as they all gathered around him. And then the credits rolled.
They all walked out of the theater, commenting on the movie.
"It was different from the comics, but still great." said Geo. The others agreed with him. They started home, Geo, subconsciously preparing himself for what was to come in three days...
Harp Note stood, admiring Null's Hideout. Castle, was to weak a word for it. The left side of the hall she was in was a brilliant white marble, with paintings of Angels. The Other Side was Black, with paintings of Demons. The line between the two, a sliver chain. At the head of the hall, sat Null. His throne was made of White and Black Marble, wrapped in a strange crystal Chain. His armor was gray again.
"What are the plans...?" said King. He didn't know who this Null character was, but he would serve him....for now.
"I will send Bqueen Harp Note to attack Echo Ridge in one day. I want to speed up my plans...And I need information on Mega Man...Orion has given him the programs, much to my resistance...Now I need to know if he can use them...or even remembers them....
"Harp. Come." commanded Null. She knelt before him. "You have one command. And one command only. Destroy Mega Man.
"Yes sir." she said, standing up. As she walked out of the room, Null dismissed King.
The crack in the white of his star was gone. But now, the black was cracked. "Orion...You could prove troublesome...."
Geo was sleeping soundly when the explosion happened. He ran out side to see a truck on fire; it was covered in Noise. 'She has strength unlike any you've experienced from her before.' Orion's word played in his head. Harp Note fought with music based attacks. He laughed. What a pun. From Music to Noise.
He ran downstairs to see Hope and Kelvin checking out the scene. He locked eyes with his father. It was all he needed to do. "Transcode: Mega Man!"
He pulsed in, Noise everywhere. "Hey, kid!" shouted Omega-Xis. Both of them where being slowed by the Noise, not having the Joker and Ace programs to help them harness it.
"What is it, Mega?" said Mega Man, eager to find out what was going on. Then it dawned on him. The attack was two days early. 'She is being controlled Null. Do. Not. Fight him.' His first thought was that, this wasn't Harp Note, but Null himself.
"Remember the programs Orion gave us? I figure this is as good a time as any to equip them." stated Omega-Xis.
"Your right." replied Mega man.
*Program Equip: Complete.*
"Hm...I don't feel any-*gack* AAHHHH!!" he screamed as he fell to his knees, holding his head. He was suddenly in a black space. He noticed he wasn't Mega Man anymore, but Geo. He heard a voice in the distance, and followed it. As he neared, he could make out words...
"Shooting Star...Please Shine Your Light...And Guide Me Home...Home Again...Again In Your Arms...Oh, Shooting Star...Please Shine Your Light For Me...Shooting Star....Guide Me Home."
Tears sprung to Geo's face as he saw Sonia in that condition...He made a vow. "From here on out...My Purpose...Is to Kill Null."
"*gasp. Pant, pant, pant.* Sonia..." said Mega Man.
"KID!!! Are you okay?!" asked Omega-Xis, finally getting a reaction out of Geo.
"Yeah...C'mon, let's stop the Noise." said Mega Man, We walked straight into the strange cloud of black Noise.
Geo immediately noticed the changes from a regular noise wave. In the back of his head, he could hear an eerie guitar riff, and he noticed strange crystal like pads. There was one right in front of him too. He walked on to it.
Suddenly, he was surrounded by viruses. "Ah!? What the heck!" Mega Man yelled, as he started firing at them. As he shot them, the Noise in the Real World started to disappeared. As soon as all the Noise was gone, a bridge appeared, linking him to the next area.
"I guess we gotta clear everything out before we can move on." said Omega-Xis.
As they began to cross the bridge, a Noise Wizard appeared infront of them. "What the heck? Its...black and whtie. No color." said Mega Man.
"Hm...Null...Null is usually associated with Void, and together, Null and Void make nothing. So..That means these are "Nothing" viruses?" Omega-Xis attempted to explain.
"Makes sense to me." admitted Mega Man, "Wave Battle! Ride On!"
As he started the battle, he immediately noticed the difference with the VoidWzrd1. It had almost one thousand hit points. "Long Sword! Wide Sword! Typhoon Dance!" Turing both his arms into swords, he used the Mega Attack to get up in the Void Wizard's face, striking it four times with the power off all three chips. The wizard shot his Vulcan at Mega Man, which turned out to shoot Canon shots. "This things no joke!" yelled Mega Man, throwing up his shield.
"Mega Buster!" Mega Man yelled, letting loose a volley of shots. After a few shots, the virus was deleted. Suddenly, four more Void Wizards appeared.
"I can't beat all of these!" Mega Man exclaimed. Just then, a black sword cut through all of them. "Rogue!"
"Hmph...Don't think I'm working with you... If you die, I can't get the Mu Metal from you." said Rogue, the same nonchalant attitude as usual.
"....Alright, Rouge. I get it. Now come on. If your so obsessed with keeping me alive, help me free Sonia. Otherwise, there's not guarantee I'll survive."
"(Nice going kid!)" said Omega-Xis.
"(Thanks, Mega.)" replied Mega Man.
"Hmph...Fine. Listen up though. When they come at us, simply fire your Mega Buster at them. That will stun them. I'll finish them off with my Blade of Laplace." commanded Rogue.
Mega Man nodded, and they went into the next area. A wave of Void Wizards appeared.
"On your toes, Rouge!" yelled Mega Man, as he began to fire.
"Same to you." replied Rogue, as he began slashing the Void Wizards.
After a few minutes, they where done. They stood in front of the skull panel that represented the boss being up ahead. "This is as far as I go, Mega Man. Know that if she's about to delete you; I'll delete her. I won't worry about saving her. I need you alive, not her." said Rogue.
"I know...And Rogue? Thanks." said Mega Man, as he ran in.
"Hmph...I'm not doing this for you." said Rogue.
"Sonia! Please! Listen to me!" said Mega Man, seeing Bqueen Harp Note.
"Sonia? Ah, the pretty little girl...She can't here you...And I have orders from Master to destroy you. Just don't die to quickly, or it won't be to fun, Te-he." replied Bqueen Harp Note.
"Sonia...."
"Now, come, and fight me. If you want to save her, beat me...if you can find it in yourself to attack her." Suddenly, her colors reverted to normal.
"Geo! Please, fight me! Please....help me..." she said, before Bqueen Harp Note took back over.
"That snotty little brat...how dare she! I think I'll take care of her, when I'm done with you..." she said, menicingly.
"YOU WON'T TOUCH HER!" yelled Mega Man, "Wave Battle, Ride On!"
He noticed it immediately; Star Rain. He selected it, but he wouldn't use it; not unless he had too.
"Shock Note!" A barrage of Notes came at him, but between his shield, and his Buster, he dodged and destroyed them all easily.
"Machine Gun Strings!" Mega Man easily side stepped them. Despite her attacks being music based, all the sound was fading.
"..lse Song!" He threw up his shield, blocking it. He could tell she was getting irritated. Now the color was fading....Everything was gray....
'Shooting Star...Please Shine Your Light...And Guide Me Home...Home Again...Again In Your Arms...Oh, Shooting Star...Please Shine Your Light For Me...Shooting Star....Guide Me Home.'
He was dodging her attacks, tears in his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to hurt her, even if she was being controlled.
"Noise Wave!" A blast of Noise came out of her guitar. It stunned him, and left him laying there.
"Machine Gun Strings!" he was pelted with more music attacks. He couldn't even feel them. The only thing he was aware of, was Sonia singing that song.
"Amp Overload!" A massive sound wave hit him, sending him flying. He was Rogue out of the corner of his eye, getting ready to step in.
Mega Man pulled himself up. "Sonia...Forgive me... STAR RAIN!"
Everything went dim...Time was frozen. Rogue was in mid-leap, Bqueen Harp Note in mid-strum. Suddenly, a light shone, and a target appeared on Bqeen Harp Note. She was pelted with falling stars, but they went through her... With each hit, the black faded, and her original color returned. The last star...Hit Mega Man.
"CHARGED SHOT!!!" he yelled, unleashing a white beam. It blinded everyone.
As soon as the light faded, Geo sat in the middle of the street, as the rain began to pick up. He remembered something before he was forced to pulse out.
"Shooting Star....You've Guided Me Home Again...Home In His Arms Again...Shooting Star...Let Me Stay In your Arms..."
The rain mixed with his tears, as he slowly sung to her, "I'm Your Shooting Star...Your One Beacon...I'll Always Guide You Home...Anywhere That Be...I'm Your Shooting Star...I'm Just As At Home In Your Arms...As You Are In Mine..."
Geo pulled her closer to him, and continued crying....
The metallic silver Queen Noise card disintegrated in the rain. The only remnant, was in the puddle of water it sat in: The still picture, of Geo holding Sonia close to him....
"Shooting Star...I'm Home At Last."