Chapter 3
Clarksville, Tennessee-(During "The Secret Wars")
The yelling of the large group filled the hollow banquet hall like a coliseum. "Quiet!" Sigma shouted over them, bringing the room to a stand-still. He stood from his seat, donning his immaculate, black nanoarmor and red cape. The garrison of security droids kept all the humans at bay, both Wily recruit and Rancor alike. Sigma had systematically stripped their armor and shirts, and branded them with a jagged "W" or "R". He turned his attention to the naked body of a former Rancor soldier, hanging from the wall. "Time for the next go-round."
One of the "R" men was pushed forward and blindfolded. "Alright, warrior, you know the rules." Sigma said, as Agile reluctantly handed the man a knife. "Body is human, leg is a security droid." He turned the blind man to face the hanging body. "Arm is one of my androids and the head earns you a shot at the champ himself. If you miss completely, execution."
The soldier's heart was pounding in his throat, as he drew back, and threw. The hanging man screamed loudly, igniting the crowd. "Arm!" Sigma shouted over them, snatching off the skinny man's blindfold, and signaling Violen to step into the middle. The young soldier went pale, knowing he stood no chance.
"Wait!" A voice interrupted. Gerard pushed his way into the "ring".
"What the hell is this?" Sigma asked, turning back from his return to his makeshift throne.
"I wanna take his place." Gerard said defiantly. "He's a medic. This won't even be a fight." The massive android walked up, bringing his sternum close to Gerard's face, forcing him to look up.
"And you will, I take it?" Sigma asked, grinning.
"Better than him." He replied. "C'mon, you want a good match, right?"
Sig glared at him. "You're the human from the command center." He said, nodding. "With the mask. That's some impressive technology, I must admit." Sigma thought for a moment. "What's your name?"
"Helix." He answered, clinching his jaw.
"You're their leader." The android stated plainly, looking to the crowd. "Their Captain."
Gerard stood firm. "Rancors have no leader. We fight as equals."
Sigma turned suddenly and began walking away. "That wasn't a question." He began, as he sat down. "But you said so yourself; you 'fight as equals'." With that said, security droids grabbed Gerard, pulling him back through the crowd.
The medic panicked as Violen approached, dropping the ball of his spiked flail. He felt the tips of rip trenches across his bare back, as he narrowly avoided the first pass. He could hear his friends desperately screaming his name, making his current situation even more chaotic. The android laughed, tossing his weapons to the ground, and removing his spartan-like helmet. "C'mon." Violen said, putting up his fists. The medic lashed out, throwing left and right hooks that were easily dodged. The android toyed with him, punching him in the gut and relieving him of any oxygen he had. The soldier threw a desperate right, connecting flush on Violen's cheek. He had never howled in such agony before, as he did when he drew back his shattered hand.
Seizing the moment, Violen reached out, shoving his middle and ring finger into the man's mouth, and violently snatched downward. The Rancor members shrieked out in utter horror and hatred as their comrade fell lifeless, bleeding on the floor. Violen walked back through his side of the group like a barbarian, dropping the lower half of the human's face on the floor as he left.
"Well!" Sigma said, standing up. "After that stellar ending, I'll allow you all three solid hours of sleep." As the crowd murmured and shouted, he turned to Serges, who seemed appalled. "Have Captain Helix sent to the command center." He ordered.
For two hours Helix waited, simmering in his hatred. The gathering of security droids made any kind of escape impossible. He clinched his jaw, eying his surroundings, looking for any kind of scenario that could end with the slaying of their leader and the freedom of his people. Sigma finally entered the room, his arms soaked in blood to his biceps.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain." He said. "I had an unruly bunch to deal with after the festivities. It seems some of mine and yours decided to team up to ambush me." Sigma chuckled casually as he sat down across from Helix. "Needless to say, we'll have a smaller turnout next go-round."
Gerard was unamused, grinding his teeth. "What's the point of all this?" He asked. "If you want to have your little pit fights, so be it. But what do we possibly have to say to each other?"
Sigma didn't respond right away. He sat with a fox-like grin, rubbing his jaw. "There's no real point, honestly. I just wanted to get a quick character read on you, Captain Helix."
The way the android always said "Captain" was infuriating. As if constantly mocking Gerard on a rank he hadn't even assumed. "Are you finished?"
"Not even close." Sigma stated, chuckling. "Maybe we will get another chance to converse, Captain. But you'll get your chance to prove yourself in about an hour." He stood up, wiping his bloody hands on Serges' nanosuit, before moving for the door.
"You gonna finally step up and take me on yourself?" Gerard asked with a scoff.
The android looked back, laughing condescendingly. "Me?" He questioned, laughing again. "You wouldn't have a clue of the power you would facing. Are you familiar with a 'gauntlet', Captain? I expect great things from you. Do not disappoint me."
Beverly Hills, CA-(Present Day)
The mob was getting bigger, and with it's size tensions grew. Entire units of armored police held the people at bay, with weapons drawn. Megaman, Agile and Violen sat across the street from scene, watching from inside the stolen sports utility vehicle. "I'm thinking we may be able to get this bitch out alive. Then we can bring her back to the..." Agile was saying from the back seat.
"Wouldn't count on it." Megaman said, sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, as if focusing intently.
Violen looked over to him. "Is something wrong, Lord Megaman?" He asked, bewildered.
Alex shook his head calmly, "No. She isn't in there."
The two androids exchanged confused looks. "Not to question you," Agile began, "but if she's not here, why are we?"
Alex kept his eyes closed, "Even if someone has an ace up their sleeve, they never open themselves up so blatantly. So it's most likely a trap." He said. "Nancy Goff isn't courageous, cunning or zealous, so chances are, she isn't behind this. We are here to find out three things: Who is; what their capabilities are; and who the trap is for." He ticked off with his fingers on each point, to emphasize. "About a hundred yards to the east of the estate there is a high-powered sniper rifle and a throwaway holocomm. I'm not sure who that's meant for, but either way we'll find out when the chaos ensues."
"About how long do you think that could be?" Violen asked, feeling antsy.
"In roughly six seconds." Megaman replied. "When it does, move inside with the mob." He opened his eyes, looking to the row of police officers. "Then slaughter everyone."
Without warning, several of the officers' guns erupted on their own, peppering the crowd's front rows. The momentary disarray was short-lived, before the outrage set in. The group swarmed the police, who's weapons now refused to work for them, trampling those who weren't killed where they stood.
Violen and Agile exited the vehicle, in long coats, carrying black shoulder bags. Within seconds they blended into the small hoard, ascending the long driveway. Ahead, three people armed with pistols and rope, crossed the threshold. The almost invisible tripwire was tripped free, rolling two large rings down either side of the frame, cross-weaved with razor-sharp, piano-thin wire. Resembling an old-time push-mower blade cylinder, it mulched through skin and bone just the same. More would be murderers were at high speeds behind them, unable to stop, and also met the trap where it lay. The wires severed legs and made a gory mess of the ones who were unfortunate enough to be it's breaker.
The crowd was finally into the main foyer, only to turn on itself. Everyone obsessed over being the sole person to kill the most hated woman in America, turning the first floor of her mansion into a frenzy of random, cold-blooded violence. Just what Agile loved, as he brought up the rear, removing his coat. Violen shut and barred the entry, then did the same. No one seemed to notice the two men; one hulking, mohawked brute in a red-armored nanosuit, and the limber blonde, clad in black and purple. They opened their bags and slid their helmets into place. "Everyone!" Agile shouted at an inhuman volume, getting their attention. "I promise you, the death of your bodies, will truly be more painful than that of your souls."
Bryson lay still on the edge of the hill with his eye in his scope, watching Megaman slowly walk toward Nancy's house. He was just as the stories described him, only his sky-blue nanosuit was a lighter shade of grey, with pale blue trimming. But otherwise elegant, and if he didn't know the circumstances, Bryson would even say heroic. He stopped walking, halfway there. Nancy's muffled moans distracted Bryson, urging him to punch her in the gut again. But he didn't want to look away, Megaman had to be up to something. He decided to not think on it anymore, now was his chance. He began to squeeze the trigger, when a faint comms chime stopped him. "What the fuck is that?" He whispered angrily to Goff, who lay gagged and bound beside him in the grass. It continued as he frantically started ripping at her clothing, to find the small holocomm in her bra strap. He slapped her hard across her face in an outburst of rage, before answering the unknown call.
Megaman's face and chest sprung into view, staring dead in his eyes. He nodded for a moment, grinning slightly. "Mr. Oldman." Megaman said. "Seems you did have what it took."
In shock, Bryson looked back through the scope. Megaman still stood in the driveway, just as he was before. "Shit." Was all he had time to think before his rifle grew hotter by the second, and the android turned and looked his direction. He threw the gun just in time to only suffer shrapnel damage to his face and chest as it exploded along with the comms. But knowing what hesitation would do against a being like Megaman, he wasted no time in snatching the journalist to her feet and making a break for the coast. And Alex Light pursued. Bryson had played a part in Megaman's games for too long, and with every breath he swore to himself that only he would set the board from now on. But still, Alex Light pursued.
