Proto Man was never one to leave matters alone, not when he could do something to be of use in the situation. He didn't completely trust Bass' motives for finding Zero, though it certainly was logical enough for Bass to want to fight his younger "brother". All the same, the red and grey robot thought that it might be better to find the missing Wily-bot before the older sibling did. And besides that, no one knew when Wily's latest, greatest invention would activate. Proto Man took no risks.
And so that was the reason why he was headed back to Monstropolis, specifically to Jenkins County Prison that lay on the outer part of the city, closer to the deserts to the south. Proto Man knew the place was a great deterrant to prison escapes, but the more dry landscape meant that there were fewer places to hide. He was going to have to be careful to not be seen, and even then he'd probably be caught by the security cameras. But as he couldn't exactly ask to speak to Wily, sneaking in would have to do. Proto Man had never gone through a government inspection, and was not trusted by authorities, and indeed most normal citizens.
From a long distance, Proto Man was casually sitting on a large rock, fairly invisible for a red machine. Engaging his zooming feature, he peered out over to where the barbed wire fence was. He could see a group of convicts exiting for their mid-day exercises. Despite the desert surroundings, it was still January and moderately cold, so the prisoners sported jackets, all in the regular prison orange. But despite the uniformity, the wild hairstyle of Dr. Albert Wily made him immediately apparent, unchanged by his time in jail. Proto Man had to wonder why Wily put so much effort into looking so crazy.
Wily, just as the investigating robot had expected, had his own miniature entourage of larger prisoners. Despite his lack of social skills, Wily's general insanity and experience as a villain made him instantly admirable to many of the worst criminals that populated Jenkins. Proto Man wondered if he could get them to leave. But surprisingly, a rare opportunity opened up. The three large men gathered around Wily departed after speaking to him for a short time, and left the evil mastermind relatively alone near the edge of the fence.
Proto Man was immediately suspicious. How likely was something like that going to happen? Proto Man immediately peered at his surroundings. He couldn't see anything around him but the prison and rocks. No robots in sight. This was somewhat odd, but it didn't deter Proto Man completely. So he went in closer, where he could see a fight in the prison yard break out, helpfully distracting the prison guards.
The robot paused. He had to make a decision. This situation was too convenient. The guards were distracted, and Wily was alone and able to speak to for a short time, but Proto Man didn't feel good about it. It was too opportune. He began to wonder if maybe he should simply try to get Rock to speak to Wily the legal way. But he knew that wasn't going to happen. Wily would be very careful not to give any hints to the bomber (besides hating him and possibly refusing to see him), and he knew that if Bass attempted to speak to him, only an argument would ensue.
Taking a risk for something to go wrong, Proto Man quickly went closer. He approached the fence, his calm demeanor carefully hiding his concern over everything. Wily noticed him right away, looking casually over his shoulder. Turning towards Proto Man as the guards were distracted by the violent convicts, Wily smiled a little deviously.
"Good afternoon, Proto Man. How are you?"
Blues was all business. "Fine. Mind telling me about Zero?"
Wily looked very surprised that Proto Man was asking about his supposedly secret project, but he just laughed and shrugged. "I should have known you would find out. You always do, somehow."
"Of course. But it's not like you to keep things like that to yourself. What exactly do you plan on doing with him?"
This amused Wily more than ever. While Proto Man assumed that Wily wasn't going to tell him directly, he knew that the mad scientist's bragging would definitely get the better of him. Blues had every confidence that Wily would let something drop. That is, until a noise attracted his attention, and he turned around. There, just a few feet away, was Flash Man, grinning devilishly as he pointed his buster - at Dr. Wily.
The plasma blast tore through the fence, hitting Flash Man's creator straight into the chest. For once Proto Man's solid expression broke, and he immediately went over to the imprisoned scientist to see what he could do, regretting that he didn't have more first aid training than he did. Not that it looked like any medical doctor could help. A bleeding wound kept the older scientist gasping and bleeding. Little bubbles were emerging from his chest, making Blues realize that one or both of the lungs had to have been punctured.
"Hey, that robot just attacked Wily!" a gruff, bald prisoner called out.
Proto Man immediately turned behind him to look for Flash Man, but the glowing robot had already disappeared. The realization came to him that while Flash Man had the flash stopper, his normal weapon was a standard buster, just like Proto Man's own gun. No one would be able to tell the difference between their plasma buster shots. The red and grey robot knew he had made a mistake by coming.
"I...I didn't do it..." Proto Man protested as the angry and shocked prisoners and guards started to surround him.
"Get away from him!" a guard barked as several others trained their guns on Proto Man. He then turned to Wily with an expression of shock, and swore. "This guy doesn't look good..."
Proto Man didn't wait to get captured. He immediately took off, dodging lasers and bullets as he fled his persuers.
How could he do that? Blues' mind raced. Wily-bots didn't have the three laws, but they were specifically programmed not to hurt their creator. Someone like Wily would take even more precautions against that very thing than most people. And how...how did that happen? It was too perfect a plan...there's no way Wily would be willing to kill himself just to frame me...
But his circumstances said otherwise. As Proto Man fled from the scene, he had to conclude that Wily would soon die, and he would be the one to blame. As little as people in general liked Wily, they would believe that Proto Man was a murderer. Any trust he had earned over years of helping his brother maintain justice was completely gone. Proto Man cursed at himself for being so foolish.
Blues looked once more over his shoulder. The guards were still following, but it was getting more apparent that they weren't going to keep up. And they knew this. One of them pulled out a radio to signal backup, and whatever backup that was, Proto Man guessed that it had to be ready to come after robots. He ran faster. As soon as he had departed the non-teleportation zone, he was gone.
Gyro Man had a conflict of interest going on as he flew over downtown Monstropolis. On the one hand, it was a perfectly lovely evening, and even though it was cold, it was still beautiful with all the lights starting to come on in the approaching darkness. On the other hand, he was bored. It made him feel a little guilty to want to fight someone, as he was just beginning to realize how much those inner city fights cost Monstropolis for repair, disturbed traffic, interrupted business, etc. All the same, the propellor-bot couldn't help but wish for some serious threat to show up, even a Cain-bot.
" - Anything yet, Gyro Man? - "
" - No, Wave Man, it's just as boring as it was when you contacted me twenty minutes ago. - "
Gyro Man could imagine his leader laughing, despite the fact that none of it transmitted. " - I thought it might prove so. Be thankful that it is. - "
" - Yeah, yeah, I know. Better boring than deadly. Any news from Rock? I hope he's having more fun than I am right now. - "
" - There is nothing from Mega Man himself, but I have gotten into contact with Napalm Man. He claims that the Cain robot Bullet Man was destroyed. - "
A small amount of jealousy rose up in Gyro Man, but he didn't say anything about it. " - So that leaves...? - "
" - Algorhythm Man, Sight Man, and Epic Man. Keep your eyes open. - "
" - Yeah, I will. - "
Gyro Man said his last sentence with a little distraction. It was darker than it had been before, but all the same, he thought he saw a little something from the corner of his eye. Turning to look downwards, all he saw was trees. But there it flicked again, some movement as if by a shadow. Gyro Man scanned, but little showed up on his radar. However, he was used to those instruments, so the fact that only little, minute blips appeared scared him more than it would had he actually detected a robot. Gyro Man lowered his altitude some, but still remained cautiously in the air, gliding over the park where he had first seen the shadow.
It was only by fortunate coincidence that he managed a visual glimpse. His radar remained as barely useful as before, but once he sighted it, the confusing signals he got made perfect sense.
It was a robot. A dark one, and in fact it was completely black. It was shaped as a sort of insectish human, with long, twig-like limbs yet the basic humanoid shape. Its feet however, were wide and triangular. A long black cannon The head and face of this robot were very intruiguing. It looked like an ant face, except more diamond shaped and with no mandibles, and it had two short antenna behind its head. But the most defining feature of this robot was its ridiculous sharpness. Every bend in its armor was a sharp one, and there were almost no smooth curves in it. That made things very clear. The reason he was so hard to detect was that his angles were sharp, like a B-2 bomber plane.
But the reason why Gyro Man got such a good look at his face was that the robot had turned to look at him. Gyro Man was seen. Nothing to do but fight, the Team 5 robot figured. Quickly lowering, Gyro Man swooped in and shot out his new, smaller gyro blades. However, he vastly underestimated the speed of the robot. In moments the black robot had run up a tree, and as Gyro Man had lowered in for the attack, the other robot was already jumping onto Gyro Man, and he crashed into the four spinning blades on the back of the Team 5 robot.
The two crashed to the ground. Whoever this fellow was, his was a very quick fistfighter, and the fall to the ground didn't seem to bother him at all. Amidst dodging all of the punches, Gyro Man managed to throw him off and dent his face with two quick gyro shots.
"Please be a Cain-bot!" The green guy couldn't help exclaim.
"I am one," the black insect-bot replied, in his strange buzzing voice. "My name is Sight Man."
"Oh yes!" Gyro Man grinned with aggressive confidence. "I can't wait for the others to see me take you down! - Wave Man, are you getting this? - "
" - I am. Good luck. - "
"Don't think this will be as easy as all that." Sight Man spoke up as he ran forward to begin the battle again.
Gyro Man hovered in the air just as Sight Man reached him, but much to his surprise the Cain bot's bone-like fingers clutched at him, ignoring the gyro blades that cut downwards, and hurled the green robot several feet ahead. Gyro Man got up quickly, launching his large gyro blade, all while charging up his weapons (it was a new feature that Crystal Man had left him). His next smaller gyro blades glowed yellow, and they stung Sight Man as they hit and stuck in his skinny sides. Unfortuantely, Sight Man was able to run forwards at an amazing speed, kicking Gyro Man in the face and knocking him down.
Sight Man was correct. It wasn't going to be an easy fight.
-t-
Proto Man had to stop. He could feel his power core pulsing randomly, and if he didn't stop soon, it would only get worse. On one of the more hidden alleyways of Monstropolis, Proto Man decided to rest. Before he settled down, Proto Man crept over to one side of the alley, closer to the more populated side of the street. The deepening shadows would hide him, and he wanted to hear the news from the TVs that the electronics store displayed nearby. This was the same place he had been to hear news of Mega Man and Bass just a few days earlier, and hopefully it would tell him what he wanted to know.
For that moment, it was just going on about the weather. Proto Man took a moment to asess his internal mechanisms. His power core was starting to protest whenever he was too active, and Proto Man knew he had given it trouble when he was trying to lose his those that were after him. But almost immediately as he settled down, he started to feel better. The surges went down, and his power level stopped itself from dipping too far. He had worked himself too hard that day.
Popping open an E-tank, Proto Man promptly chugged it, going over the incident in his head. "I should be fine...those security cameras would be able to see the entire thing. If no one else did, they had to have seen Flash Man. But then again..Dr. Wily must have planned this...how did he know I would go to see him? I only decided to go a short time ago, and told no one..."
Blues was forced to conclude that Wily must have guessed that either he or someone else would have appeared. Thinking back on it, the robot guessed that the plan didn't require any specific robot, as long as the robot was someone other than Rock (who would have spoken with Wily by the prison's guidelines in any case). But he had to admit, it was extraordinarily "lucky" for the scientist that he had been the one to arrive. Proto Man gritted his teeth. He should have known better than to approach such a convenient situation. Maybe the villainous doctor had been expecting him.
"Wily...he's an egotist. No one like him would kill themselves simply to make someone look bad. He must have used this as an opportunity to escape."
The news started to talk about it, and Proto Man listened from his alleyway, leaning perfectly still on the wall.
"Today at Jenkins County Prison we have word of the surprising death of the convicted Dr. Albert Wily." the feminine newsanchor intoned. "He was struck down at eleven-thirty this morning by the renegade robot Proto Man, also known as Blues..."
Proto Man started. Taking a calculated risk, he went to look at the television. It showed a video clip, one where Proto Man was shown firing his buster at the hapless doctor.
"It must have been edited!" a stunned Proto Man thought. "But who could have done it...and why? Wily's got to be still alive..."
The news went on unhampered. "Dr. Wily died later this afternoon from his plasma burn injuries. As the late doctor has no family, some conflict is going on about what to do with the body, but for now it is being held in Roland Jenkins Memorial Home."
That was where he would go first, Proto Man decided. As much as he needed a rest, it wouldn't do if Wily somehow faked the death and escaped. But a plasma shot to the chest with no armor on...that was liable to tear a human's innards apart. Proto Man didn't believe for a second that any human could have survived it. And the bleeding, Proto Man himself had seen it. Wily was old and had been that way for many years, leaving him worse off than most. Proto Man had to believe that he was dead.
"But why...?" Proto Man questioned. "Was he so tired of being in prison that he wanted his last act to be revenge?"
It was a plausible story, especially if Wily didn't feel he had long to live. Proto Man couldn't remember how many times he had interfered with Wily's plans, and if it hadn't been for him, Mega Man's own adventures would have been cut short.
"Proto Man escaped the scene, but authorities are certain that he is still within Jenkins County. For the past few years many considered him somewhat trustworthy, including Mega Man, but it now appears that his hatred of Wily has gotten the best of him. However, considering his history for good, Mayor Blevins is willing to consider going easier on him if he turns himself in."
"Not likely to happen. I hope no one is holding their breath."
Proto Man went back into the alley, thankful that he was closer to obsolete than new. Most of the ways the modern realm of robotics traced robots was with new tracking numbers, and Proto Man was not only older, but also cut off from the rest of robotics science. He would be harder to find.
Sighing, the red and grey robot had to take a moment to rest his power core. If he could find some safe place to stay, he decided he would shut himself off for a few hours. hopefully that would make his energy system calm down. But for now the alley would be fine, until he felt he could make it over to the memorial home. For now he would try to decide how he was going to get in there without being detected and caught. It seemed impossible.
"Rock would look." Proto Man considered with an ironic smile. "I'm sure he wouldn't believe that I could ever kill anyone..."
Proto Man only thought well of his brother, but he decided that he would go for himself. He didn't need Mega Man to come to his rescue. And besides, if he found evidence of a video editor, Blues could take up that offer that the Mayor had made and vindicate himself. For a moment, Proto Man closed his eyes.
But only for a moment. A noise immediately alerted him that something was going on in the nearby park. Proto Man knew the noise: the noise of a fight. He went over for a look. Gyro Man (who was at the time crashing through several bushes) he recognised, but the insectoid robot who had thrown the propeller-bot (and was now skillfully dodging several gyro blades) wasn't anyone he knew.
The loner robot armed his buster and checked his systems. His power core had calmed down for the time being, and the E-tank he'd had would likely keep him for a bit. As much pride as most Wily-bots had, Proto Man knew that Gyro Man would need his help. Where in the world was Rock?
Gyro Man was enjoying the fight so much, he didn't realize when he was starting to lose. But as Gyro Man had been flung back through the bushes, his adversary suddenly disappeared. Peering in and between all the trees around him, the green robot wondered where Sight Man had gone. Even the little blips he'd detected earlier were gone.
But of course that didn't mean that the Cain-bot had retreated. Sight Man, from his perch on a tree a hundred yards away, had pulled the cannon from his back and was now aiming it as a sniper at the unaware Gyro Man. He steaded the cannon, then made sure to get his enemy into the crosshairs. All he had to do now was pull the trigger. If he had a normal mouth, he would have smiled.
Before he knew it, Sight Man was falling to the ground, and a red and grey robot was above him. Without waiting for anything else to happen, Sight Man's bony legs swept around and knocked Proto Man's legs out from under him. Trying to run for it, Sight Man was stunned to find that this new arrival was quick too. Sight Man only got a few feet up the nearest tree before Proto Man jumped up and pulled him down, getting in several point blank hits with his buster while he was at it. The Cain-bot barely managed to throw him off.
"You..." Sight Man backed away unsteadily, pointing a dark, accusing finger at Blues. "You're that Proto Man, aren't you?"
Proto Man just smiled slightly, aiming his buster.
Scoffing, Sight Man turned and ran, heading for the lights of the city. Proto Man ran after him, and by that time he could hear the sounds of Gyro Man flying in the air above him. They would surely corner this threat together. The Cain-bot was hard to see, but Proto Man managed to keep up. However, just as they were getting out of the park and into regular streets again, Sight Man jumped several feet into the air, and with him out of the way, Proto Man was able to see that Sight Man had led him straight to where a cop car had parked.
As the car doors opened, Sight Man landed behind Proto Man and grasped him tightly in a headlock. Try as he might, Proto Man was unable to escape.
"I got him, officers!" Sight Man exclaimed with sinister glee. "I caught the murderer!"
-t-
" - Epic Man, come in. - "
The blue, spiked robot was only happy to answer his master's transmission. After all, he had spent the entire day hanging out around a volcano, and as much as he liked them, he was getting a bit jealous that his remaining kin were getting all the fights.
" - Dr. Cain, what can I do for you? - "
" - Just tell me what's going on. I need to make sure I have everything ready for his arrival - "
" - Algorhythm Man unfortunately wasn't able to get the full virus on Mega Man's system. - "
Dr. Cain would've liked very much to complain about that, but in the end he decided it wasn't worth it. " - Eh, whatever. I suppose it was too much to ask for any of you to do your jobs correctly. I don't need him under my control for this plan to work. But did he take down Mega Man's communications? - "
" - Oh yes, yes. I would have gone to do it myself if he had failed. Ha, he shall feel terrible once he finds out what will be going on in his absence. Oh, and I have more unfortunate news: Bullet Man is dead. - "
" - The miserable idiot. As long as this doesn't interfere with the plan, it doesn't matter. Now, Mega Man is headed for here, correct? - "
" - Surely you know I'm reliable? Of course he is. The little twerp is following our little trail as we speak. - "
" - And Monstropolis? - "
" - Sight Man has the substitute hero distracted, and Algorythm Man already has the device ready. Very soon it will be chaos for the good people of Monstropolis, California. - "
" - See that it is. - " Dr. Cain was never one for being encouraging, as his low, growling tone indicated. " - I want that place torn apart for good, do you hear me? And make sure that Wily fool is gone as well. - "
" - Ah, no need for that. Check the news and you'll see he's already dead. - "
" - Convenient. - "
And without another word, Dr. Cain cut the transmission. Epic Man, with an air of amusement, noted that Dr. Cain was the rudest person he knew, not that he knew many humans. But he was absolutely loyal to his master, and leaned back with his arms behind his head against the rocks at the top of the active volcano's peak. A spurt of hot air flew up behind him, and Epic Man grinned as it whooshed up.
But all the same, he was completely bored. He wished he could be in Monstropolis with Algorythm and Sight Man, helping them and the numerous robots that they were about to kidnap level the place.
Oh, well. I'll just have to be content killing Mega Man.
-t-
"Is the anti-virus ready, Dr. Light?" Gravity Man asked casually.
"It certainly is. A good job if I do say so myself." the doctor cheerily responded. "I'll go ahead and send it to Napalm Man now. Could you get me the blue disc from my office? I'm afraid I forgot to bring it earlier, and we'll need it to get ready for our next experiment."
Gravity Man went to obey, but as he did, he couldn't help but noticing that the doctor looked a bit faint. "Um, are you okay, doctor?"
"Oh yes, I'm fine." Dr. Light dismissed the maroon robot's concerns immediately as he pushed the appropriate buttons to send off the anti-virus. "Go on, now."
Gravity Man exited without question. Roll, however, who had remained in the room to keep an eye out for the doctor, was immediately doubtful. "Doctor, you've been going on for a few hours now. Isn't it time for a rest?"
"Well...perhaps you're right...perhaps...you know, I really should sit down..."
Dr. Light's hand went to his head, and he collapsed to his knees in pain. Gasping, Roll dashed to his side, trying to help him not fall to the floor as he fainted away.
"Hey guys, have you seen the news?" Gravity Man called out as he returned. "They're saying Proto Man -"
Seeing what had happened he immediately stopped. "What happened?"
"I don't know!" Roll cried out with fright. "Call the hospital!"
Gravity Man was instantly at the computer, sending out an emergency transmission to the hospital. Thinking quickly, he thought of someone else he should call. But as he pressed more and more buttons, he realized that something was wrong.
"I...I can't get through to Rock!"
/
Author's notes:
- Hey guys, do you think these chapters are too long? I mean, I know the one with 10,000 words was definitely too long, but still I want to keep this as readable as possible. Yell at me what you think.
- Did you know that there's a difference between prisons and jails? Jails are the places where people are kept until trial, and prisons are where the convicted people are kept afterwards. For the longest time I thought they were the same thing, but it turns out not.
====Sight Man
"...I'm already here..."
Good point: all-terrain
Bad point: easily distracted
Likes: silence and nighttime
Dislikes: large bands
That's right, Sight Man hates bands, especially high school ones. Number one, they're noisy, and number two, they play the kind of music that he hates (it's even worse if the band plays horribly). But in fact, Sight Man hates most forms of music, besides some trance and light strings music.
Anyway, Sight Man is designed for stealth and sniping. So basically he's a ninja with a gun. Not only does his anti-radar armor hide him, but his greater speed and dark color do too. And when it's convenient, he can change his color to white, green or brown, depending on what environment he's in and how he needs to hide, though he always prefers to be black. His feet are capable of flattening for walking in swamps or snow, or becoming claws for climbing. However, this comes at a cost, as he isn't as tough as many other robot masters. But his skills make him good at dodging.
Sight Man isn't as friendly as the other Cain-bots (who are surprisingly social), and he doesn't like talking that much. He will usually never be found where the others are.