Chapter 9

The White House was once a thriving tourist attraction, with so much history inside. It now sat, heavily guarded, as the Headquarters and home to King Curtis Wily. He sat alone in The Oval Office, his long, grey and white hair hung down in his face, over his tired, cold eyes. He angrily read over the holo reports, and watched the security feeds of the raids on his two fallen Lieutenants. Almost if to personally haunt him, Preston had his new henchman bear the face of the person who he once called "nephew", the very person that he had tortured and brutally murdered. He regretted that, but had to keep reminding himself that it wasn't his fault, Preston had forced his hand. He pressed the comms switch, "Guts, can I see you in my office?"

Gutsman entered a few moments later, in his button-down, white shirt and black slacks. "Yes, sir?" He said, in his deep, subtle voice.

"These recent attacks," he started, squeezing the bridge of his nose, "what direct effect have they had on your end of things?"

"Well, honestly sir, I've been having issues with our officers communicating with one another and sharing intel since yesterday, so Light must have gotten to Quickman. I've checked the footage from Willis Tower, and it all went corrupt at twenty-three hundred hours. I suspect the worst, sir." He said.

Wily let out a sigh, "And the others that we know about?"

"Nothing too serious there. Our main manufacturing plant was lost, but we still outnumber the rebels astronomically, so that is just a minor setback." He adjusted his cufflinks and continued, "Our main problem is the Power Grid, for now. Word is slowly spreading that we don't have control over the people's electricity anymore, and productivity is starting to slow."

Wily, now fuming, said "Hold a few public executions, we haven't done that in a while. I'll make a nation-wide address, as well. If Preston wants to cause trouble, we can let everyone see the fruit of his labors." He thought for a second, as Guts turned to leave, "And Guts."

"Sir?"

"Make it as painful as possible, but no miners, I still use the resources they find." He instructed.

"I know just who to call, sir." Guts said, with a grin.

Light Tower Infirmary

Miller's room in the Infirmary was almost equal to that of a luxury suite. When Megaman entered, the holovision was turned up to almost deafening levels.

Miller, noticing him, fumbled for the controls and quickly muted it. "Oh hey, didn't expect you to actually show up."

He cocked his head, "Why wouldn't I?" He asked.

She shrugged and motioned for him to have a seat on the bed. "I wanted to apologize. I treated you like less than nothing, and when I jeopardized our mission, you came back for me."

He cut in, "Capt..."

"Just listen." She interrupted. "It's not easy being human. We are already at a huge disadvantage to the machines, so trusting them can be difficult enough." She put her hands in her lap, nervously, and closed her eyes. "When the takeover happened, I was twenty four. I was on leave with my husband and four year-old son. The machines started off killing high-ranking officials and I was called into 'Emergency Duty'. My family was escorted to the 'Ranking Officers Family Protection Base' that was set aside for events like that." She gripped her bandana and composed herself. "When I got there, everyone was gone and the place was wrecked. All I found of my son's belongings was this bandana he used to play 'robbers' with." She wiped her eyes, "I later found out that the compound was betrayed by the Government Issued security robots that were stationed to protect them, and then taken to a Work Camp, in Dallas. When we raided the camp last year, we found it abandoned and the prisoners left to starve to death."

Megaman put his hand on her shoulder, when the holovision suddenly changed, mid-program, to the circled "W" symbol. He grabbed the controls and turned it up.

Wily sat at his desk, with his hair pulled back. "Citizens of Megatropolis, I'm sure you are wondering why you were all instructed to report to your living quarters immediately. Well, in light of recent events concerning this Revolution and specifically this Megaman, I have decided to request that everyone adhere to a thirty six hour lockdown. Of course you shouldn't consider yourselves prisoners of any sort," he cleared his throat and grinned, "but there are drones patrolling every street corner across the Nation, with orders to 'Shoot to kill' if they deem necessary. I know that some of you are rooting for the rebels, and see this Megaman as some kind of savior, but this is the real world, and in the real world that is called 'treason'.

The feed changed to an image of a Penitentary Commons Area, where the humanoid known as Burnerman, one of Wily's Majors, stood menacingly by a large glass capsule with a steel floor and ceiling.

Burnerman was the personification of danger. He was clad in an all-white nanosuit, standard-issued, red armored boots with exhaust holes around the ankles, and a red, armored vest that held two cylinders with exhaust ports, on his back, like an old movie's jet-pack. He wore royal blue gauntlets with large, piped openings on the top. His helmet was the style of a Red Spartan, with green-lit torches as the mohawk.

He spoke to the camera, "We have filled these cells with those suspected of supporting Preston Light's revolution and the self-proclaimed Megaman, either directly, or in spirit alone."

The guards ushered in a flailing woman in rags, threw her into the tube and sealed it.

"Such acts are punishable, by death." He said, igniting a torch from his right hand. He held the flame to the metal floor of the pod. The woman began to yell and jump up and down, then screamed as the capsule roasted her alive.

Miller sat with her hand over her mouth, she looked on in horror. When she turned to gauge Megaman's reaction, he was already out the door.

Running into the Advanced Technology Lab, he grabbed his helmet and threw it on, "Transport, get me a bird ready to go, now!" Pulling on his pants, he commed the Briefing Room, "I need last known locations of Burnerman, and any information on state penitentiaries in that area!"

"On it now, Megaman." A nameless tech responded.

Light and Jennings stormed in as he was zipping up his suit. Light spoke first, "Alex, stop. You have to see that this is a trap!"

Pulling on his boots, "I expect that, but people are being cooked alive, as we speak! I have to get in there now!"

Jennings chimed in, "Megaman, you can't charge in head-first like this, you will be killed and we can't muster a support unit fast enough!"

Light agreeing," He's right, Alex. Burnerman is a Major, we are not equipped to deal with him. You said so yourself 'Stay to our current route'."

Fully geared up now, Megaman responded "I'm leaving now, brief me over comms with what you can get, but I already have my heading." He tapped his helmet, "Coleman Correctional Facility, Florida." He brushed past the two men, "Send help there if you feel the need to."

Jennings gave Light an "I told you so" look and pleaded, "Megaman, stop! I know we can't stop you, but please, give me thirty minutes to make alterations to your suit. Added heat resistance, extra shock absorption, anything I can squeeze in."

Megaman turned, "People are dying Jennings!"

"And so will you with your current state! If you die, they all die, we all die. Thirty minutes can save a lot more lives than you think." Jennings said, praying he would listen.

Megaman thought it over. "You have thirty minutes, then I'm gone."