Author's Note: I have the next chapter and a half ready, I'm just trying not to drop it all at once.
Btw, if anyone actually likes this garbage or wants more of it please fav, follow, or leave a review, even if it's just "yay". Less feedback = less interest to update on my part.
Chapter 10: This City Made Us
Megaman finally makes his way back to his family's apartment. His gaze is still cast down to the ground.
Doctor Light snatches him up as soon as he enters the door, holding him close. "Oh my boy... My poor son..."
"Dad..." The young boy chokes on a sob as he wraps his arms around his father. "He's gone...Blues left with them and-and I don't know why..."
Light keeps holding him close as Roll joins them.
"I know son... I... I don't understand Blues's purpose either... But... But we must have faith..."
"I couldn't ask him what he was planning...but I'm scared...I don't know what's gonna happen to him...I left him alone with them today and he nearly had his processor fried..."
Light and Roll look horrified.
Tears fall down Rock's cheek. "For all I know it really was damaged... And it's all my fault..."
"Oh Rock..." Roll murmurs, clutching his hand.
"We... We must do something... Did he say where he was going?" his father asks.
"To Dr. Wily..."
Light looks grim. "We... Perhaps... We should evacuate."
Rock sniffles. "I'm so confused...I was afraid he'd forgotten about everything recently...but..."
"... Perhaps you should start from the beginning and tell us everything that happened, son."
Light sits him down to explain everything from the beginning.
Rock tries his best to collect himself and go through everything that occurred once they heard about the attack at the hospital. He tells of their plan to split up and the battle he had with Bass in order to rescue the human hostage he had. He then explains how Protoman seemed unconscious when he saw him next and how when he got back up, he was acting the way he did when they first met.
"I thought for sure he had forgotten everything...but..but then he called me a...a cinnamon roll," Rock's eyes glisten with moisture from held back tears. "And he only did that while he was staying here."
Light scratches his beard. "It... It's possible that Blues was only faking... It sounds like it did keep anyone from being seriously hurt but..." He still looks concerned. "If he really has gone back to Wily... We are not safe here anymore..."
"So...do we have to leave here?"
"Mm... We... We should leave... Just to be safe." The doctor regretfully nods.
"Okay..." Rock sounds positively glum.
Thomas Light frowns, knowing his family needs some stability and this is the opposite of that.
Just then there's a ring at Lights phone. He goes to pick it up. A voice speaks urgently on the other end of the line and the old doctor's face morphs from surprise to concern. "... I understand. Yes... Yes I'll be right there." He turns back around to his family. "...kids I'm going to the hospital."
# # # # # #
Blues is on edge from the moment they arrive at Wily's complex even though the other masters seem glad to have him. Cutman and Gutsman have their arms slung over his shoulders in a friendly way. "Hey boss! We got Breakman back! He really was on our side all along!"
It's dark inside, but Wily is in his usual place tinkering with his mechanical army, illuminated by the glow of a large computer monitor. The old man looks pleased when he notices the arrival, but he motions that the masters and Blues all stop before advancing any further.
"Explain."
"Breakman is back!" Cutman starts out with glee—"
"Nah ah..." Dr. Wily cuts across the orange bot, "From him."
Everyone turns on Blues again, waiting for him to make sense of it.
"Days ago Bass attacked me and buried me under the rubble of a building."
Wily looks a bit nervous. He tries to twirl the hair of his mustache that is no longer there, then stops when he realizes and harrumphs. "W... Well you couldn't expect me to just let you go for disrespecting me now, could you?"
"...fair enough." Blues allows him. "In any event... When I was found I was in bad shape. I was taken by Megaman. Bass apparently planned this. He used me as bait to lure blue in... Only he failed. Megaman defeated him and took me to-"
"Stop! Stop right there. Megaman defeated him alright... When Bass returned that day he told me that YOU had fed Megaman instructions as to how to thwart him!"
Protoman is caught for a moment. But only for a moment.
"When have you known Bass not to lie to save face?"
"Eh? B... But..." Wily bites his lip. True enough... His own creation is a prideful mess… "... Say I believe you... Then what?"
"Then I was taken to Light. He worked on my 'repairs'... He messed with my head. I can vaguely remember what happened in the meantime but I wasn't myself. Not until Elecman gave me a few volts to the brain."
"Yeah!" Elecman tosses in. "And then it was like he was back to normal! Good old Break Man. I believe him, boss."
The nerves are getting to Blues. It's hard not to quiver. So much has happened. He feels so weak... But so much rides on this. He can't waver now.
Wily weighs everything he's heard. Protoman knows he is not just taking the story at its face value. He is weighing the technical aspects too.
"Elecman..." The doctor asks.
"Er... Yea?"
"How long after Break Man was shocked did he regain consciousness?"
"Er... A... About 30 minutes? Maybe slightly more?"
Wily's eyes widen slightly but he doesn't say anything for several minutes more himself.
Then finally...
"Ah... Glad to have you back, my unruly creation. You poor boy... Thomas is just as cruel as I feared. He really does want to change you all into his mindless servants."
Wily realizes too late that he called Protoman his boy again and covers his mouth. There's also the matter that he planted Joe pods around the city and caused a lot of destruction like he was warned not to last time. His hands fly to the hair on the sides of his head.
"Ack! I mean Break Man! Protoman! Whichever you prefer! ER... No hard feelings about all that nastiness right? I will... Have a VERY stern talking with Bass when he returns."
This is it. Protoman advances towards him, arms outstretched and a crocodile smile on his face.
"Sure thing. I just want to start over fresh. What's say you and me hug it out and forget this ever happened?" Blues's core thrums loud and uneven in his ears. Even though it does not beat like a human heart it feels like it is hammering in his chest as he prepares to take a life.
# # # # # # # # #
Across town Light is entering the emergency ward of the children's hospital. He doesn't all expect what he finds.
"Wh...what is this? You told me that the bot you captured was Shadowman but this is..."
Handcuffed to one of the seats in the hospital is a very unhappy Iceman.
The policeman on the scene frowns. "Well yeah see we had that dark blue guy but then... I'm not sure exactly what to tell you... It was cold, I went to turn the AC up, and when I got back this little guy was-"
"I was tricked. Betrayed," the robot mutters to himself sulkily.
"Do you still want this one or...?" the officer asks.
"Yes please, I'll take him. I may yet be able to disable the malicious programming that Doctor Wily put into him..."
Iceman squirms in his seat. For once he does not enjoy being the center of attention.
Light crouches near the tied up bot. "Hello little Ice man... do you remember me?"
Iceman's face scrunches up in a grimace, but he answers. "Yes, sir..." He grumbles. "You're the doctor who made me just to ship me out to some frozen wasteland where no humans wanted to be."
The doctor blinks in surprise. "Wha? My poor boy... is that what you think?"
"It's what Dr. Wily told me!"
Light frowns. It's true that he wanted Iceman to be capable of going to regions too frozen and dangerous for humans to tread alone... but that doesn't mean he intended for his creation to be left totally to icy solitude. In his imagination there were always humans working together with the robots to surpass the icy terrain... "My dear Iceman... I am sorry that you believed you were to be abandoned... I promise you that if you come with me, no such isolation will be a part of your future..."
"How am I supposed to trust you, huh? We all know what you wanna do to us. You wanna make us like all other robots!"
"Untrue! I made you to be far more than any regular robot could be! I know as far as you're concerned we've only just met, Iceman... but please allow me to return you to my lab and remove Wily's programming... he has corrupted you with lies and trickery."
"Well one of you is lying to me...and how am I supposed to know which one?" he shoots back, glaring suspiciously.
Light frowns. Maybe he's being too heavy-handed about this… The memory of his fallings out with Blues are fresh on his mind. He wants to do better this time. He needs to. "...is there anything that I could do to convince you to trust me? To give me a chance?" He would much prefer having Iceman come willingly then to drag him back and force him into alterations...
"…" Iceman is at a loss. Someone is offering to do something for him. That is...unfamiliar.
"...Iceman?" Light prompts again. "...Are you alright?"
"I'm fine! I'm just...thinking..."
Light hesitantly places a hand on the boy's cowl. The police officer looks between the two of them. "Um... I'll allow you two some space... if you need me I'll be down the hall." He walks off while Iceman continues to ponder, scrunching up his face.
"That's quite alright... take your time..." the doctor allows his creation. And then he offers a small smile.
Iceman doesn't try to remove his hand, but the smile is not returned. "I want..."
"...yes?"
He averts his eyes somewhat shyly. "I wanna finally try that ice cream stuff you humans are always raving about."
"...I'd also like a new coat." The robot master adds as an afterthought.
Light begins to chuckle, his whole body shaking from his laugh. He doesn't laugh loudly, but he does laugh deeply... so much so that he's soon practically in tears. "My poor boy... such a modest request... I'll happily see to it that you have both. Officer!" The doctor calls out. "If it is alright with you... I would like to take Iceman with me."
The police officer looks unsure, but he knows that if anyone needs to be fooling with the robots, it is their creator, not the law enforcement office. "Alright... just see to it you don't let him get away..." Robot's are not people. At least not by the law's estimation. It doesn't make sense to put a robot in jail for committing a crime any more than it makes sense to imprison a gun. He comes over to remove Iceman's cuffs and the other bindings. Then the other man hesitantly moves away from the icemaker.
Iceman looks at his now freed wrists and then the doctor before him. Hm...he could attack the man here and now...but...
Light knows very well that he's at the bot's mercy, which is enough to make him nervous, but... "Now then... since that nastiness is over, how about we go get you fueled and let you try out some ice cream? There should still be a few department stores open if you'd also like to look for a coat tonight."
"... Yes, sir."
"It's quite alright... no need for the formality, unless you desire it. If you like you may call me simply doctor... or dad." He smiles. "That is what Rock and Roll call me."
With a hand on the small bot's back he leads the way towards the hospital door.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Humans are so terribly fragile, Blues thinks to himself. There are so many ways to do this. A quick stab to the ribs will kill Wily just as surely as crushing his ribcage in a hug. He could cut the man's head off or crush his skull... There is a window behind him. He would die if he falls from the height... He could be shot, shattered, and slashed in so many ways... Killing humans is so easy. It is almost a wonder with all the ways that he has at his disposal to kill a human that he has never done it before. It must, Blues muses, be a sign of his great self-restraint.
As he advanced towards Wily, arms outheld, and the man opens his arms up as well to nervously receive the hug, Blues has never had more of a reason to kill this man. Wily has proven over and over that he is full of deceit... Cowardice... Hatred. This bitter old man is willing to burn down the city and take the lives of children to get what he wants. Every part of Blues's moral coding abhors him. Every rationale justifies killing him now-one life at this moment to save possibly millions on a later day.
He wraps his arms around the frail older man...
And Wily murmurs in his ear.
"Ah... It's good to have you back... You know I was worried for a while there. I was worried that you had replaced me... Just like Thomas did to us both... I've never admitted this to anyone, so don't go repeating it... But I think we're very alike, you and I... We both just wanted to live the lives we deserve-I to be recognized for my scientific achievements, and to bring a lasting peace to the world using my creations... And you to simply live your life... Free to do as you choose. But both of our creators tried to deny us that... Both of them forced us to living like outlaws...
The very men that once crafted my brilliant mind... Who taught me to build incredible things with my hands... They were the same ones that signed off on the paper restricting me from ever using that mind and those hands to build again. It's not right, is it? To give someone a purpose... A calling that they are good at... And then just to rip it all away... For so long I tried to play by their rules. I became a shadow of a man, always hiding behind Light... Passing him the credit just as long as I could do what I was made to do-build. Never fear, Protoman. I will never deny you the chance to be all that you can be. One day we'll both show our creators that they were wrong to throw away our potential. One day... I'll make sure of it."
Protoman freezes as he listens to Wily speak. These... These are vengeful words. These are the words of a man prepared to do terrible things. To continue hurting people.
...but they also resonate with him. Because a Blues not too long ago would have been totally taken in by these words. A Blues not ridded of a few misunderstandings would have felt such kinship with this man now.
He is here. His target is in his arms… defenseless… It's now or never.
…..
...and he can't do it.
The world shifts around Protoman, but it's like he is out of sync with it again. The doctor in front of him pulls away, and then there is more questioning. After all of the physical, mental, and emotional hardship he has been through today, all he wants is rest. But he has to keep up his charade. At the demand for Dr. Light's new location his memory conveniently goes fuzzy again. At Wily's request, he can't QUITE remember where Light's new hideout is. On the north side of town? That sounds right. Street address? No um... He didn't catch that. Notable nearby buildings? There was a red brick building yes. JUST a red building? Um... All that he remembers. He's fuzzy... But it's slowly coming back to him! As soon as he has all the details he's going to point the way. No need to go tracking Megaman down again. He is sure that it will all come back to his addled processor in time.
Some time during the questioning, Shadowman slips back in and makes his report. Iceman was successful in freeing him from captivity. "Regrettably" the small boy was captured himself. So sad. Shadowman seems really torn up about it. No sign of Bass still.
Finally the old man calls it a night after ordering Protoman to do his best to remember EXACTLY where he was modified before Dr. Light's trail has the chance to go cold again. Blues is so tired... He still aches from where he was cut and zapped. His head is still a fuzzy mess, though slightly less crooked... He remembers more... He feels like he has almost all the details together now.
After finding a place to hide and rest for the night he settles down, barely able to sleep. He still doesn't trust Wily and the masters. Not really. So he doesn't recharge with the other bots. He settles down on the edge of the property, hidden inside of a metal cooling cylinder, hanging from a metal grate above the inert distilling tank.
He dozes lightly... on edge. Tomorrow he has to figure out some kind of way to put Wily's operations on hold. He's leaning towards destroying this complex. While Wily looks for a new place, Light can rebuild his own home... Then the lawless doctor will have to go through his security system again, a feat not easily accomplished. Hopefully enough of a feat to keep Wily at bay and force him to go back to other things.
As Blues is thinking, the dim lights of the complex flicker. He hears footsteps approaching.
# # # # # # # # # # # # #
Light drives to the nearest department store since it's late and takes Iceman inside to pick out a coat. Luckily, seeing as spring is well on the way, there's a nice selection on clearance selling as cheap as they come.
"Pick whatever you like, dear boy." The doctor smiles, waving at the open aisles. He helps to suggest some nice fur and wool lined parkas.
Iceman is immediately drawn to them. He picks out one in a darker shade of blue than the one he's currently wearing.
"OOh look this one's quite nice too..." The doctor pulls out a dark green one and shows it to him.
"Eh...I don't like that color." Iceman announces bluntly.
"Oh? Just blue?"
"I like blue."
"That's quite alright. Hm... how about... this one?"
Iceman's mouth forms an excited 'o'. "Yes!"
"Excellent!" Light adds it to the other.
"Wait...both?"
The doctor nods. "Yes... you do like both of them, don't you?"
"But I only need one… You'd really let me have two?"
"Of course. I thought you wanted to shop for a new one so you would have more variety. ...are these two the only ones that you want?"
Iceman's eyes are bugging out. "...would you buy me even more?"
"Of course! It's really not much trouble at all. As I said, they're all on sale right now. ...but even if they weren't I would still buy them for you if you desired them."
Iceman considers. "...I want every color."
The doctor stops dead. Uh oh. "Um…. P-perhaps we can work our way up to that gradually…." He's not quite that loaded.
"Except the green one."
A sweat drop appears at the old man's temple while he tries to maintain his good-natured smile. "You really dislike green that much?"
"Just that green," Iceman clarifies.
"Alright... w-well then… shall we continue?"
Light goes to grab a shopping cart while the small bot picks the ones he likes. Although Iceman says he wants one of 'every color', apparently 'every color' to him means every different shade of blue that he can find. He finds every such coat meeting that criteria and in his size and deposits them into the cart.
As they check out, Light muses that he really IS lucky they were on such a good sale. He only ends up paying about $200 for a rather outrageous number of child's sized coats.
Iceman quickly grows bored in the checkout line. After picking out each coat, he thought he should really take in the sight of this place. He'd never been anywhere like it. As he waits beside the doctor, his eyes fall on the long, shiny floor between sections, and he gets an idea. He wanders away from the doctor and begins blowing his frosty breath down on the floor, covering it in sleek ice. The robot hops on and begins skating along, throwing in as many tricks as he can in an attempt to impress the now angry crowd of people.
It takes Light a moment to realize that he is missing his charge, but when he does it is already too late. He gasps when he sees what is going on. "I-iceman please wait, this isn't the place to be doing such things!"
The manager growls at the doctor. "Hey! Is that kid yours!? Please control your child!"
There are some shrieks as people begin to realize it's one of the rampant robots. There's a great uproar as patrons begin to flee the store.
"Oh dear..." Light's face falls.
"Huh...?" Iceman starts to slow down as the people run away. But...but he was just doing tricks... He skates back up to Light.
"I... I apologize, sir... I'll pay for the cleanup expenses..." the doctor promises the store manager, just glad that Iceman seems to be back under control.
Seems being the operative word.
Instead of stopping, Iceman rushes past the doctor to the entrance of the store and coats the walkway there in ice as well. Anyone still trying to run away will regret it if they aren't careful.
! "Iceman!" the doctor cries out, alarmed. The manager and Light run after the boy, calling for him to return and arrive in time to witness the slip and slide take place.
"Oh my word! I...Iceman please desist!"
"Look buddy, you do something about him or I'm calling the cops!" The manager threatens.
The robot chuckles as the clumsy humans start tumbling over his handiwork. Stupid, oafish creatures. They can barely stand on their own two feet.
And then the doctor is tripping his way out to meet the boy. He falls on his front in the process. "Ooof!"
"..." Seeing the doctor fall this time makes his smile fall. He just got him new coats, after all...this wasn't exactly a fair way to pay him back. He quickly skates to the doctor to offer assistance. "Sir! Are you alright?"
Thomas picks himself up shakily, teeth chattering from the cold. "I... Iceman... my boy... please cease... these people will be harmed if you use your abilities like this... W...w...we can find a place afterwards where it is safe to freeze what you wish and skate... b-b-but right now..."
The manager and store staff glare at Light and Iceman from the sidelines with a mixture of anger and fear.
"L-l-let us get you your coats, okay? And then we can go... i-if you like you can wait in the car..."
Iceman pouts at the staff...but he leaves them be. "Fine. I've had enough of this stupid place anyway."
The doctor returns to the store register and is there for a while longer while Iceman waits in the car. He ends up having to pay a nice extra little sum for the ice damage and the business he cost the store... but when he returns, he has several bags of coats... and something a little extra.
The doctor opens up the car door and hands a bowl with a spoon to his creation. "There you are... give these a try!"
In the bowl are tiny frozen spheres of all different colors.
"Oh wait! I almost forgot." He takes a small canister of fuel out of his coat pocket and pours a little bit over the dip n' dots. "There you go! Dig in while I load these coats up."
"Huh...?" Iceman looks the contents of the bowl over and scowls, twisting his lip in disgust.
"This isn't ice cream!"
"It IS ice cream! Not in the traditional sense, perhaps, but these little balls are, in fact, tiny bits of ice cream! They're called dip n' dots! Just think of it like this: Dip n' dots are to ice cream as sleet is to slush!"
"Go on, dear boy, give it a try. If you dislike it we can go on and get some regular ice cream as well, but I always find dip n' dots to be a delightful treat!"
"..." Iceman takes the spoon and puts a scoop in his mouth.
"...Well? H...how is it?"
"..." Iceman's suspicious expression morphs to one of tearful delight.
Q-Q "It's good..."
"..." Q^Q Light looks equally emotional to see him enjoy them so much. "W... well I'm glad you like it!"
The doctor cannot help himself. He reaches over to give the poor emotional boy a hug. How did Wily ever convince him that he wouldn't feel that the robot masters were like people just because they didn't look quite as human? Fool fool fool. Such a young fool he was.
Iceman stares at the doctor in silent contemplation for several moments. "Maybe you're...alright after all..."
Iceman gives him a hesitant hug back.
The doctor rubs his back. "I certainly hope so…"
"….What's gonna happen to me though...?"
"What do you mean?
"I dunno what you're gonna do to me...or what will happen to me once I'm changed..." Iceman explains. "They'll come after me for betraying them...they'll sick Bass on me… Or Breakman...
"Oh no no dear boy... Iceman..."
"Yes sir...?"
"I won't let them harm you... You can stay with me... with my dear daughter and son Roll and Rock... Whatever storms may come our way we will weather them together. And you won't be changed! Not really. I made a horrible mistake once... I set out to do repairs on my son and drove him away when I failed to address his fear that his personality would be changed by my modifications... I promise you this... In the event that I deem there may be even the slightest risk of altering your personal programming to remove Wily's work... I will refrain from doing anything to it without your express consent."
The doctor straightens up. "Now then..."
Light goes back to load the rest of the coats into the car before getting back inside. Iceman is left some more time to enjoy his ice cream. Once the doctor is back in the car he buckles up.
"Now then... shall we go home?"
Home... "O...okay..." Iceman nods timidly.
Light pets his hooded head as he begins the drive back to the university.
Iceman is still nervous. He's still not sure if this is a trick...but he knows whatever's ahead of him sure looks better than the life mucking through sewers and living in the industrial Wily complex that he is leaving behind.
# # # # # # # # #
Blues doesn't miss the slight flicker of the artificial light.
Elecman?
Protoman keeps quiet as the sound approaches, hoping the bot will pass him by. And for a while there is no sound... Protoman would think he's gone were it not for the fact his footsteps stopped just outside of the cooling cylinder he's hiding in.
At length, the lid above him slides open and the familiar yellow and black face peeks in. There's a pout on the robot masters face as he stares down Break Man below.
"What the hell are you doing?" Elecman asks.
The black and yellow bot hops down into the pipe with him looking extremely displeased. Blues is confused. "Er... Elecman? Is something wrong?"
He wracks his brain nervously trying to figure out what he did that might have set this one off but nothing comes to mind. The bot hushes him though. "Shhh, keep it down or we'll be heard."
Blues's brows knit together behind his visor. Worry creeps under his skin, but he keeps his voice quiet as requested. "I don't understand... What did I do?"
"Don't you play dumb with me... Why didn't you take Wily out when you had the chance!?"
Blues's eyes widen in surprise. "Wh... How..."
"Shhh. Quiet. You're a good actor, hero, but you didn't fool me. I know what you've been about at that hospital. I know about play time. But did I misjudge you or something? You had your shot at the doc. Why not kill him then?"
Blues can scarcely believe what he is hearing. Elecman wanted him to kill Wily? He played along like he believed the ruse to let him return to the hideout? "You... Want Wily dead?"
"Look it's nothing personal but I know what I know, and I know he's holding me back. I want a little taste of what YOU've got. You feel me?"
"...why use me then? You're here all the time you could do it-"
"Could I? Do you really think that I would still be here if I could?"
That's right. Why did he assume that the masters had enough free will to cause Wily harm? It's honestly surprising that Elecman has enough will of his own to think such conspiratorial thoughts.
"But you do want to be free."
"Of course. I can't disobey Wily directly, and I certainly can't harm him directly... But I've started to figure out that I can work the angles. And you? You're my angle. So come on. Why hold back? You gut the man like a fish and I'll be free, your humans will be safe... Everyone wins!"
Protoman bites his lip. Elecmans proposal sounds sensible, and his own thoughts were following the same line earlier, but...
The black and yellow bot senses his hesitation and growls.
"I... Elecman I did come here planning to put an end to Wily, but..."
Elecman's eyes narrow in a glare. "But what? Are you soft for him too now?"
"I... I just..." Protoman grits his teeth. He did go soft though, didn't he? That seems to be what happened earlier. Wily said that stuff that made him think of himself and...
Elecman growls in frustration. "You're so pathetic. I should have killed you when I had the chance."
"E...elecman wait..." Protoman tries to reign in his composure. He dons the mask of Breakman, trying to act smooth. Like he has a plan.
"Wait. I'll admit it, I was caught off guard these past few days. Everything since the building collapse has caused a bit of upheaval for me. But I've got things figured out. I know what I'm doing."
The electric bot casts the most condescending glare on Protoman. "We'll see about that."
He hops right back out of the red bot's hiding place, through with wasting his time on him.
"Elecman... where are you going?"
"If I can't be sure you'll get me what I want, I'm gonna need to find another angle in case you go straight on me."
Protoman shrinks inside. Elecman and he... well they've never really been FRIENDS but they've always had a certain... something. And now he feels like he's lost that.
Not to mention this bot could report him and have Wily on his back before he could make the harbor.
"Well... maybe I'll let you give me a few more jolts some time," Blues says halfheartedly. "Those always keep me from thinking straight."
He knows it wasn't at all the right thing to say... but the half-witty comeback is about all he can manage before Elecman disappears.
Luckily it works. Elecman pauses... and fixes a grin on Protoman. "Really now~? Hmmm, maybe I will give you a chance, just so I can take you up on that offer."
He gives the red bot a slightly more good natured nod farewell before continuing back to his own sleeping nook.
Blues sighs. He'll just have to stay alert and hope that Elec doesn't change his mind and sell him out as the traitor that he is. There's a new item on his agenda now, though: Free Elecman. The weary red bot looks back at his hiding place. He is still exhausted... but sleep he will just have to catch up on later. There's too much that needs to be done now.
He crawls out of his pipe after Elecman leaves and heads for Bombman's quarters. The bot always seems to keep his area well-stocked with the explosives he enjoys making... C4 is piled around and molded into different shapes like playdoh.
Lovely.
Protoman smiles at Bombman as he surveys the orange bot's work.
Bombman grins when he sees Protoman enter. He too is up late. "Break man! What can I do for you?"
"Hey there pal." Blues strolls up like they're old friends and slings a friendly arm around his shoulder. "I just wanted to see what you've got going on down here. I heard you were an artist but this stuff looks like it'll blow me right out of my hypothetical socks! Impressive. You know I always have envied your talent with explosives. Think you could show me a thing or two?"
As Protoman talks Bombman's eyes just get wider and wider and wider. By the time he finishes speaking the orange bot's gaze shimmers with the start of happy tears.
And that is the long and short of how Blues rigs all the key points of structural integrity within Wily's complex with weapons grade C4.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
When Light and Iceman get back the house is quiet. His son and daughter are long in bed, or so he would think. It is quite late.
"Shhh... my family is asleep. It would be best not to wake them at this time of night."
Light brings the coats in and hangs them up in one of the hall closets for Iceman to access as he pleases. "Now then... are you tired? Truth be told it has been a long day and I am a bit exhausted myself..."
Iceman is still busy taking in the space they enter. It's...not what he expected. This is far more cozy than the laid everyone imagined this doctor to reside it.
"Oh... are you still hungry?" Light adds. "I know what you'd like…" There is still some ice cream cake in the fridge so the doctor goes and cuts a small slice for Iceman as he works to get the bot settled in. He has a spare room that was supposed to be for Blues... but seeing as it is empty now he might as well put Iceman up in it. He gets some pillows set up and the covers and tries to freshen things up so his reclaimed robot master will be comfy. "You're free to stay in this room for now... we can worry about getting you repaired and more permanent accommodations tomorrow... alright?"
"Very well, Sir," Iceman nods sunnily. The ice cream cake has him in an even better mood.
"N-no!" Now suddenly Rock is standing at the bedroom's hallway. "We can't let someone else use Blues's room!" He raises his hands protectively in front of the door. In spite of the fact that a new robot master is here without explanation and all the questions that raises, the blue bomber is still more concerned about his brother's well-being. Blues may or may not still hold any kind of friendly sentiments towards him, but Rock cares more about his feelings than Iceman's, and he is currently full of fear that his brother returning to finding another robot "taking his place" has the potential to even further ruin whatever shaky relationship they managed to establish this past week.
Again assuming it isn't already ruined… Something that Rock has had all afternoon while his father was gone to agonize over.
"Oh dear... Rock..." Light tries to sooth. "Please my son... don't misunderstand... Ice man is joining us tonight and needs a place to stay... I don't mean to give away Blues's place permanently. It's just that it would be rude to leave our guest poorly accommodated..."
"But wh-what if he tries to come back during the night?" Rock stammers, eyes wide and shoulders quivering with anxiety.
Iceman blinks at the boy in front of him. Without his armor, he can't even recognize him as the one and only Megaman.
Roll appears suddenly behind her brother, peeking timidly at their guest. "U...um... it's okay daddy... I'm gonna be sleeping with Rock tonight so... Iceman can have my room..."
"Oh? That would be kind of you, Roll... Iceman, will that suit you as well?" the doctor turns to him, grateful to his daughter for suggesting a good compromise.
"S...sure." o~o Iceman stares timidly at the pretty robot girl. Suddenly his core is fluttering in his chest.
Roll notices that she is the center of the robot master's gaze and averts her eyes shyly, blushing and hiding behind her brother.
Rock pouts at his guest, unusually hostile. "Well fine then...it's settled. Just don't touch her things."
Light frowns. This just isn't like his normally amiable son at all. "R...rock be nice... Iceman is trying to turn over a new leaf... we should be welcoming and encouraging."
Light moves into Roll's room to make sure it is tidy before ushering Iceman inside. "Come now... everyone off to bed... it's quite late and we have a lot to do tomorrow." He tucks Iceman in quietly, making sure the boy is well situated for the night.
Iceman, unaccustomed to the personal attention, doesn't question it much as he's ushered onto the comfortable, plush surface. This is a new but enjoyable experience. He's never really had a proper bed before.
"Sweet dreams my young creation... never fear. You will be safe here for the night." That said, Light goes to Rock's room to check on his other two children. Rock is still obviously distraught.
"Oh Rock... I'm sorry I left you alone at home..." The doctor murmurs, coming to his side. "I knew you were worried about your brother..." He reaches an arm around to hold him close in an embrace. Roll has been doing the same in the time since her father left. She has Rock all wrapped up in blankets and a hug. Normally the proximity and support of his family is enough to at least somewhat assuage his fears and worries. However, tonight he is a perfectly hopeless wreck, his mind far away probing away at any and every possibility and disaster scenario that could befall for his older brother and end up affecting their family.
When Rock finally gets into bed that night, even after a long comfort session from his sister and father, his heart is still too heavy with his brother's departure for sleep to possibly find him. The boy lays face down and cries into his pillow for what feels like hours. Even with Roll still hugged around his waist for support, his bed feels too big and too empty without his brother there to share it with them. Though he's certain he's been quiet with his misery, Roll wakes back up and starts to rub his chest at some point. Though he is grateful to have her to hold against, the comfort she offers isn't enough to stave off the flood of nightmares that plague his processor when he finally does power down.
# # # # # # # # # # #
Once all of his late-night work is done, Blues finally managed to fit in a couple hours of uneasy sleep before dawn.
Wily grins at Blues when he walks back into the lab area. Several of the other bots are already there for a sort of "morning assembly".
"Ah! My lovely Breakman, THERE you are..." the doctor exclaims.
Elecman is sitting with his feet propped up on one of Wily's work tables. He exchanges a silent look with Blues as if to say "well?" The red bot remains impassive.
"Now now... Let's hear it." Says Wily. "How has your memory faired since last night, hmm?"
"I DID remember a lot, actually." Blues hums.
"Oh? Come come... Share with us all."
"Of course. It's kind of silly really. How you've been raiding labs and all. Light isn't even staying in a lab!"
"O... Oh? And er..." The doctor's smile falls a bit, "W.. Where IS he staying?"
"Hold on a sec. I wasn't finished. I was going to say that Light ISNT in a lab because he stopped needing a lab. Megaman and the other bot he has are self-sufficient without one. The only time he needs any special equipment is when he's doing special repairs."
"Oh... W-well that's... "
"So you can't find him looking through those."
"..." The old codger's eyes narrow into slits. Wily is beginning to suspect this game. It feels all too familiar.
"...Break man."
"Yes?"
"Are you... Or AREN'T you going to tell me were Light is?"
"See now that depends."
Wily howls in rage, slinging the wrench he was holding at the unruly red bot.
"GRAAAAH! I should have known! WHAT!? What do you want? Repairs? Upgrades!?"
Blues grins. For real. He can't help it, it's fun to dangle what Wily wants in front of him like a piece of cheese and wait to see what the ratty professor will do to get it. But it serves his needs better for now to keep playing dumb about the Light abode's whereabouts now that he has already laid down a false lead about the lab issue.
In the meantime, he has something else to worry about. He really would prefer to get everyone out of this complex before he blows the place sky high...
So he proposes a new idea to the assembly.
# # # # # # # # # # #
In Rock's dreams, he is reunited with his brother. But Blues has been horrifically changed. His frame has been stripped down to almost nothing but his metal skeleton and wires. His face is completely hidden by his helmet and the mask he wore as Breakman. Everything that made him human is now gone except for his scarf, which is now in tatters. When Blues challenges him, Rock swears he will not fight him...yet the next thing he knows, he is standing in the rain with his family as his one and only brother lies motionless in a casket. Somehow he knows that Blues is dead by his own hand. His helmet has been removed, but the face beneath it had every right to be hidden. Though it expresses no emotion, it is anything but peaceful. Blues's face has been left mangled and scarred after being so terribly burned from electrical damage. Before he has a chance to say he's sorry, his brother's body is lowered-not into the earth, but into the trash. His body is dropped in as unceremoniously as Rock had deposited Bass in the dumpster.
When Rock wakes back up, the little boy screams and begins sobbing into his hands as soon as he sits up.
Roll is woken by the commotion with a jolt. She sits up too and frets over her brother, comforting him and shushing him as he cries. "Rock... Oh Rock no..."
She doesn't have to ask to know what it's about. "Rock we... We'll get him back... We'll make this right..."
"But what if something happens to him when he is at Wily's?" He hiccups inbetween broken sobs, "Wh-what if he's already gone? What if he's changed and there's no getting him back?"
Rock is totally inconsolable.
Meanwhile, in the other room, Dr. Light is getting up and making breakfast for his two children and their guest. Cinnamon rolls this morning. He doesn't think about how Rock will react.
After a while of doing what she can for her distressed brother, Roll gets up and peeks back into her own room to change from her pjs into her day clothes.
The pout is strong with her as she steps back out and into the small kitchen to aid her dad with setting the table for breakfast.
TT^TT "Daddyyyyyyy, Rock is so upset and Iceman froze my stuffed toys."
The poor old man looks dismayed. "Ice man froze them!? Oh dear... Have no worries sweet... We'll sort them out..."
Roll finishes setting the table as she pouts about the state of her brother and her stuffed animal friends.
Rock eventually comes to their aid as well but by that time breakfast is almost ready. He is made responsible for letting Iceman know. The robot master needs a bit of explaining to realize that he's being summoned for a meal consisting of human food. He curiously enters the kitchen, and Rock trudges in behind him with the same depressed expression he's had all morning.
"Good morning!" Says Roll, forcing herself to wear a cheerful smile in spite of the less than cheerful circumstances. Rock looks as bad as ever. She helps by pulling his seat out for him so he can listlessly crawl into it.
"W-we've got a good breakfast prepared everyone!" The doctor stammers, trying to put on a brave face as well, "Since Ice man is joining us this morning I thought I would do something special and make cinnamon rolls!" He smiles, wasn't that thoughtful? Isn't everyone happy?
"..."
... Oh no. Thomas knows before he realizes the exact reason that he has somehow messed up. Rock looks positively hopeless. "...son? Rock?"
The boy's eyes are quivering to the brim with unshed tears. Rock flops over, putting his face into his arms. "Bluuuuuueeessss" he wails as the waterworks start in modest.
Roll looks down at her plate, quietly munching her cinnamon roll without meeting her brother's gaze. It tastes wonderful, but given the circumstances the meal is bittersweet.
"Oh son I... I'm sorry I wasn't thinking..." Light rushes to his side and picks the boy up in his arms to coddle.
Rock holds tight to his father and sobs into his shoulder. "I miss hiiiiiimmm."
"Oh son... I know... Please don't fret... We're going to get Blues back. I refuse to give up on him. We'll find out where Albert has him and get him back, you hear? But if we are going to get your brother back, you need to be in top form... That mess refueling and mentally preparing yourself... Can you do that for your brother's sake?"
Rock sniffles, but he nods and wipes his eyes. "O-okay..."
Iceman looks positively baffled and annoyed with all of the emotions happening.
Light puts his son back at length down so they can eat their meal, but Roll, uncomfortable with the dynamic in the room, has already finished eating and is cleaning her plate now. She flees after a quiet "thank you" and holes up in her room, effectively kicking Iceman out.
Light pats his sons head before turning his gaze back on the arctic bot. "Are you enjoying the food? After you eat we can go to my lab and have a look at you."
"...oh" He was so wrapped up in the drama he forgot to eat.
Light starts digging into his own portion, noting his daughter's absence. Ah well... Family meals, like most scientific procedures he's familiar with, always work better in theory than in practice.
Iceman picks up one of the pastries, grimacing at their stickiness...but once he takes a bite he looks amazed.
The doctor watches him light up, happy his cooking was at least a success for someone. "Have as much as you like, Iceman. There are plenty." At his offering, Iceman puts several more on his plate. He hasn't had a good refueling in a while. Rations are rather thin in Wily's care.
# # # # # # # # # #
Protoman grunts as he leads a procession of robot masters through the dank sewers.
"Where are we going again...?" Bombman asks.
"That's the question... I don't know where Bass is, so all of you have to help me search for him."
Those are the conditions he got all the masters out of house with, anyway. To look for both Iceman and Bass in the hopes that either one may have discovered or have clues about the Light residence to aid his 'fuzzy memory.' At least Wily was agreeable enough. The plan from this point on is simple... Split the bad bots up, start remotely detonating his explosives one by one to give Wily a chance to get out of the blast zone... And ditch in the confusion and return to his family. Additionally, he hopes to snag Elecman somewhere in there, but he is still figuring the plan out as he goes.
"No one has even heard from Bass since his fight with Megaman." Gutsman points out. "Do you think he got blown to smithereens?"
"Doubtful. I'd hard to imagine that he could vanish without a trace. The alloys that he is made of are too tough to be destroyed by any of Megaman's attacks."
"...what about Iceman, Shadow? Weren't you the last to see him? What happened there?"
Shadowman, taking up the rear of the procession, simply shrugs.
"If he didn't get destroyed, then what in the heck happened to him?!" Asks Crashman.
"We dunno," Protoman reiterates. "Trapped? Crushed? Melted? Went rogue? That is what we are here to figure out."
Not really. His hand is in his pocket near the trigger. Protoman peeks up from a manhole. "...okay we're near where they went missing. Everyone split up. No more than two bots to a search party. That way we cover more ground. Elecman? You're with me. And everyone avoid the humans. It'll be easier to search if no one makes a commotion."
The robot masters following him nod obediently, and then they are off. When only Protoman and Elecman are left, the electric robot grins. "Ahah! Brilliant strategy!" He whispers. "And now that they are all gone, this is when we escape, I take it?"
Protoman quietly raises a finger to shush him before motioning Elecman to follow. He wants to get a head start before he starts setting off the explosives. "Soon."
Elecman's face is alive with an excited grin, and he follows quietly behind Protoman…for a time.
"So...about that charge up you mentioned..." the electrical bot drawls casually.
"Fry my processor now and you get to stay Wily's captive. We can spar once we're away from here," Blues says, keeping them underground for now, headed north towards the university.
"Spar? Who said anything about sparring?"
"...?" Protoman tilts his helm at the black and yellow bot. "That's what you want isn't it? Another chance to fry my brain? Sorry, but I'm not going to just lay down and let you do it. You are going to have to fight me."
Elecman grins. "I thought that it was going to be something a little more...recreational. Not enough to damage anything...important anyway."
Blues doesn't have time to puzzle over what he means by that now. "We'll see. For now though let's just focus on this escaping thing."
"Fine fine. Lead the way."
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Light cleans up his plate, tends to Rock a bit more, and then heads off to the campus lab building with Iceman in tow, leaving the children to do what they will for now. He begins hooking the small bot up to diagnostic machines, checking to verify the source of Wily's control. He has never had access to one of his older creations before now, so he has only guessed at what modifications his old cohort has made. But as it so happens... They don't seem to be very substantial at all.
"It would seem that Albert's work is totally superficial... He edited a few lines of the software that gives you your free will and hard-coded himself with a master override... Other than that he has changed a bit of your personality programming... I see you reading higher than normal on aggression... Anger... No wait... They don't really seem much higher than their natural levels... But all "positive" emotions are barely reading in the matrix. Love, happiness, compassion, empathy... All coming back practically flat."
The doctor looks to Iceman. "Could you try something for me? I want you to try thinking of something that makes you happy... It can be anything, new coats, ice cream... I just want you to try to remember how you felt when you were the happiest that you can remember."
Iceman quietly squnches up his face in thought. "That would probably be...last winter...when that blizzard came by, and we had to go patrolling in the snow."
"Oh?" Light watches his readings spike a bit. "Go on... What about it made you happy specifically?"
"At one point, Bombman picked up a snowball and threw it at me... then I threw one back, and the rest of our group started playing along. It was fun...playing in my element. I was the best snowball fighter."
"Ahaha... A snow ball fight? That does sound fun. Was it your first one?" The readings stop their slow rise at about a third of what the boy should be capable of.
"Uhuh."
"Mmm..." Light nods. "Alright... I think I know what needs to be done to fix you up. Are you ready for me to put you under?"
"I...I guess..."
Light places a hand gently on his head. "I promise you that you can trust me... When you wake up, you'll still be you."
"….Alright." Iceman doesn't look totally trusting, but he is resigned to give this odd, kind old man a chance. Another side effect of the Wily mods is that he doesn't feel much in the way of fear or any particularly strong drive of self-preservation.
But perhaps that will change soon. The doctor smiles encouragingly as he powers Iceman down and begins working on him.
# # # # # # # # # # # #
Protoman finally emerges from the sewer with Elecman well away from where they dropped the others off. There have been a few comms from the other robot masters but still no sign of the missing bots they set out to under the premise of looking for.
"Okay... Ready for our grand escape?"
Elecman grins. "Absolutely."
Protoman takes out the detonator, flips the cap... And presses his finger onto the first red button.
For several moments there's no indication of anything wrong... No dramatic plume of smoke in the distance... It takes a couple of minutes before the first alarmed screeching reaches their comms. It's Dr. Wily.
"R-robot masters return to me immediately! RIGHT NOW! My lab! My beautiful lab is under piles of rubble! Come back at once and assist m-"
Blues presses the next button and there's a boom over their comms from the next series of explosions.
"KYAAA! No no no! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING!?"
Blues switches his communicator off. "Alright, let's go. I have one more to set off but I'll give him time to get out in case he hasn't already."
It takes all of Elecman's control to resist cackling. This is better than anything he could have anticipated. "Bah. Going to so much trouble not to kill him. But fine."
Blues keeps dragging him along towards the university. They're only ten short blocks away.
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Back in the apartment Rock and Roll are in Rolls room where she's hugging her brother as she scrolls through news snippets.
"There's got to be a clue in here about where he is..."
Rock shakes his head. "They don't always have any leads on Wily or his bots. Besides...the newspapers never talked much about Protoman anyway."
She frowns and sighs. "I'm sorry... I'm not much help..."
Rock looks to Roll and suddenly realizes something. He gives her a big hug. "I'm sorry, Sis...I haven't been a very good brother to you lately..."
She blushes in surprise as he wraps her arms around her. "N... No you're fine..." She stammers. "I understand... You care a lot about Blues..."
"Yeah...but I haven't been very considerate of you," he turns his eyes to the floor. "You know I still love my only sister too, don't you?"
"O... Of course!" She places her hand on his as he moves away from her. "I just feel bad because well... I went and talked just the other day about how uncomfortable I was with the idea of our family getting bigger and bigger... And it's already happening... It's getting hard not to feel like the old boring kid..."
:Ah...y-yeah...Iceman and all...b-but you shouldn't be worried. You're not boring at all!"
She sighs, staring off toward the campus lawn. "I certainly hope not…."
"And besides...just because Dad's taken in Iceman to fix him doesn't mean he's gonna be staying with us forev-!?"
He is cut off abruptly when Roll a look of shock snaps to his sister's face. She jumps up and practically smashes her face to the window.
"What what is it?!" Rock cries, getting up to look with her. He makes it just in time to miss Elecman disappearing beyond visibility as he heads towards their building.
"ELECMAN! I... I don't know how but he's found us!" Roll gasps. "Hurry! We've gotta warn dad!" she is already running for the exit.
"Huh?! Where?!" Rock's core goes cold. If one of the robot masters knows they're here, then that could mean..."r-right. You tell him. I'm gonna go out there and deal with Elecman."
But his sister doesn't make it to the stairs before she shrieks.
"EEEEYAAAAH! Rock! ROCK COME QUICK!"
Rock goes to the source of her scream as quick as he can, already prepping his mega buster for battle.
When he gets there Roll is standing in front of two figures in the stairwell doorway.
One of them, sure enough, is Elecman.
And the other figure is Blues.
Rock gasps. He takes a step forward before catching himself. If Protoman led Elecman here, then...he casts a look of disappointment on his brother. "So you told them we're here now..."
"...?" The smile that Blues was wearing falters.
Elecman, however, looks just as surprised as the rest of them. He stares at Megaman and gets into a defensive stance should the boy do anything. "Wait a minute. Is this their new hideout?"
Protoman just keeps looking at Rock, confused and somewhat abashed. He thought Rock would be happy to see him back. "Easy, Elecman." He puts a hand on the bot's shoulder. "We didn't come to fight."
Rock blinks, some of the tension leaving his body. "You... You didn't?"
"We didn't?!" asks Elecman incredulously.
Blues scowls at the black and yellow bot. "No you dope! How did you think I was going to get you free from Wily's control exactly?" It's a struggle to keep from smacking him upside the head. He turns his gaze back on and hesitantly approaches Rock.
"Light can fix him... Can't he, cinnamon roll?" he holds his hand out in a non-threatening gesture to show he means no harm.
"..."
"…..Rock?" Blues is starting to feel very unsure of himself. Maybe coming back after what he did really was a mistake.
But just as he starts thinking he should go, fat tears well up in Rock's eyes. The next moment he looses a choked sob and jumps into his brother to wrap him up in a hug.
Elecman grimaces at the immodest display of affection. This is so beneath Breakman.
"Ah! Ah... Rock... Shh... It's okay..." Blues pets his back as the younger boy sobs into his chest. He doesn't care what Elecman thinks for now. His younger brother is all that matters at the moment.
Rock, meanwhile, furiously nuzzles his face into his brother. "Oh, Blues… I'm so glad you're okay…"
"Me too. I… I'm sorry. I thought you understood my clue the other day…"
"I...I did but... you did such a good job pretending that I wasn't sure...and when you came here with Elecman I thought... But now I see. I'm sorry for doubting you..."
Blues nods and shushes. "I understand… Sorry I worried you… And that I hurt you."
Elecman scoffs and turns away.
The red bot notices but ignores him for the time being. "Now… where's Light?" He asks Rock.
"I'm right here." The older man chimes as he rises up the stairs behind them. In his arms is a conscious and faintly smiling Iceman.
Rock's eyes light up. That's right. Now that his brother is back and the source of his perpetual worry eased, the excitement of the arctic bot's recovery is finally starting to touch him. "Blues look! We just fixed Iceman too!"
"Wha!?" Both Blues and Elecman look shocked. They never expected to find him here.
Elecman gasps aloud. "So this is where you've been!" He approaches the other robot master. "...how do you feel?"
Iceman regards his fellow bot with the same smile. "I feel...better, I think."
Blues blinks, understanding.
"You... You got rid of Wily's...?"
Iceman nods. "Dr. Light convinced me to do it."
Light's eyes shine. "Mhm... Wasn't nearly as hard as I'd anticipated. Blues... I'm glad to see you safe... And Elecman too... Are you here to be free of Wily's control as well?"
Everyone transitions back into the apartment, which is starting to feel a little crowded. Blues keeps a holding Rock, who hasn't stopped clinging to his neck since they reunited. He can't help but be touched by the affection. After he opened fire on the kid he wasn't expecting any kind of warm welcome…. Certainly not this "all's forgiven" attitude. He doesn't quite know what to say…. But he does have an idea. He wraps part of his scarf around his brothers neck as they sit together on the couch, ignoring Elecman's disgusted expression. He even and invites Roll to join them when she looks hopelessly jealous.
However she shakes her head and scooches a bit closer to Ice man instead. "S-so," she tries to make conversation. "you... You're free of Wily's control now, ice guy?"
Iceman shuffles a bit in his seat, looking down to his feet in shyness when Roll sits next to him. "Y...yeah...I think so."
"Oh... So you don't wanna hurt us anymore?"
"N...no..." Iceman frowns sadly. "Now I feel bad for ever wanting to..."
"Oh…" Roll frowns. "It… It wasn't your fault…" She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him into a close hug. "I'm so glad you'll be okay now."
The coated bot blushes bright. "Th-thank you, miss…" Roll. That's her name. His core flutters a bit faster. "Miss Roll…"
Elecman sits off awkwardly to the side. "So...how long did it take?" He tries to ask Iceman. "Did it hurt?" But Iceman isn't paying attention to him. It irritates him.
Roll keeps hugging her new "brother" tight, a warm smile on her face. Now she feels bad for ever being afraid of him before. Before Roll knows it, a tear finds its way leaking down her cheek.
"Wh…Roll…?" Iceman is alarmed when he notices. "Why are you crying…? Please don't cry…."
The girl sniffles and wipes her eyes. "Oh I'm sorry… I… I'm just so happy. Somehow, it feels like things are finally gonna be okay." She grins earnestly.
Blues chuckles softly at the two of them. It is sort of starting to feel that way. His lids hang heavy over sleepy eyes as the newest story is plastered over their TV. Local explosion destroys supposedly abandoned factory. Doctor Wily's hideout uncovered. Fugitive doctor now under arrest and pending interrogation at local max security detention facility.
"Egad!" Light yelps. "Albert, he... He's been caught!"
Everyone crowds around the TV set to watch the news bulletin flash by.
"MAD DOCTOR INCARCERATED. Doctor Albert Wily is in Mega City maximum security lockdown for suspected criminal activity through the use of mechanical proxies in ongoing stream of suburban attacks by humanoid robot 'masters'. No commentary yet from police chief."
On the screen is a fly by shot of the smoking building that Blues, Iceman, and Elecman know well.
"Wow... I didn't think when I did that that they'd actually catch him." Blues murmurs.
Iceman stares at the destruction in shock, as does Rock. "They...they caught him." The boy turns to his older brother. "Blues...are you saying you did this?"
"I... Well... It's a little bit of a story... The short of it is, I rigged the factory to blow..."
"You WHAT?"
Blues looks defensive now. "I knew I needed something to distract him... And keep him from continuing to send the masters out to search for Light."
The doctor opens his mouth. On one hand, his son destroyed an enormous building that could have killed someone. But on the other... "Oh Protoman..." His sigh is a mix of relief and admonition.
"Well... Perhaps we can finally relax."
"Yeah... Relax..." Blues repeats, his voice oddly monotone. He looks like he's about to relax himself right into a coma.
Rock notices now how out of it he seems. "Blues, you wanna go to bed? We have your room ready for you."
"Ah... Room for me?" Bed. That sounds nice. It's midmorning now, but he could definitely go for a powernap after that last sleepless night. He gets up and wobbles that way, still carrying Rock. Bed. Yes. Good. He yawns up a storm as he trudges to the spare room Light prepared last night for Iceman and plops onto the pristine bed.
Mmmm... Oh... This is nice...
Rock stares at him sympathetically. After his own restless night he is in no hurry to get up. In fact… maybe this would be a chance for him to catch up on some Z's too. He snuggles right up to his big brother. "Good to have you back."
Blues hums softly and pulls the cover over both of them, too tired and comfortable now to do anything more. He hums something incoherent that sounds like an agreement and then quickly nods off.
End of Chapter
I changed the rating on this story from T to M because the next chapter has smut I promised. Wait I said shipping? No I meant smut.