Note: Hello everyone! Another part here, and actually, this one's going smoother than I initially thought. Though given that I decided that taking on 3 stories at once (and a 4th that I kinda need to get back into again) was an 'oh so good idea' (though given my obsessions, I was already doomed from the start), of course I'm now antsy about a slew of other things and how they're coming along. Just so that we're in the clear though, it doesn't take me too long to write, usually around a week or two give or take a few days. I have to admit that I hope I'm not confusing you all with the whole separation between robots and humans (hopefully I've also made that clear in the writing) as to me, that's where the Ruby Spears cartoon really dropped the ball on that. While I know it's just a show in a sense, to me, the Mega Man series, the Classic anyway, was about robots that while having personalities and individual identities, where still very limited. That was the whole point of Reploids as well, and why in turn the X series is in both ways a step up and step down in scientific development. Mechanical beings that can disobey and have essentially their own consciousness and souls is incredible given the limitations of others like them in the past, yet that's why they're so dangerous as that freedom is, as the series shows us (X IS my favorite by the way), very likely to be abused and in a more survivalist state of mind, the stronger of two forces almost always subjugates and/or gets rid of the weaker, the main problem being that the 'weaker' is us.

Another thing is that this story, while inspired by stories such as 'Defender of the Human Race' and 'Recut', I kinda wanted to do something similar as they did inspire me greatly, though given by the little ramble I just did, I just can't help but see things differently and actually feel that the separation between man and machine SHOULD be defined and presented, as well as explored, both limitations and what they possibly do better than humans.

I'm sorry; I've rambled long enough. Just giving my two cents as to why I'm doing what I'm doing, and while all our versions are different, I hope that they can all be celebrated as well. I really don't mean to sound arrogant, but here's hoping that I please you guys with this.

Chapter 25: Ninety-One Days to Take Off Part 3

July 16th 200X

3:20 PM

Chronos Institute, California, United States

"Is he here yet?" Brain Bot's audio receptors picked up, his place at Dr. Kouin's desk, sorting out various papers becoming slightly distracted by the conversation he heard taking place outside the small room.

"Not yet. But from last I heard, he's IN the state and is on his way at the very least."

In the state? What were they referring to…oh. It didn't take long for what the two humans were conversing about to dawn on the spectacled robot.

"So…" he heard one of them say. "Is his position here going to be a permanent one?"

"Don't think so. It's kind of something that being kept under wraps, but it's been said that he's involved in 'other business'."

"What kind of 'other business'?"

'Indeed, what type of 'other business'?' Brain Bot knew it was far from the purpose he was graced with them, yet his audio receptors WERE rather useful for prying into the conversations of others all the while the ones in question remained non the wiser that they were being observed by a third party.

"It's just a rumor, and honestly, the guy looks WAY too much like a space-case to probably be trusted with something like that-"

"Just spit it out! What is it?"

He assumed that he was just about to speak, yet given that the sounds of echoing footsteps met his tuned hearing, Brain Bot was somewhat disappointed to find that whatever big reveal (though he himself had to keep in mind that the source he was taking it from was probably not too reliable, they WERE after all, human) would have to wait. Yet upon hearing another new voice attempt to beckon the two individuals to come back, along with the sound of the door opening, Brain Bot found that perhaps he was going to become more informed then he previously predicted.

Entering the office was a middle-aged, Asian man garbed in the telltale attire of a scientist: white lab coat with a baby blue, collared shirt underneath and beige trousers. His hair was the expected color, a jet-black, slightly thinning collection of fibers with a rather noticeable cowlick more to the right of his forehead, yet if Brain Bot's predictions to this human's identity was indeed correct, he was rather surprised that he lacked any sort of spectacles sitting atop the bridge of his nose.

"I'm sorry, but…am I in the right place?" he questioned, dark, brown irises scanning the small space. "This is Shou's room, right?"

"Shou…" Brain Bot knew well whom he was referring to…yet…was this whom they had been waiting for? "Shou Kouin?"

The man nodded, though his expression bore no relief or excitement upon this discovery. "Y-Yes. I believe you sent for me? I'm Kobayashi. Ryu Kobayashi."

July 20th, 200X

11:45 AM

Colorado, United States

Tempo, or more appropriately at the time, Quake Woman, didn't take too must displeasure in merely drilling holes to the specified depths mainly due to the fact that since she was even out here meant that despite her aversion to the tightened, less specious areas she used her twin, spinning drills to create and perfect, she was at least still considered 'in need' by those that requested her built in function. Whether or not the exact details as to WHY such an aversion had rose up, as well as the events that both lead to and came after its discovery were known to her mother's most current and more commonly seen clients remained unknown to her, though the aspect of the uncertainty was found to be making what should have been a series of simple tasks far more taxing on her being.

"You sure you don't need some R&R, dudette?"

Well…perhaps it wasn't the ONLY reason.

"No thank you." she called up to her lookout, the continuous insistence from the slick-skinned Robot Master doing little but making the process frequently be interrupted by repetitive exchanges back and forth that she deemed completely useless and, above all else, forcing her to spend even more time in the compact space.

"Okay, okay!" Oil Man shot back defensively. "Don't want to make any dings! Just seeing if you need to bail out! You're looking pretty tense down there!"

Indeed, for even with as much concentration she was mustering, the constant presence of soil and hardened ground around her didn't make any part of this a pleasant experience, yet summoned she was and she ultimately had to fulfill the very reason she was requested here to begin with. Besides, once she began force-feeding herself the details of her surroundings, she found that though the sooner she had gotten through this job the better, there were still a handful of elements that even allowed her to even put herself in what she deemed to be such an uncomfortably compromising, outright vulnerable position.

"Is she still going at it?" a voice from afar cried out, Quake Woman paying it no mind as she continued to drill down further and further, the fact that the voice was so clearly heard and received by her audio receptors a small comforter that allowed her to somewhat clamp down on her unsteady wiring, or as odd as she found the term for one such as herself, nerves.

The warmth of the sun that shone down from above, warming her back and easing some of the chill that had previously assaulted her makeshift vertebrae, she taking some time to adjust her sensory receptors in order to allow the rays of the massive, burning star above to lightly ease and massage the areas the beams of intense light radiated on. The fact that she could see, let alone FEEL the light another detractor from the former dread she had kept silent about.

"Hey, yo! You hear me down there?!"

That certainly wasn't the voice of Oil Man. Quake Woman immediately ceased her actions, looking upward to see the manager of the team peering down at her along with the dark-skinned Robot Master. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"I think we're all going out of for a lunch break. You two are included so you can climb up out of there."

The pigtailed driller found her CPU somewhat now conflicted: her human client and currently, her 'boss' in the best sense, was giving her the opportunity to exit out of an environment that, while it hadn't completely set her off yet, she still wouldn't deny that there were several other places that she'd rather be than here. On the other hand, that in turn tied in with the desire to stay. Not out of a sudden 'liking' to the hole she had dug herself (she dare not allow the thought of it being 'for herself' to come to mind lest she'd jeopardize the entire project), yet surely she didn't have that much more distance to go! Just a little more, then she'd be through…then she'd be free…

"May I request just a few more minutes, sir?" she shouted from below, her voice echoing upward.

The manager chuckled lightly, though she found the situation, even as minor as it was in contrast to her past, more 'exciting' incidents, some more recent than others, far from humorous. "I appreciate your work ethic, but I think it'd do you good if you and Slick over here take a breather. Don't want your mama thinking I'm overworking you or anything-"

He hadn't even finished when the green and violet crawled out of the deep ditch, nor did she seem to be interested in conversing at all as she only gave him a "Yes sir." before she began to make her way over towards one of the parked eighteen wheelers, the trailer attached to it a decent enough spot for her to, as the manager said, 'take a breather'.

"Hardly needed." She expressed to no one in particular. "One who doesn't breathe doesn't NEED a 'breather'."

A breather, no, yet she noticed that she was in desperate need of a wash. Her armor along with the parts of her unarmored form that remained uncovered were practically coated with thick soil, it almost impossible to tell that she was in fact green and violet if not for the few patches that remained untouched or hadn't attracted as much dirt. Her hair, while she felt the hairstyle was somewhat juvenile and, for lack of a better term, unprofessional, she hated to think of how much more filthy it would've been had been left down, merely flipping a tail of auburn fibers unleashing a flurry of particles that had clung to the collection of strands.

'I thought you liked your pigtails.' Her mother's voice echoed in her processor as she continued to try and dislodge at least some of the dirt in her hair.

'I'm indifferent.' She would've responded, though given the disappointment she heard in the violet haired woman's voice, she knew far better than to even attempt to make her true thoughts known. At least…not around her.

'Don't want your mama thinking I'm overworking you…'

'Oh no, sir.' She mused, ivory fingers that weren't so ivory anymore laced together in a tight, compressed cage as she drew both palms to touch. 'Don't allow yourself any worry about LaLinde…' she could feel it coming again, her clasped hands compressing together more and more. Damn, not now! '…overworking me as you say would be far a far kinder act compared to-'

"You lost, babe?"

She was somewhat startled by the sudden sound of the raucous, boisterous voice piercing what she thought was her own small space of solitude, yet in a sense, she was rather grateful for the interruption. It had saved her…though for how long was her next question.

"No." she dully responded. "Far from it. This area seems like a decent enough place to recline momentarily."

"Then what'cha doing out here all by your lonesome?" Oil Man questioned, the dust covered female rather surprised upon the smooth skinned android hoisting himself up onto the empty trailer. "Don't want to hang out with the fleshies-"

"Fleshies?"

"Yeah. Little name some of us metal groupies came up with." Oil Man confessed, he leaning in closer. "Though don't tell them that. Not too sure whether or not they'll take any offense to it."

Now this particular robot was nothing short of absolutely confusing for Quake Woman. "Why would humans take offense to being called something that they are composed of?" Well, technically speaking, it wasn't the ONLY aspect that made up their molecular structure (flesh itself have its own compound and mixture of several components), but it WAS something that they already bore.

A small moment of silence save for the slight howl of the wind catching the barren countryside's particles ran between the both of them, yet Oil Man had already soon made the decision that it needed to end as he expressed how he felt about her statement with a lough, boisterous laugh, bright, full, yellow lips parting into a large, seemingly permanent open smile.

"Pfffttt HA! HAHAHAHA!"

Quake Woman however was rendered speechless, the sudden onset of uncontrollable laughter emanating from the other Robot Master doing little but befuddling her more on why he had decided to release such a wave of it.

"HAHAHA! You...hahaha…you're funny, babe." He finally spoke, the wide-eyed stare she was giving him doing little to subside his chortles. "I…hahaha…I like you."

"Oh, uh…thank you?" she replied. While she deemed it not the most appropriate thing to say in return, it was either that or to respond with even more puzzled silence.

"Oh yeah, here." She then noticed the E-tank that he held in his free hand, he tossing it to her, though it went right past her head and rolled onto the dirt covered ground below. "Heh, catching aint one of your strong points, is it babe?"

She simply shrugged, going to retrieve the can of energy. "I suppose not, though I don't see how my title would indicate such a thing."

The ebony android was somewhat befuddled by what seemed to be only 'matter-of-fact' answers from her, yet given she was currently the only one like himself present, he wasn't willing to drive off the only potential company, at least not yet if she turned out to be unfavorable to him. Besides, if the fact that he had only one available hand was any indication, catching wasn't one of his strong suits either.

"Wait a minute." Quake Woman suddenly stated. "Surely you have one too, right?"

Oil Man shook his head. "Nope, but chill. I got myself a cool one not too long ago, so I'm still good to go."

"Oh. Well, I'm just asking because truthfully, I don't know if I'll need all of this right away."

"Eh, that's cool. Although… if you're suggesting that you and I share" his golden lips curled, one defined brow-line rising upward. "I don't mind that at all either."

Her answer couldn't have been faster, mainly because it technically wasn't an answer at all. Without a second's hesitation, the pigtailed robot undid the opening and immediately put her mouth to it, the green, glowing fluid trailing down her throat, thus rendering her unable to speak…at least for now. He was still giving her that look too, oh God…

"So, you got a name, babe?" Oil Man chuckled.

What sort of question was that? "Well, yes. Of course I got a name. No different than yours. Unless of course you're referring to my serial number-"

"Naw, naw, none of that mumbo-jumbo." The smooth-skinned android corrected, the ruby scarf with torn edges tied swishing slightly with his shaking head. "I mean the name your mama gave ya. Your 'REAL' name."

"My…'real' name?"

"Yeah. Geez, babe, it's not like I'm asking for a full-out tandem or anything! Just want to know your name! Like the old man who made me gave Blue Dude back at home the name 'Rock' before he got all those bitchin' upgrades-"

"Blue Dude?" the pigtailed android interrupted, though she found herself rather embarrassed that such a term as 'Blue Dude' even exited her lips. "You…" ugh, damn! There it was again! Why did her systems begin reacting this way whenever she attempted to bring 'him' up? "You wouldn't happen to mean 'Mega Man', would you?"

"Oh, yeah! Ha! Of course 'Blue Dude's' just more of a thing I call…" Oil Man stopped momentarily, his large, honey colored eyes turning towards Quake Woman, bridled anticipation contorting his features into an expression that echoed only the most intense exhilaration. "Aw, hell naw!" he boisterously bellowed. "You know 'em too?!"

'Oh God…Tempo, you blasted fool. What have you just brought on yourself?' "If I said yes?"

"AW, BITCHIN'!" Oil Man sprang forward, now only mere inches away from her. "So, you got a story?!"

"Eh…I'm sorry?"

"Story! You two meet up because Doc had some business or you just bump into each other?" he clarified. "I mean, I don't want to brag, but…no. No, I want to brag. I mean, me and the guy were kinda tight-nit BEFORE we even met thanks to the old man making the both of us and Tick-Tock-"

"Tick-Tock? Forgive me, but I highly doubt that Dr. Light would label one of his creations as such. It's hardly a name that holds any meaning nor does it even signify their intended function, if they have any." she had long since decided that the Robot Master's insistence on using 'humanized lingo' or, more appropriately as she called it, 'fake language' to speak was the furthest thing from enduring or pleasant, yet she found that with time, the effects it had were becoming more and more intolerable. Odd, as nothing had changed since they had first had their introduction beforehand, yet nevertheless, she couldn't deny that it was happening.

A quick look into her CPU revealed that rather moderate levels of her processor's simulation of what was registered as 'annoyance' or 'irritation' were currently delivering signals throughout her…and were soon to be working overtime if having to listen to Oil Man's prattle continued on for much longer.

"Well, aren't WE 'Little Miss Persnickety?'" he replied back, obviously far from receptive of her response, she in turn somewhat taken back by sudden realization that perhaps she was actually beginning to engage in an argument. While her built in limbic system alerted her that such a thing was undesirable as her irritation input began to rise, her logic center also delivering the message that engaging in such a thing with one that was her current 'colleague' was far from favorable and professional behavior, she found the very prospect…interesting.

"But yeah, 'Tick-Tock's' just MY name for him." Yet Oil Man apparently didn't share her intrigue, even if it was just partial, as he immediately began to try and divert whatever hostility that had begun brewing in another, more favorable direction. "His name is Time Man." He answered. 'Or DLN-00A for dorks that get all uppity about all that stuff that's basically useless bogus.' His opinion of the female android that he had just gotten the chance to properly converse with had indeed soured since before, yet the common factor of the Blue Bomber still held his interests. Though he found his focus shifting upon mentioning what was basically the only contact he held outside of the lab besides Light.

"Time Man…" Quake Woman began, the name ringing some familiarity to her, though one search of her memory banks brought up a small sliver of information from one of more recent sessions of eavesdropping on her creator's phone calls. "He was the one that was captured from the-"

"Yeah, he was." Oil Man confirmed. "He and the dweeb with glasses."

"Yet…what part of that is upsetting to you?" the dirt covered Robot Master questioned. His sudden turn to give her an exasperated expression signaled that some unintentional offense had been done on her part. "No offense meant, but I thought that Mega Man was successful in their rescue. Is that not good news?"

"Well…sort of."

"Sort of? Explain, please."

The dark skinned android let out a heavy sigh. "Don't get me wrong, babe, Tick-Tock's still here and kicking and I owe the Blue Dude a lot just for that alone. But…" he pushed away the E-tank that Quake Woman was offering him, far from even indulging in some extra fuel, something that he was usually more than willing to partake in. "He didn't manage to save EVERYONE that night…"

July 23rd, 200X

12:30 PM

New York City, New York

"You got it rolling yet?"

The female android groaned, this being the umpteenth time that the smaller, airborne robot impatiently doing circles around her head had asked. "I WOULD get rolling if SOMEONE would zip it for a few seconds so I can get a good focus!"

"Ugh, hurry it up, Plum!" the demure robot urged, his demand coming out more akin to a whine. "Chest is going to be up all ON our asses if we don't get this footage!"

"Oh really?" the camerawoman scoffed. "And here I thought all we'd get was a slap on the wrist and a 'better luck next time', Plum and Ripot!" as she had the strength to do so given her mechanical built, the female android flipped back some of her already fanned out, vibrant, magenta hair, her deep green eyes still locked with the scene taking place up on the steps of the New York Police Department. "Okay!" she declared. "Finally got it!" though it was a shout of triumph, Plum's animosity towards the device she was holding hadn't changed in the slightest. 'Damn, primitive technology.' She inwardly hissed. 'I keep telling Chest that they're NEVER going to bother reading the hundred plus notes he's stuffed in the suggestion box. Either that or Channel 6 IS near for filing for bankruptcy.'

Though she was far from wishing to stop, Plum and (perhaps) Ripot would have to leave their grievances about both their function and occupation (though in essence, there was little difference) for a later time as at the moment, the figure that was coming to the stand was someone that their technical employers would at least credit them for getting on film. Yet what held both of their attentions the most was the large, unseen figure that was hidden from view by a large, white tarp.

Mayor Andrew Parson had made his way towards the podium and delivered the opening statement, he rather thankful that he wasn't the main speaker at this event for he was already more than aware of what some of the questions that were to be asked would be.

"Yes, as the Chief had stated, the areas damaged by the underground bombs are being cleared out and studied for any potential dangers, whether it be high levels of radiation to the more simple, yet more obvious, holes in the ground." A subject such as that would come up, the middle-aged man was well aware of that, yet as for the next suspected question.

"And before anyone asks, yes." His voice began to lightly tremble, the crowd beginning to grow silent upon taking note of this shift in his demeanor. "My son is fine. In fact, life so far has since gone back to normal for him…and me, in a sense…but enough of that." He then turned to the ivory-coated scientist standing with his two creations, one of which, while attempting to keep it as hidden as possible, was far from wishing to be here. "I would like to hand whatever remaining time I have to the one that has once again stepped forward and made an effort to keep our city and potentially, our country safe. Dr. Light, if you please…"

A round of applause rang through the gathered crowd as the aforementioned scientist made his way towards the podium.

"Yes, thank you, Mayor." Light's eyes momentarily traveled to the large project hidden underneath the even larger tarp, then back towards the crowd. "Ladies and gentleman…"

Roll knew well that he would kill her if he caught her doing it, yet she couldn't help but let her eyes roll around in their sockets, having already lost interest in the mandatory, yet still incredibly dull and boring speech that her creator was essentially obligated to make. Yet even despite her boredom, that wasn't the reason that she wanted to make this quick.

Mega Man didn't even know how he had even managed to drag himself here, yet with the fact of just saving face for both his creator and the public put aside, he did hold a desire to be present as much as the looming dread of what was to inevitably happen was constantly looming over him. He wasn't enjoying this, not in the slightest, but he had to be here. Both for Dr. Light and, as selfish as it sounded when he reflected on it, himself. Though only minimally involved, the Doctor's work stationed under that cover was also due in part to his involvement, and given its purpose, perhaps this would be the best step he could make. Proof that he could be trusted…

After all, if he couldn't do even this, what good was he?

"With that said, I'd like to present to you all the first step in allow us as human beings to arm ourselves against threats that we once believed to be far out of our reach and our strength! Behold!" the white tarp was pulled off of the object it shielded from view, the shining sun gracing its reflective surface with its hot, vibrant rays. "The first ever human compatible mobile suit!"

The second that the thick, ivory fabric was taken from the object it was concealing, the reflection of the sun's rays momentarily blinded a good number of humans and cameras (much to Plum's annoyance), yet what was before them was far more than a satisfactory object of study to detail and dedicate a good portion of their scheduled programs to. Cubic and somewhat clunky looking, the machine did not fail to at least rival some of the highest expectations for those present. A circular section serving for the shoulders with an embezzled, hollow, five-pointed star etched in the flat surface of the side with two, bent 'arms' with a long, silver nozzle projecting out of where the hands would be positioned on the bipedal body. The midsection was mainly all one, cubic mass with the sharp edges flattened and smoothed out, a white, glass dome covering a majority of the upper half of the presented suit, utmost focus required to see the compartment inside where the driver would take his or her place to operate such a machine. The apparatus' legs were, while appearing to be double-jointed, held far less length to the sections in between the said joints, some wondering that if indeed it were built for the purpose of having an operator inside, where would the legs go? Yet one factor that wasn't given too much pondering were the vehicle's fixated wheels on each of the leg's ends, they being accompanied by another long structure of azure metal, the 'feet', to serve as both a placeholder for the wheels as well as keeping what must've been such a top heavy device from falling over.

"Of course, this is still not in its finished state." Dr. Light clarified, the crowd becoming a little too excited for his liking. "Basic motor functions are indeed implemented and functioning as expected, yet it has yet to be fitted with the more 'weaponized' features for the use of the fine officers of this city. Safety reasons mainly being the key factor for this, I assure you."

Though he didn't say the inviting phrase, the moment of silence that followed from the old man's lips said more than enough for the anxious gathering of media hounds that were practically emancipated and more than ready to devour whatever information the scientist was, at least hopefully for their sakes, more than willing to divulge to them.

From the far off position he watched from, Mega Man kept his azure optics focused on the crowd, his dental components biting down on his bottom lip.

"Dr. Light!" a voice rang out, feminine and young, yet nothing short of sheer determination rang through her voice. "How long have you and the police department been working on this project?"

All right, so far, so good. "Well, while information such as that is strictly confidential, let's just say that this has been on our minds for as long as the New York Police Department has had the desire to keep the citizens of this city safe."

"Doctor!" another voice shouted. "Would you consider this a step forward or a step down in regards in the development of robotics?"

Okay, legitimate question, the Blue Bomber himself curious about this. "I believe, miss, that any contribution to the protection and preservation of lives is a step forward for any department, related to science or not." It was an answer, one that he knew his creator would respond with…albeit it explained little to nothing of what he would've liked to hear.

"I have a question!" one voice thundered over many of the others, yet when Dr. Light turned towards the reporter, her hungry, almost primal desire sank slightly. Yet it was when she caught him in her sights did it rise to its maximum once again. No…please, dear God, no…

"No." she replied, Mega Man wishing, pleading, and practically praying that she wouldn't- "I have a question for him." There was no mistaking it now, she was pointing directly at the cerulean armored android, his widened, horrified eyes a completely mismatching feature to the built figure he possessed. He knew that ultimately, there were larger things to be concerned with, yet Mega Man immediately picked up on the small chorus of giggles sounding through the crowd. 'Look at the little tin can…' he found himself thinking, the prediction of the meanings behind their bewildered looks ridiculous, he told himself, yet nevertheless, it only made the ever unwanted thoughts continue to formulate and predict the likelihood that they possibly were the truth. 'Nothing more than a scared little kid…'

'I'm a little boy…' he once remembered having said that once, his entire form having taken a rather large amount of damage when Wily had decided that by taking control of the Kennedy International Airport that he would somehow 'rule the city' in his words (the 'how' in the entire scenario still escaping his logic circuits: why would the acquisition of an airport translate to having control over an entire city with several OTHER airports, let alone that it would surely gain more than enough attention by forces extending outside of himself). 'A little boy…' in essence, he certainly felt like one, the woman's hungry eyes still locked onto him almost as if he were composed of the most delicious, raw meat that possibly could've rivaled manna raining down from the Heavens.

'You're not a little boy…' a final thought rang through his mind.

"Yes, ma'am?" Mega Man finally spoke.

'You're not really anything truly…'

"Tell me something." She began, the words dripping from her red, gleaming lips, it obvious that what she was preparing to ask him would bear neither luring flattery to draw him in nor any small talk before she would subtly demand her answer. "Do you think that the fact that our city's police department is trusting your creator in contributing with them in this project and whatever possible future projects that aren't being released to the public a, in the most basic terms, a good idea?"

"What do you mean by that?" Roll spoke up, as both Mega Man and Light knew she would.

Her older sibling silently pleaded with her to remain civil, though more desirably he wished for her to keep silent. He was far from disagreeing with her in that what the woman had just said was nothing more than an insult veiled in the guise of a question towards the man that made them, yet, while he despised both, whatever else the human female held for him would be the lesser and less disastrous of two evils compared to the string of threats and curses that would roll off of Roll's tongue.

"Well, in all honesty, ma'am, I don't see why not. The mobile suit seems more than stable even in its unfinished state, and this is certainly not the first time that Dr. Light has contributed with another party-"

"We're all aware of that." She interrupted. "Yet the project itself isn't why I ask. My concerns lie more with the contributors of said project." A small, curt smile traced those red lips. "Dr. Shou Kouin being a fine example."

"Hey Lady-"

"Roll, please." Mega Man pleaded.

"As I'm sure YOU'RE more than aware, our fellow officers in good old California declared Dr. Kouin dead from a wound to the head that punctured and, quite frankly, tore right through the poor guy's brain stem."

He found himself ashamed of it; afraid that the tidbit of information his logic center had caught regarding her detailing of the scientist's death was the very thing he could use as a defense. Nevertheless, it WAS still a truth that couldn't be ignored.

"Ma'am…if the brain stem was severed, then in reality…" the very words that were going to come out of his mouth, while his CPU dictated that it was both fitting in his programming in speaking the truth to his human 'superiors' and that his conclusion was indeed correct…he couldn't feel that this would only serve to damn him more. "There would be nothing me or the authorities in California could do."

"Then why was it that around that time when Kouin's place of employment was attacked, you were spending your time in Grace Central Hospital?"

He knew it. Damn it. "I…I was only seeing if the Mayor's son was alright, given what he had just gone through not too long ago-"

"So you though it appropriate to check up on a kid that wasn't even in danger any longer compared to being on alert with the knowledge that Dr. Kouin would surely serve as at least a good enough target for Dr. Wily-"

"My son was visiting a friend that had been involved in a rather terrible accident." Mayor Parson interjected. "If anything, I'm more than thankful that he had the forethought to take my son's safety into consideration even though he is currently assigned with an escort."

"And it's to be assumed that this 'friend' has more than enough eyes on them as well?"

"Well, yes. Yet-"

"Eyes that would be allowed to use the force needed if an insane maniac made his way into the hospital because they wouldn't have to be limited by the First Law rendering them unable to use excessive force because said insane maniac is a human like everyone else, yes?"

"Oh really?!" Mega Man's pleas for his blonde, ponytailed sister to calm herself fell on deaf ears, the jumpsuit wearing android making her way to the front of the platform and locking eyes with the female reporter. "Maybe if you people actually got yourselves into gear and started something like this a long time ago, you wouldn't have to shove everything on Mega's shoulders and actually take care of your own problems!" she hollered, gesturing to the mobile suit.

It was a cowardly move on his part, he knew that much, yet…he couldn't stand this. He had to get away, he NEEDED to get away.

"Perhaps we should have!" another voice rang through the crowd, more in turn soon following. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about making anymore of you damned tin cans!"

While the number of hecklers were far outnumbered by those that came to document and report on the event as civilly as possible, it was becoming clear that the minority held the loudest voice, a voice that neither the Mayor or Chief, and especially Light particularly cared for.

"Sir, Chief, I apologize." The scientist told the two men. "But I think that we best be cutting this short."

"Agreed." The uniformed head of the NYPD turned his attention to the crowd. "Okay people, you've had your fill, so move along!"

"Doc!" the coated scientist turned as he felt a rather strong tug on his sleeved arm, Roll looking to him with a set of unusually worried, concerned eyes. "Where'd Mega go?!"

"I…I don't know! He WAS right here-"

The disappearance of the Blue Bomber didn't take long to become noticed by more than just the two members of his immediate family, the crowd's attention finding their newest source of juicy information that would surely tie in well with the drama that had been stirred up already. For Plum and Ripot, however, the constant murmuring and shouts of questions for the three men making their way off of the platform overlooking the mass was of second importance, the pink-haired camera woman managing to snag a shot that, to her pleasure, seemed to be exclusively noticed by the two androids and them alone.

"Geez, these guys are so incompetent." she chuckled to herself, the humanoid form of blue riding atop a red platform slowly fading from view in the lens of her camera. "Of course, maybe that's why we're here. To get something that they obviously aren't smart enough to get. All they have to do is look up."

Note: Yes, I'm sorry, but I won't lie to you: I don't want to put them all in one barrel, but some humans are going to be jerks. Also, while I don't have any intention on putting her in a big, big role, Plum is one of my favorite Mega Man characters despite her brief appearance in only one game. Of course, she, Ripot, and Chest are more often going to be in the background somewhere, but I do intend of having them interact when they get the chance to. Anyhow, please let me know if you think this is going alright, if there needs to be more characterization and to whom, what you'd be curious on seeing (got it planned out in outline form, but indeed, things change in production), and I hope to see you all later!