When Roll arrived at the Golden Gate Bride with Met and Eddie, pillars of smoke were rising from where the south towers once stood, and the broken bridge creaked and buckled in the wind. Black plasma scorches marred the tar. Definitely signs of a mondo battle—and I don't see Mega anywhere, Roll thought. She landed her skycycle next to the guard rail. "Rush?"
The tinned sound of Rush whimpering issued from a super-steel oil drum. Roll drew a grinder from her utility arm to slice off its top like a soup can. Freed, Rush leapt out to lick Roll's face. "Down boy, where's Mega?" she asked, gently pushing away Rush's paws.
Rush bounded over to the edge of the bridge and began barking. Roll peered over guard rail down into the deep bay. Not again. "Met?"
Met scuttled to Roll's side in an instant. She hopped on to the ledge, took a moment balance on the thin rail, before looking over with a calculating expression. Then her retractable arms shot downward, waving like long silver threads in the wind before plunging through the water. Roll waited in tense silence as Met's arms continued to uncoil, a deep look of concentration on her face. She wondered if Met's arms were long enough to reach Mega Man at this distance, but finally Met's arms went taut like a fishing line snagged against a branch, and a second later Met began slowly reeling Mega Man toward the bridge. Roll helped pull an unconscious Mega Man back over the guardrail and laid him on the sidewalk. Rush whined, pawing at Mega Man's chest.
Roll slapped Mega Man's cheek lightly. "Mega? C'mon, wake up!" But Mega Man didn't move, and he felt cold to the touch. She put her fingers to her mouth and blew a shrill whistle. "Yo, Eddie!"
"You rang, robo-babe?" Eddie squealed excitedly, scrambling to join them.
"Mega's hurt, he needs an energy can," Roll said impatiently.
"Oh, and as weak as a sandcrab I'll bet. Not to worry. Up bup bup, Bzzzzzzz!"
The top of Eddie's helmet flipped open and spat out an energy can. Roll opened it and pressed it up to Mega Man's mouth. A second later Mega Man's eyes opened. He pushed the energy away, coughed up some water and shook his head. He sat up, looking from Roll then to the missing tower, then squeezed his eyes shut again, slamming his fist against the concrete. "Damn it."
"What happened?" Roll asked.
"Lost a game of plasma tag." Mega Man took off one of his bots to shake water out of it. "Thanks for finding me."
Roll bit her lip. "C'mon, let's go back to the lab...I've got some bad news."
"You should have destroyed him," Dr. Wily growled as the Skullker zoomed back to Mount Shasta with its new building materials in tow.
"I know what I'm doing," Proto Man said quietly, a small smile on his face as he casually examined the rim of his blaster.
"That blue dweeb is like a cockroach. If you don't cut off its head, it will just keep coming back," Dr. Wily muttered darkly.
"Relax," Proto Man laughed, "Aside from mobbing tourists and touchy-feely hippies, we have nothing to worry about."
Somewhere in Nevada stood a remote warehouse with boarded windows. A woman lay on the floor, hyperventilating through a cloth gag as she stared upward in unadulterated terror. Towering over her stood a two-story robot. It had the stature of a great, powerful ape with its arms welded together by the axel of a fifty-ton cylindrical roller. It bellowed like an angry bull and menaced forward on giant treads, sooty jets pouring from his exhaust pipes. On the catwalk above it a short middle-aged man in suede shoes was tied to a chair. Sweat streamed down his bruised face as he choked on the smoke rising from below.
Two robots stood casually next to the captive man, the first with a blaster drawn while his cohort leaned against the railing watching the mechanical behemoth below. "Maxwell. Numbers. Let's hear some," the first robot ordered.
"I've tried paying you off but you just keep taking," Maxwell wheezed defiantly. "I won't tell you anything."
"Even though your twenty-something girlfriend's about to become a meat lover's pizza, extra red sauce?" The first robot asked in mock-surprise. "Have a heart. Just tell me one lousy address and we can all go home."
"Better hurry, the big guy's getting antsy," the second robot remarked as the machine bellowed again and banged its roller against the ground with a thunderous crash.
Maxwell cringed. "I'll be ruined!"
"Shoulda quit dipping your greedy fingers into Gamma's wallet then." The first robot raised his weapon towards Maxwell's face. "Okay, what about your life?"
Maxwell's head snapped to attention, and he weakly struggled to scoot his chair backward, away from the first robot. "Don't shoot—please—I'll tell you—I have a secret account at another bank under the name 'John Mckenzie.' Take it all, damn it!"
"Much obliged."
BLAM.
Maxwell's head no longer sat on his shoulders. The first robot lowered his smoking arm cannon. "Damn surreal. Can you believe the gall on some of these guys, Burner Man? Almost gotta shove a blaster down their throat before they get wise."
"You didn't have to kill 'im, Ballade." Burner Man leapt down from the catwalk, the massive gas tanks on his back clinking together as he landed lightly on the floor. The giant machine growled and let out a burst of smoke but stopped advancing as Burner Man bent over the woman to cut her binding. He hoisted her to her feet by the elbow.
"I thought—I thought you were going to kill me," she giggled hysterically. "I really thought you were going to kill me!"
"Nah, we weren't going to kill you…we were just pretending to kill you," Burner Man chuckled. "It's all a game, like charades or bingo. Humans like playing games, right?"
The woman suddenly gave a violent shutter and fell limp with a weak sigh.
"Hey, wake up dollface." Burner Man put a hand to the woman's forehead, then withdrew it in revulsion, noting her grey skin. "Yech…Mad Grinder's exhaust got to her. Told ya we shoulda cracked a window," he called up to the catwalk.
"Take her outside," Ballade instructed. "If she doesn't come to, bury her at the junk yard with Maxwell."
"Aw jeese, why do I gotta do it?" Burner Man grumbled. "You're the one who got trigger happy!"
"Because I've got to report to Gamma," Ballade retorted haughtily. He turned his back on Burner Man and spoke into the communicator on his arm. "Hey boss, took care of Maxwell for you. Turned out he's been holding out after all." There was a pause as Ballade listened to a voice coming through the speakers in his helmet. "Who, that mad scientist that's been on the news? Yeah, I heard he's in California. Albert W. Wily, age forty-nine, likes to plan extravagant invasion plans that he can't pull off."
Another pause.
"...Are you sure? I think this could just fizzle out on its own…not like his world domination scheme is going anywhere." Ballade picked idly at the scabbing paint on a handrail as he listened. "Nah, I can do it, no prob. After all, what chance does mad science stand against the Syndicate? Ballade out." Ballade cut the transmission. "Hey Burner Man, just got a kill order from Gamma. I gotta go send the message."
To the few who knew of it, the Steel Crescent Syndicate seemed like a 'the lesser of evils' when it came to robot mobs—they did not traffic drugs or humans, they eliminated smaller gangs, and kept their illegal activities discreet, far away from the public eye. In exchange, the authorities looked the other way when another Syndicate controlled casino sprang up, and never kept tabs on their numbers.
The Syndicate could not tolerate any threat to their rule—and that included disruptions from mad science.
Mega Man and Roll were surprised to find Yuuta and Mary waiting for them in Dr. Light's laboratory when then returned to the Museum of Science.
"Hi! I thought I'd find you here—" Yuuta greeted with a wave. "Not that I'm following you, of course. Chief Fictus just wants me to keep an eye out. Not that he's making me tail you—" Yuuta stammered. His eyes awkwardly raked the ceiling and lab equipment as though hoping something would provide him with new words.
Mega Man got the drift.
Yuuta gave a stifled cough, then straightened officially. "I'm also investigating the disappearances happening across the Bay Area. This is Ms. Desmond, an eye witness," he said, introducing Mary. "Large groups of people are just leaving to travel north. The California State Police has never seen anything like this, and we were hoping Dr. Light could give us his scientific opinion. Have you heard of these disappearances?"
"Heard of it? I was there when it happened, twice!" Mega Man replied. Then he signed to Mary, Hi Mary, it's Rock. We met at Golden Gate park.
Mary gave a small start. She looked curiously at Mega Man's face, and he could tell she was trying to put his image together with Rock's.
My human appearance is a secret between me and law enforcement, Mega Man added.
I won't tell anyone. Mary signed back quickly.
Mega Man looked back at Yuuta. "I've actually been on this case for the past few days. Dr. Wily is behind the disappearances. I don't know how he's doing it yet, but I have a few leads. Unfortunately, Dr. Light has disappeared too. Roll, can you fill us in on this?"
"Well, I was here in the lab with Dr. Light when he left, just like the crowd at Cold Steel's concert," Roll said lamely.
"Wait, you just let Dr. Light leave?"
"What was I suppose to do?" Roll said unhappily. "I couldn't hold him back, and you weren't answering your communicator! I had to find you. It was awful, like he had suddenly become possessed, just like the teenagers in Return of the Cranial Slug Invaders, part two."
Mega Man sighed. "Okay, what exactly happened just before Dr. Light disappeared?"
"Dr. Light was about to listen to his Beethoven disc—but I switched it with Cold Steel." Roll ejected Cold Steel's disc and handed it to Mega Man.
Mega Man frowned at the CD. "Their music zapped Dr. Light, just like all the other humans!" His eyes darted over to Mary, who was watching him intently. "Except you, Mary. Dr. Light's theory was right! The music contains some some sort of mind-control signal, but Mary isn't affected because she doesn't hear it! Now I'm sure Cold Steel are really Dr. Wily's robots in disguise."
"Or maybe they just got mixed up with the wrong people," Roll interjected.
Mega Man gave Roll a severe look. "Roll, who told you about this band anyway?"
"Um…Proto Man did?" Roll answered with chagrin.
Mega Man decided that getting mad at Roll wouldn't help anyone. "The only thing we still don't know is where Wily is taking everyone."
Mary tapped Mega Man on the shoulder. I read Jude's lips when he left the park. He said 'Go to Mount Shasta,' she signed.
"That's it!" Mega Man exclaimed, smiling. "Wily's taking everyone to Mount Shasta," he relayed to Yuuta, who didn't read sign language.
"Wait, Mount Shasta? Why there?" Yuuta asked.
"I dunno, but I'm going to find out." Mega Man said determinedly.
"I'll report this to Chief Fictus," Yuuta said.
I want to come too, Mary signed.
Mega Man didn't see any harm in this, and nodded. "Okay, let's meet in Sacramento."
As they were were leaving, Roll pulled Mega Man aside. "I'm sorry," she said, giving his arm a squeeze. "Let's just get along again. I know I complain about your constant nagging, but you were right about everything, and the truth is I don't know what I'd do if you weren't around."
Mega Man nodded. "I'm sorry too. C'mon, let's go rescue Dr. Light."
Dr. Wily had assigned Cut Man and Guts Man to oversee the human slaves that were slowly descending upon Mount Shasta. Their objective was to build a tall communications tower to broadcast Cold Steel's signal around the world, but Cut Man and Guts Man were facing challenges with human laborers.
Work was constantly disrupted as humans needed frequent breaks to eat, drink, sleep, or use the restroom (the nearest one two miles down hill at the foot of the mountain). It took four to carry one girder, and even then they were very slow about hauling it into the construction site. Worst of all, their workmanship was shoddy and imperfect, and Cut Man and Guts Man spent most of their time going around and correcting what they had done poorly.
"No, no, just let me handle it," Cut Man said in aggravation, taking a jackhammer from a man who had been using it to drill spirals around the base of the tower. "These humans are pretty dumb, huh?" Cut Man called to Guts Man as he watched the humans mill around stupidly, their stances stooped so their arms swung out before them.
"...I don't think Wily knows what he's doing," Guts Man rumbled back.
Mega Man and Rush arrived at the California State Police Station before Yuuta arrived in his patrol car, so he went up ahead to Fictus's office.
Fictus sat at a small, sparse desk with one computer. Against the other wall of the room stood an oil-stained lab table with deconstructed robo-officer parts lying on top, one of the heavy rotary cannons sitting next to a red chest filled with shiny, neat rows of mechanic tools. It looked half like an office, and half like a workshop. As Mega Man entered, Fictus quickly tabbed down a window on his computer, kicked an open filing cabinet drawer shut, and gave Mega Man a withering look as though he had caught him snooping.
"I do not recall inviting you back," Fictus said dryly.
Mega Man looked around the office curiously. "So the California robo-officers are your creations?"
"What are you doing here?" Fictus prompted coldly, pointedly conveying he was not interested in idle chit-chat.
Mega Man's eyes returned to Fictus. "Sorry to interrupt your work, sir, but I have some urgent information about the disappearances in California. Right now, Dr. Wily is broadcasting music that contains a mind-control signal that he's using to control humans. If you don't believe me, check the satellite surveillance of Golden Gate Bridge."
Fictus gave him a measuring look before turning back to his computer and opening a video feed. His hard eyes darted back and forth from the images on the screen with concern.
"Most of that damage was caused by a Navy Destroyer," Mega Man added hastily.
"And you believe Wily is behind this?"
"Without any doubt, sir. I need you to cut all radio communication so we can try to contain this damage before Dr. Wily can broadcast it to more people."
Fictus mulled over what Mega Man had said. "What's your plan to find Wily?"
"I have one clue: Mount Shasta. That's where everyone who's been affected is headed. You'll have to stay here," Mega Man added. "We still don't know how to snap the humans out of it, so if you get brainwashed, you'll be no help to anyone."
Fictus nodded, then leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. "It seems as though you've brought a nuisance with you to California," he said coldly. "You have a job to do, Mega Man. Take down Dr. Wily, then get out of my state."
Mega Man left the office, wondering what he had ever done to get on Fictus's bad side. He felt safe confiding this suspicion to Yuuta, who was waiting outside with Mary and Roll. "I'm really starting to think Chief Fictus hates me."
"Don't take it personally, he treats everyone that way. Rules the California State Police with an iron fist," Yuuta said reassuringly, then he gave a brief shutter. "On my first day, I made the mistake of addressing him as Chief 'Ficus,' like the tree. He'll never forget, he has scary-smart memory. His mission in life is to crack down on crime once and for all. No family, no friends—his job's all he's got," Yuuta said with soft chuckle. "So really, don't take it personally. Fictus just isn't a people person."
As part of their great mind control tour, Cold Steel had relocated to a small town country bar at the base of Mount Shasta.
Unbeknownst to them, it would be their final concert.
"I think you should ask her out," Spark Man said from behind the curtain as they set up back stage. "She digs our band and seems totally into you."
Gyro Man didn't find this funny. "I was kidding around!" he said nervously as he fumbled to get his bass strap over both his costume and the propeller on his back. "Everyone knows that, right?"
"Yeah, you were kidding around, and then got lucky!" Spark Man cackled. "I think you two would be cute together!"
"Just drop it," Gyro Man said in a low, serious voice. "She's odd. Plus, I do not want to die. If what I hear from the other 'bots is true, Proto Man isn't one of us, he's a Light-bot, and has a psycho temper. If he finds out his sister kissed me, he'll kill me."
"Really? I don't think that's true, he's too chill."
Gyro Man shook his head. "I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen to us!"
Their conversation was interrupted as a girl slipped into the stage wing. She walked up to Gemini Man who was sulking moodily in a corner and pressed a folded note into his hand. "I was told to give you this."
"'Kay thanks."
"Hey...do you want an autograph or something?" Gyro Man asked.
But the girl fled the stage without answering. Gyro Man watcher her go, perplexed. Usually when fans snuck back to meet their stage personas they traveled in packs, tripping over each other and giggling, asking for autographs before running off in shrieks of laughter.
Gemini Man unfolded the note. It was bare save for one thing.
"I don't get it," Gemini Man said as Spark Man and Gyro Man peered over his shoulder. "Is that a drawing or something?"
"Looks kinda like a banana," said Spark Man.
"Or maybe it's a boat, like a canoe," Gyro Man added, taking the note from Gemini Man and rotating it on its side. "Or a fang if you tilt it back the other way."
"Crazy humans," Gemini Man grumbled, rolling his eyes.
They decided it was a banana, and the Syndicate calling card sent by Ballade (a drawing of a crescent) ended up crumpled and forgotten on the ground.
To be continued...