Note:Note: This and the next chapters are reposts from the other edition that I have decided to move here due to not enough traction on that one.

I don't know how well this system will work, yet I'm thinking of writing the five parts of each episode before uploading them at once. Again, don't know how well this'll work, yet the main thing is to keep down the time in between parts. Here's hoping. Also, it'll get my ass in gear and not get too persnickety.

Anyhow, this chapter focus' more on Tomahawk Man and a particular resident of the Skull Fortress that hasn't been seen in a while. Don't worry, its part doesn't end here. In fact, this is just a preview to what it could do, and at a weakened state nonetheless. Though its full potential will be seen later with a different Robot Master Mega Man meets in the future.

Chapter 3-Strange Changes Part 3

Mega Man © of Capcom

What to do, what to do, what to do…

This was bad. No. Bad wasn't good enough. This was nothing short of absolutely abysmal. For him.

"What is it?" the voice in Tomahawk's com-link asked, albeit softly. "Is it- "

"It's inactive, somewhat." He answered, he too keeping his voice down. "It's in sleep mode. I think." 'I think.' Wasn't exactly the best confirmation they could have, yet all the same, it was the best he could deliver in that moment.

"Good." The human soldier on the other end sighed in relief. "Though, mission aside, I think you should get out of there."

"Negative." The Robot Master answered. Whilst he was under the current command of the human forces, he had been given the clear to do what his logical processors decreed best. It wasn't as if they were authorized or registered as those he had to receive orders from. "If this thing gets out, it could cause untold destruction. And I don't believe I need to tell you what sort, given who oversaw its construction."

The human could see and understand the machine's conclusion, yet that still presented another problem.

A problem that they'd both be facing quite soon.

The larger metal creature began shifting, Tomahawk stepping back, the chamber going semi-silent again. Lovely. But at least it seemed to have slipped back into-

"Ah!"

Then, a single eye opened, his reflecting casting in the large orb of gold.

Awake. The blasted thing was awake.

The silvery, incomplete, metallic beast rose form its reclining place, its optics gazing upon the far smaller, bipedal shape before it. In a sense, it registered that he reminded it of the blue intruder that had been sent down here before, along with the green and violet ones.

Nevertheless, their appearances were all that separated them from each other. They both shared the same status as invaders of both its home and its personal dwelling. Invaders that would receive a thorough dismemberment via its jaws.

Lunging forward with its thick, powerful neck, the incomplete beast snapped its teeth at the feathered intruder, said intruder leaping back out of the way and allowing his right, ivory hand seemingly slip into his forearm, only to be replaced with a sharpened instrument resembling an axe.

It wasn't exactly a sword, he thought, but it would serve him well. Besides, if he were asked, his namesake weapon far outranked any other.

The beast lunged at him again, Tomahawk rolling to the right and sighting the back of its head as it's neck lowered. If he could reach up there…

Wasting no time, he made a beeline for the particular area he spotted, legs carrying him ever and ever closer to his destination. Until he registered that an increasing amount of heat on his backside. The incomplete creation had leaned its head dangerously close to him, though its intention didn't seem to seize this opportunity to take him in its maw.

No, it seemed to have something else in mind.

A light emitted from deep within its throat as it opened its mouth, Tomahawk Man's turquoise eyes widening as he came to understand what this was, let alone what this meant for him if he did not make his escape from the range in which the wave of heat would travel.

Yet as he turned to make a run for it, his back felt an incomprehensible, searing agony as he realized, to his horror, he wasn't quick enough.

The beast saw the smaller machine overtaken by its expelled flames, a piercing wail echoing throughout the massive chamber as the figure was forced to the floor. The fire that emitted from its throat continued to pour out, it extending its neck to once again dose the invader in another wave of heat as he had managed to roll out of the way, yet it found that just as soon as it had begun, it began to seemingly die down. Steadily, the wave of fire would become sparse and have gaps in between each wave that came out. Then, said gaps became longer and longer until only mere flickers were the only things able to come out.

Its trump card had been extinguished, literally.

And while he was thankful for the fiery assault ending, Tomahawk Man wasn't exactly in the best of places despite this moment of relief.

From where his shoulder blades were located (or where they would be should he be crafted of flesh) to the small of his back, the outer shell of blue had been melted and darkened to a singed black, the more tender, vital components that lay underneath no better. The back of his arms from his shoulders to his forearms and legs from thighs to ankles were in a similar state, though his legs were thankfully spared less damage that his upper half. The red feathers of his bonnet were nearly burnt away, and what hadn't been still held active embers at where there had been something left to burn away at. Though he bore none, Tomahawk found himself pondering if this was similar to what having ones very flesh and what was beneath quite literally ripped from you.

Still, from what he could hear behind him, it seemed that the time down here, let alone its creator's absence hadn't done it many favors. Specifically, in that its roars had grown more hoarse and weakened.

This may as well be his one and only opportunity.

Forcing himself up despite the searing pain (in more ways than one) in his ligaments, the Robot Master whirled around to have the creature, his goal still in his sights. 'All right.' He steeled himself, teeth gnashing against each other with extreme pressure. It was unbearably tempted to crouch over and become a slave to these sensations (lowering his sensory input didn't offer him much relief, let alone did his current agony allow him to concentrate), he knew well that he would receive more, potential fatal damage if he didn't finish this here and now.

The beast lunged forward yet again and chomped down, he in turn dodging to the right, then to the left. It was then that he noticed that it was mainly relying on its teeth as its main method of attack. Apparently, at least he assumed, that the lack of breathing fire for a lengthy amount of time wasn't the only thing it had been deprived of. All the same, his goal was just in reach. Leaping upon its back, Tomahawk trekked towards the area nearest the base of its neck (not without difficulty from its thrashing around) and lifted his namesake to swing down on the metal.

The moment the blade had struck was also the moment he realized his error.

The beast had a perfect angle to reach him. Its rows of lined teeth came down on the Native based warrior, more than comprehending what it planned to do with said incisors.

Not that it would matter, for it was already too late.

He felt its jaws meeting the moment it clamped around his arm, slicing through his outer shell, inner skeleton, and the bevy of wires that even allowed for the functioning of said limb. And he more than felt with the beast drew its head back, severing the limb from its place and snapping away any remaining pieces that would potentially allow it to remain with its source. Flinging its head to the side, Tomahawk Man, through his pain, watched in terror as his arm was tossed against the wall, tomahawk still drawn, yet impossibly out of reach now.

Yet…yet it still made its mark. A large slice had been made in the beast's inner shell. Yes. He…he could make this work still. He HAD to make this work.

Placing his hands on both sides of the small incision, he strained as he began to widen it, pulling and skinning the area, a ghost of a smile amidst his grimace able to manifest as he saw a collection of wires and cables underneath.

Though, of course, it wouldn't be without opposition.

The beast felt its skin being opened, it whirling its head around and taking his leg in its mouth, Tomahawk once again assaulted with the sensation of one of his limbs being ripped from him. Still he held on. He had to, let everything else be ripped from him. Having created a large enough space to reach inside (though only just large enough), he reached in and took ahold of each and every wire he could curl his digits around. The beast pulled as it held his leg, Tomahawk in turn being dragged with it, yet as he held on, he realized that this perhaps would serve him.

All he had to do was hold out just a little longer.

More and more it pulled, the components linking his leg to the rest of him was continually being chomped through and the rest of his form being pulled along with it, though with that, the wires were being pulled as well. The larger machine felt a growing tension in its neck, said extended limb seemingly growing still as it continued to drag its prey off of its back. Still, he held on. More and more it pulled and bit down. More and more he tightened his grip and pulled in return. Both did so, more, and more, and more, and more…until…

SNAP!

Duel sounds of both cords and cables being ripped from their places and his leg finally being forcibly detached echoed throughout, Tomahawk finally thrown from his place, and the beast finding that it was having quite a bit of difficulty hold its head up. Lovely, the Robot Master thought. The beast's head was forcibly lowered as it's neck could no longer support it, yet it wasn't down just yet. No, he needed more than just his hands for this. He needed his weapon. And yet it was a good few feet or so away from him, and his leg was flung even further away! The beast was now attempting to crawl towards him, its movements slow and lumbering, but still, it was moving nonetheless.

In turn, Tomahawk Man began crawling, or rather, dragging himself along the ground with one half of his body still intact, eyes centered on his detached arm. He had to make it. Otherwise this entire thing would've been for nothing, and he held no intention of letting Mega Man, or anyone else come down here. Who knew if this thing even had the Laws put into it yet? Given how scarcely Wily himself must've probably come down here, who knew what this thing's construction was like, let alone if it was even conscious for its own making.

The beast continued on, golden optics holding the intruder in its sights. It was so weak. So starved of oil and fresh parts. Gears rusted and needing to be replaced grinded and released painful squeaks as they spun, and the loss of mobility in its neck made moving all the more difficult. Still, it pressed on. This was its home, its territory, its domain. How dare this being think it could come in its home. And unlike last time, it held no intention on letting this one escape alive.

Finally, at long last, he had reached it. "Yes…" Tomahawk sighed, holding his detached limb close to him. "You're back."

Now he could put an end to this.

But still, even with the return of his weapon (in a sense), he was still quite compromised.

The beast lumbered forward until the tip of its nose lay at the foot of Tomahawk's still attached leg, its golden optics narrowing, and mouth opening in preparation.

NOW!

It lunged again with its remaining strength, its teeth aimed to take what remained of him in its mouth, only to find that its prey had used his one and only leg to propel himself out of the way, and with his remaining arm, lifted up his tomahawk and brought it down with an reverberating 'CLANG!'

The beast went still, sensing something vital bad been cut off from it. Soon, to its shock, its very senses began leaving it. Touch, sound…until its last, sight, finally went, the image of the intruder the last thing it held in its vision until all went dark and quiet.

Despite his lack of need for oxygen, Tomahawk Man allowed for his vents to the stuffy, yet still available air to flow through his vents, he in turn expelling it as he lay next to the beast's head, it finally, promptly, disabled.

And all it cost him was a literal arm and leg. "Tomahawk to surface. Do you read?" he huffed out, more than just a little exhausted from the loss of vital fluids and sensation in the torn places from his body.

"Oh, thank God!" the human's voice rang out from the other side of the link. "I thought you were a goner for sure!"

The Robot Master cringed at that, though he didn't find it in him to remark how he hated hearing such. "Tell those above that you'll need more than just the numbers you have already." His turquoise eyes fell on the downed creature, he not exactly in much of a better state either. "Though for now…I'd appreciate someone coming down to pick me up."

Note: Don't worry, the beast below is far from done yet. In fact, this is just the beginning of its journey to becoming something more than familiar to fellow fans. That said, working now on Ep.2, so here's hoping I get it done soon! Thank you all! Please give your input!