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.
A small focus on Kalinka at first, though she becomes more prominent later. As well as the 'talk' her grandmother had with her.
Also, don't worry, I'm not going to just up and abandon the Robot Masters that were arrested. Oh no, they and those coming up will be seen in the next season, along with the Police Bot and a few other faces you may recognize.
This season, however, focuses on Mega Man 6 and bits and pieces of other games in the series, albeit briefly and with just a few hints to what'll come later.
Please let me know if there's any contradictions, plot holes, or anything else that makes you scratch your head, as while I'm keeping tabs and notes, frankly, I'm scared to death of missing something. Really, if I had the time and energy, I'd go back and redo each and every chapter of the former story that links to this one. I hate reading through it mainly because I just think that I could've done something different and better.
Historical examples mentioned gotten from e Reference Desk: North Dakota Early History. And (I know the reputation it has) Wikipedia.
That said, here's hoping you enjoy!
Back in the Swing Part 2
© of Capcom
It wasn't entirely back to the way it was…but at least it was still standing.
Apron on and her fingers still somewhat feeling slick from the oil that coated some of the spare parts, Kalinka wiped them on said apron and sighed. Suffice to say, since the second near death experience (of which, ironically enough, involved 'him' yet again), the Russian fifteen-year-old had found herself caught in what she could only describe as something of a partial sense of shellshock. She was far from completely unresponsive. Far from it. Hell, for the first few days after the Mobile Suit's rampage, she had been making her stance on Wily and the rest of his robotic hoard very, VERY known. To the point where her Babushka had to up and silence her.
Leading to quite the talk. A talk that, surprisingly enough, Anita didn't raise her voice all that much. Far less than usual. Remembering such made Kalinka shudder a bit. As much of a hard ass her grandmother could be, even she dared not question the woman in what she knew. Should anyone ask her, aside from perhaps her own Papa, Babushka was the wisest individual in her life. Even more so than Papa at times, she thought.
Not much longer after organizing the last of the boxes, she took her leave. Mrs. Corlett was looking after the shop for the time being, though they weren't open yet. Truthfully, the girl couldn't say whether or not she 'liked' it, let alone having a job at all. Yet at the moment, such things seemed to be pushed to the backburner. At the moment…ugh, she needed to get home. Her head was swarming with too many questions and thoughts she wasn't willing to deal with right now.
Home.
Did she just…?
Shaking her head, the curls of her golden hair bouncing somewhat, Kalinka exited the store and began the trek back to the apartment, her steps echoing as she walked. The street seemed rather empty tonight.
She took a moment to glance to her left as she went on. Somewhat ironic in a way, as Mr. Corlett's shop was just next to an actual junkyard. Of course, the red haired, bearded man had gotten most of his stock via junkyards and Scrapyards, yet this one, oddly enough, seemed to be relatively untouched by him. Why, she was unsure, yet for now, it mattered not. Right now, she just wanted to wash her hands, shower, and go see her Ptichka.
CLANG!
Hm?
Kalinka turned, she just in front of the entrance to the junkyard, of which was locked.
CLANG!
Was there…someone in there?
CLANG!
Y-Yeah. Going home now, she thought. Going home RIGHT now.
She sped her way down the sidewalk, the sound of metal clanging and being moved and shuffled continuing to be heard. Someone was definitely in there. And from the sound of it, they were quite intent on getting something out of there. Only briefly did she take glances back at the junkyard, the rustling and general breaking of the still quiet continuing and growing more and more distant as she made her way along.
Elsewhere
"Well?" the more dominating of the two men questioned. "Any luck?"
The smaller, demurer, to both the other's and the sole woman with them in the darkened space actually nodded in confirmation. "It's still at the warehouse, well, a different warehouse than before, mainly for security reasons, lest Wily go and maybe hack into another one of the Police Bots."
"I take it that the guards are human?" the woman questioned.
"What else?" the man responded. "Of course, this makes it both easier and harder for us." Despite this new development, he seemed not too confident in which it would be.
"You do have the uniforms, yes?" the other man questioned.
"Of course." He said. "And don't worry, they're clean. I made sure to snag them from a couple of well-known hypochondriacs."
"…should I ask how?" the woman asked, albeit with a good degree of humor in her voice.
"Company policy that suits are washed to meet their standards."
"Which means you've been digging through people's lockers, huh?" the other man asked, the smaller of the two going silent. "Well, it doesn't matter. We've got our ticket in. Only thing to find out is when to do this."
"I'd say as quick as possible." The woman chipped in. "It's already been transported once. It's not good to us if they ship it to a Scrapyard or somewhere else to take it apart."
"I'll try to get the info, but I can't guarantee that I'll get it right away." The smaller man stated. "Bear in mind, we get stuff like that outside of our department."
"All the same," the other man interjected. "We can't be too late. If so, then our trump card will be out of commission before we can even get it up and running." He sighed. "We'll need it. Not just for ourselves, but to beat back what they send against us." He folded his arms. "Especially if blue boy brings himself in the fray."
"I don't think it's an 'if'," the woman interjected, pausing for a bit before continuing. "But a 'when'."
A Day Later
Well…at least it wasn't a cave.
Though, what exactly occurred here and afterward was an event that, even now, threw his logic components for a loop.
Robosaur Park…wow. Where'd they get THAT name? Not obvious at all, oh no.
"Quite a pristine depiction of prehistory." The Native based Robot Master with the Blue Bomber commented, the abundance of tropical planet life and replication of swampland surrounding them. Complete with thickened, murky bodies of water stationed every so miles.
"I suppose." Mega Man answered back, he and Tomahawk Man continuing down the trail, of which had stamped out the tire tracks that were once prominent in the soil. After the whole mess regarding the aptly named 'Otto Raptor', the place was promptly shut down and left to rot. Ironically enough, it came to better resemble what perhaps was the terrain of this small piece of land however many million years ago. Which in turn got him thinking. "Do you they have anything relating to that in the Historical Society? I mean, prehistory?"
Tomahawk Man looked to the azure android. "Yes, actually." He confirmed. He was about to mention that it was somewhat odd that the other machine wished to engage in conversation at a time like this, yet then again, they've yet to find anything. Besides, a part of him was genuinely pleased that his company expressed interest. "Though which are you wanting to know. Human history or, given where we are, that relating to ancient creatures?"
He was more than tempted to say both, though, Mega Man resigned himself to a single option. "I'll go with human."
'I suspected that.' Tomahawk thought. "Well, around 9,500 BC, the Paleo Natives were believed to occupy what's known now as the northern plains, and they were believed to have lived hunting bison, and even mammoths."
"Mammoths?" Mega Man said, blue eyes widening. "Ordinary humans hunted those things?"
"Impossible to believe, isn't it?" the Robot Master answered. "Such small, tiny things against something with shoulders around 2.7 to 3.4 meters tall and weighing 6 metric tons? Most modern example is a team of men taking on an African Elephant. No high caliber rifles, nothing. Save for their tools and the hands that held them." Mega Man took note of the other machine's voice, he seemingly in admiration of such peoples. "And not long after, when such creatures went extinct, they and the other human tribes and communities merely adapted to their new environments. Some of the tools and weapons they in turn used were later unearthed and named, of course. One particular device, a device meant for throwing darts was named the atlatl."
"Atlatl?"
"The name comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. It was one of their weapons as well, even by the time the Spanish came along. Essentially, it's a stick or rod with a handle on one end and a hook or socket that holds a sharpened spear, or 'dart' on the other. It was used in a flipping motion that propelled said dart forward."
Nearby
"There they are." He had to keep the rustling of the leaves at a minimum.
Something of which STILL was thought to be not quiet enough. "Keep it down!" one amongst the hidden quartet lectured.
"I am!"
"Hush!" another said. "Are they here yet?"
"Are they here yet, of COURSE they're here! Are you blind?!"
"SHH!"
They weren't doing themselves any favors, seeing as each of them were creating quiet a bit of racket despite needing to remain 'hidden'.
"You just HAD to take this way, didn't you?"
"Hey, there's plenty of places to hide here!"
"Yes. Plenty of places optimal for you."
"…it's not like a little bit of water's going to kill you."
There was more than an urge to counter that, yet ultimately they all had to keep silent. The two machines moving at a steady, slow pace, clearly keeping their eyes peeled. Though, surprisingly, also engaged in conversation.
A Distance Away
"Dakotaraptor?" the transition between the discussion of human history (or prehistory, more appropriately) was more or less due to the Blue Bomber outright asking out of the blue (blue and blue…heh) about it, yet the answer he got was more than satisfying and intriguing to him.
"Literally translates to 'Plunderer of Dakota." Tomahawk Man said. "Found in Maastrichtian-age, Hell Creek Formation."
"Must've been a pretty nasty guy if he was in a place called 'Hell Creek.'" Mega jested, he pleased that this seemed to bring a smile from the Native based Robot Master as well.
"5.5 meters long and having to contend with the other residents such as Triceratops and his majesty, the Tyrannosaurus, I would say so. It completely dwarfed both the Velociraptor and Deinonychus. Beasts such as that reigning over the Earth, it's little wonder that the early peoples created tales of monsters and dragons."
Indeed, Mega thought. Monsters and dragons…dragons…
"…I should've been there."
"Pardon?" Tomahawk Man questioned, though it didn't take long for him to realize what the other android was talking about. "Oh. I assume that you've been informed of- "
"How you got your leg and arm torn off?" Mega Man said for him, though the other robot wasn't exactly going to word it in such a way as that.
"…you do realize that we can simply get them reattached, yes?"
"Yeah, I know that, but still," Mega Man insisted. "You should've never been down there. Alone at least." 'Not at all if I had my way.'
The Native based Robot Master quirked a brow. He suspected that this was going to simply be par for the course regarding the azure android. "You were participating in this search as was I. Mine was simply more…physical at first. Bear in mind, you weren't in the best shape yourself not too long ago, outright needing to be dug out from the rubble." Tomahawk informed him. "With some of your own limbs nearly pulled out from their sockets, and the outer shell of various areas cracked or torn off completely." Mega Man couldn't argue with that. "Bear in mind, and I do not mean to sound as if I'm scolding you," the bonnet wearing robot continued. "Yet as of now, while a good portion won't be any different than how you were operating before, you are technically now part of a unit. A unit still coming together, but a unit nonetheless. I assume you know what that means."
"I do." Mega Man confirmed. "But that doesn't exactly mean that-"
"And that's completely understandable. Dare say, it's completely logical." The other machine answered. "Yet you also realize that there's no feasible way that you COULD ever accomplish this in a span of time as this. Not on your lonesome."
"…no. And yes, I know that-"
RUSTLE
Both the Blue Bomber and Robot Master's blue eyes widened, both realizing that perhaps they had found what, or whom they had come looking for. Neither was entirely sure as to that 'whom' was, yet it was inevitable that they were probably about to find out.
RUSTLE RUSTLE
There! But a few yards away! A dense collection of green brush was shaking, whomever was either not aware of just how much attention they were drawing to themselves-
Both Tomahawk and Mega Man then felt a series of objects being placed and thrust against their chests and throats, alternating between pairs of hands and a pair of sharpened, rapier like appendages radiating with developing electricity. From the bushes, the fourth figure leapt up and over the now group of six, his smaller form turning to face the two robots that had been 'hunting' them.
Drawing attention to themselves…that they were. Indeed. And they took the bait.
Note: Uh oh.
Again, this is mainly build up for future events. Please review if you will, alert me of any mistakes, and if I can better characterize anyone better and/or further.
Thank you!
