Chapter Fourteen: Breaking Out
Proto Man falls silent, exhausted. The two agents grant him the mercy of that silence, exchanging a long look with each other.
"So that's the truth?" Agent Stern says finally. "It was an accident."
Agent Krantz slams a fist into the table. "I told you!" she says. "I told you it was an accident!"
Stern holds up a hand to silence her, frowning deeply. "Proto Man, are you saying you had no intention of hurting Kalinka Cossack?"
Proto almost laughs. "No. Never."
"And you rushed her to the hospital because you wanted to save her?"
"Yes," he snaps, jerking his head up. "I—I tried…"
But he failed. He always failed.
"If given another chance," Stern asks quietly. "What would you do to save her life?"
"Anything," he says softly. "I'd do anything."
Stern regards Proto in silence. His partner stares at him, clearly wanting to say something. Slowly and carefully, Stern reaches out and extracts a small USB chip from the recorder. Proto watches, uncomprehending, as Stern sets the chip on the end of the table, and carefully organizes the papers in front of him, pausing at one report.
"Agents Gilbert D. Stern and Roslyn Krantz wrapped up their investigation a week ago," he said. "They are currently pursuing an unrelated case in the UK, though they have been receiving some confusing emails."
Proto stares at him.
"I don't know if this is any comfort, but both of them recommended against your permanent shut down," he added. "Agent Stern was not as convinced by the legitimacy of your ability to feel emotion, but he was moved, nonetheless, by your remorse."
Proto tries to speak, but the words stick in his throat. Finally, he croaks out, "If you're not—Who are you?"
Agent Stern—what he thought was Stern—pauses. He clicks a button on the recorder, and Proto feels the pulse of something surge through the room. The lights flicker. With a click, the restraints on his arms snap free and clatter to the floor. 'Stern' stands and he's—taller. Stretching out and thinning as his features warp and change.
Skull Man stares down at Proto, his eyes aflame with blue. Proto tries to react, to say something, but his limbs are stiff and unresponsive and Agent Krantz is there at his side. She's speaking gently to him, but she's not Krantz anymore, she's shorter and wearing all black and her face and hair are—
Proto slips off the chair and onto his knees, and Kalinka sinks with him, wrapping him up in a tight hug he's too afraid to return. All he can do is lean against her, his forehead pressed into her shoulder, touching her arms like she's glass that will shatter if he dares do anything more.
"Kalinka," he whispers, over and over. "Kalinka."
Kalinka cups his face and wipes away tears. Proto's crying again and he doesn't know why. He hugs her at last, his grip still gentle and shaking, as Kalinka wipes away tears of her own.
"It's me," she says. "I'm here. I won't leave you again, I promise."
"H-how…?" He lifts a hand to touch her face, and it's warm and real. She's real.
"I'm so sorry. I wanted to get you out sooner, but—" Kalinka bites her lip. "They lied to you. Mitchell Deacon convinced Papa to lie that I was dead, and then Deacon lied to everyone, and it was wrong, and they—they were going to kill you for it. I won't let that happen. Ever."
"But—but I shot you," he says, still lost.
Kalinka chews on her lip. She lifts the corner of the thick clothes she wore, revealing a mass of scars on her abdomen. She yanks it down quickly, her face flushed. "It's—it's not as bad as it looks. They had to reconstruct my ribs and some of my organs aren't—well, organic anymore, but—I'm okay. I'm really okay."
"A slight exaggeration," Skull Man says, his scowl clear in his voice. "Kalinka will need years of medical intervention, but she is—for now—okay."
Proto feels something inside him twist at that. "Is that—is that why you did this?"
"Kalinka wanted to rescue you regardless," Skull Man says, stepping closer to the two. "I needed… convincing. Your brother will need to know the truth, as will Dr. Light. They will need to clear your name, to prevent this from ever happening again."
"I'm sorry," Kalinka says softly. "We had to plan this really carefully, and we couldn't get you out any earlier. I know it was hard to talk about."
He leans down, touching Proto's shoulder. Proto flinches, but all the Robot Master does is offer him an E-Can. His hands are still trembling too much to hold it, and he's not sure if that's damage or shock. Kalinka takes the can and helps him drink.
"I am convinced, Proto Man," Skull Man says, strangely gentle. "You truly meant my sister no harm. I apologize for not recognizing your grief."
Proto says nothing, watching the tremble in his arms subside as his self-repair systems kick in. He's still afraid if he closes his eyes for too long, none of this will be real.
"We don't have much time," Skull Man says. "I've only temporarily knocked out their systems, and the distraction I've set off will quickly be discovered to be harmless—we must go."
Kalinka nods, pulling out Proto's scarf from her jacket, clean and yellow again, and wraps it around his neck. "I stole this from evidence," she says with a certain amount of satisfaction. "What do you think?"
"I think I want to kiss you," Proto says, running his fingers along the scarf until he's satisfied it's really his.
Kalinka makes a face. "Not in front of my brother."
He doesn't laugh—he can't laugh, not yet—but he smiles, almost surprised he still can. Skull Man helps him up. The energy can helps, but he would need a lot more time to fully recover. If the Cossack bot had thoughts about their exchange, he doesn't share them, keeping a steadying hand on Proto's shoulder as Kalinka zips up her jacket and pulls a hood over her head. Some sort of filmy shadow extended over her face as she did, obscuring her features, and her outfit had light-weight armor built over it.
"There are several obstacles between us and freedom," Skull Man says, leading them to the door. He keeps his hand on Proto's back, but it's gentle, guiding at most. It's not easy to process that this Skull Man was the same one who threatened to kill him, but he was still having a hard time processing all of this.
Kalinka's hand is firmly gripping his. That helps.
The hall is empty, the robot guards fallen and still. One of Kalinka's tricks—or Skull Man's, Proto had yet to see what his weapon system could do. He wasn't sure he wanted to.
"You faked your death?" he asks slowly.
Kalinka shakes her head. "That wasn't what Papa intended. He kept my recovery quiet. He was afraid Dr Wily would seek revenge."
"Governor Deacon took advantage of his fear," Skull Man says. "He convinced our father that telling the world Kalinka was dead would throw Wily off for good. We were wrapped up with Kalinka's recovery, isolated from the world. By the time any of us realized what Deacon really meant to do, he had already declared your deactivation was imminent."
"But—Dr. Light—"
"Did not know," Skull Man replies, stopping them at a corner. He summons his weapon—something bright and swirling and—are those skulls? Skull Man tosses the weapon down the hall, resulting in a bright flash and the cries of robotic voices. A cautious look around the corner reveals scorched walls and more downed drones.
Proto is very, very glad he never had to face Skull Man in battle.
"Papa is a good man, but he has his flaws," Kalinka says quietly, as they continue forward. "When he is worried about something, he can do nothing else but concentrate on it. He doesn't speak to his friends. He doesn't pay attention to the outside world."
"I don't consider Deacon a very clever man, " Skull Man mused. "But a politician knows an opportunity when he sees one. In the future, I recommend being more careful about who you decide to terrorize."
Proto has nothing to say to that. He's still exhausted, mentally and physically, and as they continue on, the nondescript walls blur together. He needs to sleep, real sleep, but Kalinka's hand grips his tight, and it keeps him going. Skull Man's support is surprisingly strong, holding him up when he stumbles, keeping him steady.
Hall after hall. Defenses taken down by either Skull Man's weapons or Kalinka's clever hacking. Then they were outside, running, the night air filling Proto's artificial lungs as alarms blare behind them. He's out. He's free.
And then his brother steps into the light in front of them, blue armor shining bright in the light, forcing the three of them to stop.
"I can't let you do this," Mega Man says. His blaster is armed, but at his side. His eyes are on Skull Man's imposing figure, but they keep drifting to Proto, uncertainty playing across his face.
"If you stop us, it means Proto Man's death," Skull Man responds, igniting his weapon. In the open, Proto can see it clearly—a spinning shield of burning skulls, burning with a ghostly flame.
Mega Man looks even more uncertain in the reflecting glow, but he lifts his blaster grimly. "I can't. I'm sorry."
"No," Proto says softly. He lets go of Kalinka's hand, ignoring her hiss, and steps away from Skull Man, outside of the shield. Skull Man grabs for him, but Proto manages to duck away.
"You want me dead, brother?" He holds his arms out, still weak enough to shake. "Go ahead. End it."
"I don't want you dead," Mega snaps, keeping his weapon aimed at Skull Man. "That's not what this is about!"
"So you'll just let someone else kill me for you? Never took you for a coward," Proto says. He tries to smirk but he's tired, he's just so tired. "Just do it, Mega. Get it over with. Please."
"No," his brother says, lowering his weapon. "I won't—"
Something bright and spinning hits Mega Man in the back, knocking him forward, and Skull Man twists his weapon ever so slowly and fires it forward, sending the blue bomber flying. He grabs Proto as he collapses, picking him up like a child as Proto's vision begins to fade. There's a van speeding toward them, a figure running next to it.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Ring Man says in Russian, yanking the door open. "Get in, get in!"
Skull Man sets Proto in the back of the van, and Kalinka climbs in with. There's someone driving—Dust Man?—and Ring Man slides into the passenger seat. Skull Man seems to shrink somehow, changing as his armor vanishes the second the door slams shut, and then the van is moving, tires shrieking as they leave at top speed.
Proto lifts his head once, just high enough to see Mega Man watch them go, his blaster limp at his side. Then he collapses, his head in Kalinka's lap as he sinks into darkness.
Author's Note: I'm going to sleep for a million years.